◆◆◆
“I have spoken to Ben,” West nodded toward the boy, “and he believes he can do this. I have searched my soul for answers. And despite what Aristan told us, I have my doubts.” She chuckled. “Perhaps that’s why I’m a soldier and not a priest. But we can all agree on one thing—we need time. Whether the war will be won here or in Crystal Sands, none of us will be safe until it’s over. Until that happens, I agree that we need to keep the king’s… the demon’s minions away from this place. And, unfortunately, I don’t have a better idea.”
“How is this going to work?” Magnus still looked unconvinced.
“CeCe will accompany Ben back to the Ebon Lake area. They’ll work their way to the south and the boy can approach from that direction. That will give it more credibility if someone sees him coming.” West gestured toward Corny. “Take Burns with you. Make for the Dubois estate and then work south from there. Leave a trail, campfire residue and such, but make it look like you’re trying to hide it. You’ll figure it out. Keep a fast pace and stop at the river. Spend some time disturbing the area, something that will be easily seen. After that, find your way back here… without the trail, of course.”
CeCe nodded. “I’ll take Jarek with me.”
Silence enveloped the room. After a moment, West spoke up. “Why?”
The idea caught Jarek off guard as well. He had trouble imagining what use he might be.
“Two reasons. First, having two sets of eyes is better than one, and must I remind you that once Ben goes to Bart’s house, we’re only halfway there? He has to talk to the old man and then deliver the message to the soldiers. After that, he will need to slip out of the house at night. If any part of this goes wrong, we need to see it right away.”
“And the second reason?” West had swung her legs over the edge of her cot and leaned in toward the group.
CeCe lowered her gaze. “It was Jarek’s idea. And he was the one who originally talked us into trusting this lad. In fact, of all of us here, Jarek seems to have the most faith in what we are doing. I confess that I feel the need for that faith. Put another way, having him along will make me feel easier.”
Jarek appreciated the compliment. Still he wondered. After all, CeCe had been willing to sacrifice her position in the rebel camp in order to deliver him to the king. Yes, she had proven herself since then. But delivering him now, along with revealing the whereabouts of the brotherhood would probably more than make up for her earlier failures. In the end, though, he was at a loss for a way to gracefully decline.
Chapter 46: Ebon Hills
Jarek kept to himself as their departure day drew closer. It had indeed been his idea to send Ben back with misinformation. But the plan seemed simpler in his mind at the time. The whole affair had grown maddeningly complicated. He and CeCe would accompany the boy but remain out of sight while he interacted with Bart. Burns and Corny would go south and leave a visible trail while making it appear as though they were trying to conceal it. Something had to go wrong. Nothing these days ever seemed to work like it was supposed to.
“You just about ready?” Burns spoke from the doorway into the room.
Jarek turned to her, setting his pack aside. “I guess. Not much to pack, actually—some dried meat and nuts, a light blanket, and maybe an extra tunic. You?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
She crossed the room and sat on the floor beside him, motioning him down. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you. Lately you’ve been getting awfully brave, jumping into fights and stuff.”
He smirked, “It’s either that or die.”
“Maybe.” She shifted around so that she faced him. “I just don’t want you thinking that you’re invincible or something. You’ve jumped on three assassins already. One of these days, your luck’s going to run out.”
“You have any suggestions? It’s not like I go looking for them. Things just happen, and I don’t have a choice.”
Burns sighed. “I know. And I know that my falling apart didn’t help things.”
Jarek searched his heart for a response without success. She had been down, and it had changed things. Still, he understood. Her friends had been killed. Virgil and the others were gone, and who knew what was happening to them. And here she was, saddled with a bunch of brothers, a wounded commander, and a useless Azyrean.
After a moment of silence, she continued, “Do you think you can trust CeCe?”
“I don’t see as I have much choice.”
“Well, she did save West and get Martin’s family to safety.”
Jarek had to admit that she had a point. “True. She could have easily turned them in if she wanted to. I’m sure it’ll be okay.”
“Look, all I’m saying is to be careful. Don’t do anything stupid.”
He offered a reluctant chuckle. “I could say the same thing to you. After all, at least CeCe and I will be trying to stay invisible. You and Corny will be deliberately leaving a trail.”
“But I signed up for this. I knew what I was in for when I joined the rebels. You got dumped here by that god.”
His chuckle became a more enthusiastic laugh. “That’s a fair statement. Still, we’re all in this together, regardless of how we got here.”
She put a hand on his shoulder. “Just be safe… and come back to me, okay?” And with that, she kissed him on the cheek, stood, and left the room before he had a chance to respond.
Jarek felt overwhelmed with conflicting emotions as he touched the warm spot on his face.
◆◆◆
The trio weaved through the forest in silence. The waning moon stood about halfway to its zenith in the eastern sky. Rays of silver light tore through the canopy, creating patterns on the ground that shifted with the breeze. Jarek imagined assassins and rangers… and even swamp trolls… in every movement. CeCe led the way with the other two close behind.
As the sky began to lighten on the eastern horizon, they came to the edge of the woods. “Hold up.” She motioned them back into the cover of the trees. “Let’s camp here for the day. Jarek, you and I will take turns on watch. Ben, you get some rest.”
“I’ll take the first watch.” The Azyrean set his pack down beside a tree and withdrew a piece of meat. “Anything special you want me to do?”
“Don’t go out into the clearing. Stay under cover and don’t wander far from camp. No need to go beyond the stream over there.” She pointed toward a brook they had just crossed. “Wake me at noon. I’ll keep lookout until dusk.”
“Do you think we can make it in two more days?”
“Yes. But it’s going to mean moving in the open, at least for the last stretch. We’ll break into the meadows and there’s no cover there. The moon is waning, so most of the night will be dark enough.”
But something had been bothering Jarek for a few days. “The assassins, can they see in the dark?”
“That I cannot say. But I rather think they can. We have to assume that, if they are watching where we travel, they will spot us. We can only hope that our route, circling down to the south, will be unexpected.” She turned toward the spot where she had laid out her pallet.
“CeCe, can I ask you something?” Jarek wasn’t sure exactly how to address the concern, but he felt compelled at least to try. “Why are you helping us? I mean, I understand why you did back at the camp. But now, I’m sure it would work out for you if you just turned both of us in. In fact, since you know where the brotherhood and Commander West are, that would be valuable to the king.” It felt dirty when he said it, almost like an unwarranted accusation.
She paused and turned to him, offering a weak smile. “I know. But what I said back at the enclave was true. There is power in trust. Commander West gave me a chance when she had no reason to. You saved my life after I betrayed you. These things change a person.” She averted her gaze. “I can’t say with complete honesty that all of my bitterness has gone. I loved my father and he is dead. Em�
�s father was a part of that and I am having trouble letting go completely.” She shuffled over and lay down. “But this I can tell you. Wyndred would never have given me a second chance.” She put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes. “Keep a close eye out and wake me at noon.”
Ben, up to this point, had remained silent. With CeCe drifting off to sleep, though, he sauntered over to where Jarek stood.
“You should get some sleep. We have two more days of trekking.” Jarek nodded toward the boy’s pallet.
“I will. But I wanted to ask you something. What’s going to happen to me after all of this?”
“Honestly, Ben, I don’t think anyone has thought that far ahead. If you’re asking if you’re going to be harmed, no, I am sure you won’t. But as far as your future, I’m afraid I don’t even know my own at this point.”
“Master Bart is a terrible vicious man. He gets mad really quick. And he’s strong.”
The stark reality of what they were asking this kid to do hit Jarek hard. No matter how much CeCe and he watched from outside, one wrong move and the boy could be dead. What made it worse was that it had been his idea. If something bad happened, it would all be on him. He patted the boy’s shoulder before saying, “It should be okay.” He suddenly wanted to call the whole thing off. There had to be a better way. At that moment, he hated himself for even coming up with the idea.
Chapter 47: Ebon Hills
The party picked up speed that night. Once out in the open, there was little reason to creep along. The ease with which Jarek kept up surprised him. Back in Pangrove, he got winded just running from his work area to the slope where the moonbeams descended. But now he found himself gliding along, pacing CeCe with little effort. They topped a rise overlooking Bart’s house a good two hours before sunrise on the third day.
“Let’s hold up here.” CeCe addressed Ben, “We want to you arrive at his house just before sunset. That way, by the time you talk to him, he sends you to the soldiers, and you come back, it’ll be late night. That will make getting away easier.”
The boy nodded and shrugged. “Okay.”
“You know what you’re supposed to say, right?” She knelt down in front of him, motioning him to sit.
“Yep. I followed the little guy and two others back to the rebel camp. Then they went up to the old ruins but didn’t find nothing. They went south to some old estate and found some more people there, one of them hurt real bad. After that, they all headed south and crossed the River Kralyn and went into the hills. I didn’t see nothing else.”
“Good. And, Ben, it’s important that you don’t add a bunch of other stuff. The more you say, the more likely you are to make him suspicious.”
“I know. He don’t like me to talk much. I just tell him what he asks and do what he says.”
The three sat the rest of the night in silence. Jarek wandered off into his own thoughts—regrets and fear. Anything that went wrong would be his fault. What made it even worse was the possibility of something happening to Burns and Corny. Why did so many things fall on his shoulders?
“Because they are broad enough to carry them.”
Jarek sighed. Aristan wasn’t particularly helpful in his observations.
“I tell you what you need to know.”
But what the Azyrean wanted to know was that everything would be all right. He needed reassurance that the boy would emerge unharmed and that his friends would make it back safely.
“You ask a lot. You are at war and a certain amount of pain and sorrow is inevitable. You would have me limit all that based on your preferences.”
And what’s so bad about that? These are my friends and I care about them. I’m doing what you told me to do. But that doesn’t keep me from hoping my friends don’t get hurt. He had grown adept at composing his thoughts without actually speaking.
“Well said, Master Whit. You are learning. I cannot guarantee or even predict how others will act. But I know that you and your companions here are of good heart. I will be with you. If there is to be a good ending, as you think of it, it will be because you do not falter.”
Jarek suddenly became aware of the daylight. The sun had just cleared the eastern horizon. It was as though he had been in a trance for hours. The other two lay sleeping. He started to wake them but changed his mind. He’d just let them rest a while longer.
◆◆◆
“Okay, I figure it’s an hour to sunset.” CeCe took another look at the house, which had shown no signs of movement all day. “You got it? Can you remember everything?”
The boy nodded, but his eyes gave a look of uncertainty. “Yeah, I think so.”
Jarek shuffled over to sit next to him. “If things go wrong, you get out of there, you hear? Don’t try to talk your way out of anything.”
Ben just stared at him, a blank look on his face.
CeCe shook her head. “Nothing’s going to go wrong.” She took a deep breath. “Okay, you’re up. Just walk in like you usually do and tell him the story. We’ll wait right here for you.”
He stood and, turning one last time, nodded at Jarek. The boy started for the house, which stood about fifty meters distant.
The Azyrean tallied up his worries and added one more to the list. “You think it’s possible that he might change his mind—tell the old man everything?”
“Anything’s possible. But look at it from his point of view. Life with Bart isn’t much of a life. Better than nothing, to be sure, but I think he knows that if he pulls this off, things could be much better. I’m banking on that.”
“An awful lot of ‘ifs’ in the equation.” He shook his head and fell silent.
They watched Ben enter the house, the door closing behind him. And then nothing—no sounds and no movement.
Ten minutes passed, then twenty, then an hour. “What’s taking so long? I thought that he would just tell the story and the old man would send him out with a note.” Jarek felt a sickness roiling in his stomach.
“Patience. Maybe Bart’s writing a long note. Maybe he had some questions. Maybe he’s going to let Ben eat something before he goes. Could be anything.”
Jarek wanted to say that it could also be that something had gone wrong, but he kept the thought to himself.
And then the door opened. But rather than Ben walking out, Bart bolted out and down the steps, headed toward the center of town.
Jarek sat up straight, his eyes glued on the unfolding scene. “What’s that all about?”
“Let’s just wait and see what happens.” But the look on CeCe’s face betrayed her growing concern.
“We should go in and get him right now.” Jarek felt desperate.
“No. If we do that, the whole thing would be for nothing. Let’s wait a little while longer.”
It didn’t take long, though. Soon Bart returned with two of the king’s cavaliers in tow. They entered the house and, less than a minute later, the door opened again and Ben emerged, his hands behind his back and a rope wrapped around his midsection. Behind him came the soldiers, shoving him ahead and toward town.
Chapter 48: Ebon Hills
“What do we do now?” Jarek whispered frantically to CeCe, who crouched, watching the soldiers alternately shoving and following young Ben down the road.
She glanced furtively toward the house from which the trio had emerged. “It’s about a fifteen-minute walk to the guardhouse. Come on.” She crept forward.
“We can’t let them have him.” Jarek followed, his heart pounding. He remembered the experience of being in the king’s dungeon.
“Stay quiet and follow me.” She spoke without turning or even pausing.
They had followed the party just a few minutes when Ben stumbled and fell. CeCe was up and running, daggers drawn. She called back over her shoulder, “Free the boy and get out of the way.”
The cavaliers, apparently focused solely on Ben, didn’t respond to the charge until the last instant. They turned just as CeCe hurled herself at them.
J
arek ran, his legs pumping, toward the boy. As he approached, he went down on his knees, his dagger out. He sliced the bindings and pulled Ben to his feet. “Over here.”
Meanwhile, CeCe struggled with the two soldiers. The only sounds were swishes and grunts as the three tumbled onto the ground. Jarek started toward the fight, but CeCe yelled at him, “Get out of here!”
The Azyrean froze for an instant, and then turned toward the boy. “Let’s go, now!” He pulled at the kid’s hands and they distanced themselves from the conflict, dropping down into the tall grass. Darkness had enveloped the area, and, with the moon not yet in the sky, Jarek couldn’t see anything of the fight. After a moment, the entire area grew quiet save for the sound of the wind through the tall grass.
He motioned for Ben to stay put. “I’m going to check on her. Stay here.”
The boy offered no argument.
Jarek crept through the weeds, pausing every few seconds to raise his head and search the area ahead. He could see nothing. He repeated—creep forward, take a look, down again. A scant minute or two later, he emerged from the grass into the clearing. Three bodies lay on the ground—the two cavaliers and CeCe. None of them moved.
He scurried over and knelt beside the woman. She lay on her stomach, the back of her clothing bloody. He gently rolled her over. As he did, he noticed a shallow rise and fall of her chest. At the same time, a moan escaped her lips. She was alive… but in very bad shape.
He quickly checked the other two. They were dead—one with a gaping slice in his neck and the other with a dagger protruding from his chest. He returned to his friend. “CeCe, it’s me. You’re going to be okay.”
Her voice came out weak and labored, “Listen to me, Jarek. I need you to do something and I need for you not to argue about it. First, take your knife and drive it into my chest.”
“What? No, that’s stupid.”
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