A subdued murmur rose from the manor house on the hill above. The clank of weapons handed out. The thud of boots on cobblestones. But no shouting. No panic.
A rustling a few feet away caught his attention. He rolled into a crouch and spotted a small, dark shape crawling through the grass. “Jamie.”
Jamie jumped and cast about until his gaze focused on Leith. He crawled over. “Did you manage to warn them?”
“Yes.” Leith glanced over his shoulder. “They already knew the army was coming, though they didn’t know when.”
He and Jamie slipped towards the army’s encampment. At the crest of one of the hills above the camp, Leith halted Jamie. “We’ll wait here. I want to give Sierra as much time as possible.”
Jamie sank onto his stomach, folded his arms, and rested his chin on his hands. Leith eased to the ground next to him. So far, the wings of the army hadn’t moved into position.
Nothing to do but wait as long as possible. Might as well put the time to good use. Leith eyed Jamie. “Any ideas on how to sabotage the army?”
Jamie stiffened and swallowed. “Let the horses loose?”
Leith tipped his head toward the camp. “That won’t work. Can you see why?”
Jamie’s mouth and forehead scrunched as he studied the milling army below. After a moment, he drew in a sharp breath. “They’re already starting to saddle the horses. There aren’t any left in the paddock.”
“Correct.” Leith eased a stick from under his stomach.
In the camp below, the mounted soldiers tossed saddles onto their horses’ backs. The archers checked their bowstrings one last time. The three Blades remained in their huddle near the command tent, their horses already saddled.
“A Blade needs to be observant, and a Blade spying for the Resistance doubly so.”
Jamie chewed on his lip and cocked his head. “Would fire work?”
Leith handed a stalk of grass to Jamie. “How dry is this?”
Jamie broke it into tiny pieces. “Really dry.”
“And what do you think would happen if we started a widespread fire?”
“A wildfire.” Jamie tossed the bits of grass onto the sand. “Not a good idea.” Jamie rested his chin on folded arms. “That’s it for my ideas, short of whacking General Wentle on the head and hoping no one notices he’s missing until he wakes up.”
Leith raised his eyebrows. “I think that might be a little hard to explain.”
Jamie ducked his head. “It’s what I thought of doing to you so I could sneak away.”
“You considered knocking the First Blade on the head?” Leith shook his head. Jamie had guts. And nerve.
Jamie winced. “That’s why I decided it was a bad idea.”
“Good choice.”
Down below, General Wentle stalked from the command tent toward the huddled Blades. His arms waved in the air. Probably shouting at them about Leith’s tardiness. Craven faced General Wentle, and the general backed off.
Leith held still. He and Jamie had a few more minutes. “What’s brought all this on? I never guessed you were anything other than a willing Blade trainee until you stood up to Respen.”
Jamie rubbed a pebble between his fingers, his head bowed so his mop of hair covered his eyes. “I’m not sure I should tell you.”
“You already know my biggest secret. In fact, you know enough to get me killed.” Leith’s stomach knotted with that thought. He’d had to place a lot of trust in Jamie over the span of one night. What if he betrayed Leith?
No choice now but to stick with this trust and see where it played out.
Jamie straightened his shoulders. “My parents were Christians from Mountainwood. Lord Beregern turned them over to King Respen. They were executed. I wasn’t.”
Jamie must’ve shown some streak of defiance back then. That’s how Respen picked his Blades. He’d spot a boy with a fighter’s spirit, and he’d mold that spirit into something sharp and vicious.
“I learned I wasn’t going to escape easily. Too many guards. Too many Blades watching.” Jamie tossed a pebble into the sand, picked it up, and tossed it again. “I hoped I’d get good enough to…to escape.”
If he’d dared make that much of a movement, Leith would’ve patted Jamie on the back. “Don’t worry. When we get to Walden, I have a few friends who can protect you. You’ll never have to return to Nalgar Castle again.”
Jamie nodded and stared straight ahead. Not the reaction Leith would’ve expected from a boy who’d spent the past two years plotting his escape. Perhaps he still didn’t fully trust Leith. Leith couldn’t blame him. He wouldn’t readily trust a First Blade either.
“You aren’t alone, Jamie.” Leith swallowed. Another secret, another risk. But Jamie needed to know. “God is with you.”
Jamie’s eyes shot towards Leith, then swiveled to the ground. He shoved the pebble through the sand with his finger. “I used to think so. Now, I’m not so sure.”
Leith hung his head. Shad would know exactly what to tell Jamie. Brandi would come up with the perfect Bible story. But Leith? What sort of wisdom did he have for Jamie? “Sometimes we have to pray for the courage to be sure.”
Jamie chewed his bottom lip.
Movement in the army camp in the valley below caught Leith’s gaze. General Wentle stomped from the command tent again.
Leith eased into a crouch. “Time to practice your sneaking skills.”
He led Jamie down the hill, showing him where to place his feet and how to move to make the least amount of noise. The clouded stars cast a few shifting, deeper shadows in the darkness. The night lay so still Leith heard every squeak of his and Jamie’s boots on the dirt and every whisper of their clothes against the grass.
At the edge of the camp, Leith froze. He could march right in, but mysteriously appearing out of nowhere behind the general was more intimidating.
With the army assembling in the clearings, Leith slipped into camp in the darkness provided by the deserted rows of tents. Jamie tiptoed in his footsteps, leaving only a single trail of bent grass for the two of them.
After crossing the stretch of ground between the last row of tents and the command tent, Leith leaned against the center support post by the tent entrance. Jamie slipped towards the horses.
“He should’ve been back by now!” The force of General Wentle’s shout drew the general onto his tiptoes. “If he’s not back in one minute, I’m going to—”
“You’ll do what?” Leith lowered his voice into a growl.
General Wentle spun on his heels, craning his neck until his gaze latched on Leith. “What took you so long? We were supposed to begin moving an hour ago!”
“I’m the King’s First Blade. You do not question me.” Leith straightened and pushed the tent flap open. “Get inside.”
He marched into the tent. General Wentle stalked inside, his entire body stiff. “What did you learn?”
“Your army would’ve been in trouble had you gone with your original plan.” Leith tapped the map. Now, to tell enough of the truth to be convincing. “Sierra was warned. They have archers stationed in the top floor. The approaches from the north and south are open ground. The army would be cut to pieces coming from those directions. Only an approach from the east has some protection by slipping through the town.”
General Wentle leaned over the map. His slim face twisted.
Leith held his breath. Would this be enough?
“Fine. We’ll attack from the south and east.” General Wentle straightened and stormed from the tent. Even before the flap fell back into place, he shouted instructions at his division commanders.
Leith strode from the tent to the three Blades. “Second and Eighth Blades, you’ll go with the wing of the army going through the town. Tenth Blade, you and the boy will be with me.”
The other Blades nodded. Leith strolled to Blizzard and swung his saddle onto his horse’s back. When had things gotten so muddled? He’d known it’d be difficult spying for the Resistance in
the Blades, but he’d never expected he’d ride into battle against the very people he was trying to protect.
Should he have remained in Sierra? Was this the moment he had to leave the Blades for good?
But if he did, he wouldn’t be able to warn of the army’s next move. He’d failed to warn Aven and he’d barely managed a warning for Sierra. He wasn’t going to fail to warn about the next attack, especially if Walden was the next target.
Leith swung onto Blizzard and nudged him into position beside General Wentle. Not exactly his first choice of places to be when riding into battle, but he had little choice.
With groaning leather, clanking metal, and the rumble of several thousand feet, the army marched from its camp toward Sierra.
Had Leith done enough? Would Lady Lorraine, Jolene, and Shad retreat safely? Or would the circling army capture them? Or worse, would General Wentle ask Leith to send the Blades after them?
The army reached the line of tall grass at the foot of Sierra’s hill. The manor house above them loomed dark, the town beyond it black as well.
Torches flared along the line, signaling to General Wentle that the wings of his encircling noose had marched into position.
Leith gripped Blizzard’s reins so tightly Blizzard pawed and tossed his head. Jamie drew and sheathed his knife over and over again, his face pale as the moonlight dripping down on them like silver blood.
“All right. Forward. Double time.”
The captains relayed General Wentle’s commands to their troops. The first ranks of soldiers stepped from the tall grass into the open area.
And promptly disappeared.
Screams howled at the half moon above. The next rank of soldiers, unable to stop with the press behind them, disappeared after the first, their cries mingling into an eerie nightsong.
Leith swallowed. So that’s why Shad had warned him. Whatever lever that had been keeping the coverings stable must’ve been pulled as part of Lady Lorraine’s retreat. Instead of the solid ground Leith had crawled over, a thin layer of dirt covered hatches balanced over deep trenches dug around Sierra Manor, the bottoms covered with sharpened stakes.
Before General Wentle could reorganize his men, arrows lanced from Sierra Manor’s upper story. Soldiers toppled and screamed in the rows lined up before the trench. Arrows speared the ground on either side of General Wentle.
Leith eased his horse between the manor and Jamie. His skin tightened as if that muscle spasm could stop an arrow from piercing his chest.
“Forward!”
Soldiers jumped the trench, only to be cut down by the arrows from Sierra. Shouts rumbled from the east. Men streamed through Sierra, the buildings providing the cover that the soldiers in front of Leith lacked.
Leith patted Blizzard’s neck. Never thought he’d be thankful to be a Blade.
The arrows from the manor halted. General Wentle waved at the men. “Keep moving!”
More soldiers jumped the ditch and flocked towards Sierra Manor, their commanders yelling to be heard over the shrieks of wounded men, the screams of frightened horses, and the stamping crunch of the soldiers’ boots.
Pinpricks of fire streaked down from Sierra Manor and landed on the rooftops of the town. Timber flared so quickly they must’ve been smeared with grease or layered with straw. In a few minutes, ten buildings burned away the night.
Lady Lorraine had guts. No one messed with fire on the prairie.
The soldiers charging through the town halted and stared at the buildings going up in flames around them.
“Put out those buildings!” General Wentle stood in his stirrups, his hands strangling his horse’s reins. “We can’t let that fire spread!”
A shift of the wind, a stray spark, and the whole prairie could go up. The army’s camp and all their supplies could be burned, not to mention all of Sierra and its manor.
General Wentle halted his horse at the edge of the trench and pointed at Leith. “First Blade. Round up your Blades and search the manor for those archers.”
Leith raised his eyebrows at General Wentle and didn’t move.
General Wentle scowled. “Fine. If you would be willing, could you please order the Blades to search the manor?”
Leith tipped his head toward General Wentle and snapped his hand at Jamie. “Come.”
Jamie nudged his buckskin into position next to Leith. Leith kicked Blizzard into a gallop towards the ditch. Blizzard sailed over the four-foot gap and thundered along the manor-side of the ditch.
The Tenth Blade joined him from the west. The other two Blades appeared from the smoke-filled town.
Second Blade Craven jerked his head back the way he’d come. “They knew what they were doing. They’d cleared the ground to dirt around the buildings they picked to burn.”
Leith would’ve expected nothing less from a lady who slept with a dagger under her pillow. The fires would take men to fight, but they wouldn’t spread out of control if dealt with properly.
Leith swung off Blizzard and dropped the reins onto the ground. “Second Blade, take the Tenth Blade and look for a back door.” Hopefully, Shad and the others were long gone.
The Blades saluted and slipped along the manor wall. Leith pressed his back against the wall next to the front door. Jamie huddled next to him while the Eighth Blade crept to the other side.
Keeping his body pressed against the wall, Leith lifted the latch and flung the door open.
A sharpened spike speared the place his stomach would’ve been if he’d stood in front of the door to open it. A leather string tied it to the latch. Another of Lady Lorraine’s tricks.
Leith rested a hand on his knife. If Vane were here, he’d send in Jamie first. A small loss if the trainee were killed in a trap. “Eighth Blade, take point. I’ll be rear guard.”
Nodding, the Eighth Blade tiptoed through the door. Jamie glanced at Leith. Leith winked and drew his knife. Jamie did the same and crept through the door.
Partway down the hall, they met the Second and Tenth Blades. The floorboards creaked below Jamie’s boots. Leith froze, but the manor remained silent. Empty.
“Should we pursue them?” Craven flexed his fingers on his knife’s hilt.
“No.” Leith sheathed his weapons. “Your orders are to remain with the army and mine are to take the trainee to Walden to aid the search for Vane. Odds are, you’ll run into them again.”
Craven scowled. “Might be a while. The general told me his orders are to head to Mountainwood for reinforcements before turning south. It’ll be a while before we’re ordered north toward Walden.”
A knot he’d been carrying around for weeks eased. Walden was safe.
For now.
8
Renna moved her piece on the Raiders board. Brandi smirked. A bad sign for Renna’s piece.
Abigail hunched over the board, her forehead and mouth squinched. Next to her, Jeremiah read a book while waiting for his turn.
Lydia tapped her foot, the rhythm increasing the longer Abigail studied the board. The youngest Alistair sibling Esther played with her doll and tea set next to Brandi. Somehow, Brandi managed to pretend to drink tea, keep Esther amused, and play Raiders all at the same time.
On one of the couches, Shadrach had his arm wrapped around Jolene, her head tucked against his shoulder. Ever since Lady Lorraine, Jolene, and Shadrach had arrived yesterday, Jolene had been pale and shaky. What had she seen? Or done? Renna wasn’t sure she wanted to ask.
Across the room, Lady Lorraine, Lord Alistair, Uncle Abel, and Aunt Mara talked in low voices.
Renna tore her gaze back to the game. Brandi bounced in her seat as she knocked one of Renna’s pieces from the board. “Another for me.”
Renna shrugged. At least Brandi was enjoying her birthday. Even if it was an afternoon break from the preparations for war.
Abigail moved her piece as the door creaked. Probably another report for Lord Alistair on the progress of the defenses.
“Am I interrupting anything?�
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Renna held her breath and raised her head. Leith leaned against the doorframe, dressed in prairie-gray homespun. His black hair waved across his tanned forehead. His green eyes swung towards her.
He was alive.
Alive.
Her pulse drummed in her ears.
“Lei—Daniel!” Brandi shot to her feet so fast her thigh smacked the table and sent their board and pieces flying. She dashed across the room and barely slowed before running into him with such force that he stumbled backwards several steps. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. “You came!”
“Came for what?” Leith hugged her.
Brandi stepped back and cocked her head. “My birthday, of course. I’m fourteen today.”
“Your birthday?” Leith rested his hands on her shoulders. “I didn’t bring you a present. But, I did bring you a friend.” He reached into the hallway and pulled a boy into the room. The boy looked to be about Brandi’s age, with blue eyes peering up through a fringe of shaggy, dark-brown hair. “This is Jamie.”
Brandi’s grin glowed across her face. “Nice to meet you, Jamie. Do you like to play Raiders? We’re partway through a game, but I think I just scattered the pieces all over the room.” She dragged Jamie into the room by his arm.
Renna slipped to her feet, her mouth dry. She tried to swallow, but her tongue clogged the back of her throat. She should welcome him. Or hug him like Brandi had.
No, bad idea. She tucked her arms across her stomach.
Lord Alistair shook Leith’s hand. Leith tipped his head toward Jamie and said something to Lord Alistair in a low tone. Lord Alistair nodded. Leith would probably have to make a full report later.
Renna eased away from the center of the room. Brandi chattered away at Jamie. Shad clasped Leith’s hand as Uncle Abel, Aunt Mara, and Lady Lorraine gathered for introductions. She should join them. But her feet stuck to the floor.
Lady Alistair swept into the room. Her gaze paused a moment on Leith and Jamie, but if she wondered about the addition of two new guests, her features remained smooth. “Cake is served.”
Deny (The Blades of Acktar Book 2) Page 5