Horde

This time, no images or memories came with the contact, so he must control that ability; the Uroch were fascinating when they weren’t trying to kill you. He released me with a tip of his head, and I had seen enough of the way they interacted with one another to take that as a sign of respect. Since I came up from down below, I had gotten skilled at recognizing other people’s customs, mostly because I learned them anew, everywhere I went.

“You mentioned other allies,” I said.

Between his five hundred and my two, it was hard to fathom the battle ending well against two thousand feral Freaks. And they squatted on the banks of the big river, poised to destroy the last bastion of peace in the territories. Rosemere.

They come no farther. It ends here.

Szarok nodded. “I’ve made contact with the small folk. They live in the caves and tunnels and they, too, have suffered from the endless fighting.”

“The small folk?” Rex asked.

I thought of Jengu and his kind, then I described them to the Uroch leader, who said, “Then you know of them. They call themselves the Gulgur.”

“How many are there?” I asked.

“Willing to fight? A hundred or so. They’re few but cunning, masters of remaining unseen. They’ll slip in while the old ones sleep and poison their meat.”

“Can you be ready two days from now?” That would give me time to make arrangements and persuade the men.

Szarok nodded. “I’ll coordinate with the Gulgur and ensure they carry out their role.”

“My men will attack from the east. You strike from the west. And let’s hope it’s enough.”

If the horde was weak and sick from the tainted meat, eight hundred of us might be able to defeat them, though we would take heavy casualties. I shared a glance with Rex, who said, “It’s time to tell the others. We can win.”

Resistance

The village was in an uproar when Rex and I returned. I was reeling with fatigue after so long without sleep, so my head was fuzzy as to why. For obvious reasons, we left Szarok in the Uroch camp, and as we strode into the village, I saw that Company D was already assembled and listening to orders shouted alternately by Tully, Spence, and Fade. Thornton had our smith checking all the weapons; it was like they’d decided to go to war overnight.

“What’s going on?” I called.

At hearing my voice, Fade spun and covered the ground between us in three strides. He crushed me against him, shaking. For a few seconds, I couldn’t breathe … and I was confused about his reaction. Then I knew. Before he spoke, I knew.

“I thought they took you, somehow.”

Like they did you.

With everything that had happened, I hadn’t considered how worried he must be. I go out for a walk and I don’t come back? Stupid. You should’ve sent Rex with word. Shock from the night’s events had driven all other considerations out of my head … but I couldn’t get enough breath to speak, let alone apologize.

“I realize you’re glad to see her,” Rex said, “but you’re crushing my sister’s ribs.”

I didn’t fight to make Fade let go, though; instead I hugged him back as tight as I could. The rest of Company D, currently watching, could wait. It took a while for him to calm down enough to release me, and when he stepped back, his dark gaze glittered with fury. I could expect a proper quarrel later. Since I wasn’t injured, his eyes said, and clearly I hadn’t been taken, there was no excuse for putting him through that much grief.

And he didn’t have Stalker to help him figure out the way I went, either. He must’ve felt so helpless.

Personal matters had to wait, however. “There’s been a most unexpected development,” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “If you’ll come with me, I’ll explain everything.”

Since we were standing in the middle of the market, I thought it best not to talk about the Uroch camped on the western part right then. The villagers might panic, and that was the last thing we needed, two days before engaging the horde. Company D was well trained, luckily, so they fell in and followed me past the docks, along the coastline to the east. I marched until it was safe to talk. The only fishermen I saw were out on the river, not working from shore.

“I’d sure like to know why I gave up a night’s sleep searching for you,” Thornton said. “When you’re clearly fine.”

Taking a deep breath, I answered, “I’m glad you asked. You may not like what you hear, but don’t say a word before I’m done. There will be a chance to talk afterward. Not during.” I scanned all the men’s faces and added, “That’s an order.”

Rex put a hand on my shoulder in moral support. Then I explained where I’d been all night—and with whom. Shock and rage governed most faces, although Tegan and Morrow looked intrigued rather than angry. That was about what I expected. When I wrapped up the story, Company D exploded with outrage, protests, and disbelief. I didn’t address their collective fury until it started to die down. Once they realized I wasn’t arguing with them, the men paused and glanced among themselves, as if wondering at my tactics.

Since it was our only chance against the horde, I didn’t much care what they thought of the idea. “I don’t expect you to like them … or even trust them. But your goal hasn’t changed. You’re still tasked with defeating the horde. The only thing I ask is that you don’t harm the Uroch. They’ll be fighting alongside us … and if you reckon they can’t think, feel, and hurt … well, you’d be wrong. They’re people. Not like us, true, but they’re not monsters. The fact that they’re willing to fight their own to save us proves it.”

“We don’t get a say?” one soldier shouted from the back.

“You can walk,” I said. “But then you have to live with knowing you were too much of a coward to complete your mission. It’s your choice. I won’t make anyone fight, but I’ll be awfully proud of those who do.”

My brother stepped forward. “Last night, I almost stabbed my sister rather than listen to reason. I hope you won’t make the same mistake. I was there with her. I talked with them too. They may not look like us, but they’re not violent, unthinking beasts.”

“My men will stand,” Tully said, fixing a hard look on the crowd.

A rumble of assent greeted her words. Fade was ominously silent, but I thought that was because he was angry with me for scaring him. He might also have a deep objection to cooperating with the Uroch; I just hoped I could make him understand that the young ones weren’t the same as their parents, just as he and I weren’t like the elders in the enclave. It was crazy that I had become an advocate for the monsters.

“Tully doesn’t go to war without me,” Spence said. “And I’ll make sure my boys are ready to bring the pain.”

Morrow added, “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Thornton spoke up then. “Company D may not like your orders, but we follow them. When does the assault commence?”

Relief surged through me. At least I hadn’t lost my officers. “I need everyone assembled here, three hours before dawn, two days from now. Before then, I’ll speak with the boatmen about ferrying us across. We can’t strike if we’re all exhausted and waterlogged from the swim.”

“Good call,” Tegan said.

“The Uroch will be wearing something—I’m not sure what—to help us tell them from the elders. It may be hard to track in battle, but a good rule of thumb is, if they’re fighting other Muties, they’re on our side, so leave ’em alone.”

That sparked nervous, uncertain laughter from the men. I imagined it was hard for them to accept this