Larna prodded a loose bit of kindling with the toe of her boot, kicking it back into the fire pit. "'Isna a stand-off. And dinna be so obvious about staring."
I glanced away before either of them could notice me. "If it's not a stand-off, then what?"
"Rufas is already knowing he's lost," Larna said. "He willna leave the group."
I heard what she didn't say as well. "But he won't stop being unpleasant about it, either."
"Aye. He'll be obeying, but grudgingly."
"I'm not sure that's the kind of ally we want," I muttered. "If we're going to march on Kalmarin, we'll need everyone at their best. We're bound to fail if we have discord in our own ranks."
Larna paused, holding a moment of thoughtful silence. When she raised her dark eyes to mine, I was taken aback by their intensity. "Exactly. I've been seeing this before, Ailynn. A broken pack canna take down a bear."
There wasn't much more to be said about the subject. Larna and I spent a few more minutes conversing about other things and finishing our meal before we returned to our Tuathe and our separate bedrolls. Raisa was still awake by the time I joined her, struggling to get comfortable on the hard ground. "Oh good, you're here," she said, brightening as soon as she saw me. "I can never fall asleep without you."
"Do you want me to rub your back first?" I asked, sitting beside her.
She grinned and sat up, sweeping her long braid aside. "Please?"
I heaved a fake sigh before lifting the hem of her shirt, revealing the naked skin of her lower back. "You feel tense," I murmured beside her ear as I dug into the firm bands of muscle with my thumbs. She groaned, and I pressed harder. "Are you sure you're all right? If I didn't think the rebellion was the safest place possible, I wouldn't want you wandering about the wilderness like this."
Even though Raisa was facing away, I could tell she was smiling. "You worry too much, Ailynn. Besides, I want to help. I might not be able to fight or cast spells, but I'll find a way to make myself useful."
"That's what I'm afraid of. Your version of 'making yourself useful' is probably going to put all of us in danger someday soon." I paused, placing a kiss on the back of her neck. "I almost watched you die once already. I don't think I can bear to do it again."
"Fine." Raisa leaned away from my hands and turned around, taking me by surprise. "Then let's go. Right now. We can take enough supplies to last a few days and find a safe place to hole up until the war is over. If it's ever over."
I stared into her eyes, looking for anger, but I found only a calm. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"Just tell me yes or no. Do you want to leave?"
I did want to leave. I wanted to run away, wrap Raisa in my arms, and protect her from everything until the storm passed. But we would never truly be safe until Mogra was dealt with and a proper ruler was on the white throne. She knew it, and so did I. "I see your point," I said, grudgingly. "I have an obligation to see this through."
"We have an obligation to see this through," Raisa insisted. "For all intents and purposes, Mogra was my mother, too, and Amendyr is my country. This isn't something you have to bear alone."
I smiled. There would be no arguing with her. Raisa had already spent far too many years under someone else's power, trapped and alone. If this was how she wanted to spend her freedom, even at risk to her safety, I couldn't deny her. "Who am I to tell you what you can and can't do? If you're crazy enough to want to stay by my side while I fight for the rebellion, I suppose I'm crazy enough to let you."
"Wise words. Now, help me trim my hair before bed," she said, holding up her braid.
"Of course, Tuathe," I said, summoning wisps of flame between my fingers. "Anything for you."
***
We arrived at our destination sooner than anticipated. Our party came upon the rebels a few days out from the sandstone cliffs, only a short journey from the southwestern edge of the Forest. Jett Bahari's army was smaller than I expected, but my hopes soared when I saw how well prepared they were. Everyone seemed to have enough food, and I noticed plenty of weapons and supplies as we made our way through camp.
"They're far more organized than I thought," I said to Cate and Larna as we wound our way between the tents. The bulk of the advance party had remained behind, but Jinale, Rachari, and Rufas had elected to join us. Many of the humans had never seen liarre before, and the three councilors drew stares and whispers wherever we passed.
"Organized, yes, but numbers are a problem," Cate said. "Jett Bahari kept the rebellion small before to weed out traitors, but if we're going to march on Kalmarin, a guerilla force won't do. We need an army to take back the city."
Rachari purred in approval. "That's where we come in. The liarre will give you the numbers you need. Just point and we'll shoot."
"You're a fool if you think arrows will solve everything, pussycat," Rufas grunted.
Rachari's tail lashed in anger, but before the low growl in her throat could become a rebuke, Jinale stepped in. "Let's try and conduct ourselves in a dignified way now that we're here, please. The two of you can fight about this later. We need to make a good impression."
"Why?" Rufas asked. "The humans are the ones asking us for help."
"Because we are supposed to be good allies and worthy representatives of our people," Jinale said coldly.
That kept him quiet until we arrived at the middle of the camp. The crowd gathering around us grew larger and more suspicious, but a smile spread across Cate's face as she caught sight of someone she knew. "Kera," she said, hurrying to meet a slender woman with high cheekbones. The two of them embraced, and I got a better look at the stranger's face from over Cate's shoulder. On second glance, she did look familiar, and I was fairly certain we had met before in passing during my first encounter with the Farseer pack. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, but her dark eyes were soft.
“Cate, you’re home.” The woman caught sight of Larna, and instantly, her demeanor changed. She let go of Cate and dropped her shoulders, inclining her head respectfully. “Most of the pack is out fetching dinner, Larna, but I’ll be telling them of your return as soon as they come in. We’ve been working hard to earn our keep here while you were away.”
“Good," Larna said, nodding. The single word of praise was enough to brighten Kera's face again. If she'd had her tail, I suspected it would have been wagging. “Where be Jett Bahari?”
Kera started to answer the question, but then her eyes fell on the liarre waiting behind us. Despite being a wyr, she seemed just as fascinated by them as any human. She stared outright. “You found them,” she said, with more than a little awe in her voice. “Then you were successful? Will the liarre be helping us?”
“Aye,” Larna said with a grin. She seemed almost amused by Kera’s amazement.
“Some more reluctantly than others,” Cate muttered under her breath, and I caught her eyes darting toward Rufas as he rejoined our group. He seemed to be growing more impatient, a fact that didn’t escape Larna’s notice.
“Kera, Jett Bahari?”
“Oh! Of course,” she said, a blush staining her cheeks. “I’ll just be going to announce your arrival—”
"No need for that," said another, much deeper voice. A burly giant of a man with a rough grey beard pushed his way through the crowd, getting several of them to back off with his sheer bulk. "I've already told him to expect you."
"Jethro," Cate said, smiling. I was certain I had never met him during my first encounter with the rebellion—surely I would have remembered someone so huge—but he was clearly her friend. "I hope you didn't miss us too much."
"Only a little.” He took in the liarre, obviously impressed and a little awed. “But I see you've brought something back to make up for it."
"Indeed we have," Cate said. "The start of an army is waiting for us at the edge of camp, and more are coming soon. Where is Jett Bahari?"
"Waiting on you, I expect." Another figure pushed his way through the crowd and stepped forward from the
onlookers. He was barely half Jethro’s size, and bent beneath his cloak, but I recognized him immediately. This time, I let out a cry of joy.
"Doran," I said, hurrying over to hug him. "What are you doing here?"
Although I was shocked to see him, Doran didn't seem surprised by my arrival at all. "The same thing you are, Acha. These old bones are still good for something. And besides, the two of us have unfinished business."
I knew at once that Doran was speaking of Mogra. He hadn't told me all the details, but I had gleaned some of their history during our conversations. I often wondered if he was my father despite his age, although I had never asked. I wasn't sure he even knew for certain. Mogra had never told me my father's identity, and I suspected that if Doran was my other parent, she wouldn't have told him either.
"Mogra was besieging a palace in Seria the last I heard of her," I said. "I have no idea where she is now, but I'm sure she'll find us before too long."
"Mogra?" I looked over to see Jethro staring at me. His dark eyes burned with such intensity I couldn't stammer out a response. Although he had seemed nothing but friendly before, the mention of her name had transformed his face into a mask of anger, and his size only made the look more terrifying. "How do you know the witch?"
I hesitated, unsure how to explain, but Cate stepped in. "Ailynn fights against her, just like we do. You couldn't ask for a better ally."
Jethro studied me for a long time, but eventually, he nodded. "I'm sorry, Ailynn. I have a score to settle with Mogra as well. My wife died during one of her experiments."
A lump of guilt formed in my chest. "I'm sorry. I was her daughter. She's hurt a lot of people, and I blame myself for not trying to stop her sooner. That's why I'm here. I can't rest until she's been dealt with."
I waited for an angry outburst, but it never came. Instead, Jethro held out his enormous hand. I shook it, wincing a little at the strength of his grip. "I don't care how you're related. If you fight against her, I'll consider you a friend." I sighed with relief. I definitely didn't want this large, angry stranger to consider me an enemy.
Before we could speak further, movement came from the large tent in the center of camp. The front opened, and another stocky man stepped out, raising his hand to our party. Although he wasn't a giant like Jethro, he was still tall and broad-shouldered, with cropped hair and a sword strapped to his back. His dark skin marked him as a man of Shezad, from far across the sea, but his clothes were Amendyrri, and his speech had no trace of an accent as he called out to us. "Larna, Cate, we were just told you'd come back. My father's ready to meet you."
"Jett Markku, Jett Bahari's son," Larna whispered to me and the three liarre. "Please, dinna fight in front of him."
Rufas gave an annoyed grunt, but also a subtle nod of his head. Rachari responded with a silent blink. Jinale plastered on a needle-filled smile that had only become a little less terrifying in the time I had known her. "We'll be on our best behavior, Larna." She glared at the other two councilors, and even her eye-tattoos seemed to narrow in warning. "I promise." We approached Jett Markku together, and he led us inside.
Despite our numbers, the tent was big enough to hold us, although it quickly became warm with so many people pressed close together. There was a table inside, its surface covered with maps, and several crates of supplies doubled as chairs. Behind it stood a man who was almost a double of Jett Markku, although he looked to be several decades older. He wore a sword across his back, and his eyes glinted like metal as he studied us.
"Larna, welcome back," he said, nodding in greeting.
She did the same. "Arim dei, Jett Bahari. Cate and I are bringing good news, as you can see."
I waited in silence, unsure what to expect. This setting was far removed from the grand theater in Ardu, and I didn’t know how serious or formal the situation was supposed to be. I didn’t even know what I was supposed to call Jett Bahari. Does he have a title? Am I supposed to bow or something? How do you treat the leader of a secret rebellion? I needed these people to accept me, and though Cate, Larna, and Doran would vouch for me, I was at a disadvantage as Mogra’s daughter.
Jett Bahari didn’t stand on ceremony, much to my relief. He stepped out from around the table, standing tall before the liarre even though their long bodies were far larger. "We're honored by your presence, friends. I know it isn't often liarre agree to work with humans."
As usual, the levelheaded Jinale took over. "These are desperate times. My name is Jinale, and my companions are Rachari and Rufas. The liarre stand ready to fight with anyone who seeks to remove the Queen from power. Our people have agreed that she represents a threat to us as well as Amendyr."
Rufas snorted, but for once, he didn't say anything offensive.
"Then we have a common goal,” Jett Bahari said. “How many have come here with you?"
"Threescore with our party," Rachari told him. "Six times that many are following us to Kalmarin. That should bolster your numbers enough to stand against the witch's army."
Jett Bahari nodded. "It will certainly help. Our own ranks keep growing as we travel south, and our other allies, the dwellyn, are also preparing to join us.”
I smiled. That was good news indeed. A third army to fight alongside the liarre and the humans would certainly help. I had never met one, but I knew the dwellyn were expert fighters and swordsmiths. If they were anything like they were in the old stories, perhaps we had a chance with them on our side.
Rufas was not so enthusiastic. "Please tell me you have some kind of plan to go along with our people. Not all of us were in favor of coming here, and it would be reassuring to know what you expect us to do when we arrive at Kalmarin."
If Jett Bahari was offended, it didn't show on his face. He seemed to take Rufas' concerns seriously as he returned to the table. "Kalmarin's strength is also its weakness." He placed his hand beside one of the maps. We all crowded around, and I peeked between Rachari's flank and Larna's shoulder to see. "The city sits high on a cliff, with no way to enter or leave aside from the great bridge."
"Will a siege be working on an army of the undead?" Larna asked. "I dinna think kerak and shadowkin are needing to eat."
"Kerak and shadowkin are only one part of the Queen's army. She has human forces, too. It only takes one starving soldier to open a door."
Rufas frowned. "Are you prepared to risk everything on that chance?"
Rachari returned the expression with a scowl of her own. "Everyone knows the gates are the only way past Kalmarin’s walls. If you can think of another way to bring them down, by all means, enlighten us."
There was a moment of silence, but Rufas had nothing else to say. Eventually, Cate spoke up, breaking the tension with a note of optimism. "It seems like our only option, if not our best. At the very least, the Queen will run low on forces if she sends them out to fight us. According to my sources, Mogra isn't with her to make more creatures.”
Yet, I added silently. I had no doubts that when we launched our attack on Kalmarin, she would appear at precisely the wrong moment, as always.
“Assuming we can match their numbers, we could eventually scale the walls," Cate continued.
Jinale smirked. "Scaling walls isn't a problem for an arachniarre, no matter how high. If your forces can clear out the bulk of the Queen's army, Jett Bahari, this plan might work better than you think."
"What if Mogra returns?" I asked.
Everyone turned to look at me, surprised I had spoken, and I began to doubt myself. I had no forces at my command and no rank to speak of. In fact, I wasn't even sure why they had allowed me to take part in this private meeting. I swallowed as Jett Bahari's gaze fixed on me at last, wishing I hadn't said anything.
"And you must be Ailynn Gothel. Cate and Doran have told me a great deal about you."
I held my chin high even though shame burned my cheeks. "Then you know why I'm here. My mother is the most dangerous weapon the Queen has. If you plan on outlasting the Queen's army, she needs to b
e eliminated. Otherwise, she will shape more undead to throw at us."
"Can she be killed?" Jett Bahari asked. "Many people have tried and failed.”
I nodded. "As far as I know, she's only a very powerful Ariada. She can shape and enchant and control the elements, and I suspect she's studied the way of the Kira'baas, but she isn't immortal. I almost managed to kill her once before."
"Almost is a long way from dead," Rufas muttered under his breath.
I looked at him, face set into a determined frown. No one knew my own mistakes better than I did. "I know. And believe me, the next time I see her, I plan on fixing my error."
Chapter Two
Taken from the diary of Lady Eleanor Kingsclere
I JOLTED AWAKE TO the sound of shouts and clanging metal. My eyes snapped open, and it took me a moment to remember where I was—in a shallow cave, resting on the sleeping pallet the dwellyn had lent me. Although I had been gone from Baxstresse for two weeks, and travelling for most of that time, I still expected to wake up in my own bed each morning.
After stretching my arms above my head to work out some of the early-morning stiffness, I glanced at the empty pallet beside me. That wasn’t a surprise. Belle took her commitment to learning seriously, whether it was history or literature or her latest attempts at swordsmanship. I still wasn’t thrilled she had chosen to train with the dwellyn, but I couldn’t think of a logical reason to stop her, either. The two of us were supposed to be protecting Neva, and we couldn’t rely on her to save us again.
My eyes flicked to the other side, checking to make sure the princess was still asleep. The morning light filtering in through the cave’s mouth only showed the top of her head. The rest of her body was buried beneath a blanket, and Jessith was curled up in the crook of her knees. I couldn’t bear to wake them. Although Neva had been much happier since the dwellyn had joined us, she often looked sad and exhausted. I couldn’t blame her, since I frequently felt the same.
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