To Light A Candle

later, Petariel came out.

The Captain of the Unicorn Knights had obviously been roused from sleep. His long hair was loosely braided, and he was still pulling a heavy fur cloak around him. But his expression was alert as he saw Kellen.

“Leaf and Star—you’re soaking wet. Gesade, Riasen and Menerchel, if you please.” He went to the banked brazier and began adding charcoal, then went back into his pavilion, coming out with another cloak.

“Here. Take this. Not your color, but at least it’s dry.”

Kellen dropped his wet cloak to the ground and took the dry one gratefully. Gesade had roused Menerchel and Riasen now, and Kellen wondered with a sinking heart just how much worse things could possibly get.

“Kellen’s deserting,” Gesade said brightly. “So we need Shalkan’s saddle and armor.”

“Tea first,” Petariel said. “Kellen, you’re as blue as ice.”

“I have to get out of here,” Kellen said desperately.

“You need to tell us what else you need,” Riasen said as Menerchel began to prepare tea.

“I’m deserting,” Kellen said, wondering if they’d all gone deaf.

“Yes,” Petariel said. “We all heard you. Tell us how to help.”

Kellen stared at them. He’d been expecting… he didn’t know what he’d been expecting. But not this. For a moment, he felt as if the earth had opened under him—except that he also felt as if the moment it had, he’d discovered how to fly.

“I think he should sit down,” Shalkan said. “Over here, next to the brazier. I’ll tell you what I know while his wits unthaw. Sit down, Kellen.”

Kellen sat. If he’d learned nothing else in the past several moonturns, he’d learned that arguing with Shalkan was worse than useless.

Quickly Shalkan summarized the evening’s events, including most of what had gone on in Redhelwar’s pavilion. “So now Redhelwar has changed his battle plans, and I imagine Kellen hasn’t been able to talk him out of them, don’t you?”

“Huh,” Gesade said, stamping her forehoof. “They must be really bad plans.”

“No,” Kellen said, stung to Redhelwar’s defense. “They aren’t. Not really. It’s just… he doesn’t…”

“Better tell,” Shalkan said.

Kellen sighed, giving up.

“He isn’t going to risk trying to scout the caverns again. Without maps, we can’t attack them both at once, and he’s concerned about leaving Ysterialpoerin undefended. He’s going to divide the army into thirds and guard Ysterialpoerin and the further cavern. There’s nothing wrong with either of those ideas,” Kellen said, knowing it sounded bad, but he was tired of mincing words! “But he means to send the third force into the nearer cavern using the troops to draw the Shadowed Elves to attack.”

“And that’s bad?” Gesade asked.

“It must be,” Shalkan said. “Because Kellen’s deserting. To scout the nearer cavern before Redhelwar can get the army into position, I suppose. All by yourself?”

“I’d wanted to take Idalia,” Kellen said unwarily. “But I can’t ask her now.”

“We’ll ask her,” Riasen said. “That way the army will have decent maps, at least. She has a fine hand at mapmaking.”

“And you’ll have someone along to keep you out of trouble,” Shalkan said with satisfaction. “Though I’d hate to be the one to wake her up.”

“Fortunes of war,” Riasen said. “We’ll draw lots for it.”

“I— Hey— Wait—” Kellen said desperately. How had things gotten so completely out of his control?

“Tea,” Menerchel said, passing Kellen a cup.