by Zaya Feli
“Half his force is Fraynean because his own men are stretched between Frayne and Skarlan. We have the Fraynean prince. Can't we make use of that?” Kana asked.
Ren ignored the twinge in his shoulder when Ilias gently lifted his arm to wrap the clean bandage under. “Not so long as Halvard has their families. I can't ask two thousand people to let their loved ones get slaughtered, which is what will happen if they turn on Halvard.”
“We have more than one goal,” Evalyne said. “Taking my father down is the first. Freeing the hostages is another. If we can find a way to bring the hostages to safety before we take the city, we'll gain the entire force of the Fraynean army and our numbers will far outweigh my father's.”
“But how are we supposed to do that?” Anik asked. He sat on Ren's other side, ankle rested across his thigh. Like Ren's shoulder, the cuts on Anik's face were healing, although bruises still mottled his jaw and cheekbone. “Ren told me about the sanctuary where Halvard is keeping the hostages. It doesn't sound like it's going to be as easy as sneaking a few hundred soldiers out of Iskaal. Especially not on the brink of battle with the city on alert.”
Ren shook his head slowly. “The sanctuary is built to be impregnable.”
“Rafya?” Evalyne asked.
Rafya frowned, rubbing a tattooed hand over his mouth. “I've breached impregnable fortifications before, but that's not the problem. I doubt the Frayneans will be alone in there. How many men does Halvard have guarding the hostages? Twenty? Thirty? We don't have enough assassins to handle something like that. And we haven't considered how we're going to get that many people out of a city armed for battle.”
They all fell silent.
Ren lowered his arm and Ilias tied a neat knot on the bandage, then reached for the bowl of clean water on the table.
Ilias froze with his hand on the bowl. “The storm!” he gasped.
Everyone around the table turned their gazes on Ilias and Ren saw the youth flush pink, bowing his head.
“What is it?” Ren asked, encouraging Ilias with a hand on his elbow.
“Ren – I mean, Your Highness,” Ilias corrected, glancing at the others as if he wasn't sure which title to use in their company, “When we were in Nyleer, you told me about the waterworks. You explained how rain fills a reservoir that can be released via ducts and chutes into the city. You also said that in the event of a flood, the city gates would open so people could get to safety, but that we couldn't escape Nyleer that way because it had been dry for so long. You said-”
“-Aleria has a similar system,” Ren finished. Narrowing his eyes, he looked at the others. “The storm brought all that water at once. The reservoir will be full.”
“Does the system that opens the gates include the doors to the sanctuary?” Kana asked.
“It does,” Ren said, hope filling him in a rush. He grabbed Ilias by the shoulder and smiled up at him. “You're a genius.”
Ilias flushed impossibly redder and hid his face in his hands. “Thank you,” he murmured, voice muffled. Ren rubbed Ilias' arm.
“So Rafya would only need to take a few men inside and trigger the system that opens the gates,” Evalyne said.
“But what about Halvard's soldiers?” Valkon asked, speaking for the first time. “A few assassins won't be enough to defend a bunch of civilians on the way out of the city.”
“Unless we wait until they're distracted,” Anik said, leaning forward. He placed his elbows on the table and looked around. “We charge the city, wait until all eyes are on the army, and then free the hostages while Halvard's men aren't looking. Surely Aleria has side entrances.” Anik looked at Ren, who nodded.
“It's going to be tight,” Evalyne said. “We'll be engaging an army over twice our size at a massive disadvantage. Even if my father decides to meet us in the field rather than cut us down from behind the walls, our survival will depend on the release of the hostages before we lose too many men.”
“And you said there'd be soldiers guarding the hostages in the sanctuary,” Rafya said.
“So I'll go with the assassins,” Anik said. “Me, Valkon, Cainon. Few enough to sneak in, but enough to take out the soldiers guarding the hostages. How many do you think we should expect?” He looked at Evalyne.
“Can't be more than thirty. Halvard will want his own soldiers commanding the Frayneans in the battle to make sure they don't sabotage the fight, and he keeps a portion of them at the castle for his own protection.”
Ren bit his lip. A touch on his leg made him flinch, but when he looked down, he saw that it was Anik. Anik gave his knee a squeeze and Ren placed his hand over Anik's.
“That will be tight,” Kana said, blowing out a breath. “If the plan fails, Halvard will slaughter us.”
“Does anyone have better idea?” Evalyne asked. She looked around. No one said a word.
“It relies on us figuring out how this watering system works,” Rafya said, and shifted his gaze to Ren. “We need to know how to trigger it, preferably without flooding the entire city at once and putting all the people at risk.”
Ren took a deep breath, lacing his fingers between Anik's under the table. “Some of the Frayneans who joined us might have experience working on the waterworks. I'll have someone ask around and report back.”
* * *
When they left the tent, the air was cooler than it had been in days.
A shiver rolled through Ren's body and he tugged his jacket tighter with his good arm, following Anik to their tent.
“How's your shoulder?” Anik asked, holding the tent flap open for Ren.
Two cots stood at the far end, neatly spaced. Ren sat down on his own. “Better. It still stings to move it, but it doesn't hurt all the time like before. Jayce said the wound is closing, so maybe that means I'll actually be able to get some training in before we reach Aleria. I hope so, anyway.”
Anik nodded slowly, a faint line between his brows. “So do I.”
Ren had his hand on his belt, but raised his head when Anik spoke. “I trained with Evalyne while you were away, and I've been sticking to the routines. I'm not completely useless anymore, you know.”
Anik smiled. “I'm not saying you are.”
Anik's display of dominance in the fight with Laskyn had seemingly settled things with the Lowlanders. Anyone who had wanted to leave had been free to go, but no one had. The Lowlanders took orders from Anik without complaint. Even Laskyn seemed to have found new respect for him. To Ren's surprise, the respect they had for Anik seemed to extend partially to him. Ren knew he had yet to prove himself to the Lowlanders who doubted his sincerity, but they seemed willing to give him a chance, encouraged by Valkon, Sikyn, and the other former prisoners who had seen Ren carry his load.
“We're doing pretty well. Can you believe it? It seems like we have a plan,” Ren said, shrugging his jacket off his good shoulder and setting it on top of his bag beside his sword.
“You really think this idea with the water system might work?” Anik asked. He sat down opposite Ren, elbows on his knees and undershirt unbuttoned.
Ren forced his eyes not to wander, then decided he could let them wander a little. “Yeah. I do,” he said, running a hand through his hair. He had gotten Ilias to cut it, but it was still longer than it had been in Aleria. “So long as we can figure out how to trigger the mechanism safely.” He kicked off his boots and lay back against the blankets.
Anik stood, going over to his bag. He retrieved a bread roll and their last slices of dried boar. “I was waiting for you to object to me going into Aleria,” he said with a chuckle.
Ren turned his head and studied the curve of Anik's back in the dim light. “I was planning to wait until right before the battle to bring it up. Give you less time to think of reasons why I shouldn't come.”
Anik looked over his shoulder, shooting Ren a pointed look. He laughed, but when he sat down on his cot and broke the roll in two, his expression grew serious. He handed Ren half. “I don't want you to come.”
“Evalyne will need you.”
“Not as much as you'll need me in Aleria,” Ren countered. He broke a piece off the bread, but didn't eat it. “I know the city better than anyone here. Even if Rafya has been in Aleria before, it can't have been more than once or twice. I grew up there. I know ways around. The watch towers, the dead ends, the quickest routes.”
“You can draw me a map.”
“Why don't you want me along?” Ren asked, forcing himself to lower his voice when he noticed he had raised it. “I want to go with you. I want to have your back.”
Anik nodded slowly. He put the roll down on his cot and spread his hands as if trying to make an idea materialise between his palms. “Consider this,” he said carefully, as if afraid that Ren would reject him before he could finish. “You're the last Fraynean prince. There are no other Frayneans here who have even been inside the castle except you. The Skarlans fight for Evalyne because they're loyal to her, but sometimes, winning a battle takes more than just loyalty. Think about what it might be like for all these men and women to go into the battle that lies ahead knowing we'll be badly outnumbered. Knowing there's a good chance that they'll never see their families again. Loyalty will make them fight, but they need more than just loyalty to make them give everything they've got.”
Ren opened his mouth to speak, but Anik held up a hand.
“What matters is that you have the ability to give these people a promise. What will happen to Frayne once Halvard is off the throne? Regardless of whether you want to or not, you're the most qualified to answer that question. They know who they're fighting for, but they don't know what.” He paused, searching Ren's face.
Ren licked his lips, mouth suddenly dry.
“You can promise them something they've never dared dream of. Peace.”
Ren blew out a breath. “Sure you've never been a politician?”
Anik laughed a little, reaching out and taking Ren's hand.
“I'm afraid,” Ren admitted, letting his head hang. “I'm not my mother. I'm not Hellic. I don't... I didn't do anything to deserve my title. People won't-”
Anik tilted Ren's chin up with his free hand. “The people don't care if you missed your court etiquette classes. They care about your values, your intentions. They care whether or not you're going to care about them and their families once this whole thing is over, and Ren...” He sighed softly, a softness in his eyes. “I don't know any other person who devotes himself so fully to everyone but himself. I swore I'd never follow a king so long as I lived, but if that king was you, I think I'd change my mind.”
Anik's eyes were so dark Ren thought he could drown in them. Anxiety fought against certainty inside Ren's mind and he swallowed, trying to find the right words. Instead, he said, “Kiss me.”
Anik's hands on his face were too soft, too gentle. Ren wanted it hard, maybe he even wanted it to hurt a little so he could forget about the way his heart raced. He pushed against Anik's hands, but Anik only hushed him, bringing their lips together and kissing Ren like it was the last kiss he'd ever get.
A needy little sound slipped past Ren's lips, and he reached up to curl his hand in the front of Anik's shirt and draw him in. He sighed with contentment when it worked and Anik shifted to sit next to Ren on his cot, barely breaking the kiss.
Ren's heart still raced, but for an entirely different reason. He smoothed his hand down Anik's chest, searching for the hem of his undershirt. His fingers found it and he moved to pull it off, but Anik's hand on his wrist stopped him.
They broke apart.
Anik's expression was still soft. “You're hurt,” he reminded Ren, barely louder than a whisper.
Ren bit the inside of his cheek, reeling from how much he needed this. He had needed it for a while. “I'll go slow.”
“You won't, though. Will you?” Anik asked, grip tightening on Ren's arm when Ren tried to push against his hold.
“Anik-”
“The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”
“I'll be fine,” Ren insisted.
“Ren.” Anik didn't relax, tension clear in his posture.
Ren paused, letting his hand go limp in Anik's grip. He nodded. “Okay.”
Anik raised his hand to Ren's shoulder. Ren could see he wasn't the only one who wanted more. Anik's breaths were as shallow as his own and his cheeks were flushed. He was beautiful, really beautiful. A lock of dark hair brushed the edge of his jaw.
“When you're better,” Anik said softly, resting a hand over the front of Ren's shoulder where the bandage lay under his shirt.
“Okay,” Ren said again, offering Anik a smile. “Lie with me?”
Anik nodded, taking Ren's half of the bread and handing it to him. “Eat first.”
Ren ate obediently, washing the bread and dried meat down with water from the skin Anik handed him. They sat together on Ren's cot and didn't speak, but they didn't need to. Ren felt a calm assurance in Anik that he had never found elsewhere. The horseshoe pendant lay against Anik's chest like a promise.
Anik pushed his cot against Ren's, and while the design of the frames kept them from getting as close as Ren would have liked, they were still near enough that Ren could reach out to run his hand along the side of Anik's body if he wanted. It was closer than they had been sleeping in the same bed in Fenn.
When Ren raised his gaze, Anik was looking at him.
“Happy?” Anik asked.
“Happy,” Ren said.
Anik was right. He knew that. Everything he'd said made sense. If Ren had the ability to help people, to make their lives easier, why shouldn't he? He hadn't thought about it like that, but now that he did, some of his apprehension evaporated. Anik knew how to calm his nerves.
* * *
No nightmares.
Ren lay awake in the silence before dawn, when the sky had begun to lighten but before the sun fully rose. The camp was quiet. Now and then, a bird announced its arrival.
Usually, Anik was the first one to wake, but not today. Ren studied his face. The near-permanent line between Anik's brows was gone. His long lashes twitched slightly in his sleep. Anik's hair was getting longer, too. He hadn't taken out the leather band that held his hair back and a night's sleep had loosened and ruffled it. One lock lay halfway over his eye, curling underneath his chin. Ren reached out and brushed it from his cheekbone.
Anik's eyes opened, glazed with the faint remnants of sleep. He groaned, the cot creaking when he stretched his legs under the covers.
“Sorry. Did I wake you?” Ren asked, lowering his hand.
Anik shook his head, brushing his hair back. “It's fine. It's dawn anyway.”
“Almost.”
Ren followed the movement of Anik's arm with his eyes, the lines of ink on his skin. Anik noticed him looking and stretched his arm out across Ren's cot.
Ren ran his hand along the stretch of tattoos. In places, Anik's skin was slightly raised near the edges of the lines. The newest one, the mark of the oathbreaker, was still darker than the others. “I know what two of them mean,” Ren said, letting his fingers trail from the one closest to Anik's elbow to the one near his wrist, brushing the antlers that wrapped his arm. “But not the rest.”
Anik rolled onto his side, pointing with a finger to the one closest to his wrist. His voice was still rough from sleep when he spoke. “When I was thirteen. Growth. Heart.” He followed the wavy lines up to where they became dots. Trailing his finger past the antlers, he paused at a wide band of black interrupted by a circle with a dark centre. “The first time I killed a man.”
Ren glanced from the tattoo to Anik's face. “How old were you?”
“Nineteen,” Anik said quietly. “It was a Skarlan soldier.”
“And the last one?” Ren asked, returning his gaze to the
wavy lines that ended in straight arrow tips.
“Protector,” Anik said, pointing to the lines before moving his finger to the arrowheads. “Executioner.”
“The rebellion,” Ren guessed.
Anik nodded.
Ren's eyes darted to the scar on the front of Anik's shoulder, twisting its way up over his collarbone. Anik sat up, tugging his shirt into place and obscuring Ren's view.
“Come on,” Anik said, waving Ren out of bed.
Ren got dressed, following Anik to the edge of the camp, where the sun made the rolling grass-covered hills look like an ocean of gold. For once, the cold wind had calmed and taken some of the chill with it. Winter was inevitable, but still far enough away to lend them an occasional day of mild weather.
Anik kicked off his boots and stepped into the sea of grass. Ren sat on the slope of the hill and watched him train.
Anik's movements were graceful, like the dancers that sometimes came to court and enchanted men and women alike with their elegance. Ren could watch him for hours. It felt like only minutes passed, but the sun told Ren it had been over a quarter of an hour. Ren watched the motions, recognizing some and taking note of others he had forgotten, as well as ones he hadn't seen before.
Stretching out an arm and shifting his balance, Anik looked over his shoulder and caught Ren's eye. Winking, he leaned forward onto his hands and kicked his legs into the air. He walked a short distance towards Ren on his hands before landing back on his feet.
Ren laughed, clapping his hands. “I don't have any gold coins to throw you,” he said, laughter still in his voice when Anik dropped down next to him, spreading his arms above his head in the grass.
“It's okay. I take payment in kisses.” Anik closed his eyes and pursed his lips.
Ren grinned, watching Anik's face. It struck him that this was what Anik was really like. Kind, playful. He let Ren see the version of himself that he had been before the world turned him hard and angry. Leaning over Anik, Ren braced a hand against the grass and pressed a kiss to his lips. He could feel Anik smiling into it and Ren pushed his tongue past his lips, claiming his mouth. Anik let out a quiet sound of surprise and pleasure and Ren took pride in it, leaning back with a smirk. Gingerly, Ren lay down next to him.