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“Area secured,” a voice said.
“Send a team to sweep the cave,” another ordered.
“What’s the status on the frontal assault?” a familiar voice asked.
Odd? I sat up, wiping dirt from my face. Odd stood amid a group of soldiers.
“The remaining ambushers have retreated. Should we give chase, Sergeant?”
Odd glanced at me. “No. Join the others and help with the evacuation.”
Evacuation? I struggled to my feet.
Odd helped me stand. He pulled a leaf from my hair. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. Thanks. What’s—”
“I’ll explain later. Come on.” He sheathed his sword and strode away.
I didn’t follow.
Odd stopped. “You’re a target, Avry. We need to get you to a more secured location.”
“And I need my boots and pack.” The rising sun wouldn’t dispel the cold air until much later.
“Prince Ryne ordered—”
“I don’t care.”
“You should. If it wasn’t for him, my squad wouldn’t have been here to rescue you.”
Interesting. “How long have you been here?” I asked.
“A couple days. He suspected Cellina would send a unit after you.”
“So you allowed them inside the cave?” Had I been used for another one of Ryne’s tactics?
“Uh...” He rubbed a hand over his face.
And that would be a yes. I waited.
“Prince Ryne wanted us to make sure they—”
Refusing to listen to the rest, I checked on the three soldiers who’d been guarding the cave. All alive, but with nasty bumps on their heads. Relieved, I called over a handful of soldiers and asked them to carry the men inside. They looked at Odd for permission. He fisted his hands, but then nodded.
I headed into the cave and almost ran into the monkeys and Flea.
“Told you,” Flea said. “I knew she wouldn’t leave.”
“Why would I leave?” I asked.
“For your safety.” Loren glanced at Odd looming behind me.
I rounded on Loren. “So you knew about this, too?”
“Only since one of his men informed us of their plans.”
“When was this?” I demanded.
“About five minutes ago.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“You should still go.” Quain held my pack and boots out.
“Not until I make sure my patients are in good shape to travel.”
“They are. You know that, Avry,” Flea said.
And he knew it, too. Shoot. No one else had their packs. “What about you guys?”
“We’ll help with the evacuation and meet you at the new site,” Loren said.
“Fine.” I snatched my stuff from Quain. Sitting down, I yanked on my boots then stood. I gave each of them a stern look. “You be extra careful. Okay?”
They nodded.
“And keep Flea close.”
“Hey,” Flea protested.
But the monkeys promised.
Before I left, I pulled Flea aside. “After everyone’s packed up, can you leave a note behind?”
“For...Kerrick?”
I nodded. “Just in case.”
“Yeah. I’ll use our old signals from back when we were searching for you.” Flea gave me a wry smile. “Never thought I’d miss those days.”
I hugged him then followed Odd. His odd squad fanned out around us. As soon as we entered the trees, we all matched our gaits to the sounds of the forest, going silent.
As I recalled the attack, a hundred questions bubbled up my throat, but I only asked one when we stopped for a break. “Did you jackknife the ambushers?”
Odd grinned. “Yes. Seemed the best strategy. We had a few men on the ground as well because there was no guarantee they would have crossed under our trees.”
“Ursan would be proud.” That had been his squad’s signature move, jumping down on the unsuspecting enemy from a tree limb high above. They had earned the nickname the jumping jacks.
“I don’t know. I think he’d be mad we stole his idea. Although...” He gazed at me. “He’d be glad our mission was a success.”
“And how exactly did you determine that?” I kept my tone neutral.
“Since they went after you, we now know Cellina plans to heal Tohon. According to Prince Ryne, that knowledge is important and will help him.”
“Lovely.”
“I don’t know why you’re being so pissy about this. You weren’t in any real danger. We were there the entire time. Plus Cellina needs you alive. That should make you feel better.”
It didn’t. But Odd had been acting under orders. No need to vent my annoyance with Ryne on him. Instead, I asked about our destination.
“HQ.”
A surprise. “Not the new infirmary site?”
“Not yet.” Odd kept his gaze on the ground.
Not the best liar, Odd was hiding something. I considered. Pulling out my Lily map, I unfolded it. “Where is HQ?”
He pointed to a spot a couple days northeast of our location. We’d pass close enough to a Lily cluster to check for Death Lilys and possibly harvest its toxin. It was also outside the area we’d searched for Kerrick, so there’d be new ground to cover. And once we reached HQ, I would get to be pissy to Ryne in person.
A bright side after all.
* * *
Clouds covered the sky on the first day of autumn. A damp breeze rustled the leaves, sending a few spiraling to the ground. Most of the surrounding forest remained green, but a brush of yellows, orange, and reds tipped the trees.
Before leaving our camp, I touched the ground, pressing my palm to the cool soil.
Come on, Kerrick. Where are you?
No response. Not even a faint tingle. I closed my eyes as grief escaped the tight knot inside me, expanding like a bubble, threatening to overwhelm all my senses.
“Avry, you okay?” Odd asked.
“Give me a moment.” My voice cracked.
Instead of moving away, Odd sat next to me. “Ursan used to tell us not to get romantically involved with anyone who fought beside you. It caused too many problems.”
Opening my eyes, I glanced at Odd. Was he trying to upset me more? Or was he referring to his relationship with Wynn?
His distant gaze peered into the past. “If you look at it logically, Ursan was right. It’s dangerous to be a soldier—the chances of being killed are high. Plus you fight differently because you care more about another than yourself. And you take more risks to be together.”
I waited.
“I don’t think Ursan ever found that...person.”
“Person?” The word sounded unemotional.
“Yeah. That person you’ll break the rules for. That person who is worth dealing with all those problems for. That person who’s worth fighting for.”
Oh. “That’s a shame. Everyone should find their...person.” And was he implying I should be happy that I’d found mine? That at least I hadn’t died without ever meeting him?
Odd looked at me. “Do you think there is more than one person for everyone?”
“Right now, I’d say no. But in five or ten years...I might feel different. You?”
“I’m going to remain hopeful. Otherwise the future looks pretty bleak.”
I mulled over his comments. “Was that supposed to make me feel better?”
“Did it?”
“I guess a little.”
“I think it helped me, too.” He ran his hands over the ground. “Something about being in the forest reminds me of Ursan. Don’t know why.” Odd stood and brushed his fingers on his pants. The dirt blended with his fatigues. “We’d better get moving. The detour to the Lily patch is going to add a few hours to our trip.”
Stopping by the cluster of Lilys ended up being a good idea. Two Death Lilys grew among eight Peace Lilys—the largest cluster I’d seen in this part of Pomyt Realm. I harvested four toxin sacks and placed them in my pack.
Odd watched me from a safe distance.
When I joined him, he said, “The corn fields in Ryazan Realm had been abandoned during the plague years. The last time I saw them, the Lilys had taken over. Hundreds of acres full of Lilys. If we run out of toxin, we could travel south. We shouldn’t run into any problems cutting through Tobory Realm.”
“It would depend on how far east Cellina’s army is. With Estrid...neutralized and most of her soldiers fighting for Ryne, Cellina could push all the way through Pomyt and into Ozero and Tobory with little to no resistance.”
“True, but it’s only been a couple weeks since they invaded Zabin.”
Just a couple weeks? It felt like years. “And don’t forget Jael. The last time I saw her, she was heading south.” The air magician had tried to either kill me or use me a number of times. I’d be happy never to see Jael again.
“General Jael’s scared and on the run,” Odd said. “She bugged out before Tohon was neutralized. Unless she finds out what happened, she’ll stay far away.”
Not the way I’d describe her. Cunning, smart, and power hungry would be closer to the Jael I’d encountered. When she’d realized Estrid couldn’t stop Tohon, she’d made a tactical decision to escape his trap, abandoning the army that she’d led. I suspected Jael had big plans and would return. Oh, joy.
“We can suggest a trip south to Ryne and see what the master strategist thinks,” I said with just a trace of sarcasm.
“Can’t wait.” Odd’s tone matched mine.
We arrived at HQ the next day. Bracing for another dank cave, I paused when we reached the outskirts of a tiny town. Amazed it hadn’t burned down during the plague years, I scanned the area. At the town’s heart stood a sprawling two-story-high factory, surrounded by a handful of houses and stables. The place appeared abandoned, but I spotted a few guards tucked among the buildings. As we walked toward the center, we passed a single bathhouse and inn. At least I wouldn’t be sleeping on the ground tonight.
“Place is called Victibus,” Odd said. “Named after the family who owned the only business in town.” He gestured to the factory.
Faded letters on the side of the building spelled out Victibus Mining Company.
The door opened before we reached it. Two soldiers stepped out with swords in hand and questioned us.
Odd answered. “Sergeant Oddvar and the odd squad returning from a retrieval mission.”
Annoyed, I glanced at Odd. “I’m the retrieved?”
