“How long will the colonels be loyal?” I asked.
Wynn acted as if I’d insulted them. “They obey the High Priestess’s commands. General Jael is just a messenger.”
“A messenger who can suck all the breath from a man and kill him. I think that adds a little incentive to switch loyalties, don’t you?”
Odd laughed. “She has you there. And, I, for one, would appreciate a more aggressive move. All this slinking around, fact gathering and waiting is driving me crazy. I’m craving some action.”
* * *
Ursan’s jumping jacks returned twelve days after they’d left. It was the last day of spring, and a few soldiers felt their timing was a sign of the creator’s favor. The knots in my stomach loosened when I counted eleven men. In high spirits, the jacks told the other soldiers about near misses and their various adventures.
Major Granvil called Ursan and Lieutenant Thea into his tent for a debriefing. I followed, and no one commented on my presence.
“We encountered a few of Tohon’s patrols,” Ursan said. “But we avoided them as ordered. It was—” he glanced at me “—easy, sir.”
“Then why are you two days late?” Granvil asked.
“We discovered a factory in full operation in sector five. It was well guarded and so was the constant flow of wagons that brought supplies and delivered large metal containers before leaving, loaded with cargo hidden under tarps. We couldn’t leave until we had determined what they’re manufacturing.”
“Go on.”
“I sent a few team members to follow the wagons with the cargo. A couple tracked the wagons with the containers, and the rest watched the factory. We were only able to glimpse inside, but the beta team managed to snatch one of the cargo items. Although I’m not sure it was the only item being manufactured or not. The wagon team then rendezvoused with us, and we returned to camp.”
“Don’t keep us in suspense, Sergeant.”
“The containers then headed to a quarry north of the factory. The team was unable to get close enough to determine exactly what was being extracted from the ground. And the item...” Ursan reached into his pack and withdrew a short fat circular metal pipe. He handed it to Major Granvil.
Granvil examined it before giving it to Lieutenant Thea. She flipped it around, but shrugged and tossed it to me.
My initial impression of a pipe was correct, except both ends flared out in a cone shape, leaving the middle narrower. The edges were thicker and had been rolled, so it wasn’t sharp. About four inches high and ten inches in diameter, it didn’t resemble anything I’d seen before. I handed it to Ursan.
“It pulls apart,” he said. He demonstrated, breaking it into two halves. “Like a manacle cuff or a gauntlet.” Ursan stuck his forearm inside. “You can cinch it tighter, but only so much. You’d have to have really thick arms for it to be of any use.”
The word thick triggered a connection. Horror welled as I realized what the cuff was for.
They were neck protectors for Tohon’s dead soldiers. If we couldn’t decapitate them, they would be impossible to kill.
KERRICK
“No. Shift your weight to the balls of your feet,” Kerrick said to the young man. “Then move.” He clutched two of Flea’s juggling stones—one in each hand. It helped to keep him from screaming in frustration at the young men and women who had been assigned to his squad.
“Once more, same drill,” he ordered.
Ryne had given Kerrick, Loren and Quain each a squad of eight soldiers to command. They would take point and ensure the passage was safe for the rest of the battalion. In order to be effective in their job, Kerrick and the monkeys had to teach all twenty-four how to move in the forest without making noise.
Ryne would have liked the entire battalion trained before they’d left for Zabin. All eight hundred of them. It sounded like a huge amount, but was considered small for a battalion. Not many people had been willing to leave the northern realms. And Ryne would never force anyone to sign up. Either way, Kerrick wasn’t going to have the patience or the time to train them all.
Kerrick listened as the squad finished the exercise. Not terrible. After five days, they’d finally caught on. Now all they needed was practice. He squeezed the stones. Ryne had been prepping and planning for the past seventeen days, and Kerrick wanted to strangle him.
It has been forty horrible days since he and Avry had parted ways. Once he knew she was safe, then he could concentrate on training and scouting. But that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. So he sucked in a deep breath and sent his squad into the forest to try again.
At the end of the day, the squad gathered around him as he critiqued their efforts and dispensed advice.
“That’s it for today, gentlemen,” he said, dismissing them.
“Excuse me, sir, but we’re not all men,” one of the women said. She stood with her hands on her hips as if challenging him.
“Sorry, it’s a habit. I meant no offense.”
She blinked at him in surprise. “Oh. Okay.” She followed her teammates to the mess tent for supper but glanced back at him before ducking inside.
“She likes you,” Quain said as he joined Kerrick.
“Shut up.” Loren punched his friend on the arm.
Quain didn’t flinch. With wide shoulders and thick muscles to match his occasional thick head, Quain was as solid as Belen. However, he was a foot shorter than Poppa Bear.
“Why? I’m just stating a fact. Doesn’t mean anything,” Quain said.
“To you, but—”
Kerrick interrupted Loren. “While I’d love to chat with you, I’m late.”
Loren smirked. “Got another tea party to attend?”
“Yep.”
“Don’t forget to bring Mr. Bunny a carrot.” Quain sniggered.
“Good idea. Thanks for the tip.” Kerrick strode to the castle, leaving the monkeys behind.
He avoided everyone as he headed to a tiny dining room beside the kitchen. Zila and Danny were already waiting for him. Smiling, he joined them at the small table. Far better than eating in the mess tent with dozens of sweaty and smelly soldiers.
Zila beamed at him and described her day in minute detail. As he listened to her, he remembered how she had managed to avoid being found that night he’d told her about Avry. Little imp had slipped back into her room soon after they had all left to search for her. Kerrick had figured it out only after the entire castle had been torn apart and he’d put himself in Zila’s place. He’d found her sound asleep in her bed.
Ever since then, he’d been taking his evening meal with both kids. For him, it was the best part of the day.
When Zila finished listing all the books she’d read that afternoon, Danny jumped in before she could start with another topic. “When is the army leaving?” he asked Kerrick.
“Soon. We’re almost finished with the preparations.” He hoped.
Danny twisted a napkin in his hands. “I want to go with you.” Before Kerrick could reply, he rushed on. “I can help. Do stuff like fetch water for the troops, fix armor, work in the infirmary. Whatever they need. I’d be safe behind the front lines. Please?”
Kerrick’s first instinct was to say no. However, he’d learned...or rather, Avry had taught him...that just because he said no didn’t mean the other person would listen. She certainly hadn’t.
Instead, he considered Danny’s request. The boy might develop healing powers, which would make him very valuable. Tohon was aware of Danny and Zila’s potential, and he had to know they were staying here. Would they be safer with Kerrick and Ryne? What if Estrid discovered their potential? Or Jael?
Flea had only been a year older when he had joined Kerrick’s group. And look how that turned out. You couldn’t keep him safe.
Danny stared at him, waiting for an answer.
“I’ll talk to Ryne.” He held up a hand before Danny could celebrate. “Don’t get your hopes up. His decision is final.”
Later that night he
discussed Danny’s request with Ryne in his office.
“No. He’s safer here,” Ryne said.
“Tohon—”
“I’m leaving an elite squad to guard them. They’ll be fine.”
“Even if Tohon sends his dead after them? And a couple of ufa packs?” Kerrick shuddered at the thought.
“You’re the first to see the ufa pack. It may be the only one he has. Tohon probably doesn’t have the time to create more and train them. Estrid’s been harrying his troops.” Ryne tapped his fingers on the table. “Still, it would be even safer to have them staying at an unknown location. How’s that?”
“Danny won’t be happy, but I will.”
Ryne smiled. “Good. Now about the point squads—”
The door opened, and one of Ryne’s guards poked his head in. “Sorry to interrupt, but there’s a messenger here from Krakowa.”
Krakowa was in northern Ivdel near the border with Gubkin Realm.
“What’s the message?” Ryne asked.
“He won’t tell me. Only you.”
It was a bit unusual. Most messages didn’t need to be given directly to the prince.
“All right, let him in,” Ryne said.
Kerrick gave him a questioning look. Ryne motioned for him to stay. He stood behind the prince with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword in case the messenger had been sent by Tohon.
The man hardly glanced at Kerrick. His pale face was drawn, and he looked as if he hadn’t slept in days. Bowing to the prince, he waited for permission to speak.
“Go on, man, don’t keep us in suspense,” Ryne said. “What news do you bring?”
“Terrible news, sire. The northern tribes have invaded Krakowa.”
Kerrick leaned forward. Did he just say the tribes had invaded? Ryne drilled the man with rapid-fire questions. When? How many? And so on. But Kerrick couldn’t focus on the answers. If the northern tribes were on the warpath, then they had bigger problems than Tohon.
CHAPTER 5
I took the two halves of the metal protector from Ursan and fitted them around my throat. Even at its tightest setting it was a little big, but it covered my neck. “Still don’t believe Tohon has reanimated the dead?” I asked.
“It’s a piece of armor,” Ursan said. “No big deal, we all wear armor in battle.”
“Around your neck?”
“It’s too awkward, but not unheard of.”
“Uh-huh.” I glanced at Major Granvil. Did he understand the danger? Did he understand Tohon could send his well-protected dead soldiers and there’d be nothing we could do to stop them?
“The High Priestess and General Jael have ordered us to stifle all rumors about impossible creatures,” he said. “The creator would never allow such things to exist.”
I looked at Lieutenant Thea. Did she believe this bull? Her expression remained neutral.
Interesting how the army’s belief in the creator was invoked only when convenient. They didn’t act like true advocates. In fact, the soldiers behaved more superstitiously than devout. At least they stayed casual about the religious aspect. I didn’t worry about being turned in for not being spiritual enough. Piety wasn’t a requirement to be a soldier, unlike with the acolytes, whose devotion had to be pure.
“I hope the High Priestess has an explanation prepared.” And a strategy. I pulled the neck protector off and handed it to the major.
He dismissed us. As we walked back to our tents, I considered the situation, trying not to panic. It seemed odd that Estrid hadn’t believed Belen about the dead. From the few times I’d met her, she’d come across as intelligent and practical. Unless she didn’t know. Belen and Jael had been in school together along with Kerrick, Ryne and Tohon. Belen might have told Jael, believing she’d inform the High Priestess.
Why wouldn’t Jael pass along the information? She’d spent six years in boarding school with Tohon, attending magic classes with him and Kerrick. She should know what Tohon was capable of and how his warped mind worked.
Unfortunately, I was also well acquainted with Tohon’s magic. His voice continued to haunt my dreams, his magic tricked my body into desiring his touch. I shuddered. No. I wouldn’t be claimed.
When Ursan rushed off to join his celebrating jacks, Lieutenant Thea turned to me. “Speaking hypothetically, how would you kill a soldier who is already dead?”
“Decapitation.”
“And if they’re wearing a metal collar?”
I searched my memories back to when I’d had the misfortune of encountering them. My skin crawled just thinking about their cold flesh and lifeless gazes. They obeyed simple commands and could be trained, so some intelligence must still exist. “You could try crushing their heads so they can’t follow orders.”
She fingered the handle of her sword. “Hard to do with a metal blade.”
“Mallets and hammers would be better. But would still require some effort and time. You’d have to be pretty strong to break the skull.”
Thea grimaced.
“A crossbow bolt might pierce the bone,” I mused aloud. “But the archer would need excellent aim, and one bolt might not be enough. A knife in the eye might—”
“That’s enough, Sergeant. I get your point.”
“That we’re screwed? Hypothetically, of course.”
“Of course.”
Thea had raised an important question. We needed a counteroffensive to fight the armored dead. Hard to plan when no one believed it would be necessary. Belen needed to know. He could inform Prince Ryne and Kerrick when they arrived.
“Lieutenant, when is Belen’s squad due back?” I asked.
“In a couple days, why?”
“Can you tell him about the neck armor?”
“Why can’t you?”
“Last time I talked to him, he threatened to tear my arms off,” I lied. Belen would never hurt me.
She shook her head. “Did you insult his prince?”
Yes. Many times. “Something like that.”
Thea stared at me so long, I wondered if I was in trouble.
“I hope someday that you’ll tell me who you really are, Sergeant. Ursan doesn’t cover for anyone, so you must be very special.” She strode away.
So much for my disguise. At least she didn’t threaten to expose me. A minor comfort.
The next day was the first day of summer. I resumed the silent training under a bright sun. The leaves rustled in the warm humid breeze. This time, I taught both Sergeant Saul’s squad and the Odd Squad, which was Sergeant Odd’s men...or rather, boys. They had to give everything a nickname. Liv and Wynn’s squads were out on patrol. Ursan and his jacks helped, so the lessons went faster. Around midday a familiar voice stopped my heart.
“Sergeant Ursan, General Jael wishes to see you. Now,” Noelle called into the woods.
As the message was relayed, I crept closer to my sister. She scanned the trees in impatience. Standing in a patch of sunlight, she reminded me of our mother. She had the same long black eyelashes and light blue eyes. Allyn had also favored our mother while my older brother, Criss, and I resembled our father—reddish-brown hair and green eyes.
The skin between Noelle’s eyebrows puckered as she frowned. “General Jael is not a patient woman, Sergeant.”
Was there a hint of fear in her eyes? Instantly concerned, I stepped from my hiding spot.
She rounded on me and I froze. That was stupid.
“Where is Ursan?” she demanded.
“He’s on his way.” I pitched my voice lower than normal.
“Good.”
“Why does the general wish to see him?” I asked.
“That’s none of your business, Sergeant,” she snapped, then ignored me.
I should have been happy she didn’t recognize me. Noelle was supposed to believe I was missing and presumed dead. Yet, I couldn’t stop the disappointment and pain from spreading. My little sister had changed so much over the past three years. At age ten, Noelle had cared for our mother a
nd Allyn while they died from the plague, leaving her all alone for the first time in her life. So I shouldn’t have been surprised by her behavior when I’d tried to rescue her from Estrid’s training camp five months ago.
Ursan arrived and they left. I debated following them. Jael probably wanted more information about his scouting mission. Plus I doubted I could get close enough to the tent to overhear anything important. I returned to my group.
That night around the sergeant’s fire, I tried to act casual as I inquired about the summons. “Did the general congratulate you on your successful mission?” I asked Ursan. He had been unusually quiet, letting Odd do all the talking while Saul listened as usual.
“No.” Ursan cleaned his leather scabbard with saddle soap.
“What did she want?” Odd asked.
Ursan glanced at me for a second before he said, “Intel on the enemy patrols we encountered. Locations, numbers, that sort of thing.”
“Why not get all that from the major?” Odd asked.
Ursan shrugged. “Don’t know.”
“What did she think about that armor you found?”
“How do you know?” Ursan glanced at Odd with a neutral expression, but the muscles in his arms tensed.
I sensed trouble, but kept my mouth shut.
Odd grinned. “The question should be who doesn’t know. Come on, Ursan, you know nothing in this camp stays a secret for long. Plus, it’s no surprise Tohon would want to protect his troops. Just seems strange for him to be manufacturing new equipment when there’s a ton of stuff lying around.”
“Oh, yeah, it’s everywhere. Just the other day I tripped over a shield,” Saul teased.
“I meant each realm had at least one armory.” Odd’s tone bordered on huffy. “Before the plague there were thousands of soldiers in each realm. The dead don’t need armor.”
I choked on my tea. Ursan glared at me, but soon the conversation turned to other safer topics. All along I wondered what the general had really inquired about.
When it grew late, we headed toward our tents. I pulled Ursan aside and asked him.
“I’m not surprised that you’re concerned,” he said.
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