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.