Letti sat with her back against the cold, mud-packed wall of a small barrow. Miraculously, Thorn, Letti, and the horses had found their way to the interior of a hillock before the rain reached them. Letti watched the water pool in the little trench that sat at the entry to the earthen chamber. She was not overly comfortable in the barrows, but she recognized they had little other choice. She rubbed the stump of her right arm and listened to the deluge.
“We need a plan.” Thorn walked over and knelt next to Letti.
“You mean you don’t enjoy wandering into nonsense and getting chased every few weeks?” Letti grumbled. “It’s what I envisioned for myself as a child.”
Thorn snorted. “I’m sure it differs from your ideal house-wife status.”
Letti paused for a moment, deciding whether to be offended, before grinning. “I think I would appreciate a home and a spouse all the more now.”
Thorn rolled his eyes.
“You’re sure that nothing lives here?” Letti asked. “This seems remarkably well preserved for ancient burial grounds.”
“How would you know they’re burial grounds?” Thorn raised an eyebrow. “I never said that.”
Letti gestured to the large space. The opening had been outlined with stone, creating a mortared archway. The chamber stretched tall enough for Thorn to walk comfortably upright and for the horses to stand, pawing the ground near the back of the space. The earth was compact, as if struck into place by many hands.
“This is an entryway.” Letti informed Thorn. “It would be a home, except it rings of the dead.”
Thorn sighed. “They’re not burial grounds.” Thorn shook his head. “Not anymore.”
“What does that mean?” Letti noticed the rain let up slightly. The storm had almost passed.
“They used to house Fae dead.” Thorn explained. “They have been picked cleaned. Exhumed. Sold.” Thorn’s voice grew hard.
“I thought Fae didn’t have burial rituals.” Letti said quietly.
“They don’t.” Thorn glanced around the cavern. “But neither do Fae decompose like humans. Their return to the world is much slower, so often their families brought them here to do so peacefully, instead of finding random bodies in the woods or on the plains.”
“Why not bury them?” Letti asked, curious.
“I’m sure there are many Fae bones under the earth of Icaria.” Thorn shrugged. “This was also an option.”
“Seems like a death ritual to me.” Letti mumbled.
“Suppose it would.” Thorn dissembled. “This is an auspicious place.”
Letti relaxed slightly, glad to change the subject from the morbidity of graveyards. “Why?”
“This used to be the center of Icaria, or as close to it as was tactically useful,” said Thorn. “The neighboring watchtower allowed the user to see over the plains of the west, the tip of the red sea, and east to the movements of the Reinhold River. You could even see Durevin flares. This was the point of it.” Thorn pointed through the dripping doorway. Letti could now see out the entrance. “Before the canal was built, the way to communicate was to send flares, or smoke if you did not have a witch among you. This tower acted as a way station. They would often receive the signals, interpret which way they needed to go, and send them along.”
Letti frowned. “So, humans built it?”
“Humans and Fae.” Thorn nodded. “Often a witch manned it. It made for clearer messages.”
“Are there more of these around Icaria?” Letti asked.
Thorn nodded, tying his boots. He had loosened them to readjust them after they had arrived. “There used to be. They have crumbled without upkeep.”
“But the Great Stone Way did not.” Letti said. “Why is that?”
“You ask nearly as many questions as Candor.” Thorn grunted.
“Well, I no longer have her as a mouthpiece.” Letti snapped, irritated.
“The Great Stone Way was built with majik. It is imbued into the land in a way that these towers were not. The towers were built for convenience. The Great Stone Way was built as a mountain is built, or a stream. It was built into the consciousness of the land, and it will not decay as do other manmade prickers on the face of the earth.”
Letti stood, stretching slightly. “Are there any other wonders like that?”
Thorn too, stood. He stepped across the trough of water at the entrance of the barrow, now draining into ditches along the side of the interior. “There are places that are scarred forever for their majik in Icaria.” He began slowly. He beckoned Letti to follow. She stepped out into the wet grass.
“There’s Emak, the long canal, which you can see from here.” Thorn pointed eastward at the silhouetted towns that ran along a dark line. “It was dug a long time ago, and it connects the red sea to the north ocean. Durevin sits at the delta of the north ocean and Emak. The red sea mixes with the water from the north ocean to color Emak’s water a light violet. This is why the small settlements along its bank are known as the violet villages.”
Letti nodded. “Was that also Fae made?”
Thorn shook his head. “That is actually a witch feat. Early on in the development of the Citadel, the king at that time asked his witches to gather their compatriots to create Emak to connect the shipping routes in the south to the north. I don’t think the Fae approved particularly; they are not ones for cutting holes in the land.” Thorn shrugged. “But in the grand scheme of atrocities committed in the name of economy, it was not the worst.”
Letti blanched. She followed Thorn as he began to climb the tops of the barrows towards the ruined tower. Her boots dampened, and Letti shivered. In the wake of the rain, the air had cooled significantly.
“Monsoon season here leaves the land cool in the afternoon.” Letti remembered Thorn explaining one afternoon at Marsanth. “The land warms again in the night and the morning, drawing the clouds from the far side of the red sea. They break over the plains.” Letti remembered watching storms roll over the flat lands in the north as they had descended the Great Stone Way. It now felt so long ago.
Thorn took careful steps up the tower, finding footing in crumbling stone. Letti was struck by how similar the construction was to Garthien’s tower, though without the home appeal. Much of the interior had fallen to the ground, leaving the tower hollow but for a platform at the top. Reaching it, Thorn turned and offered Letti a hand. She took it and hoisted herself up.
“There.” Thorn pointed eastward again. “Now you can see Emak.”
Letti peered over the side of the broken barrier, once designed for safety. Sure enough, Letti could see a dull purple line run northward. To the south, Letti leaned out a little further to see, she noted the red sea funneling into the canal. The water was a lighter pink in the delta.
“Here.” Thorn placed something into Letti’s hand. It was his pair of binoculars.
Letti lifted them to her face. “Ent Arden is no longer on fire.”
“Hooray for small miracles.”
“Hooray for monsoons.” Letti corrected Thorn. She scanned the canal. “This is massive,” she breathed. “The witches created this?”
“It took a while.” Thorn affirmed. “But the will of witches can be impressive.”
“Indeed.” Letti thought of Candor and shuddered. She hoped her friend was finding what she needed from the Citadel. It worried her that Candor would be so close to such power.
“Look at this,” Letti handed the binoculars to Thorn and pointed. “Look just west of Ent Arden.”
Thorn placed the device to his eyes. “Soldiers.” He swung his gaze north. “All along the canal.”
“No,” said Letti. “Look closer.”
Thorn considered the canal again. “They stop.” He finally observed. “The encampments stop.”
“Yes.” Letti breathed. “Which makes sense. If there were soldiers deployed here, it would make sense for them to occupy the towns, not camp outside them. Especially in monsoon season.”
Thorn dropped the binoculars from his face and looked at his companion, thoughtful. “So, there must be a reason for the soldiers to be camping outside Ent Arden and surrounding towns.”
“Exactly.” Letti said, excited. “And there must have been a reason for only sacking Ent Arden.”
Thorn rocked back and forth for a moment. “They must have met resistance.”
“They are not frightened of human resistance.” Letti said eagerly. “There must be someone there of whom they are truly afraid.”
“That is a huge logic jump.” Thorn shook his head. He lifted the binoculars to take another look. “There appear to be no soldiers on the far bank either.”
“Why do you think that is?” Letti asked.
Thorn shrugged. “The east is a challenging place.”
“That clears it up.” Letti rolled her eyes.
“Come on.” Thorn tucked his binoculars into his cloak and turned to descend the tower. “I have something for you.”
Letti followed Thorn down, feeling much more stable with her left hand on the tower’s skeleton. Letti followed Thorn back to the barrow and watched him pull something out of his pack.
“Garthien had this made for you.” Thorn handed Letti the long swatch of heavy fabric. “It is a cloak.”
Letti draped it over her arms, admiring its craftsmanship. The stitches were small, compact, and the interior was sewn with a soft, silky fabric.
“It is water resistant.” Thorn nodded. “He wanted to gift it to you himself, but it was yet unhemmed.” Thorn pointed to the bottom of the garment. “It might be too long.”
“It is perfect.” Letti breathed. She swept it over her shoulders and tucked it around her chin. Warmth assailed her body, and she shivered with pleasure.
“It suits you.” Thorn stepped back and surveyed his companion. The forest green complimented her dark hair nicely. “It is a princely gift.”
“Except that I am no prince.” Letti joked. “But I will not take it off.”
“I thought as much.” Thorn smiled with rare warmth. “Come. I want to suggest something.”
Letti followed Thorn back to his ruck where he extracted a second item. It was his map; Letti recognized it from the many checks they had conducted along their travels.
“I want to pinpoint exactly where the soldiers begin to camp outside the villages.” Thorn spread the map over the top of his pack. Letti grabbed the left side and held it up.
Thorn pointed. “Here is Ent Arden. And here, if I counted correctly, is where the encampment begins.” Thorn counted three small dots down the side of the canal. “Whatever is keeping the Durevinians out of Ent Arden is also evicting them from these three towns.”
“What connects them?” Letti asked.
Thorn frowned. “They are fairly noncontiguous as far as I can remember. Each has a small wall, similar to Ome Chaer.”
Letti remembered their visit to the port city. A small idea began to dawn on her. “What if they are connected underground?” Letti said slowly. “Do the violet villages have any kind of sewer system?”
Thorn sat back on his haunches. He twirled an earring. “I know Ent Arden does; it is the largest of the southern villages, a small city.” He paused. “I’ve heard tell of tunnels near to Emak, tunnels built by the witches.”
“For what purpose?” Letti asked.
“Defense? Experiments?” Thorn shrugged. “I don’t even know if they exist.”
“But if there is a connection, townspeople could move between the four and work on defenses.” Letti analyzed.
“They could.” Thorn agreed. He fell silent, deep in thought.
Finally, he looked up at Letti, his expression at once guilty and defiant.
“What?” Letti asked, alarmed. “What are you thinking?”
“I want you to hear me out before you say anything.” Thorn preempted her distaste. “I said I would make decisions with you, but I think this is a viable path forward.”
“Get on with it.” Letti was interested, if wary of Thorn’s potential plan.
“The individuals who we could actually ask answers of are the soldiers who cannot get into the city.” Thorn began. “If we capture two soldiers, we might be able to understand the maneuvers here. Which, in turn, might help us when we venture to Durevin.”
Letti’s mouth thinned.
“We sneak in under the cover of darkness, you pretend to need help, the soldiers invite you into their camp, I come in and kill them while you incapacitate two.” Thorn finished quickly. “And then we drag them back here to question them.”
Letti remained quiet.
“I’m finished.” Thorn nodded, inviting Letti’s response.
“Of your plans, this is possibly the worst I’ve heard.” Letti said flatly. “There are too many ‘mights’ in your plan. How do we know the soldiers will know anything? Are soldiers known for their high-level understanding of obstacles? Are the soldiers at the outside of these encampments going to have any idea why they are there? Wouldn’t we be better attacking an encampment closer to the city?” Letti ticked off her concerns on her left hand with her stump. “I seem to be used as bait a fair bit in your plans. Not my favorite ploy, just so you know moving forward. And shouldn’t we just move north towards Durevin? This invites bodily injury, and I am in no shape to fight.” Letti nodded. “Ok, I too am finished.”
Thorn began to fold up the map. “You’re right on many fronts, but I will say I think it might be helpful to—”
“There’s the might again—”
“I thought you weren’t going to interrupt—”
“Oh, does that apply to rebuttals too?”
“Just—” Thorn took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I think it would be beneficial to our infiltration into Durevin in the near future, should we avoid bodily injury, that we know what these Durevinian forces are comprised of. From where they are pulling their incredible number of soldiers. Why they are moving south. What their plans are for Marsanth, Garthien, and general additional deployments this side of Emak.”
Letti raised an eyebrow. “And you think soldiers will know the answers to this.”
Thorn gritted his teeth. “Fine, we can capture an officer.”
“And how do you intend to identify an officer, sneak across the plains, kill his camp, take him hostage, and return without any additional reconnaissance?” Letti asked.
Thorn brightened slightly. “Did you notice, when we were in the tower, that there were remains of a telescope on the ramparts?”
Letti shook her head, annoyed. “You know I don’t know what that is.”
“It is a device like the binoculars,” Thorn explained, “that allows you to see far distances. It is how the watchers in the tower would see up to Durevin and down to the swamps.” Thorn stood quickly. “Let’s see if we can repair it.”
He swept from the barrow and Letti, tucking her new cloak around herself and grumbling, followed.
They returned to the top of the tower quickly, and Thorn marched over to a small pile of metal and glass on the far side of the top story. He picked up a long, cylindrical tube and placed it to his eye.
“This,” Thorn crowed, “is how we will conduct reconnaissance.” He handed it to Letti and showed her how to look through the lens.
Thorn walked her to the edge of the tower and oriented her towards the soldiers’ camps. “Look now.” He instructed. Thorn held her waist so she would not grow unbalanced.
Letti looked through the end of the telescope and gasped. “They could be next to us.”
“Indeed.” Thorn nodded. “Do you see the ranks?”
“Ranks?” Letti struggled to look around a large crack in the lens.
“On their shoulders.” Thorn explained. “That is how you know who the officers are and the soldiers.”
Letti tried to refocus. Without warning, the glass fell dark. Letti tried to turn the knobs on the sides, but the lens remained dark.
“I think we need a new glass.” Letti dropped the telescope and handed it to Thorn. He placed replaced it on his own eye.
“Yes.” Grumbling, “Something shifted inside it.” He returned to the pile of debris.
“Can you fix it?” Letti asked. She peered out towards the soldiers as if she might see them so closely again.
“I can try.” Thorn squatted, gently pawing through the metal and crystal, cradling the telescope. “If I can get it fixed, I propose we observe for three days. Movements, interactions, locations, and choose a specific camp. From there, it is a matter of deciding who we want to take.”
“Yes, that easy.” Letti replied sarcastically, but she could not think of a better plan. “I agree.” She sighed. “I will go start a fire.”
“No.” Thorn turned to look at her. “The material is too wet, and I do not want any smoke to signal our position.”
Letti nodded, feeling silly. Thorn turned back to his project. “There are dried meats and fruit in my pack.”
Letti turned to go.
“I’ll be down in a minute.” Thorn said, distracted.
Letti sighed. She had enjoyed proper meals at Garthien’s table. Though, she reasoned, dry food was always better than starvation.
Letti opened Thorn’s pack and extracted a smaller canvas bag, in which she found the meat.
She pulled it out and returned to her seat along the wall, back now warmer with the addition of her cloak. Thorn returned a half hour later, stomping into the cave and splashing mud onto the packed dirt. Letti frowned.
“Use your words.”
Thorn grunted. He threw himself down next to Letti and took the offered victuals. “I can’t get the mechanics to work.”
“Oh?” Letti chewed. “What’s the problem?”
“Well, I shattered the glass.” Thorn handed Letti the telescope, now absent a lens. “I can’t find another. And something along the interior has fallen, blocking the view entirely.”
Letti blinked. “Aren’t you a witch?”
Thorn rolled his eyes. “Yes. Lettishae, but this is a majikal instrument.”
“And?” Letti prodded.
“And without knowing the blueprints, I cannot fix it without potentially doing more damage.” Thorn explained.
“A majikal instrument?” Letti asked dubiously.
“Yes.” Thorn bit at another piece of meat. “There are ways that advanced witches can assign majik to objects, effectively binding them to tasks and purposes.”
Letti thought of the Fae. “Like the interludes.”
“Exactly.” Thorn considered the telescope. “I’m not sure I can fix it.”
“What if,” Letti asked slowly, “You just majiked your binoculars to see further.”
Thorn blinked.
Letti blinked.
“I think,” Thorn began, “That we could do that. It would require me to focus and cast the spell whilst you actually look through the lens and acquire our information.”
Letti nodded and shrugged. “You can’t just bind them to that purpose like the telescope?”
Thorn shook his head. “That requires majikal infusion at the outset of its building. You can’t just make an interlude from any old box.”
“I see.” Letti tucked the bag of food back into Thorn’s pack. “I think this is our best option.”
“I agree.” Thorn smiled slightly. “I am not usually one for overthinking.”
“You got excited.” Letti tossed her hair. “It happens.”
Thorn snorted. “Turn the horses out. I’ll meet you at the tower.”
~.~
A few moments later, the horses turned out the back of the barrow, happily ensconced in nibbling grass, Letti climbed for the third time up to the top of the tower. Thorn was kneeling on the broken bricks, the binoculars in front of him. He was focusing intently.
“Thorn?” Letti asked after a moment.
He looked up, the skin around his eyes loosening. He was already tired.
“When you begin to look, I want you to search for the following things specifically. You may tell me if you find them, and I will coach you from there.” He waited for Letti to nod.
“You must look for this rank.” Thorn drew a small extended cross in the dust on the floor. “This is an officer’s mark. The optimal situation would be to find a camp set somewhat apart from the others with an officer.”
“This is unlikely.” Letti said flatly. “Why would an officer be apart from the lead element?”
Thorn shook his head. “We can discuss martial tactics later. See if you can find this situation. If not, just work from the outside in and find an officer whose camp we can get to without having to fight the entire army.”
“Great idea.” Letti muttered.
“I have composed what I think will be most helpful in terms of sight, but I have done it on estimation alone. If I have misjudged the distance, you will not be able to see as far as you need to, or it will be too close, and I will have little way to adjust it without beginning the spell again, so tell me quickly.”
Letti nodded. “Find an officer, find a camp, tell you if you messed your majik up, do it quickly.” She winked. “Got it.”
Thorn scowled. “This is not a game.”
“Thorn, I have seen you accomplish much more difficult majik.” Letti scoffed. “Why do you worry?”
Thorn’s scowl deepened, but he did not reply.
“Alright.” Letti turned towards the east. She leaned her right shoulder against one of the pillars that held the top of the tower over them and carefully placed the binoculars to her face with her left hand. It took a moment for her to situate them on her face.
“I can see well.” She informed Thorn. He did not reply. She did not turn to ensure he had heard her.
Carefully, Letti scanned the camps, starting with the closest to the tower. “I see no crosses.” Letti murmured.
She worked her way from west to east, noting the small fires, the men around them. At times, Letti thought she might have seen a cross on the shoulder of a man, but she could not be sure. The fires flickered too far for her to see clearly. Finally, she released the binoculars.
“Thorn,” she murmered. She touched the big man on his shoulder. “I have finished.”
“Did you see anything?” He asked, fatigued.
“I found encampments. I found the closest and most attainable, but I did not see an officer.” She informed him.
“Pity.” He muttered. “We’ll try again tomorrow.”
“Aye.” Letti agreed. “Let’s get you to sleep.”
She marched the man down the spiral staircase and into the barrow, where she unrolled his bedroll and plopped him down. He was snoring within minutes. Letti frowned. She had seen Thorn perform majik before, and it had never cost him this much. She resolved to ask him about this development when he woke.
Letti took the first watch, checking to ensure the horses had not travelled too far in their quest for food.
She sat atop the barrow, facing east. She watched the fires of the soldiers flicker out, one by one. Letti wondered at their plan, worried at Thorn’s insistence they capture and interrogate soldiers. She had wanted to move north without a fight, but she was also unsure how much Thorn meant it when he said he wanted to make decisions with her. She did not wish to test his vow so early in their repaired relationship.
Finally, as the night aged, Letti returned to the barrow and shook Thorn awake. He woke with a start, dagger in hand, before realizing whose throat he held it to.
“I’m sorry.” He muttered.
Letti, frightened and frustrated, settled down to sleep.
~.~
The next morning dawned warm and bright, and Letti appreciated the change from the long, wet day before.
She munched on some dried fruit before returning to the tower, where, she discovered, Thorn sat in front of his binoculars once more.
“Good morning.” Letti greeted the large man.
He grunted.
“Are you feeling better?” Letti asked.
“Yes.” Thorn’s eyes tightened. “I am fine.”
“This majik is taking more from you than usual.” She stated.
“It is a heavy distance to shorten.” Thorn said shortly. “It requires more focus.”
“Oh.” Letti did not inquire further. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” Thorn closed his eyes, and Letti picked up the binoculars.
Letti searched and searched, offering Thorn a pause every quarter of an hour or so.
“Wait,” Letti yelped, just as she was about to drop her gaze for the umpteenth time that morning. “I think I found one.”
Sure enough, Letti identified the cross on the shoulder of a soldier. “It’s got two strikes across the center.”
“Captain.” Thorn grunted and Letti’s vision wavered.
“I can identify the encampment.” Letti informed Thorn. “Stop.”
Thorn let out a long gust of breath before rocking backwards. Despite his fatigue, he looked pleased. “Where was the camp?”
“Actually, on the outskirts.” Letti said, surprised. “It was near to two other camps, but it is accessible, especially if we are quiet.”
“Twins be praised.” Thorn smiled. “Now, we begin to track patterns.” He began to close his eyes.
“No,” Letti walked over to her companion and shoved him slightly. He opened his eyes, offended. “Now we feed you, and then we begin watching for patterns.”
Thorn, though clearly irritated, did not argue. They returned to the tower an hour later.
Slowly, the next two days passed without incident, though Letti grew increasingly worried about Thorn’s energy levels. Finally, she stopped. Thorn slumped over, near to sleep already. She tried a new tact.
“If you let you focus slip, is it possible that you might hurt me?” She asked harshly.
Thorn looked up at her, his dark eyes dazed and hurt. “I would never slip.”
“If you did.” Letti was remorseless. “Could you affect my eyesight?”
Thorn nodded sleepily.
“Then we need to think about this. Strategically.” Letti poked Thorn as he fell asleep.
“Guess I’m making the plan now.” Letti mumbled. She left Thorn slumped at the top of the tower and returned to release the horses.
Thinking of her observations, Letti began to formulate the attack. She knew Thorn wanted to capture the officer, and by his movements, Letti guessed he would be at one of the additional two encampments that ringed the first one she had spotted him in. She had deduced that he was responsible for multiple groups of soldiers, which was why he was visiting several and why he was hard to place in one.
We need to strike when he’s in the camp nearest to the barrows, Letti thought to herself. She sighed. She was going to need Thorn to focus through the night.
Letti returned to the cave to sleep for a few hours. She figured they were safe enough for the moment; they had offered no signal they were there. Letti dozed, listening to the horses snuffle and stamp in the back of the room.
She woke with a start, having drifted into a deep slumber. Thorn had yet to return. Letti wrapped some dried fruit and meat for him and returned to the top of the tower.
Thorn had not moved, his gently snores drifting softly into the night air. The breeze was damp, wet from the afternoon’s rain.
“Thorn.” Letti shook the man slightly. He blinked awake, blearily. “I need you to focus for me.” Quickly, she explained her analysis.
Thorn nodded. “See if you can identify the intervals at which he returns to each camp.” He said. “I want to attack tomorrow.”
Letti shook her head but did not argue. She snatched the binoculars and found the target. That was him, Letti thought, irritated. She had identified the officer two nights before, but she had not been sure. If only I’d made the call, we’d not have wasted a day looking for him. Letti could have kicked herself.
The night ebbed on, and Letti made note of the captain’s movements. Finally, the fires blinked out, and Letti escorted Thorn to the barrows. She checked the horses, and, satisfied, returned to her pack for a rest.
The next morning, Letti woke to find that both she and Thorn had fallen asleep during the night.
“Thorn, Thorn!” Letti shook the man awake, alarmed at how much the last two days had taken from him.
“We need to talk about tonight.” Letti sat back. “I have a guess as to when the captain will be at the westernmost camp.”
“Oh?” Thorn asked. His lips were chapped, and his eyes strained, bloodshot.
“What is wrong with you?” Letti asked.
“I’m just tired.” Thorn replied. “It’s taking me more effort than usual to perform majik.”
“Do you think that there might be something causing this?” Letti asked shrewdly.
“That would be a heavy piece of majik indeed.” Thorn answered. “I think I am just mentally out of shape.”
Letti did not bother to argue. “We will wait until the night has entirely fallen before riding across the plains. When the moon is at its zenith, and the fires are dying, he will visit the last camp. I will stumble into the soldiers at this point, pretending to be in need of assistance.” Letti looked at Thorn, tipping his chin up to ensure he was listening. “As soon as I identify that the captain is there, you must sweep into the camp to get me. I cannot fight right now.”
Thorn nodded. “If the captain is not there, you realize what we will have to do?”
“Yes,” Letti said softly. “We will kill them all and wait for him to come investigate.”
“Many will die.” Thorn reminded Letti, “One way or another.”
“Yes, thank you Thorn.” Letti snapped. “I would prefer to go straight to Durevin.”
“Something is calling me here,” Thorn muttered. “I can feel it.”
Alarmed, Letti poked Thorn. “What do you mean by that?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Helpful.” Letti groused.
“We will be taking two soldiers,” Thorn said quietly. “As a reminder.”
“Why?” Letti asked. “That seems like extra baggage.”
“We will need to use them against each other.” Thorn explained, grim. “One rarely tells the truth when in pain oneself. Pressing someone else in front of the target usually produces effective results.”
“I do not approve.” Letti had skittered back, and her face betrayed her emotion. “This is cruel.”
“This is necessary.” Thorn shook his head. “Do you want the information or not?”
“I couldn’t care less,” Letti growled. “I think it is a convenient way for you to find something out that you are not telling me.”
Thorn bared his teeth, but he did not disagree with her. “We need to prepare the horses and prepare the space to return.”
Letti stood and stormed out of the barrow, unwilling to help with anything about this plan now. Thorn sighed but moved over to the horses and began to assess the tack.
Letti wrapped her cloak around her and marched several barrows over, sitting on the western side of a crest. She knew better than to silhouette herself, even being so far away from an enemy. She stared west, imagining she could see the peaks of the black teeth on the horizon. She desperately missed Candor. She had been able to avoid her absence at Garthien’s, but back on the road, living with a constant fear, Candor’s presence left a distinct hole. Letti wished she had Candor to yell at Thorn for his devaluation of human life; in Candor’s absence, Letti realized it fell to her to restrain Thorn from his monstrous tendencies.
She sighed and punched the ground with her left hand. She dared not traumatize her stump yet. Letti’s stomach flipped as considered the impending evening. She was not sure she was ready to face another battle, another crop of men with their intrinsic motivations.
Letti remained on the barrowtops for the rest of the morning, walking through the Aiadar, wishing she had taken her cutlass when she’d left the cave.
Finally, she returned quietly, sitting next to Thorn’s pack, and taking the food he offered. They ate in silence. After lunch, Letti helped Thorn oil the tack that needed it, before settling down to rest before their launch.
She tossed and turned, unable to grow comfortable. Finally, she closed her eyes and thought of her village. She thought of Candor and imagined jumping off the cliff with her. She thought of the afternoon Candor had dived too deep and Letti had pulled her onto the beach, how scared she had felt…
Letti started awake, her eyes feeling sandy. Thorn was kneeling by her. “It is time to go.”
The cave was dark, and the horses were saddled and waiting by the entrance. Thorn’s rope hung from Enri’s saddle. Letti felt disoriented, as if she were still dreaming.
She stood, smoothing her cloak. Thorn watched her mount Ean before jumping atop Bert.
“Quietly, we ride.” Thorn turned and, Enri by his side, began to gallop across the darkened plains. Letti was grateful the illumination from the moon that had lighted the nights before was dampened, the clouds from the afternoon’s rain having not moved on as quickly that evening.
She followed Thorn, feeling Ean’s body move smoothly under her, and was grateful once again to Haela for the steed. She would be dead many times over if not for Ean.
Thorn alternated the speed, allowing the horses to rest for periods before driving them into a canter again. When Thorn finally stopped, the horses did not seem fatigued. Letti appreciated their fitness, though she felt a slight pang of guilt at her complicity in their vigor.
“I will wait for your signal.” Thorn sat back in his saddle as Letti dismounted.
“Great.” Letti grouched. “I’m sure the scream of a girl won’t bring the rest of the encampments running.”
“So long as they run slower than horses.”
“They all have horses.” Letti reminded Thorn.
“They won’t be tacked at night.” Thorn was not to be dissuaded.
“Perhaps you could just use your binoculars to watch how the trap is progressing.” Letti tried again.
“I will be.” Thorn nodded.
Not bothering to argue, Letti tucked her cloak into her ruck. She was not willing to risk its tearing. She had insisted on bringing the packs along, just in case, she thought acidly, we have to run north again.
Shivering slightly, Letti made her way east, missing the weight of her sword. She and Thorn had briefly discussed her appearance, and they had agreed she needed to present herself as least threatening as possible.
It made her feel naked. Though, Letti thought cynically, it’s not as if I could defend myself right now regardless. The thought soured her already dark mood.
The firelight drew closer as Letti tromped through the grasses, feeling hidden puddles seep into her boots. She sighed. This better be the best information we’ve yet gathered.
Finally, Letti stopped several lengths from the fire. She peered through the darkness, trying to discern if the captain was there. I should have brought the binoculars myself, Letti scowled.
Taking a deep breath, Letti donned a devastated expression, channeling her rage and sorrow. She crept forward until she was close enough to hear the men talking before wailing.
With satisfaction, Letti watched them all startle.
“Help me!” Letti threw herself into the clearing. The grasses had been tamped down around the fire, and the camp was thoroughly muddy. All the men bore the marks of living outside for days; their trousers were brown, and the hems of their tunics were caked with dried filth. A layer of grim covered their skin. Letti shuddered.
“Help me!” Letti wailed again, and one of the soldiers caught her as she stumbled.
“What is it girl?” A rough voice asked. His hands were gentle as he stood her up. “Where did you come from?”
“Where did she come from?” Variations of the question echoed through the soldiers in the circle, all of whom had jumped to their feet.
Letti searched their shoulders, desperately trying to find the captain. Her heart sank as she saw no cross.
“Doesn’t matter where she came from, she’s here now.” One of the men took a step towards Letti, hunger in his eyes. He licked his lips.
The camp abruptly seemed to split; half seemed to come alive with the promise of violation, half seemed unsure. A living silence seemed to grow between the men.
“She needs help.” One voice sounded from behind the encroaching men.
Letti peered around the dirty men to see who her would-be savior was.
“We should take her to the sir.” The voice sounded again, and a few of the men reluctantly stepped back to allow the speaker into the circle.
He was young, Letti was surprised to note, likely nearing her own age. That he had spoken out told Letti he was brave, stupid, or new to the organization. She liked him. The skin around his eyes was a mottled purple, indicating how hard a recent beating he’d taken.
“Shut up.” One of the other soldiers kicked at him, and the young man stepped back, but he lifted his chin defiantly. “We should take her to the sir.” He repeated.
“She can go with a few stains on her.” A man close to Letti grabbed her right arm. “Look, she’s not even full bodied anymore.” He smirked. “It’s not like she’d do much good in camp as anything else.”
“What’s this?” Another voice apparated from the darkness, and the men who had been gazing at Letti with foul intention looked guilty. They all turned quickly.
The captain had arrived.
“Beggin’ your pardon sir.” One of the men said, and as a whole, each soldier but for the young man who had defended Letti touched their fingertips to their lips and offered their palm to the man. Durevinians, Letti thought at first, but as she watched the timing, some of the gestures seemed forced, as if newly learned.
“We found her.” The man who had first helped Letti up growled. “She stumbled out of the darkness, more like.”
The captain moved around the fire to stand in front of Letti. He had bright blonde hair, nearly yellow in the firelight. His dark eyes showed a detached interest, though Letti detected no malice, she also divined no innate desire to help her.
Letti drew in a long breath and screamed at the top of her lungs. Screaming without fear was harder than Letti had anticipated, but as she let out her final breath, she felt the sharp slap of a backhand across her face. The captain had hit her.
“Silence.” He did not say it unkindly nor with any emotion. His was a voice that intended order. He knew his word would be followed. It vexed Letti, this absolute certainty in one’s own authority. She smiled beatifically at her captor, waiting.
Out of the darkness like a wraith himself, Letti watched Thorn run through the encampment; she had not heard the footsteps of the horses. Three heads fell to the ground, followed shortly by their bodies.
The soldiers scattered. Letti took one look at the chaos and pounced on the captain. So surprised was he to find this young woman on top of him that he fell to the ground. Letti placed her knee on his sternum, her hand over his mouth and nose until he passed out. Roughly, she dragged him to the shadow outside the fire’s circle.
Thorn had arrived once more, and as he jumped from Bert, he showed no mercy. These soldiers had no training near enough to rival Thorn’s. Quite quickly, Thorn had a soldier bound to the back of Enri. Letti sprung up, and Thorn made his way to her, binding the captain to Ean. She would ride back on Bert with Thorn.
“Let’s go.” Thorn murmered. “They will be searching for us soon.”
Letti made to swing up onto Bert but caught a small movement out of the corner of her eye. “Wait.”
“We cannot.” Thorn said simply.
“Take me with you.” The young man who had defended Letti stood, rolling from under the body of another soldier. His once-blue tunic was soaked in blood. “I am not Durevinian, I was pressed into service.”
Thorn made to swing his sword at the young man, but Letti yelped. “No!”
Thorn looked back at her. “He is a liability.”
“He saved me.” Letti said flatly. “He is coming with us.”
A couple barking dogs began to sound in the distance.
“Stones below.” Thorn growled. “Fine, but he rides Ean.”
Letti’s stomach hollowed, but she maintained her scowl. “Fine.”
Thorn pointed at Letti’s horse and told the young man to mount behind the bound body. “You run; I’ll kill you.” He said simply.
The young man, pale, but determined, nodded. He mounted Ean awkwardly.
“Don’t fall.” Letti advised.
Thorn kicked Bert, and Letti leaned forward. Behind the three horses, bodies bled quietly as the fire flickered sadly over casualties in a conflict yet undefined.
~.~
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