by Amy Hopkins
“Woah, steady on,” he said when she collided with him. “Looks like we’re—oh, for fuck’s sake.”
He pounded his hand on the rusted old padlock holding the grate closed. Green grass and sunshine lay within arms’ reach, but he pulled back. “Back to the bloody start.”
“Not so fast, cranky.” Julianne took the padlock and yanked the mechanism. The bolt slid out, and she twisted it open.
“How’d you do that?” Marcus asked. He took the lock from her and examined it. “The latch was filed. Gee, thanks for telling me so I could avoid looking like an idiot.”
“Sorry,” Julianne shrugged. “I didn't want to ruin that reputation of yours.”
“Gee, thanks.” He shoved at the bars and pushed open the final barrier between them and freedom from the city of Muir. “You think the horses will still be at the inn when we come back?”
“If we ever do, they’ll have been sold off a long time ago.” Julianne blinked in the sunlight and carefully waded through the knee-deep stream that lapped at the tunnel. “We’ll just have to make as much speed as we can, with as little rest as possible.”
“What are we waiting for, then?” Marcus asked. With a bounce like he had just stepped out of bed, he loped up the small riverbank and into the woods beyond.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Danil was deep in conversation with Tessa when he saw, through the eyes of a man behind him, Annie’s head pop into the schoolroom. His heart sped up—she never ventured this far without a good reason.
“Annie!" he called, hurrying over to her. “Is everything ok?”
“Boy, something’s brewing.” She hesitated, pursing her wrinkled lips in thought. Then, she spat out a huff. “Just read my damned mind. It’ll be quicker.”
Danil took a slow breath. Then, he dipped into Annie’s head, something Julianne had expressly forbidden to ensure their host’s privacy.
He felt the stillness in the air, the quiet lack of birdsong. He felt the nervous hum of the horses in his bones. He saw Annie walk into town, tasting the air, passing Lilly on the street. The girl was frowning, her attention on something distant. Their eyes met, and Annie acknowledged the girl’s unspoken wisdom.
Something is coming.
It was more feeling than thought, a knowledge that something in this village, this place where she knew every breath and every sigh, was wrong.
Danil’s muscles tightened and his stomach clenched. Annie didn’t have much magic. She couldn’t see the future or read the wind. She had something better than a connection to the etheric: good, old fashioned wisdom and intuition.
Years of living in a place that had etched itself into her bones made her hyper-aware of the slightest changes. That she was worried could only mean one thing.
“They’re coming,” he whispered.
Annie’s shoulders slumped in relief. She had worried he wouldn’t believe her, would write off her concerns as senile worry. You were right, she thought, picturing Julianne. You have good people.
“That she does,” Danil grinned. “Though, they’re about to become very busy people.”
A smile quirked Annie’s lips. “You just tell me what needs doing. If nothing else, I can still lift a shovel.”
Chuckling at her eagerness, Danil waved her down. “No, leave the fighting to us. We need you to take the children, if you can?”
She nodded, straightening her shoulders as she disappeared out the front door, her blustering yell loud enough for them to hear inside. “Peterson! I see you there. Go holler up Marta and Janie’s lasses, and tell them to help you round up the smaller ones. I’ll go fetch young Conrad and his sister, and their neighbors. Meet me back here, and no mucking about, you hear?”
“Tessa,” Danil turned back to the woman he had been talking to, his demeanor calm even as his breath quickened with worry. “Could you find Bastian for me? Tell him to meet me at Garrett’s lookout. Oh, and tell him to bring Artemis.”
“You don’t want me to fetch the old man myself?" she asked, picking up her things.
Danil grabbed a sheet of parchment as it slid of the table. “If you think he’ll come. Bastian’s the only one who seems to be able to get him to do anything.”
“Oh, I think I know what’ll make old Artemis listen.” She grinned, shoved her things in her bag, and pulled the drawstring. A shade of worry touched her eyes. “Danil, they’re coming, aren’t they?”
“I don’t know, but either way, we’ll be ready.”
He watched her go, heart tearing as he wondered if he had told her the truth. Were they ready? Well, he thought, we’re about to find out.
Confident that Tessa would do as he asked, Danil grabbed his cane and set off for the town gates, where Bette would be training. He didn’t use the thin stick—at this time of day, the town was buzzing with people dashing between lessons with mystics and soldiers, tending to their houses and businesses and helping Francis build the wall.
“Bette!" he called when he spotted her. She turned from the man she was helping, passing him back the short spear and stomping over to Danil. He skimmed her mind, reading thoughts that mirrored her quickly changing expression.
What’s this bastard want now, aye? Always fapping about—wait. No, he looks worried. Something’s wrong. Ach, it’s that bastard army I bet.
“What is it?" she snapped.
“That bastard army.” She gave him a withering glare, but it didn’t hide her sudden anxiety. “At least, I think so. Annie said… well, she had a ‘feeling’.”
“Aye, that’s as clear as an arrow in the face for me. She knows what she’s on about.” Bette turned to look at the neat rows of soldiers, lined up and ready to spar. “Ye told Garrett yet?" she asked out of the side of her mouth.
Danil shook his head. “Just found out myself. I’ll go there next.”
“Weapons DOWN!" she yelled, the sudden, loud cry making Danil jump.
They poked up in surprise, but didn’t hesitate to carefully place their spears on the ground in front of them and stand to attention.
“All of ye, report to Garrett and tell him I sent ye for extra duty. If even one of ye doesn’t make it ta that wall, I’ll take ye over me knee and paddle yer ass.”
“Aye, Captain!” They saluted, one hand to their head and one to their chest, then marched off at a quick trot.
“Take yer bloody weapons ye dipshits!" she screamed. The line disintegrated as they dashed back to grab their spears, then run off to the wall.
“Bastard fuck me up the ass. They do good under orders, but they’re dumb as dog shit.” Bette walked forward to grab her own weapons.
She stabbed a short sword into the scabbard on her belt, then dropped a knife down each boot. A thin rapier, the length of her short forearm, tucked down the back of her shirt. Then, grabbing two half-length spears, she thumped their butts on the ground and clicked her heels.
“What are your orders?" she asked briskly.
“Do… whatever you think is best? Hell, Bette, don’t ask me for battle advice.” He strode away in the same direction the soldiers had run. “But if I was going to offer it, it would run along the lines of ‘don’t get killed’!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Garrett eyed the sudden influx of soldiers Bette had sent. It was a bad sign—the worst kind of sign. Whatever they had been preparing for the last few days was here.
“Lilly,” he said to the girl next to him. “Remember what we talked about?”
She nodded. “You want me to do it now, don’t you?” She shivered, scared of what was coming, but embraced her magic. Her eyes turned green.
Garrett beckoned to Sharne. “Fuck the guard, I want you lot on the wall! No point watching those bastards waltz on in. Go on, get to it!”
“Aye, Captain!” They deposited their weapons into one of the barrels at the guardhouse, then scurried off to find Francis.
Atop the small tower—the wall wasn’t nearly as high as he liked, but damned if he was stupid enough to
ask for a guard tower that would make him a sitting duck—he scanned the forest outside the little town. All was quiet.
“Anything yet?" he murmured.
He prayed this would work. When he had suggested to Bastian that Lilly and her bird could act as scouts, Bastian hadn’t exactly embraced the idea. In fact, the words ‘stupid and dangerous’ may have passed his lips.
Thankfully, Garrett had the foresight to ask in front of Lilly herself, and once she had gotten the idea in her head, there was no dissuading her.
Lilly grunted. “Tarchus was eating. He didn’t want me to interrupt him, and now he’s being a jerk. He’ll do it, though. He can tell something is in the air, and he wants to know, too.”
A flock of birds erupted from the trees, squawking and flapping their way over the town. Garrett shuddered. Whatever had scared them was scaring him, too.
Cries behind him heralded Bette and Danil’s arrival. He called out to catch their attention. “Up here!”
The three climbed the rickety tower and crowded onto the narrow platform. It didn’t run the full length of the wall, but gave a good vantage point for some spear throwers and lookouts.
“What’s going on?” Garrett asked.
“We’re about to find out,” Danil panted. He looked like he had been running. “Lilly? What are you doing here?”
“I’m a lookout, Danil! Tarchus is flying now… oh.” Her smile dropped away and her face paled. “There’s an army coming.”
Lilly looked at the sky, green eyes sparkling as she read the images sent by the bird. “Tarchus thinks they’re slow and ugly, but there are a lot of them. More than a pack, closer to a herd. They ride horses with broken spirits, and they sparkle like the stones his wife-bird uses in their nest.”
Garrett shot Danil a look. “It’s an army,” Danil explained. “On horseback, with shiny armor, by the sound of it. I can see the images in her head, but the bird has distorted them, and I can’t really understand the details.”
“It’s because he’s distracted,” Lilly said. “He wants to go look at the other humans.”
“What other humans?” Bette asked warily.
“Running behind. They are a pack—not as many, and they work together well. Tarchus says… he says one is like me! And there are two more, walking slow. Oh, they’re safe!” Lilly’s eyes danced with excitement.
Danil broke into a grin. “I see them. It’s Julianne and Marcus, but they’re miles behind the army. Lilly, get Tarchus to fly back so I can get a sense of the distance.”
Lilly nodded absently. The two stood, side by side, one with green eyes and one with white. Lilly’s eyelids drooped as she slipped into the bird’s head. Danil’s did the same as he watched inside Lilly’s. Though he couldn’t communicate with the bird directly, he could see the images conveyed to Lilly and translate them for everyone else.
“They won’t make it here until dark,” Danil said. “With luck, they won’t attack until morning. I wouldn't bank on it, though.”
Garrett clicked his tongue. He really could have used a few extra days to prepare for this, but wasn’t that always the case in battle?
“We’ll be ready,” Bette said with a giant grin.
“Lass, I know yer excited, but could ye please not look so happy ta start a fight that might get me head separated from me shoulders?” Garrett asked her.
“Bah, if that happened, I’d never forgive ye. Ye’d bloody deserve it for bein’ in a stupid place at a stupid time, though, so no great loss.” Bette planted one of her spears down, tip first, and leaned on it comfortably.
“No great—ach, ye nasty wench. No loss except the bloody hundreds of enemies I’d have taken down with me wee sword!” Garrett said with a scowl.
“Hundreds? If yer dumb enough ta die at the start, I’d wager ye wouldn’t have taken out more than six on yer own anyway!”
“Yer a cheeky bitch. Wanna make a wager?”
“Hey, wait a bitch-damned minute, you two,” Danil interjected. “No betting against each other—not unless you do it properly. I’ll put my whole purse on Bette, hands down.”
From below, a shout filtered up. “Hey, boys, the rearick are gonna face off against an army! They’re taking wagers!”
That caused a commotion and soon, the chatter grew.
“My money’s on the girl!”
“Yeah, I’ll drop two gold coins on Bette.”
“Alrighty then, lads! See Mack over there, drop your coins off. Five to one odds that Bette beats Garrett, sound fair!”
The chorus of agreement cause Garrett’s blood to rise. Ok, so those odds might be fair, but at least half of those men betting against him were his!
“Pipe down ye bastards! If yer gonna make me feel like a useless twat, can ye do it where I can’t hear ye?" he bellowed down.
Laughter exploded and the betting frenzy increased. Bette pressed her lips together, but couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “Best ye show ‘em up, rearick, or ye’ll never live it down.”
“Aye,” Garrett said morosely. “Yer lucky I’m not a lesser man, or I’d ask ye ta throw a few kills my way.”
“Yer the one that’s lucky. If ye ask me that, I’ll kill ye meself.”
Garrett grinned. “Atta girl. Nothing like a good challenge, aye?”
Shaking his head and hoping his money was safe, Danil made his farewells. “I still have to brief Bastian, cajole Artemis into fighting, get Lilly to safety and figure out who the group behind the army is.”
“Not to mention feed us,” Garrett said.
Danil paused. “Feed you?”
“Aye. If my men are pulling a long shift and sleeping on the ground tonight, ye’d best sort some good rations for them so they’re not fighting on empty bellies.”
“Very well, I’ll see what I can do.”
Garrett watched Danil go, then turned to Bette. “Do ye think the men can live through this?" he asked.
“Not likely to get out without some casualties,” she said. “But have some trust, old man. We’ve taught them well. They’ll do what they need to.”
“Aye.” Garrett turned back out to look at the still, dark forest. “That they will.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
The first sign something was coming was the animals. A herd of deer ran out of the forest, erupting from the woods at a sprint and circling towards the south when they saw the walled-off city of Tahn. Then, birds tore towards the sky, disrupted from their quiet homes by… something.
“They’re getting closer,” Bette whispered to Garrett, squinting into the distance. The grey landscape had been leached of color by the dropping sun, and long shadows now stretched between Tahn and the woods that shaded the way towards Muir.
“Aye.”
They hadn’t discussed who would stand guard that night. They didn’t need to. Rearick were trained to fight on little food and less sleep, to push on through weariness and pain to complete whatever mission lay ahead, whether it was picking clean a deep mine or escorting a shipment between towns.
They both intended to see out this night, and the fight that would come, if not now, then in the morning.
“Ye think they’ll attack when they get here?” Bette asked. She might be the better fighter, but she had never seen battle.
Garrett had. Swept up in the revolution that freed the city of Arcadia, he had seen battle lines drawn, seen people die for a cause they believed in. It hadn’t been pretty, but it had worked.
“Aye,” he said simply. George would be a fool to let his men fight after a day and a half slog on foot or on horseback, but he’d be a bigger one to let them sit and wait to be attacked in the night.
He paced along the ledge behind the wall. The blasted, godforsaken, gift of a wall. He had no idea how Francis had gotten it up so fast, or how Lilly had convinced an entire wolf pack to dig a trench beyond it, but it was their first line of defense.
The men had eaten well that afternoon—early enough that they wouldn’t puke on their boots when
they saw the army awaiting them, late enough that it wouldn’t matter if they missed breakfast.
The women of the town had fawned over the brave members of the new Tahn Guard, delivering home cooked meals and showering them with compliments. That had lifted the spirits of the terrified soldiers and left the town feeling uplifted and confident.
Most of the army was asleep, bunked in neighboring houses, or wrapped in blankets along the nearby roads, close enough to spring into action if an attack came.
A barking dog shattered the still, night air. Howls from a wolf pack outside joined him. More birds took flight, rising into the air and darting off to find a more secure sleeping place for the night.
“Garrett?” Bette said in a low voice. “Can you see the trees?”
Five minutes ago, the individual trunks had been so deep in shadows, even under the bright moon, that the forest looked like a giant swathe of unbroken blackness. Now, Garrett could make out each tree’s silhouette. Something was casting a light from behind them. There was only one thing it could be.
“Aye. Don’t raise the alarm. Go get the boys on the quiet, like.”
She nodded and slipped way.
The only sign that she had done it was the occasional scrape of boots on stone, or the soft clink of metal as they carefully and quietly got ready.
“Lads, heads down,” Garrett called in a quiet whisper along the barricade.
Obediently, the soldiers on guard—even Sharne, who at any other time might have thumped him for calling him a lad—ducked down low.
From outside, it would look like the flimsy wall was unmanned.
The heavy stomp of marching boots reached Garrett’s ears just as Bette slid back in next to him. “I sent a runner to the mystics,” she whispered. “And told him to warn Annie after that.”
“Good, good.” Garrett crept along the wall, listening to the rhythm of the approaching hoofbeats.
“They think we’re sleeping on the job!" he said in a loud whisper. “Let’s let them keep thinkin’ it, aye?”