But Mag did not seem to be listening to him. Her back was straight, her arms at her sides, and her gaze was fixed unerringly on the Carrweld. I knew from long experience that she could hold her body still as a statue when she wanted to. But now I saw a twitch in her hands. They hung loose and open, and her fingers would jerk forwards and then back. Forwards, and then back.
She did not see me. I doubted she saw anything but the darkness beneath those branches.
Almost I went to speak with her. But Yue called out to me, and I turned to follow her into the tent at last.
Our march now took us into open wilderness, with no real roads to speed our journey. Still, we made a good pace west, clearing almost four leagues each day. On the third day, we turned from our somewhat northwesterly course to aim southwest, passing from a land of broken hills to one of rivers and marshes. Kun seemed to know the region well, for he led us unerringly around the worst delays in the land.
On the fifth day, we reached a town called Kuan Shu on the banks of the River Marsden. There we found a bridge, and after crossing, we camped beyond the western borders of the town that night.
Captain Kun did not let us spend any time within the walls speaking to Kuan Shu’s inhabitants. I believe he did not wish us to spread any word of who we were or what our mission was. But he sent his nephew, Zhen, and some other Mystics into the town, probably to seek information about the Shades.
On the sixth day, Kun stopped the march about an hour earlier than expected. While we halted on the road, waiting, Kun and his advisors deliberated ahead of us. I was about to ask Tou if he wanted to see what was the matter, when Kun sent out the order to make camp for the night.
The sun was still a good hour or two above the horizon. I could think of only one reason why we would halt early. If Kun thought we were to meet our enemy in battle soon, he would want to keep his army as fresh as possible.
But I kept these thoughts to myself as I directed my squadron in building their tents. Then my attention caught on a messenger approaching from the head of the camp, where Kun’s tent was being built. The woman went to Tou and spoke quietly with him before leaving at a brisk pace, heading farther back down the column. Tou stood looking after her for a moment, fingers on his chin, before he sought me out and motioned me over to him.
“Trouble?” I asked.
“No,” said Tou. “Only a summons to speak with the captain. I may not be gone long, but just in case, would you have one of your soldiers build my tent for me?”
“I will see to it myself,” I said. “And your stakes will not be as shaky as they have been in recent days.”
His expression lightened, and he rolled his eyes. “Not everyone is as … seasoned a campaigner as you are.”
I placed a hand to my chest, raising my eyebrows in mock affront. “A jibe at my advancing years? I thought you a better man.”
Tou chuckled, seemingly against his will, and flapped a hand towards his pack. “Just build the tent.”
“Of course,” I said, smiling. The smile lasted until he was gone, and then a worried crease came to my brow. My thoughts were troubled as I built Tou’s tent and then my own, and then I knelt to light a fire after Chausiku brought some wood.
Tou finally returned as the last light was fading in the sky. His face was grim as he approached me by my fire.
“Get Mag and Yue and come speak with me,” he said.
“Yes, ser,” I said, and went to do as he had bid.
When I found Mag, she and Yue were sitting with their squadron and eating. Dryleaf was there with them, as were Nikau and Orla. The lovers spent time with us every night, at least for our evening meal, before they went and plied their services among the army. Yue, it seemed, was in the middle of a tale about our fight with the vampires.
“… and then they split up,” Yue was saying as I approached. “Split up, the fools. Unfortunately, Albern was the one to find me, which meant I had to save my own hide. The vampire got a good chunk of my shoulder with its claws, but I managed to shove it into the flames and burn it to death.”
“After I had already pierced it with an arrow,” I put in.
Yue looked up, the surprise on her face too exaggerated to be genuine. “Albern! I did not see you coming.”
“Mm,” I said. “I am afraid you must finish your tale later. The lieutenant needs us.”
The mood of those around the fire darkened in an instant. Without a word, Mag and Yue got to their feet. But as Yue was stepping away, Dryleaf reached up and took her hand.
“Should I come with you?” he asked.
“Tou is in a hurry,” I said. “But I promise we will speak with you after.”
Dryleaf nodded. “Very well. I eagerly await it.” Then he turned to the rest of those sitting by the fire. “And in the meantime, mayhap I should tell you my part in this tale of the vampires. It was quite amusing—Albern was so impressed with my wisdom that he thought I could see without my eyes.”
Orla wore a joyful expression. “I would not be surprised, dear one,” she said, gently rubbing the back of his hand. “The sky bestows many blessings on those who command the magic of talespinning.”
A few chuckles rang out behind us as we walked away. I smiled ruefully in the growing darkness. “Why do all your stories seem to make me the butt of the joke?”
Yue slapped my rear end. “Because you are so excellent for the role.”
My face flamed, and I hoped they could not see it in the sparse light of the campfires we passed. Mag, however, ignored our flirting.
“Do you know what this business is with Tou?” she asked.
“I do not,” I said. “But the moment the march stopped, the captain summoned all the lieutenants. And I noticed that we did not march as long as we could have today.”
“I noticed that, too,” said Mag.
Yue glanced back and forth between us. “What does that mean?”
“Captain Zhou may be trying to save our strength,” said Mag. “And there is only one reason he might do that, which is to have us ready for a battle he believes is imminent.”
Yue sighed. “I see.”
“Let us see what Tou has to say before we consign ourselves to gloom,” I said. “There may be another explanation.”
There was not.
“The captain believes we will meet the enemy soon,” said Tou, skipping any preamble. “We have stumbled upon signs of the Shades’ march.”
We stood there in dour silence—Mag, Yue, me, and the other two sergeants in Tou’s company. They were both Mystic knights, but for the life of me, I can no longer remember their names.
“They are marching in the open?” I said at last. “That is unusual, from what we have heard.”
“So it is,” said Tou. “But they are both in the open and not, you might say. These are wildlands. It is unlikely anyone would see them, and less likely that anyone who saw them would know what they were seeing.”
“Where are they coming from?” said Yue.
“The captain has a theory,” said Tou. “Recently there have been rumors of Dorsean raids into Feldemar. King Alim of Feldemar has sought reparations. But King Jun knew nothing about the raids, and he refused responsibility for them. Diplomats on both sides were trying to sort the situation out. Now the captain thinks he knows the truth: these attacks were carried out by the Shades. They posed as Dorsean soldiers to foment discord between us and Feldemar.”
Mag and I glanced at each other again. “That seems a sensible guess,” said Mag. “We have had several encounters with the Shades so far, and they are fond of getting others to do their fighting for them.”
“And so now we expect to meet these Shades on the field?” I said.
“The captain thinks so,” said Tou. “And in very little time. We do not know their destination, but we mean to keep them from reaching it.”
“Good,” said Mag. “What does he need from us?”
“Only to be ready,” said Tou, scratching his goatee. “And to ma
ke sure your squadrons are ready as well. You all have good heads on your shoulders and at least some experience in a fight. The same cannot be said for everyone you command. See to their readiness. Prepare them for what is to come.”
“Easy enough,” I said. But immediately, I winced. “Or rather, easy enough to understand. Of course, it is no simple thing to prepare someone for their first battle.”
Yue arched an eyebrow at me. “Hm. I wonder what was wrong with me, that when we first met, I thought you had such a silver tongue.”
I rolled my eyes at her before addressing Tou again. “We will see it done, ser. Let us know if there is any other way we can be of service.” Then I turned and looked Yue dead in the eye. “And my tongue may not be silvered, but it has received no complaints of late.”
I turned on my heel and left, while Mag nearly collapsed, trying to hold back her laughter. Yue went beet red and failed to muster any retort.
I woke the next morning with a mission—one not given to me by Tou.
Quickly I broke my fast by the campfire nearest my squadron’s tents. Then I headed towards the west end of the camp, where Kun and his Mystics slept. A few curious eyes followed me as I walked past, but I ignored them. Most of the time, if you act as though you are supposed to be wherever you are, few will question you. Such was the case then, for no Mystics came to ask me what I was doing.
At the westernmost end of the camp, I saw the signs Kun had found. A wide trail had been tramped into the ground. It intersected with our path from the north, and there it turned west and headed in the same direction as our march. I gathered all the information that I could. Their number seemed to be around two hundreds, which was less than half of our force. That was close to Yue’s best guess at their numbers. I saw no hoofprints at all, which was a heartening sign. If they had been a mounted party, we could not have hoped to catch them. It seemed to me that they had been here only a day ago. But I could not be entirely sure, nor could I tell anything else; Kun and his Mystics had already wandered about the place, disturbing many of the signs.
I turned and headed back towards my part of the camp with the same air of indifference as when I had come. Once again, no one hailed or challenged me. When I reached our row of tents, I saw that Mag was already up and breaking her fast by the fire. She greeted me with a lazy wave. I sat by her and pulled out a packet of dried meat. I had already eaten, but no seasoned soldier refuses a second helping.
“Good morn,” I told her. “I have been busy already.”
“So I gather,” she said. “Looking into the signs of the Shades?”
“Just so. We are only a day behind them, I think. And they are marching west, on the same path as us.”
Mag frowned. “West. I still do not understand it. This is not the quickest way to reach any city of import. If they mean to make trouble in Feldemar, they would do better to go north, and if in Dorsea, then to the south.”
I shrugged. “Mayhap they mean to practice some smaller mischief, as in Lan Shui.”
“What is that about Lan Shui?” came a sleepy, grumbly voice. Yue hauled herself out of my tent. Her short yellow hair stuck out in all directions, black in the roots after so long without dye. “Do not tell me we are heading back home after I spent so long riding away from it. I might just throw a fit.”
“I do not think so,” I said, chuckling. She came to sit beside me. I brushed a hand lightly up her back, and she stole some food from my pouch.
Mag, meanwhile, did not look convinced by my idea. “I doubt they are doing anything like the ritual that summoned the vampires. Why would they need so many soldiers? The Shades in Lan Shui numbered less than a dozen.”
“A fair point,” I said. Then I arched my brows. “Though mayhap Yue struck closer to the truth. What if their destination is not on this side of the Greatrocks? They may be making for the Sunmane Pass, there to cross the Greatrocks and pursue some mischief in western Dorsea.”
Mag’s eyes widened. “No. They do not mean to cross the pass. They mean to occupy it.”
Yue frowned. “Occupy it?”
But I understood Mag at once. “Of course. There are only two passes through the Greatrocks. If the Shades could occupy one of them, they would cut the kingdom’s trade and travel in half.”
“Why only in half?” said Mag, her expression going dark. “I would wager that another force makes for the Moonslight Pass in the south. They will cut Dorsea in two.”
Yue and I looked at each other, and then at Mag. “We have to tell Kun,” I said.
Mag snorted. “Would he even listen to us?”
“He could hardly ignore you,” said Yue.
“You might be surprised,” said Mag. “He has suspected us from the start. We only march in the vanguard so he can keep an eye on us.”
“But this could devastate the kingdom,” said Yue. “What do you mean to do about it, if not tell the captain?”
“She is right,” I told Mag. “We have to try, at least. Mayhap if we present a plan of action, along with our guess, we may be able to convince him.”
Mag’s eyes flashed. “Do you think we could get our hands on a map?”
“I have one,” said Yue, to our surprise. “It is nothing fit for kings, but I brought it for my journey, when I was trying to determine where you fools might have gone.”
“Yue, you are a gift,” said Mag. “Please, fetch it at once.”
Soon we had it laid on the ground near the fire. Mag took a piece of charcoal to draw on it, and her brow furrowed as she studied it. She circled a spot. Twenty-five leagues west of our position, there was a narrow pass between a wood to the south and a cluster of hills to the north.
“This place,” she said. “It is the northern edge of the Greenfrost. We march right for it, and so do the Shades. It would be a perfect place to attack them. But Kun’s army has no hope of catching them before they reach it. Not unless we send a smaller force to ambush them, to delay their march until the rest of the army can catch up.”
“It will be a hard trek even so,” I said. “But with us guiding Tou’s company, we could get there in time.”
“Then let us bring this to the lieutenant at once,” said Yue, “before Kun begins the day’s march.”
We found Tou with little trouble. He was finishing his morning meal, and he arched an eyebrow at us as we approached.
“Good day,” he said. “What is it? You look as though something important has happened.”
“Not yet,” said Mag.
As quickly as we could, we outlined our plan. Tou listened attentively, curling his fingers through his goatee and frowning.
“The Sunmane Pass,” he said. “I admit, it makes more sense than anything else we have guessed at. But they would have a hard time holding it with no place of strength to defend.”
A chill went through me. “They may have a stronghold in the peaks,” I said.
Tou met my gaze, nonplussed. “Oh? I know of no such places in those mountains. How could they keep it hidden?”
My throat went dry. “I … I have seen something similar before. In the mountains west of Northwood. It is where I first saw Shades, though I did not know who they were at the time.”
I was afraid Tou might have heard something of that stronghold and know that there was more to my tale. But to my immense relief, he only nodded. “Well, then. I think you are right. This must be brought before the captain.” His expression soured. “Though I wonder if I should bring it to him myself. He is … not overly fond of the two of you.”
“An understatement if ever there was one,” said Mag lightly. “But you will need Albern and me to guide the company if we have any hope of catching the Shades in time.”
Tou tilted his head. “You know the area well?”
“She is Dorsean,” I told him, “and grew up not far from here. And I was trained as a ranger in Calentin. Though I do not know this land well, I can guide a force through any wilderness if I know where I am going.”
Mag
’s mouth opened and then clamped tight again. I hoped I had not overstepped, saying more than she had wished. But she did not look angry, only conflicted.
“All right,” said Tou. “The troops have risen, and most will soon be ready to march. We must speak to the captain at once. Come.”
“Ser,” said Mag, Yue, and I together.
We followed him through the camp to Kun’s tent. A small table had been set up, and Kun was enjoying a meal upon it. Upon another, smaller table beside him, he read reports and letters. As he noticed our approach, he looked up, gave us a beaming smile, and wiped a bit of grease from the corner of his mouth.
“Lieutenant Shi,” he said. His eyes roved across the rest of us. “And your sergeants. To what do I owe such a pleasure?”
Tou drew up smartly and gave a salute. “Captain. Mag and Albern have shared some thoughts with me this morning, and I thought it best to bring them to your attention.”
“Indeed?” said Kun. “I am sure I cannot wait to hear what is going on in their inimitable minds.” He stood and motioned to one of his attendants, who began to clean the remainder of his meal. “Let us speak in my tent.”
We followed him inside. Like those of most military commanders, his tent was a grander thing than the one- and two-person tents of the rest of the camp. He had a space in the middle for a desk, upon which had been laid a map of Dorsea, larger and more detailed than Yue’s.
“Now then,” said Kun. “I imagine this has something to do with whatever Sergeant Telfer was poking his nose into this morning?”
So, someone had reported my investigation to the captain after all. I tried not to look like a guilty child who had been caught stealing an extra slice of apple tart. “Yes, Captain,” I said. “I was curious about the Shades and what their aims might be. And I am somewhat skilled at woodcraft, so I thought I might be able to glean some information.”
“Lieutenant Zhou is also quite capable in such matters,” said Kun. “Tell me: do you think you discovered anything he did not?”
The Tales of the Wanderer Volume One: A Book of Underrealm (The Underrealm Volumes 4) Page 70