Trystan huffed. “Probably too cocky to think they would be attacked.” He looked around at the ruins. “This was the only village for miles. There is no one else around.”
Luka’s gaze lingered on the fire, his amber eyes burning with the reflection of the flames. “They’re pathetic,” he spat. “Look at how they celebrate their destruction! As if these weren’t men, women, and children they slaughtered like cattle.” I placed my hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged me off.
His eyes did not leave the fire.
“Being this close to Helia, I would have thought they would bring more soldiers. This is hardly the entourage you would take to your enemy’s gates. Look at them; they are only grunts,” Trystan pointed out.
Indeed, as we scanned the faces, I noticed they were barely grown themselves. Even if the fae heritage made discerning age difficult, their actions spoke for themselves. They were coltish and brash, and getting drunk while out in the open like this was only asking for trouble. Not to mention the fact they set up camp mere steps away from the ruined village. It was a blatant taunt, begging others to come and look at what they’d done. I had no doubt they thought themselves invincible.
I looked behind us, noting the scant outline of the small force we’d brought with us moving behind the tree line. We did not know what we were walking into, but there wasn’t enough time to gather more sentries than we had. At fifty strong, we were evenly matched in numbers, but our men and women had experience on their side.
“So, what is the plan?” Trystan asked, stretching his muscles. He’d been adamant about coming with Luka and me, especially as we could not find Kalen before leaving.
Luka peered out at the drunken revelry taking place in front of us. His golden eyes darkened. “It would be stupid to wait until morning,” he said. “They’re vulnerable enough as it is. It wouldn’t take much to take them out.”
“We don’t know what they have in their arsenal. They could be hiding dark practitioners, or—”
A shrill scream rang out from the middle of the encampment. Luka tensed beside me, and Trystan reached for the dagger at his belt. We all watched in horror as three women were dragged, bound and gagged, toward the large bonfire. Their clothes were tattered and ripped, as if they had fought like hell.
“Get off me!” one of them shouted. Her brown hair hung loosely around her face, which was battered and bruised. She fought and clawed against their hold, spitting in the face of anyone who drew too close.
Luka surged forward, but Trystan caught him by the arm and jerked him back. “What the hell are you doing?” Luka whispered furiously. “Those women need our help. We can’t just sit back and—”
“You also cannot go rushing in like an idiot!” Trystan shot back. “You are no use to them dead.”
“Then what are we doing?” Luka asked, crossing his arms.
I could feel their eyes on me, but mine had not left the encampment. The Horde boasted about the women’s potential demise, laughing cruelly at the pain they intended to inflict and the damage they’d already done. This was what Lachlan stood for, and everything I had sworn not to be.
“Luka, you know our men the best. Go back to them and wait for my signal. Ensure they are ready to attack at a moment’s notice.” I scanned the distance between the tree line and the camp. “Move up, but do so slowly and in smaller groups to limit exposure. If you are caught, fight like hell.”
He looked as though he wanted to argue, shooting one last glance over his shoulder at the women before giving me a terse nod. “What’s the signal?”
“I could tell you, but what would be the fun in that?” After shooting him a wink, I turned around to look at the camp. I heard his footsteps retreat, and soon we were left in silence.
Trystan turned to me. “What isourplan?”
The soldiers in front of us seemed to focus on only one woman, having thrown the other two to the ground. They lay mere feet from the edge of the last row of haphazard tents.
I pointed in their direction. “I need you to retrieve those two first. No one’s paying attention to them. Take them somewhere where they will be out of harm’s way.”
“And you?” he asked, eyebrow raising.
I gave him a smirk. “I will cause a distraction so you can slip in unnoticed, and so Luka can bring in our forces.”
* * *
If I thoughtthe camp smelled horrible from afar, it was nothing compared to the stench as I drew closer. I walked with a casual grace, strolling into the middle of the camp as if I belonged there. When I crossed over into their territory, I had drawn little attention. But with every confident step I took forward, I felt their gazes linger until the full weight of their attention landed upon me.
“You filthy pig! Get your fuckin’ hands off me!”
Onlookers had crowded around the woman, passing her back and forth between them like a doll. Some jeered, some cooed, and some let their grimy hands wander places they shouldn’t have been. I took special care to note who they were so I could ensure they didn’t leave this battlefield with their appendages attached.
She gave as good as she got, punching one man in the face as he leaned in close to smell her hair. He staggered back, knocking into several others before landing on his ass with a grimace. As the woman surged toward the opening, his spot was filled by an eager young man with venom in his gaze.
I slipped my hands behind my back, carefully stepping over debris on the ground. “I believe she asked you to let her go,” I said. Every head turned my direction. It was obvious I was not one of them, especially not as they took in my clean fighting leathers and groomed appearance.
The woman paused, turning to look over her captor’s shoulder. She stared at me with unbridled terror and pain in her eyes, begging me to get her out of the position she was forced into.
