Fearless

by Jennifer Jenkins

  “Wear them in battle so that my son’s spirit can still fight to keep you safe.”

  Zo watched as the last of the men disappeared into the slot canyon, and for the third time since Joshua awoke repeated, “Yes, it was definitely alcohol poisoning.”

  Joshua kneaded his fingers into his scalp. “How could I have been poisoned? I wasn’t the only one who drank from the vat.”

  “Yes, but you were the only one who drank a whole pitcher.”

  The embarrassment on his face matched the brightness of his hair. “I’ve made a mess of everything. I should be with Gryphon. He needs me.”

  Zo fought back a smile. The last thing Gryphon needed was Joshua at his heels, getting in harm’s way. “He’ll be fine, Ginger.” She rolled the muslin bandages in tight cylinders as she spoke. Three more and then she’d have to find another task to keep her mind occupied. How would she survive not knowing if Gryphon was alive and well, or if he …

  She cut the thread of that thought and tucked the roll of muslin tighter. He’d only been gone an hour and she was already crazy with irrational stress.

  She hadn’t confided in him about the Seer’s message. Laden had said he’d put his leaders on alert, but the Seer wasn’t the Allies’ greatest threat … it was the massive army marching toward the Valley of Wolves.

  “I’m worried about him, Zo.” Joshua must have read her mind. “I had the strangest dream last night.”

  Zo was only halfway listening. Tess had coughed into her hand then gone back to touching the medical dressing. “Tess, you may as well throw that away. You know better.”

  Tess at least had the decency to look embarrassed.

  Joshua walked over to the smoldering morning fire to dispose of the dressing for Tess. “Do you want to hear it?”

  “Hear what?” Zo asked, counting the rolls of bandages in her mind.

  “My dream.”

  More about Gryphon. She couldn’t escape the thought of him for even a minute. “Tell me.” She set down her work to give Joshua her undivided attention.

  “I was resting on the cot. You, Gryphon, and Gabe were talking about Gryph leaving with the troops to intercept the Ram. Then it was just Gryphon and Gabe. The Wolf was mad about something. He wanted Gryph to tell you the truth. Something about meeting Barnabas. I don’t really remember it all.”

  Joshua folded his fingers into his palms.

  Zo leaned over to stop his anxious hands. “You’re worried.”

  Joshua nodded. “It’s just … I know it was a dream, because Gryph wouldn’t do this without telling me. At least I don’t think he would. But then, when I woke up I somehow knew that he was gone, and everything about the Ram moving south to the Wolves. How did I know that if … ” He shook his head, as if doing so would clear the cobwebs from his thoughts to reveal the truth.

  Zo picked up another strip of muslin. “You must have been partly awake when we came in to talk after Commander Laden’s announcement last night.”

  Joshua slowly gathered his feet beneath him. Zo had never seen someone’s skin pale before her eyes, but that is exactly what happened. Color leaked from him like blood from a head wound. He stared off into the distance in a state of paralyzed shock. “He wouldn’t. He just wouldn’t. Not without talking to me. Not without saying a proper goodbye. I’ll kill him myself … ”

  “Tess! Clear the cot. He needs to lie down,” ordered Zo as she stood next to him to help him keep his balance.

  “I will not lie down.” Joshua’s lips pinched tight, his brows knit together.

  Zo tried not to panic, but she understood Joshua’s look. It could only mean one thing: Gryphon’s lie. He’d said he couldn’t be trusted. Before she realized it, she was shaking him. “Tell me what you heard. Tell me!”

  Joshua’s voice sounded far away. “He’s not coming back, Zo. Something about sacrificing himself for Ajax and the rest of the mess.” He gasped for air and a pathetic sob escaped. “He’s going to let Barnabas execute him.”

  “What?” It was a stupid thing to say. As if having Joshua repeat himself would change what she’d heard. Zo grabbed her neck, wishing there was some way to open her throat to allow more air to pass through. “How dare he?” she seethed. “I don’t care if they are his brothers! How could he abandon us?”

  But then it hit her. He hadn’t abandoned her at all. He’d lied. Not about loving her, about leaving.

  “Where I’m going you can’t follow.” Gryphon had said.

  He was protecting her again; just like he had ever since the first moment he’d defied orders when he discovered she was a Wolf back in Ram’s Gate.

  Didn’t he realize that their lives were connected now? That by offering up himself, he was also offering up any hope she’d ever had for happiness? Squashing it like a bug on the ground.

  “That’s why he was talking to Gabe,” said Joshua. He’d managed to compose himself some, but his nose still ran and his eyes were swollen. “He wanted Gabe to take care of us.”

  “And Gabe didn’t think we should know about this?”

  Joshua shrugged. “Told Gryph he wouldn’t say anything until … after.”

  Zo darted into the tent and yanked open the pack on the floor. She threw a change of clothes and a few shirts into the bag along with her kit.

  “What are you doing?” asked Tess. Joshua was on her heels.

  “I’m going after them.” Zo tucked her thick wool blanket into a tight roll and fastened it to the pack.

  Tess dropped to her bedroll next to her and quickly began tucking and rolling it into a lumpy ball. “No, Tess. Absolutely not!”

  Tess moved on to gathering things for her pack, ignoring Zo’s demand.

  “It’s too dangerous.” Zo heard an unfamiliar growl in her voice but was too enraged with Gryphon to curb her anger.

  “Joshua, get your things. I’ll talk to Millie about rations.”

  Tess stomped her foot and propped her fists on her hips. “You promised, Zo. You promised on the graves of our parents that you wouldn’t leave me again. If the redhead gets to go, then I should too. You need me!”

  Zo stopped packing and pulled Tess to her chest. “Little lamb,” she whispered into her soft, blond hair. “You are so brave, but this is just too dangerous for you. You are the last healer in camp. They need you to look after people here. Would you really leave them without a healer?”

  “Nice try. They’re headed to the Valley of Wolves. You told me yourself that there are more healers there than anywhere else in the region. Besides, they are walking away from the fight. You’re walking right into it.” She crossed her arms. “You need me.” The tremor in her voice and the anguish in her round, glossy eyes said, And I need you.

  Zo hesitated. Closed her eyes and sighed.

  “We should take the extra bandages.” Then under her breath added, “Gryphon’s going to need some patching up when I’m through with him.”

  It took nearly an hour to gather the proper supplies for the journey. Zo, Tess, and Joshua set out over the crest of the hill with their packs secured on their backs and capes billowing in the wind sweeping through the valley. Gryphon would be furious, but Zo didn’t care.

  Just as they reached the mouth of the slot canyon, they spotted Raca walking along the western wall headed in their direction. She carried a heavy pack, with her usual bow and quiver fastened to her back.

  “Going somewhere?” Zo asked when she joined them inside the slot canyon and out of sight from the valley below.

  “My father will kill me, but this is my fight just as much as it is anyone’s. Against a foe like the Ram, one man, or woman, might be the difference between victory and defeat.”

  Raca looked between Zo, Joshua, and Tess. “I’m in no position to judge, but—”

  “This is a rescue mission,” said Joshua.

  Tess nodded sternly at his side. “We’re going to save our family.”

  Zo sputtered, taken aback
by her sister’s definition of Gryphon. But the more she thought about it, there was such a sense of rightness to calling them all a family. If she was honest with herself, it was what she’d been fighting for all along.

  A family.

  Could something so wholesome be born from so much death and heartache?

  Raca didn’t question Tess’s explanation for leaving. She simply nodded and hitched up her pack. “I can’t think of a more noble goal.” But then to Zo, she whispered, “Protect these children, Healer. Be the protector for your family that I couldn’t be for mine.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Let’s run through it again,” Laden said to the chiefs in his small travel tent, two days after leaving the Allied Camp.

  “No matter how many times you repeat the plan, it will not change the fact that the Wolves and Raven cannot stand alone against the Ram,” Chief Naat said, massaging his fingers into his forehead. “By the time the Kodiak finish freeing the Nameless, we’ll be in our graves.”

  Gryphon couldn’t help but agree, but found it difficult to rouse hope for anything at the moment. Days. That was all he had left. But it felt as though the end had already come and gone when Zo ran out of his tent. Joshua hadn’t even been awake to receive his goodbyes. It was probably for the best since the kid would have been clamoring to join him. But regret singed Gryphon’s thoughts as he considered his life with the boy. Surprisingly, his biggest regrets were verbal omissions. He should have told the boy how proud he was of him. How much he loved him. Why hadn’t they taken the time to laugh more often?

  “What do you think, Gryphon?” Laden asked, waking him from his daydream.

  Gryphon cleared his throat. “I think nothing can be decided until we get more information. I can’t imagine the Ram traveling too far ahead of their families. They’d need the manpower to manage their slaves. But I also don’t think they will bring their families to the river to meet us in battle.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “If I were Barnabas I’d setup camp a few hours travel from the river. Close enough to rush back to, but far enough from the fight to keep their loved ones away from harm.”

  Laden said, “If the Kodiak and Freeman can get to their people right after the Ram leave to meet our armies, they have a good chance of getting to the river in time.”

  The Alpha leaned forward, all beard and scowl. “You honestly think we can hold them that long?” He shook his head. “Against the full force of the Ram, it will be a slaughter.”

  Gryphon frowned. “I just don’t see another way.”

  Murtog said, “How many soldiers do you think Barnabas will leave to protect his people?”

  “Depends.” Gryphon shrugged. “Barnabas will have scouts canvassing the area. I think it wise to let them see our numbers, or at least part of them. If they feel the threat is great enough, they might pull all their mess units forward, making the Nameless an easy target.”

  Laden nodded. “We’re forgetting that Barnabas plans to kill Gryphon at the river. He’ll want all of his troops to witness the event.”

  The clan leaders shifted uncomfortably, shame at using Gryphon’s death to their advantage causing them to avert their eyes.

  “My men have the least experience in battle,” Stone cut in. “But most of us still have family and friends among the Nameless. We can free our people without Murtog’s help. The Kodiak can join with the Wolf and Raven.”

  “No,” said Murtog. “My men will not fight until we secure our families.” Both his tone and demeanor left little room for argument.

  Laden sighed. “It’s settled then. I’ll have runners stationed in the area so we know what we’re dealing with. The Kodiak and Freeman will hang back, keeping to the southern caves, letting the Ram pass. Once they free their people, they’ll join us, flanking the Ram forces.”

  He leaned forward, massaging his forehead with fingertips. “Let’s pray the Ram take the bait and come at us with everything they have.” His faced turned to stone as he surveyed the men around him. “All that leaves is for us to stop the strongest fighters in the region from reaching the Valley of Wolves. Our wives and children depend upon it.”

  On the morning of the third day of their journey, the jittery Wolves under Gryphon’s command ate a quick breakfast and broke camp. As soon as packs were secured Gryphon gave the order, “Link!”

  Forty men scurried into their new formation. Gryphon counted a full six seconds before every man was in position with shield raised and spear ready.

  “Today the Allies will cover fifteen miles. You will keep formation that entire time. Everything must be in unison. You will walk in formation, hike in formation, eat and even piss in formation. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir!” they shouted.

  One man in the front row looked slightly over his shoulder, probably considering the consequences of the last command.

  Gryphon nodded to the new leader of the front line, an able soldier with ample experience. “They are yours. Lead on.” Gryphon stepped aside as the orders to march were given. He spent most of his time jogging circles around the perimeter of the phalanx, instructing men to tighten gaps and step in sync. The rocky terrain made it difficult for them to stay as compact as they should. One line would hit an obstacle and speed up once they passed it, abandoning the men behind them.

  “Talk to each other!” Gryphon growled. “Your families depend upon you staying in formation!”

  By afternoon, Gryphon grew so frustrated that he propped his spear up on his shoulder and drew his sword. All four lines of the phalanx halted to watch Gryphon launch the spear over fifty yards until it sank deep into the trunk of an Elm tree. “Any Ram you encounter will see even the narrowest gap and make you bleed for it.” Gryphon motioned for one of the younger boys in the company to retrieve the spear. The boy took off like a frightened rabbit. “Next time … ” Gryphon scanned the faces of every man of his forty. “Next time you are my target.”

  The men whispered to each other, pointing at the spear with pale faces, some shaking their heads in worry. Many had never faced a single Ram, let alone an army of professional phalanx warriors. They were afraid. Gryphon could taste it. Fear was healthy. To be afraid, an entirely different beast. The difference subtle, yet distinct.

  “Link!” Gryphon yelled.

  The boy came running back with the spear, panting from his sprint. “You’re not really going to attack us as we travel, are you, sir?”

  Gryphon accepted the spear. He balanced the heavy shaft in his hand. Gryphon knew he had the attention of every man in his company. “If this phalanx can’t defend itself against one Ram, how will it survive twenty?”

  “But what if you hit one of us? What if someone is killed?” The boy had nerve to question his word. Inside the Gate he would have been whipped for such a cowardly remark.

  “Defend your man and that won’t happen.” Gryphon walked away, letting his words sink in.

  Gryphon threw his spear eight times that day. Eight times his phalanx blocked the attack. The men watched him wherever he went, walking in such tight formation that Gryphon scarcely saw their faces as they moved. Every other company of forty marched past; eyeing Gryphon with contempt as his own forty inched along. His men arrived at camp hours after everyone else. When Gryphon gave orders for them to disband, they practically collapsed from fatigue.

  As they moved around the camp, Gryphon noted that most of the lines still walked together out of habit. They took meals in line, and even slept near the men whom they defended with their shields.

  Pleased, Gryphon left them to seek out Commander Laden.

  “We’re traveling too slowly,” said Joshua, casting a pointed glance in Tess’s direction. Raca nodded her agreement.

  As determined as Tess had been to keep pace, Zo couldn’t deny that they were losing ground little by little every day.

  They’d left the slot canyon and traveled the hilly terrain east until connecting with a main road.
Mountains climbed on either side, making the pass the only way to easily travel southward through this section of the region. The Iiná River ran south along the side of the road, providing travelers plenty of fresh water and even some fish, especially during spawning season.

  Zo kicked a rock and sent it splashing into the drink. If Gryphon really cared about her more than his pride, he would never have left.

  She kicked another rock.

  “We should run and take turns carrying Tess,” said Zo, interrupting a long stretch of silence. “The Ram army will travel this road to get to the Valley of Wolves. They are marching somewhere behind us. And if we want to reach Gryphon before … ” Zo hitched up her pack and looked away, unable to finish the morbid thought.

  Joshua nodded. “What do you say, Tess? Should we assume the usual position?” The freckles on his face blended together as he scrunched up his nose in a forced attempt at humor.

  Tess practically threw her pack at Zo before jumping up to sit on Joshua’s shoulders.

  They started at a slow jog and worked into a moderate run, just enough to stretch Zo’s legs without overexerting. She guessed they had at least two days of travel before the Allies intercepted the Ram where the two rivers diverged. Two days of knowing the Ram marched at their backs.

  That night the four huddled together for warmth on a shelf they’d found while exploring the steep cliffs off to the side of the road. Raca had insisted she couldn’t sleep unless they were elevated, and the ledge offered a decent view of the road. She and Joshua had carefully covered their tracks while Zo helped Tess up the mountain. Without a fire, the threat of humans was minimal, but it left nothing to scare away other predators.

  “Why did you let us come?” Joshua whispered into the night. It was Zo’s watch, but he’d been restless for the better part of an hour before sitting up and leaning back against his palms. Tess had fallen asleep on his leg, pinning him in place. Raca curled up beside her.