Authors: Maria V. Snyder
“Granvil also informed me that Sergeant Ursan and his jumping jacks have been successful employing your training. Would you say they are your best students?” Jael asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. I want you to run a training exercise tomorrow afternoon. The teams will be Sergeant Ursan and his jacks versus that whelp Ryne and his chosen few.” Jael pursed her full lips in distain.
“Sir?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“What is the objective of the exercise?”
“The objective is for one team to sneak up and ambush the other. The whelp believes our army is lacking in certain covert skills, and I want to prove him wrong. I’ll be observing so
don’t
disappoint me, Sergeant.”
“Yes, sir.” One positive thing about Kerrick remaining in the north, no one to lecture me about how much trouble I was in right now.
“Excellent. You’re dismissed. Sergeant Ursan, a word.”
My cue to leave. I saluted and hurried outside into the darkness. Pausing to let my eyes adjust, I wondered what Jael wanted with Ursan. Instead of heading to my tent, I stepped to the side as if waiting for him. The guards stationed by the entrance didn’t react. They continued to ignore me.
Leaning closer to the fabric, I strained to hear Jael’s voice. Nothing. Either the fabric was too thick or the noise inside was too loud. Would Ursan tell me what she wanted? His
yes, sir,
though, was crisp and loud. Show-off.
I joined him when he strode from the tent. For the first time since I’d known him, he seemed...distressed. He barely acknowledged my presence as I tagged along, and he remained silent the entire trip back.
Just before we parted ways, I asked, “What did the general say?”
“It’s classified,” he said.
“Was it about tomorrow’s exercise?”
Ursan gave me a blank stare.
I sighed. “I want your jacks to be at the training site early tomorrow so we can go over a few things. Prince Ryne’s men will be hard to beat.”
“How do you know?”
Ah, there was the suspicious Ursan I’d grown to tolerate. “Belen is one of his men.”
“Oh.” He considered. “How hard to beat?”
Almost impossible if Ryne brought Loren and Quain, but that wouldn’t be positive. “More challenging than finding me. But I think the jacks will score a few jackknives tomorrow.”
I expected a smile, but he stiffened, shot me an unreadable look and said good-night.
* * *
In the middle of the darkened room, Kerrick lay inside a glass coffin. His open eyes were lifeless and without color. I shouted his name and pounded on the glass.
“No need to carry on, my dear,” Tohon said, stepping from the shadows. “He can’t hear you.” He took my hand in his, turning it so my palm faced up. “Besides, you’re mine. You’ve been mine since that first kiss.” Tohon pressed his lips to my wrist.
His magic shot up my arm and straight into my core. A wave of sensations radiated out, turning my muscles into a spongy mess. Unable to stand, I sank to the ground. Tohon followed, pushing me flat.
He leaned over me. “You can’t hide from me, my dear. I will find you. I promise.” Tohon pressed his lips to mine.
Odd’s booming voice woke me. My lips tingled from Tohon’s kiss, and the image of Kerrick in the coffin wouldn’t dissipate.
Odd bounced on the edge of Wynn’s cot. “Took me all night, but I’ve got the good stuff.”
Liv threw her pillow at him. “Go away.”
He ignored her. “I’ve sorted through all the wild rumors and gossip and discovered the truth! The tribes from the wildlands have indeed invaded the northern part of Ivdel Realm.”
I sat up. “That’s horrible.”
“Not to worry, Prince Kerrick is leading the rest of Prince Ryne’s troops in an attempt to stop them.”
“Attempt?” I asked. My relief over Kerrick being alive and well was instantly replaced with worry.
“The tribes are notoriously vicious and effective against larger opponents.”
“How do you know?” Wynn asked. “You grew up in Ryazan Realm.”
“And we don’t have history books in Ryazan?” he shot back.
Before they could launch into an argument, I asked, “How effective?”
“At one point they had control of all the land north of the Nine Mountains. When they found passable routes through the mountains, they attacked the southern lands. They weren’t called realms then.”
“And?” Wynn prompted.
“An army waited for them. Spotters had seen the tribesmen and warned the southerners. But even outnumbered ten to one, they used the terrain to their advantage. They hid in the foothills and sent small groups out to harass the army before returning to their hiding spots. Using that tactic, they managed to remain in the area for a number of years until more forces arrived and drove them back over the mountains and all the way to the wildlands.”
The strategy sounded familiar. I searched my memories and recalled Kerrick mentioning Ryne’s elite squads and how they had been successful against a bigger army. I wondered if Ryne learned it from the tribes? And I hoped he’d taught Kerrick a counteroffensive.
“Did you find anything else out?” I asked.
“Do you remember the healer who came through here about six months ago?”
Murmurs of assent. Oh, no, this was it.
“She saved Davy’s leg,” Liv said. “They were going to cut it off because of an infection. Why?”
“She died saving Prince Ryne’s life,” Odd said in a dramatic voice.
I guess I should have felt appreciated as they appeared to be upset by my heroic death. But it just made me sick to my stomach.
Wynn and Liv pumped him for details, but he only had the basics. Eventually the topic returned to Ryne’s troops.
“They’re a quiet lot,” Odd said. “I hope that doesn’t mean they’re scared.”
* * *
After Odd left, I sent the jacks out to practice. I stood in the middle of the training area and shouted instructions as they ran the drills over and over again. I wasn’t the only one nervous. Ursan paced, making it hard for me to listen to the others. And a few times when he was out on recon, I heard him crash through the underbrush.
Before Ryne showed up, I gathered the jacks around me. “Just relax and do what you
know
how to do. Keep it fun. And follow the rules. We’re all on the same side.”
Ursan flinched when I said that last bit. I suspected Jael had ordered him to cheat. I gave the jacks an hour off to eat and rest. They headed back to camp in high spirits, but I stopped Ursan before he could follow them.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
“Nothing.”
“Yeah, right. Did the general order you to break the rules in order to win?” I demanded.
He seemed surprised by the question. “No.”
“Then what’s going on?”
Ursan refused to answer. He pushed past, leaving me alone with my swirling thoughts. No surprise Jael was up to no good. But what did she intend? I would have to stick close to Ursan this afternoon and find out.
* * *
I stood with the jacks when Ryne and his team arrived, keeping my distance and hoping to blend in with the crowd. Ryne’s team consisted of Belen, Quain and Loren. Four of them against Ursan and his squad. Major Granvil accompanied Noelle, who would fetch the general when the teams started interacting. Granvil read the rules of engagement to all the participants.
Each team would travel in opposite directions for an hour. They couldn’t spread out or go in different directions. They had to stay together as they would out on patrol. Not side by side, but close. They couldn’t lie in wait for more than fifteen minutes, and those who were “caught” had to return to base where the officers waited. Caught meant being surprised by an opposing team member. If there were still active participants on both sides at sundown, the winner would be determined by the percentage of “kills.”
“Sergeant Irina?” Granvil called.
Oh, no. “Yes, sir?” I stepped forward, drawing everyone’s attention. My gaze stayed on Granvil, but my skin itched as I felt Ryne and the guys studying me.
“You’ll be the intermediary, ensuring everyone is following the rules and dealing with any contested ‘kills.’”
“Yes, sir.”
“Any questions?” Granvil asked.
Everyone’s focus returned to the major. Everyone’s but Belen’s. His gaze burned into my soul, and I shifted so my back was to him.
“How far can we go?” Ryne asked.
“This large patch of woods is surrounded by farm fields. As long as you stay within the forest, you can travel anywhere.”
“Fair enough,” Ryne said. Then he looked at me. “How can we be sure Sergeant Irina isn’t biased? After all, she trained these men.”
Good question. I glanced around, but it seemed no one wanted to answer him. “All I can give you is my word to be impartial, sir. If you’d like to pick—”
“Her word is enough,” Belen said.
Ryne accepted Belen’s endorsement without hesitation. But I worried. Did he recognize me? I’d have to avoid him during the exercise. Oh, joy.
Since there were no other questions, Major Granvil sent the teams deeper into the woods. Ryne’s team to the east and Ursan’s to the west. I stayed behind with the major and Noelle. Nothing would happen for more than an hour, so I didn’t need to be out there yet.
Major Granvil chatted with me, asking about the jacks’ odds and how the morning practice had gone. I answered his questions but kept track of Noelle. This could be my chance to talk to her. She found a rock to sit on. Pulling a square of paper from her pants pocket, she unfolded and stared at it.
“Excuse me, Sergeant,” the major said as one of his lieutenants arrived with a message.
I left them as they talked in hushed tones. Hoping to appear casual, I approached Noelle.
She didn’t even glance up when she said, “Shouldn’t you be in the woods, Sergeant?”
“Not yet. But when I do go, that’s when you should fetch the general.” I recognized my handwriting. She was reading my letter! And from the creases, it wasn’t the first time. Fear and sadness gripped my throat, making it hard to breathe.
She sighed dramatically. “Can I help you with something?”
I pointed to the paper. “Bad news?”
Noelle folded it so I couldn’t see the words. “It’s none of—”
“My business,” I finished for her. “You’re right. I suppose you already talked it over with a friend. Or does the general keep you too busy to make friends?”
“I’ve a very important job, Sergeant. It’s an honor to be her page. This—” she waved the letter “—is all in the past. It means nothing to me now.”
Yet she tucked it back into her pocket, and I caught a glimpse of a silver chain around her neck when she stood. She wore my necklace. The hands pendant our older brother, Criss, had given me before I’d left for my apprenticeship. I had put it in the envelope with the letter.
Hope. Real hope that I might get my sister back spread through me like a healing balm.
* * *
As Noelle went to find Jael, I entered into the “war zone.” All was quiet. I settled in to wait. Sure enough, I heard the minute off notes to the west. The jumping jacks were traveling northeast, probably hoping to get in behind Ryne’s team. I concentrated, but the monkeys couldn’t hide from me. To the east, I picked up Loren and Quain’s progress. Ryne’s passage sounds weren’t as familiar. We’d only traveled together once, and I’d been sick with the plague at the time, so my memory was more than a little fuzzy.
Belen, though... Why couldn’t I hear Poppa Bear? Perhaps he had stopped. I wished I had Kerrick’s forest magic right now. Then I would know everyone’s exact position. I touched a leaf, seeking the tingle of his magic even though I knew he was in the north. Nothing, as expected. I breathed in the earthy smell of living green—his scent—to console myself.
A few off notes and sour sounds meant the two teams were drawing closer to each other. But still no Belen. He had been out on patrols these past four months. Perhaps he had improved.
I moved so I could observe the almost silent action. A muffled pip sounded behind me before two large hands grasped my shoulders. I clamped down on my squeak of surprise. I’d found Belen. Or rather, he had found me.
He turned me to face him. I braced for...I had no idea. He stared at me for a heartbeat, then crushed me in a rib-breaking hug for so long I thought I would faint from lack of air.
Easing his embrace, he still didn’t let go. “You have a lot of explaining to do,” he whispered.
“I know. What are you doing out here? It’s against the rules.”
“Tell that to the other team. One of theirs has broken away from the main group and I was following him.”
Alarmed, I asked, “Which one?”
“Sergeant Ursan.”
“Where is he now?”
“Don’t know. When I heard you, my priorities shifted.”
“Heard me?”
“You can change your hair, your appearance and your voice, but you can’t change how you move through the forest. You still sound the same.” He smiled. “I didn’t believe it when Prince Ryne told me you’d died. And I suspected earlier today, but this confirmed it. Does Kerrick know? Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“Yes, Kerrick knows. I’ll tell you everything later. First we need to find Ursan. He’s been acting...strange.”
We listened. Our conversation had drawn the jacks south toward us with the monkeys close behind.
Ryne?
I mouthed to Belen.
He used two fingers on his left hand to indicate the monkeys and his right index finger to mark Ryne. Close enough to be within the rules, but too far for my comfort level.
When the forest exploded with the sounds of people running through the bushes, I exchanged an alarmed glance with Belen.
“Part of the exercise?” he asked.
“No.”
“Another squad training?”
“No.” My mind raced. And I put a few clues together. “It’s a distraction.”
“To help the jacks win?” Belen asked.
“No. Ryne. We have to protect him.”
He broke into a run, and I followed close behind. We needed to get to Ryne before Ursan assassinated him.
KERRICK
Kerrick sat behind his father’s immense desk, trying to make sense of the “deal” his idiot brother had made with Tohon. He glanced at General Zamiel, who refused to sit, and his Great-Aunt Yasmin, who had settled into an armchair with a blanket over her legs despite the heat.