by K. F. Breene
Sanders paused as he hefted the beam. A wash of tingles covered him before infusing his mood. His heart started to thump and his desire to rule the world made him drop the beam and straighten up. He looked around in confusion. A soft feeling warmed his middle and flipped his stomach before a rush of emotion surged.
“What the hell is this?” He put his hands on his hips and realized the townspeople were also looking around in wonder, dumb smiles plastered on their weary faces. Alena stopped sweeping up glass and hugged a random townsperson. Leilius was smiling like a fool at the man beside him. Marc had his arms crossed and was hunched against the wall, looking surly.
It was Marc’s mood that made reality dawn.
This was that mind power. It wasn’t real.
Sanders grimaced and looked back in the direction the Captain had taken Shanti. “This just isn’t natural.”
“But it put in good mood, yes?” Sayas grinned at him as he walked by.
“There’s work to be done,” Sanders yelled at him. “Don’t go starting an orgy!”
Shaking his head, Sanders gave up on the beam. He’d wanted to work out a little frustration with manual labor, but things were starting to crack. The Captain was using logic in an almost hopeless situation, Shanti was calling the shots, and he’d turned soft. Something had to be done or they’d all fall apart.
“Wrap it up,” Sanders called. He made a circle in the air with his finger. A few people looked at him, apparently trying to make sense of his words. As they were his people, who spoke his language, this was just another part of the problem.
He looked left and right, then felt a crushing blow when he remembered there was no Tobias to get things moving. A flash of agony welled up. He grasped for rage to replace it. Without thinking, he took a few rapid steps and grabbed Leilius by the collar. “Let’s go!” He shoved the boy forward before glaring at Marc. “We’re moving out.”
Marc hopped forward, not fazed by the Captain and Shanti’s mind voodoo. Sanders looked at Xavier, the first competent person he saw. “Get everyone moving. Let’s gather on the east side of the town and set up camp. We move out tomorrow, dawn.”
Xavier stared at him dumbly for a second. He glanced around him, clearly wondering if Sanders was talking to someone else despite the direct stare.
“Is that a problem, Senior Staff Officer?” Sanders barked.
Xavier’s eyes rounded. “N-no, sir. I’ll get it done, sir.”
Sanders walked on. He’d just given the kid a promotion. Xavier was a little young for it, but he’d been in more battles than some of the veterans, and had benefited by learning the battle strategies of three different peoples. He’d rise to the challenge if anyone would. Sanders needed someone he could trust.
Outside the city, Sanders made his way past the Shadow sentry sitting in plain sight. He paused then turned to the man. In the traders’ language, he asked, “Did you see any action?”
“Yes.” The Shadow pointed off into the distance. “Graygual were trying to get away. I killed them.”
Sanders looked where he was pointing. He saw one body facedown with an arrow in his back. “More than one Graygual?”
“The others I killed with my Therma.” The Shadow tapped his temple. “I was told not to leave my post.”
Sanders nodded. “Good work. We’re meeting on the other side of the city. We’ll leave tomorrow at dawn.”
“Should leave after dark.” The Shadow grabbed his bow from the ground and stood in a smooth movement. “I only killed the Graygual I felt. My range is not great. Some will have gotten away.”
Sanders shifted, thinking over what he knew of the Graygual. “They don’t seem to surrender. If they run, they’ll just be killed by the higher officers. So they wouldn’t check in with one of those.”
The Shadow grinned. It was a predatory expression. “Not all of these are from the Graygual land. The army is also made up of normal men who don’t know the customs. They don’t know what they’ve gotten themselves into. They will sing like canaries before they are done away with.”
Sanders gave a nod before turning. His first foot hadn’t hit the ground before the Shadow said, “I’ve heard of you, you know. The Inkna hate you more than the Chosen. You withstood their torture and killed them all.”
Sanders scoffed. “I didn’t kill anyone.” Why lie? Not like it was a big secret. “I shat my pants while a girl rescued me.”
The Shadow laughed. “I have never heard of anyone escaping torture. I heard you mocked them.” The Shadow hefted his bow, preparing to head to the meeting place. “People talk. The Graygual will hear of us before we get there, unless we hurry.”
Sanders watched him walk away for a moment. He snatched a piece of grass from the ground, sniffed it to make sure it hadn’t been pissed on, peeled the end, and stuck it in his mouth. He needed something to chew on.
“Daniels,” Sanders barked as he approached the hiding place. One of the women rose from some brush not far from where he stopped. He hadn’t even noticed her. “Good work. Head to the east side of town.”
“Thank you, sir. Yes, sir.” She took off at a jog.
He might actually get used to the women after all. When they got it in their heads to follow commands, they did it without the need for violence. It was just getting through their thick heads that was the problem.
“What news?” Daniels asked, his hand on the shoulder of the prisoner. Tomous walked out behind, his face a mask of disdain.
“We’re heading to the east side. Town is still in disarray but they are getting their leadership in order. Once that’s done, and their army is in some sort of shape, we’ll make a plan. Not long now.”
Daniels glanced at Tomous. “Take the prisoner.”
“With pleasure, sir.” Tomous roughly grabbed the prisoner’s arm and pushed him ahead.
“He’d better arrive alive,” Sanders ordered.
“Yes, sir,” Tomous said. Sanders caught a hint of frustration.
When they were out of earshot, Sanders said, “There’s some question of when we leave.”
“We will be on our way at dawn, I thought. That is what the Captain said when he checked in after the victory.”
Sanders grabbed his wrist behind his back and studied the ground as he walked. He relayed what the Shadow had said.
“You didn’t kill anyone. You were mostly dead.”
The sound of grinding teeth wasn’t healthy. Sanders spat out the mangled stalk of grass while he squeezed his wrist harder. “Yes, Daniels, I pointed out the flaw in the story. My point was regarding to how fast word travels.”
“Ah yes, I see your point, muddled as it is.” Daniels stroked the stubble on his chin. “This Shadow makes a valid argument, but we are a day away. The men are tired from battle, and traveling at night is treacherous.” Daniels’ brow furrowed. “I will need to speak to the Captain and Shanti about this. We need to know how fast the Graygual can prepare a large force for battle.”
17
After an exhausting night and morning of traveling at a breakneck pace, Shanti crouched with a small force behind a hedge of a farmhouse, staring ahead at a tall stone wall with very few handholds or areas to climb. At the top stood a sentry, only his head visible. Beside him the wall dipped for a place to fire arrows, and then rose again for cover. The crenulations lined the whole of the wall, perfect for defense. Way off to the right, guarded from above by four Graygual, sat a large archway, currently open to travelers. Spikes of a gate barely showed below the arch, and thick wooden doors were pulled wide behind.
“All that structure, and they still have a moat.” Rohnan was looking at the deep and wide water-filled channel running around the city.
“It’s basically a fortress,” Xavier said dismally. “How are we supposed to sneak into that?”
Shanti turned around and sat on her butt. She brought out the map Daniels had given her—he’d stayed behind with Cayan, Sanders, and most of their people, intending to travel at dawn. It w
as all part of an elaborate plan that could go wrong in so many ways. The first of which was sheer size of the city in front of her.
“This is madness,” she muttered, shaking her head. “We can sneak in, but…”
“What of the Shadow?” Sayas asked Sonson with a grim face in the Shadow’s language.
“They are making their way here, as far as I know.” Sonson made a half-circle with his finger. “They are aiming to meet with the Captain’s army. Daniels has been sending instructions.” Sonson shook his head. “A lot can go wrong, but even if that works out, it won’t do any good. Even if we had twice the number of warriors they have, triple, this city was built with defense in mind. If they raise that drawbridge, we’re as good as done. Even if they keep it down, all they have to do is lower that gate and we’re out. It would take a huge force to pry them out of that city.”
“There is a back way.” Leilius scuttled forward and pointed at the area at the top of the map. “Shouldn’t we check out the back way? It’s bound to be smaller, right?”
Shanti felt pressure on her chest as doubt crept into her. While she could probably climb that wall and sneak in that way, after swimming through a disgusting moat, only a couple of others could as well. Despite how far they’d come, the Honor Guard wouldn’t make it. Not even some of the Shadow and Shumas would.
Sneaking in the front? How? Even if they had good enough disguises to mask their lightness of hair and feature, their power would flare like a bonfire in the middle of night. Inkna would pick them out immediately. The back way wouldn’t be any better. Not even the cover of darkness could help them—not that it was an option anyway. If they waited that long, they’d delay the rest of the plan. That would leave a large army just over the hillside, trying to hide in bushes while Shanti tried to find a way in.
Shanti watched a horse and cart amble up the road not far from their hiding place. The farmer, rail thin and hunched on his seat at the front of the cart, whipped his starved horse to go faster. The horse bobbed its head, but didn’t increase its speed. They both looked like they were a few months away from an unmarked grave.
After a few minutes of trudging, the farmer stopped at the gate and stared straight ahead as a Graygual poured through the cart’s contents. He moved items and opened bags. After that, he peered at the farmer, before waving him through.
“Whoever’s in charge runs a tight ship,” Shanti said as that weight grew. “We should call this off. Hit another city. This is a bad idea.”
Sonson stared at her for a moment before turning back to the city with a thoughtful scowl on his face. “No. There has to be a way. Can we put the gatekeepers to sleep, or black them out, while we run through?”
“They will have Inkna monitoring. They’ll know an enemy is in their midst.” Shanti looked at the sky, pleading for guidance.
“I can get in.” Leilius poked the map at the back gate. “I can get in, and I bet I can get this open. Daniels only has two guards marked. Though how he knew, I would love to know.”
“It won’t stay open long enough to bring any amount of army through,” Shanti said.
Leilius rose up in indignation. Xavier dragged him back down behind the hedge, but the indignation didn’t leave his voice. “But I can get it open long enough to get you guys through, and then we can figure out what to do next.”
“If you use violence, that will raise suspicion,” Sonson said, moving closer on his knees. Determination colored his tone.
“We don’t need violence,” Maggie said. Ruisa nodded and put her hand to a pouch at her belt.
“I can get in.” Alena was staring at the road where a forlorn woman was making her way along. A large basket balanced on her head. “I can figure out how to carry a basket like that.”
“We can pay some of these farmers for their stuff.” Xavier looked at Shanti earnestly. “We’ll pay them, and send them on their way. They’ll be glad to leave, and it probably won’t take much gold. Then we can get in that way.”
“This will work, Chulan,” Rohnan said with a hand on her thigh. “Have faith in those around you. It is their turn to make miracles.”
“Get out of my head, Rohnan.” Shanti slapped his hand away.
“We are too different from this land to sneak.” Mela spread her arms and looked down at her body. “Even if we colored our hair, we would raise suspicion. We need to let the boys and girls go, Chulan, and get us in back.”
“We not climb you.” Sayas looked at the wall.
“Not with the Captain guarding you as he does, anyway.” Mela winked at Shanti. Seriousness then took over her expression. “But he’s right. We can’t climb the wall. I can’t, anyway. Send the boy in. He is invisible when he wants to be.”
“I’m not a boy,” Leilius muttered.
“I bet they have prostitutes in there.” Alena shrugged. “Once I get in, I can get close to the guards that way, I’m sure. They won’t expect me to slip something in their drink.”
Shanti glanced around the group. Confident eyes and eager expressions looked back. They didn’t want to give up or turn back. They didn’t want to pick another city that gave them some realistic chance at survival. They wanted to reach for the unattainable, and find a way.
Emotion punched her. Helplessness, fear, anxiety—the likelihood of losing everyone to this venture was so real. She couldn’t bring herself to give the direction and lose more of those she loved to the Graygual.
Without warning, a palm slapped across her face. Her cheek burnt as her head swung to the side. When she looked back, Alena knelt in front of her with a hard expression. “Shake this off. You shake it off, S’am. There’s work to be done.” Alena sat back on her hindquarters, sounding amazingly like Molly, the nursemaid from the Westwood Lands, for a second. “Now. What’s next?”
“I would rather have gone as a rich merchant,” Leilius murmured as he shuffled down the lane toward the gate of the city. “Hunch more, Xavier. They’re going to know you’re not downtrodden.”
Xavier bent his spine and tried to look straight ahead of him regardless. Not only did it look funny, but it would not fool any intelligent person.
“Like you have shit on your face, idiot!” Leilius elbowed him. “Like S’am just punched you in the ball-sac.”
The toe of a woman’s boot came up between Xavier’s legs. It smacked into his crotch before disappearing again. Xavier grunted painfully and collapsed, dropping his sack of grain and clutching his balls. He curled up with his face in the dirt.
“Maybe that was a little too hard,” Maggie said. She didn’t sound sorry.
Leilius took a couple of steps away. She was turning into the female equivalent of Sanders.
“C’mon, up you go.” Maggie hoisted Xavier up. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t get us all killed. You’ll be fine. Walk it off.”
Xavier wheezed out unintelligible words. His face was strained and bright red.
“So…let’s have Alena walk up front with Ruisa and I, then.” Leilius motioned her forward.
They changed positions before Leilius felt a hard mental prod. The feeling weakened his knees for just a moment. The others winced. S’am was telling them to get going.
Trying not to look back toward the hedge where everyone had returned to watch, Leilius picked up Xavier’s pack and handed it to him. Each of them had sorry and holey-looking garments that were a few sizes too big. Stains and rips marred the threadbare fabric. In their sacks was miserable grain from soil that had been stripped of nutrients. At least, that was what the Shadow and Shumas had both agreed on. They’d overworked the land, not rotating it as they should have to keep fertility in their fields. They hadn’t been able to produce enough to satisfy the Graygual, so they pushed the land harder, until it was near the end of any production at all. Judging by the look of them, and the constant wailing of their too-thin baby girl, famine was not far away.
Leilius blew out a breath. “It is a sad day when one gold piece would buy all this.” He sta
rted walking.
“Very sad.” Rage tinged Maggie’s voice instead of sadness.
“It’s going to raise suspicion, though, what S’am did,” Xavier said in a rough voice that was filled with pain.
“Rohnan was positive the family would share with their village people.” Alena adjusted her shawl and then resituated her pack.
“Rohnan can’t tell the future,” Xavier said. “Why share with their townspeople when a sackful of gold will buy them an entirely new life? Away from the Graygual. They’ll have their kids to think about. No, she should’ve just given them one gold piece like they asked.” He groaned. “God, Maggie, did you really need to put so much weight behind that kick?”
“By now they’ll know that there is nowhere away from the Graygual,” Maggie said.
“Shut up!” Leilius lifted his eyes enough to see the drawbridge not far away. The boards were weathered and discolored, sturdy enough for holding people, but a battering ram would take it down easily. Of course, getting a battering ram over a twenty-foot gap wouldn’t be easy.
A Graygual from the wall looked down on them for a brief moment as they stepped onto the boards leading over a swampy mess of water. Their feet made dull thuds as they crossed into enemy domain. A beady-eyed Graygual looked Leilius over before moving on to the others. He grabbed Leilius’ sack and pulled it open. A moment later he checked out the others, yanking the edge of the fabric harshly. When he reached Xavier, the guard paused, his eyes scanning Xavier’s width of shoulder. Without warning, he gave Xavier a solid shove.
The knife burnt on Leilius’ hip, itching to be brought out of hiding and stuck in that guard. Blood pounded in his ears, fear gearing his body to run.
Xavier staggered and hit the wall, groaning. The large man cowered for a moment, catching his breath. He’d never been a good actor, so this proved that Maggie had indeed kicked him a little too hard. Good thing for it.