“No!” Senri ran to her, but as soon as she got close enough, a strangled gasp escaped her mouth. She still reached forward, hand outstretched and clawing at the vanguard. No breath came to Alina, just the heavy beating of her heart. The world faded. Spots gathered in her vision.
“Stop this madness!” Yahn yelled. His voice sounded muffled.
The ground shifted underneath them, and the woman went flying away. Air returned to Alina’s lungs and she coughed, her whole body shuddering as she drew in all she could. As her vision returned, she saw the clearing had filled with warriors from the Scaled Vanguard. Some had arrows pointed at them. Nat and Lanan had crawled out of their tents and kept two of the vanguards at sword point.
Yahn slowly lowered his sword and turned to the nearest vanguard. “By the Almighty, what are you doing?”
The woman who had been knocked back stood up and brushed herself off. She pulled her helmet off and shook out her auburn hair. “We found a horde of dragons in the forests. They claimed they traveled with Princess Alina. If the true heir to Osota is among your ranks, have her step forward, and no one will be harmed.”
“And why do you search for the princess?” Senri asked. She got up and stepped forward. “You going to kill her like that snake Demek wants?”
“Senri!” Yahn glared at her.
“That snake you so aptly speak of has let the enemy overrun the heartland,” said the vanguard.
“He what?” Alina got to her feet as well. “Is it too late, then? Is the kingdom lost?”
The vanguards exchanged glances. Most still kept their weapons at the ready.
“All of you, lower your weapons,” Alina said. She fumbled with the ring hidden in her tunic before pulling it out and showing it to the nearest woman. “I am Alina Alexandria Mura of Osota, the dragons are my allies, and we travel north so I may claim the throne and drive out our invaders.” The vanguards stared at the ring. The embedded gems glittered in the firelight.
One by one, they lowered their weapons. A tall man pulled off his dragon scale helm and tucked it under his arm. A scraggly beard covered his face. Deep shadows sunk under his eyes. “It would seem we have retreated far enough south, then, my queen.” He knelt down. “This cohort of vanguards pledges its resources to you. Our arms are yours.” Alina’s heart thudded. Queen?
“So, now you’re working for us?” asked Nat. “A second ago your wind reader would have suffocated Alina without a thought.”
“The enemy works in deceptive ways,” said the vanguard. “We learned days ago it is better to act first.”
“Does the capital no longer stand?” Alina asked. The fires. The death. It’s going to happen.
“There are soldiers and warriors still within the walls putting up resistance. They work in secret, however.” The man stood. He took a deep breath. “Presently, the kingdom of Shedol holds the capital, though loosely at best. We made a tactical retreat with the promise of finding reinforcements to the south.” He glanced around the camp. “I suppose this is what the agent meant.”
“Agent?” Lanan stepped forward. “Which agent?”
“A woman,” he said. “She was injured during the withdrawal. We have her back at our encampment, if you wish to join us there.”
Alina looked at the others. Senri still stood by her with a wary look on her face. Yahn nodded at her. Lanan...Alina had never seen such a pained look on her face. “We break camp,” she said. “Our first objective is to find our allies, and I expect them to be unharmed.” Alina glared at the dragon scale helm tucked under the vanguard’s arm. He smiled.
“We would never act so rashly against a dragon that willfully surrenders, let alone seven that do so.”
“For your sake, you should hope so,” said Senri. Alina noted the definite tone of disapproval in her voice. Senri had spoken briefly of her mentor’s wish for her to one day join the Scaled Vanguard. Her lover had most likely just reformed her opinion on the matter. Alina’s mind reeled too much to think of anything else while they packed. The capital had fallen. More than ever, she felt her visions enclosing her, offering no escape.
***
The dragons roared at the sight of Alina, probably to mock their captors. “Here comes your queen!” Grythumak cried out. “Now let us hunt in peace before we decide you make a fine meal, little soldier.”
Unmoved by the threat, the vanguard who guarded them nodded.
Alina called out to Grythumak. The great dragon marched over to her with booming footsteps, another attempt to unsettle the vanguards. “Yes, Queen?” Grythumak lowered himself to eye level with her.
“The situation has grown more serious. Make your hunt short, We have much to plan if we have any hope of victory.”
“You have my word,” said the dragon. He inclined his head slightly. “If there is nothing else, we will take our leave.”
One of the vanguards described the location of their encampment to Grythumak. The dragons took off and the party of fighters led them eastward into the forest. Nine vanguards stood with their current party. How many others retreated successfully? Is it enough to drive out the armies of Shedol? She took Senri’s hand and squeezed it, needing comfort.
More vanguards packed the encampment than Alina thought. They usually moved in small patrols around the kingdom, but a hundred easily filled the large clearing. Tents had been pitched by the score. Groups sat around fires and talked to one another in low voices. Several of them sported minor wounds, while a few lingered with more severe injuries. A bordering encampment had also been established for routing soldiers and Warriors as well. It was less than half of the military might resting behind the capital walls, but it was better than nothing.
“Where is the agent you spoke of?” Alina asked. She already had a fair guess of who the agent was, but she wanted to see for herself.
“We keep the infirm in the center of the camp,” said the man who had guided them to camp. “I can take you to her now.”
An eerie feeling stayed with Alina as he led them through camp. Many of the soldiers and vanguards paused in their conversation and muttered to one another when they passed. How many fled in hopes of finding me with an army? Alina feared they might be disappointed.
The guide stopped and pointed at one of the many medical tents. “She’s in there. I ask that you keep the visits limited. I don’t know how much excitement she could handle.”
Alina nodded. Still, she held onto Senri’s hand all the way up to the tent flap. They paused outside and she turned to the others. “Don’t stray far,” she said to Senri. She looked to Yahn and he nodded. She let go of Senri’s hand.
“Alina.” Lanan stepped forward.
“What is it?”
Her brow furrowed and Alina noted how much her hands shook as they fidgeted with the ties on her gauntlets. “I…please, if it’s not any trouble, I’d like to go in with you. I just…I need to see...” Lanan had never appeared so meek before. Concern filled Alina.
“You may enter with me,” she said.
The tension eased from Lanan’s face. “Thank you.”
Alina nodded and pulled the fabric aside, stepping into the tent. Lanan followed. She had to crouch to avoid the low-hanging tent cloth. Candlelight flickered from a lantern resting on a wooden block. A woman lay asleep on a pallet, her left shoulder bound and wrapped in gauze. Bruises covered her face, but Alina still recognized Nin, her loyal maid. She rushed to the woman’s side, kneeling down.
“Nin!” She wanted to hold her, but paused when she saw the wounds. A gash ran along Nin’s neck and down over her collarbone. Any deeper, and it could have severed a major artery. Nin would have died. “Nin, what happened to you?” She did not move. Alina reached out and gently touched the undamaged shoulder. To her relief, the woman shifted against the touch. “Did you see that?” Alina asked. She glanced up at Lanan, but the Warrior stared down at Nin with wide eyes, the blood nearly drained from her face. “Lanan?”
Nin shifted again. Her eyes cracked
open and she looked up, past Alina toward the back of the tent. Another small noise escaped her throat. She raised a shaking hand, her skin pale and bruised. Lanan’s eyes widened and she quickly stumbled from the tent. Nin sighed and lay back down. “Your Highness, water, please.” Alina searched through the travel supplies piled in one corner for a water skin. She heard Nin groan and shift into a sitting position.
“What are you doing? You should be laying down.”
Nin laughed. She took the water skin and swallowed a mouthful from it. A loose tunic hung off her gaunt form. Whatever had transpired in Alina’s absence had left Nin extremely weak. “Those vanguards would have everyone believe I am nearly dead, but I’m fine, I promise.”
Alina smiled. “Well, that’s a relief.” She settled down by Nin, suddenly aware of how important the woman was to her, more than an ally. A friend, perhaps. “Why did you take the armies south?”
Nin took another sip of water and set the skin aside. “Well, I was hoping to find you at the head of an army of dragons.”
Alina grimaced. “Seven does not make an army.”
“So you did find them? You were successful?”
She shifted into a more comfortable position. “We have an alliance. It’s new, and formed from the threat of a mutual enemy rather than mutual benefit, but I think it will do. It has to if we have any hope of reclaiming the capital.”
Nin shook her head. “So they told you about that?”
“I don’t blame you for losing the heartland,” said Alina. “I didn’t leave you in charge of defense, after all.”
Something darkened in Nin’s look. “We might have held if the enemy had not taken the gate.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone from the inside opened the gates to our outer walls. They had us taken before dawn the next day.”
Alina clenched her fists. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, some of the rising anger stifled. “And what of those trapped in the palace walls?”
“Taken prisoner. I think they intend to use them for bargaining with you.”
“They don’t know I am alive.”
“They are prepared, either way.” Nin eased back down onto her cot. “As we should be as well. We can discuss strategy in the morning.”
The thought of waiting any longer to take action maddened Alina, but she understood the necessity for rest. She let her friend drift back to sleep. It had been too long a day, now that she had taken a moment of pause.
***
Yahn gripped Senri by the shoulder when she tried to take after Lanan. “Let her be,” he said.
“But she’s obviously upset about something,” said Senri, watching Lanan’s retreating form. “Shouldn’t we, you know, comfort her?”
“Lanan needs some time alone. She’s been through much since the start of this whole mess. We all have.”
In the months after their capture, Senri had constantly been worried about Lanan, but everyone else had assured her that Lanan was fine, that Lanan had received help. Senri looked back at Yahn. He gestured to a nearby fallen tree and they strode over and sat down on it. “What do you want?”
Yahn looked across the camp. Lanan sat under a tree, far away from anyone else, arms crossed and head slung back. “We all left some things unsaid when we left the kingdom.” He looked down at his clasped hands. Senri glanced over at Lanan one more time. She had spoken about spending time with Nin, but she had never imagined the two were that close. “You were fortunate enough to have the person along you needed to say those things to.”
“You mean Alina.”
“You two have grown very close.” Yahn laid a hand on her shoulder. “War is here, Senri. And I need to know if you are capable of doing your duty.”
“I’d die defending her.” She shrugged off the hand.
“The kingdom you swore your skill to? Or just Alina?”
Senri looked at the older Warrior. He had a dark look in his eyes. “Aren’t they the same? Alina is the rightful queen.”
“She is also your lover.” Yahn leaned closer to her and lowered his voice. “If a time should come where her commands or desires put her in harm’s way because of you, I trust you will do the right thing and keep her Highness alive.” He paused, looking her in the eye. “Her life is valued above all others, including yours.”
Yahn’s eyes glinted, sending a chill through her. “I would not let harm come to her, even if she chose to face it instead of me.”
“The fate of this approaching war depends on it.” Yahn stood up and gave her shoulder one last squeeze. “Do not discuss this with her Highness.” He glanced down at her. “Enough weighs on her mind.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
COMMANDER ELKYSS, LEADER OF a strong squadron of vanguards and the same man who had led their group to the encampment, stood over a tattered map tacked down to a tree stump. “The enemy army numbers at three thousand, by our report.”
Alina stood with Grythumak on one side and Nin on the other, though her former maid needed the support of makeshift crutches to stay upright.
Elkyss frowned. “Our readers number at two hundred if we combine the warriors and vanguards. We have perhaps five hundred soldiers with average combat training.”
“Even with the readers, it’s not enough to retake the city,” said Nin. “The armies of Shedol are unpredictable, rabid men, but whoever controls them has enough sense to keep the troops within the protection of the city.” She winced as she readjusted. “The archers aren’t so bad with their aim, either.”
From what Alina gathered, Nin had only recently escaped the palace and rallied the troops, but not before she lay imprisoned and abused by the enemy for days. “You have the dragonfolk,” said Alina, gesturing to Grythumak.
Elkyss shook his head. “Though seven are an immense number compared to foot soldiers, it is still not enough to gain the advantage. If you were to pledge more soldiers, perhaps—”
Grythumak snorted. “We have discussed this, little human. I want an oath in binding that promises your vanguards to our aid.”
“We cannot make such promises with an aggressive nation at our doorstep,” he said. “After we have quelled the threat from Shedol, you are free to negotiate with her Highness on the stipulations of our alliance.”
“Your demands mean nothing, butcher,” growled Grythumak. “How dare you wear the skin of my people?”
“We dare out of the necessity to keep your wild runaways from slaughtering our villagers—”
“Enough!” Alina hated that the allies fought so much with one another. Did they not already have enough to contend with? “I did not go to the dragons for help so that we could selfishly use them.” She turned to Grythumak. “If your soldiers are willing to die defending our kingdom, we are willing to do the same for you so long as we do not risk our own extermination. I think these terms are agreeable for everyone, considering it is no less we ask of the dragons.” Grythumak snorted, releasing a rush of hot air. “And I am sure that after the battle has concluded, we can discuss new uniforms for the vanguards. We will, after all, have the necessary ore from trade to stock an army.”
Elkyss raised an eyebrow. “You did not mention that we are trade partners with the dragons.”
“There is much you are unaware of, human,” Grythumak said. “You are fortunate your queen is intelligent.”
Nin cleared her throat and everyone glanced at her. “If we are done arguing, I believe we have a battle to plan.”
The vanguard blushed. He ran a hand through his hair. “We could plan better if we knew how many dragons to expect on the battlefield.”
“Would a hundred turn the tides?” Grythumak asked.
Elkyss seemed to think this over. Alina couldn’t imagine a hundred dragons. That many spitting fire would easily cut through whatever horde they found waiting at the palace, or so she thought. Grythumak was a beast of a dragon, but the average-sized soldier only stood at eight feet tall and would be e
xtremely vulnerable to any ranged attacks. A well-placed arrow could down one dragon easily.
“That number should suffice,” Elkyss said slowly. “Though we still need to be careful about our approach, our strategy. I think the enemy intends to fight to the last man standing.”
“They will not budge even when faced with death,” said Nin. She readjusted on her crutches. “These fighters are not sound of mind. Our plan must be brutal, because I guarantee you they can think of worse things to do.”
“I will send my fastest flyer for a hundred of our strongest fighters,” said Grythumak. “These mindless beasts will quake with fear yet.”
Despite the sureness in the dragon’s voice, Nin looked unconvinced. A shadow hung over her gaunt face. Still, Alina attempted to keep a calm, stern tone when discussing the plan of attack. If Nin could still bear herself after suffering whatever horrors at the hands of the enemy, Alina could keep her composure. Her stomach still twisted into knots.
***
They mobilized the entire army in four days, and by then had managed to pick up an extra hundred soldiers escaping the heartland. Senri tried not to listen to the horror stories of what they faced, like hordes of soldiers that pushed themselves onto swords to kill an Osotan troop, but it proved difficult when the talk ran through the ranks. She marched with the rest of the Warriors, many of them more experienced than her in combat. It felt strange to stand next to others who had completed years of service. They talked about past skirmishes, about how none had been in a fight this large. How anyone could coordinate a hundred warriors in battle baffled her.
She thanked Yahn again in silence, grateful he ordered her to a smaller task force. Still, she had wanted to spend part of the march with the others. Even Senri, savior of the queen, would not be safe from the criticism of her fellows if Alina played favorites for the duration of the journey. The cold, dried out landscape of the heartlands looked so alien from between the eye slits of her borrowed helm. The nose guard did not fit right, either. It pressed slightly into her face, causing her to breath in the chilled early winter air through her mouth. The snow had not yet completed its crawl down the mountain.
Warrior Page 30