That made me smile. “You should join me in the workout yard tomorrow,” I said, heading for my bedroom and the washbasin. I’d need to get cleaned up for dinner. “It’s a good way to get your exercise and bond with your brothers.”
“The problem with that,” he said, “is that I don’t
“Of course,” I said.
“And as for bonding with them?” He gave a mock shudder, “No thank you! Who did you work out with?”
“Conner and Titus. And an interesting weapons-master named Berushk.”
“I met him once. All he did was insult me!”
“What did you do?”
“I told him to grow up and went back inside.”
I had to laugh. “Everyone says a battle is coming. Don’t you want to be ready?”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. I have a plan. If we’re attacked, I’m going to stand well out of the way while you and Locke and Dad kill everyone.”
I snorted. “That’s not much of a plan.”
“It will do for now.”
“Have you seen Horace?”
“Who?”
“My valet.”
“Oh, him. No. Want me to send someone to find him?”
“No… just show me the way to Mattus’s closet, will you? I need some clean clothes.”
“Sure. Come on.” He started for the door, and I trailed him.
Before we made it out, though, Freda said, “Oberon, please come here first. I want you to shuffle these Trumps.”
“All right,” I said. “If you think it will help.”
As I reached for them, a loud bell began to toll close by, its peals loud and incessant, coming every few seconds. I paused, listening, counting. Five then eight then ten strikes, and then it stopped.
Freda had an anxious expression on her face. Rising, she began to pack up her cards.
“What does that bell mean?” I demanded.
“An emergency!” Aber said. “We have five minutes to report to the main hall!”
Chapter 15
Let me get my sword first,” I said, I wasn’t making the mistake again of getting sent off gods-knew-where without being properly armed.
Running back into my bedroom, I grabbed my swordbelt and buckled it on. Then I rejoined Freda and Aber, and together we hurried downstairs. Titus and Conner followed almost on our heels.
We met Locke and Davin on the ground floor. Both looked grim.
“Anyone know what the problem is?” Locke asked us.
“Sorry, no,” I said. “You?”
“No.” He turned and headed for the audience hall at a jog, Davin at his heels. Aber and I followed them.
“How often has the alarm been rung?” I asked Aber.
“First time that I know of,” he said. “It’s only supposed to be rung in the direct of emergencies.”
“Like an attack?”
He gulped. “Yes!”
We reached the audience chamber, and there Anari directed us to a small antechamber off to the left. Inside, Dworkin sat at a table covered with maps of the lands around Juniper. A soldier with that extra joint in his arms stood stiffly at attention before him. I noticed he had minor wounds on his hands and arms, and what appeared to be burns on the left side of his face.
I nudged Aber. “He’s been fighting hell-creatures,” I whispered.
Aber looked suddenly terrified. “Here?” he whispered back. “Then it’s begun?”
“What is it?” Locke demanded of our father and the soldier. “What’s happened?”
“Tell them, Captain,” Dworkin said.
“Yes, Prince.” Slowly, in strangely accented tones, the officer began his report. “We were on the dawn patrol—”
“That’s ten men on foot walking the forest line,” I overheard Davin whisper to Blaise.
“—and there was a wind blowing from the forest. I smelled fresh horse manure and knew it could not have come from our camp. No horse patrols go there. I ordered everyone to spread out, and we entered the trees to investigate. Almost immediately we came upon a small campsite, well hidden. Three devils were waiting for us with their fire-breathing mounts. They attacked and killed four of my men. We killed one, and when that happened, the other two fled. We could not catch them on foot. They seemed to vanish into the trees. Men are searching for them now, but…” He shrugged. “I do not have much hope for the finding.”
“Hell-creatures come and go like that,” I said, half to myself. “You never see their raiders—or their spies— until it’s too late, and you never find them when they run.”
Davin shot me a curious glance. “You know them?” he demanded. “How?”
“They tried to kill Dad and me the day before yesterday. I’ve been fighting them for the last year in Ilerium.”
“How can we be sure it’s them?” Aber said.
I shrugged. “How many other armies have fire-breathing horses?”
Locke said to the captain, “How long had they been there?”
“No more than two or three days, General.”
Locke turned to our father. “I must see that campsite. They fled quickly. Perhaps they left something behind.”
“A good idea,” Dworkin said, nodding. “Take Davin with you… and Oberon.”
“Oberon?” Locke asked. I heard doubt in his voice. “Are you sure—?”
I stepped forward, “As I just said, I’ve been fighting hell-creatures for more than a year now. I think I know them better than anyone else here.” Or
“Very well,” he said with a shrug of acceptance, no taunting or baiting now, when it really mattered.
I had half expected a childish display of temper, and my opinion of him as a soldier went up a notch. A very small notch.
“Get your wounds looked after, Captain,” Locke said. “Meet us at the stables in twenty minutes. We’ll have a fresh horse ready for you.”
“Yes, General,” he said. He gave Locke a raised-palm salute, then hurried from the hall.
“The time is here,” Dworkin said softly, brow creased. “They will move against us shortly, if they are sending watchers. We must be prepared.” He looked up at us, at Locke, Davin, and me. “Be on your guard. They will kill you if they have a chance. Do not give them one!”
I trailed Locke and Davin to the stables. Now that we had a task to do, Locke moved with the deftness and speed of an experienced commander, calling for horses and a mounted squad. Grooms hurried to obey, and guards went running to the camp outside to summon the men he wanted to accompany us.
“Better add more guards to Juniper’s walls,” I suggested in a quiet voice as we waited for our horses. “Put more guards at the gates, too. Have everyone searched coming in… and going out. The hell-creatures are shape- shifters. No telling what they might try to smuggle in… or out.”
“Shape-shifters? You’re certain?”
