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I heard the guard move away and I looked at Cahil in surprise. Perhaps he wanted me to tell him where Goel was before he “reclaimed” me. I sat up and glanced at Leif. His eyes were closed, but I didn’t know if the light and Cahil’s voice had roused him.
“These markings are very familiar,” Cahil said, referring to the six symbols engraved on the handle of my switchblade. “My uncle’s secret battle codes, I believe.” His gaze returned to me.
His sleep-tousled hair reinforced my first impression of his youth, but a sharp intelligence danced in his eyes.
I nodded. The codes had been used by the King of Ixia to send secret messages to his captains during battles.
“It’s been so long,” Cahil said. A brief sadness pulled at his face. “What do they mean?”
“It says, ‘Sieges weathered, fight together, friends forever.’ It was a gift.”
“Someone in the north?”
Loneliness touched my heart as I thought of what I had lost by coming south. My fingers sought the lump under my shirt, Valek’s butterfly. “Yes.”
“Who?”
An odd question. Why would he care? I searched Cahil’s face for some sign of duplicity, and found only curiosity. “Janco. One of my self-defense teachers.” I grinned at the memories of Janco singing his rhymes and knocking aside my attacks. “Without him and Ari, I wouldn’t have had the skills to escape you and take on Goel today.”
“They taught you well.” Cahil ran a hand along his neck, smearing the drop of blood.
He seemed deep in thought as he turned my switchblade in his hands. He pushed the blade into the handle then triggered it. The snick from the weapon made me flinch.
“Well made,” he said.
Cahil stepped toward me. I scrambled upright and stood in a defensive stance. Even though I was light-headed and weak, I contemplated my chances of getting away. Instead of threatening me, Cahil retracted the blade and gave me the switchblade. I looked at the weapon in my hand with a tired astonishment.
“A truce, then,” he said. “But any trouble and I’ll have you in chains.” Cahil gestured to a corner of the tent. “You’re exhausted. Get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.” Placing his sword back within reach, Cahil lay down on his cot.
“Do you want to know where Goel is?” I asked.
“Is he in any immediate danger?”
“Unless there are poisonous or predatory animals in this forest.”
“Then let him sweat out the night. Serves him right for being caught.” Cahil closed his eyes.
I glanced around the tent. Leif hadn’t moved since I had arrived, but his eyes were open. He made no comment as he rolled over to his other side, turning his back on me. Again.
I sighed, wondering how much he had heard, and found I was too tired to care. With weariness dragging at my limbs, I spread my cloak on the floor, blew out the lantern and collapsed on my makeshift bed.
The next morning, Leif left the tent without saying a word. Cahil told me to stay inside while he made a show of the fact that Goel hadn’t returned.
I heard Cahil question the guards of the previous night.
“All was quiet, my lord,” one man replied.
“Nothing unusual?” Cahil asked.
“Just your light, sir. But you said—”
“What if I’d had a knife at my throat, Erant? Would you have believed what I said?”
“No, sir.”
“How did you know, then, that I wasn’t in trouble?”
“I didn’t, sir. I should have checked,” Erant said, sounding miserable.
“Should haves lead to death. In war, you don’t get a second chance. In a battle with the north, they won’t send an army against us. They’ll send one man. Without vigilance, we’ll all be killed in our sleep.”
Someone scoffed. “Surely one man can’t get by us.”
“How about a woman?” Cahil asked.
“No way,” a guard said amid cheers of assent.
“Then explain this. Yelena,” Cahil called. An immediate silence filled the forest. “Join me, please.”
I didn’t like being part of Cahil’s lesson, but he was right. An assassin trained by Valek would have had no trouble taking out his guards. I stepped from the tent, holding my bow in case anyone decided to rush me. The morning sun shone in my eyes as I squinted to examine Cahil’s men.
Surprise, anger and disbelief peppered their faces. Captain Marrok drew his sword. Leif was nowhere in sight.
“Everything wasn’t fine last night, Erant,” Cahil said. “Next time, make sure.”
Erant hung his head. “Yes, sir.”
“Yelena will be traveling with us to the Citadel. Treat her as a comrade,” Cahil ordered.
“What about Goel?” asked Captain Marrok.
Cahil looked at me. “Tell him where Goel is.”
“You’ll keep Goel on a leash?” I asked. There was no doubt in my mind that Goel’s desire for revenge would cause trouble. I shuddered at the thought of being at his mercy.
“Captain Marrok, explain the situation to Goel. Before you free him, make sure he gives his word not to harm Yelena.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Unless I give him permission,” Cahil added, staring at me. “Trouble will get you in chains. Treason will get you Goel.”
A rumble of appreciation rolled through Cahil’s men. His little show had earned him points in their minds. I gave him a bored look. I had been threatened many times before and had learned that the men who didn’t make verbal threats were the most dangerous. With that thought, I searched the campsite for Leif. Perhaps he had returned home now that I had delivered myself to Cahil.
I gave Marrok the key to the manacles and instructions as to where to find Goel and his pack. As the Captain left to free him, the rest of the guards began breaking down the campsite. Cahil’s men kept a wary eye on me. A couple of hostile glares were thrown my way, especially when they discovered the rip in the tent’s fabric.
While waiting for the Captain and Goel to return, I sorted and organized my backpack. I combed and braided my hair, then twisted the long braid up into a bun, using my lock picks to hold the hair in place. It never hurt to be prepared. Cahil might trust me not to cause trouble, but he still believed I was a northern spy.
Goel returned with Marrok and Leif. I was surprised to see Leif, but not surprised by the seething glower on Goel’s face. His cheeks had deep red marks where the gag’s strap had pressed into his skin. His hair and clothes were unkempt. Wetness stained his pants and his skin was blotchy from multiple mosquito bites. Goel gripped his sword, starting toward me.
Captain Marrok intercepted Goel and pointed across the clearing to a bedroll still lying on the ground. Goel sheathed his sword and headed to the sleeping mat, shooting me a look of venom.
I resumed breathing. O
nce the camp was packed, Cahil mounted his horse and led us to the forest trail. I stayed close to Marrok in case Goel forgot his promise again.
The Captain grinned at me and said, “Watch now.”
Cahil clicked at his horse as he tapped his heels into the animal’s sides. The horse increased its stride, and the men began to jog.
“Keep up,” Marrok said.
I hadn’t run laps since training with Ari and Janco, but I had found some time to exercise while traveling south. Matching Marrok’s pace, I asked, “Why does he make you run?”
“Keeps us battle ready.”
I had more questions, but I saved my breath, concentrating instead on staying with Marrok. By the time we reached the next campsite, my field of vision had shrunk to a small area on the Captain’s back. My efforts to stay in shape hadn’t been enough. When we stopped, I labored for air, sucking in huge mouthfuls. Leif, too, seemed winded. Hasn’t run with his friends for a while, I thought peevishly.
Once the camp was erected, Cahil offered to let me sleep in the corner of his tent again. There, I collapsed to the ground without bothering to spread my cloak. In the morning, I ate a light breakfast.
The next three days mirrored the first day of traveling with Cahil, but by the end of the fourth day, I wasn’t as exhausted. I could eat dinner, and even stayed by the fire for a while. Goel glared at me whenever I met his eye, so I ignored him. Leif pretended I didn’t exist.
I began to think the forest was endless. Day after day we covered many miles, yet met no one on the trail, nor saw any sign of a village. I suspected Cahil avoided the towns. I couldn’t be sure if it was for my benefit or his.
Eventually, the men got used to my presence. They bantered and kidded with each other, and practiced sword fighting. The wary glances disappeared, and my arrival at the campfire no longer caused an immediate hush. I found it interesting that the men always sought Captain Marrok’s approval prior to doing anything.
After we’d been traveling for seven days, Captain Marrok surprised me. Some of the guards were performing self-defense drills, and he invited me to join them.
“We could use the practice against that staff of yours,” he said.
