“Breakfast.”
I ate with him, Khalida, and the rest of our group as usual. I’d barely finished my meal when Ajax called all candidates out to the courtyard. Soon, I was gathered there with the others.
Talon and the Marshalls all stood in the center. He let out a whistle, gave Ajax a long look, and jerked his head toward the crowd. I’d learned that the Cardinal had different whistles for different people—though only forcertainpeople, such as the Marshalls. Others in the Order might speak for him by announcing this or that, but it wasalwayson Talon’s command. That he was in charge of the Black Tapestry was never in question.
Ajax turned to the crowd. “You might have been hoping that, due to last night’s events, we’d pause Xalbia. Life doesn’t go on pause in the Tapestry just because shit went down.”
In front of me, Lear exchanged a pained glance with another candidate, Reeve; their shoulders slumping. Hell, I was a little disappointed myself.
“Only one candidate died during last night’s battle, but three quit afterwards,” Ajax went on. “That means your number is now down to fifty-five.”
I’d expected some to drop out. It was one thing to betrainedfor battle; to be told to expect it; to be warned that you would have to kill without hesitation. It was another thing altogether to be in that situation. Anawfulthing. Had it not been for what fate would otherwise await me, I might have considered quitting myself.
“Today, you’ll be divided into three groups,” Ajax told us. “The first will go with Keyes to undertake the gruesome responsibility of cleaning up the battlefield.”
I winced at the prospect.
“The dead officiates were brought into the garrison last night,” he went on. “They will be buried tomorrow evening at a private ceremony where we will honor their bravery and loss of life. But there will be plenty of other bodies—or stray body parts—out there that weren’t hauled off by the beasts that inhabit the Pines. You’ll be part of clearing the mess, burning the corpses of our enemies, and aiding officiates in digging graves.
“The second group will go with Vesper—you’ll be responsible for helping to clean the bodies of the dead officiates to ready them for burial. Some won’t be in great shape—some may even be missing limbs or other body parts. It will not be an easy job to stomach, but itwillbe something you will one day have to do if you join the Order.”
I swallowed hard, recalling times that I’d cleaned corpses at Phoenixia to prepare them for burial—it was always a sad and emotionally exhausting feat.
“The rest of you will accompany myself and Talon on a routine patrol through the Pines,” said Ajax. “We will not return until tomorrow afternoon. Yes, we’ll be spending the night out there.”
Oh, shit.
“Those who’ll be with Keyes are …”
Honestly not sure which of the three scenarios would be worse, I didn’t have a preference for which group I’d be part of. As such, I was neither relieved nor disappointed when I learned I’d be in the third group.
Ajax gestured at a pile of knapsacks. “All from group three need to grab one of these. They each contain a canvas tent, wool sheet, wool cloak, water pouch, and other things you’ll require.There’s some room for you to add whatever clothing and other items you’ll need. Now, let’s get moving.”
Blowing out a breath, I joined the line of people who were edging toward the knapsacks. When I finally reached the front, my gaze clashed with that of Talon. Still a little frazzled from earlier, I quickly looked away and snagged a bag before walking off.
Spotting Jelani and Quillen stood nearby with a knapsack on their back, I frowned. “You’re both coming, too?” They didn’t usually.
Jelani nodded. “After the attack, Talon’s not prepared to take any chances, so he wants to bring along more officiates. Quillen and I volunteered to join this group.”
I felt my brows lift. “Youwantto camp in the Pines?”
Quillen gave a casual shrug. “You get used to it, believe it or not.”
I wasn’t sure I did believe it.
“Chief, Zinc, and Valor are coming along as well,” said Quillen.
That was a first.Andan indication that Talon wanted to ensure we had plenty of backup should we need it.
“I’ll be back in a sec.” I headed to the stables and went straight to the tack room. Once I’d stuffed what other bits I’d need into my knapsack—clothes, water pouch, a spare cloak, and a blade I’d earned after knocking it from an officiate’s hand during a spar—I slipped on my gloves.
As I hefted my knapsack onto my back, I barely swallowed anoof. Yeah, it was not going to be easy to cart this thing around the Pines. Ready, I walked back outside to find that the other candidates in my group were all clustered together. Atticus, unfortunately, was among them.
Ajax clapped once to get our attention. “Right, let’s move.”
I reluctantly fell into the line, still somehow ending up only six people behind Talon—well, candidates weren’t exactly eager to leave, so they never joined the line in a hurry.
We made our way out of the garrison, across the bailey, and out the city’s doors … straight into the darkness of the forest. The ever-present fog misted the air to the point where I couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of me—everything beyond that was a blur.
