“Not me,” she said. “Willet.”
Genuine surprise lifted his brows. “Where did you learn to do that?”
“I watched a healer do it after my first battle with Owmead,” I said.
“You watched it and you thought you could try it out on me without being trained?” he said. “You could have killed me.”
“You were dying anyway.” I shrugged as if the decision had been of minor importance. “It wasn’t like we had much to lose.”
“Humph. What did you use to cauterize the wound?”
“My sword,” Rory said.
“You’ve ruined the temper,” Bolt said to him, his face stoic. “What have I told you about taking care of your weapons?”
Rory lifted his hands. “I tried to tell him.”
Bolt almost smiled. On anyone else it would have been a grin that split his face from ear to ear. “That’s alright. We’ll get you a proper sword as soon as we can. The balance on that one is atrocious.”
“What?” Rory said “You’ve had me train with that sword for months.”
Bolt nodded. “I wanted to make sure that I could beat you without trying too hard. Your gift runs at least as pure as mine, and your talents are better.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the look on Rory’s face as he realized he’d been conned for the last six months into working far harder to master the sword than he had to.
“You would have made a good urchin,” he said finally.
Bolt nodded as though Rory had paid him one of the greatest compliments of his life. “That particular set of skills is another reason why I chose you,” he said.
Gael handed him the vial of paverin sap, and he held it up to the light for an instant before pulling the stopper and downing the contents. “Where are we?”
“About forty leagues southwest of Treflow,” Erendella said.
“Two days hard riding if we change horses often,” Bolt mused.
“Can you ride that hard?” Gael asked.
He shrugged. “Do I need to?” He looked at me. “Will you have all six of the rulers in place when we get there?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
“That’s probably the kind of question you’ll have to ask. The net’s closing in, and they know we’re headed for Treflow. We’ll have to ride at night as well.” He turned to Rory. “You should probably go ahead and cover an eye. I don’t know how much light you’ll have.”
Erendella pulled the scrying stone from the folds of her cloak. “King Rymark, hear me.”
We waited there in the middle of the rolling hills of northern Caisel without a farm or village in sight. The wind whispered out of the west. “King Rymark,” Erendella called, her voice rising. “Hear me.”
“I’m here,” his voice answered from the facets of the stone. “Who calls?”
“Erendella. Are you still in Treflow?”
“Yes,” he said. “We’re holding.”
“Are the rest of the rulers with you?” Erendella asked.
I held my breath, waiting for his answer.
“Ulrezia not here yet, but she’s close. The problem is Pellin. The Eldest was attacked by dwimor in Cynestol. He says he’s on his way north now.”
I leaned forward to ask a question, but Bolt’s look of warning stopped me.
“Make haste,” Rymark said. “Our losses are mounting.”
Bolt moved to Erendella’s side to whisper into her ear. When she hesitated, he donned a look that said plainly he meant to be obeyed.
“Can you hold for five days?” she asked into the stone.
“Aer willing. I’ve sent messenger birds for reinforcements,” Rymark said. “But if I try to hold the city for that long, I won’t have enough men to buy us our retreat.”
Bolt held up four fingers and nodded toward the stone.
“We’ll be there in four,” Erendella said, “even if we have to ride the horses to death.”
“Better,” Rymark said. “I hope I’ll be here to greet you when you arrive.”
None of us said anything until after Erendella had wrapped the scrying stone in cloth and tucked it away again.
“He has a traitor in his camp,” I said. “That’s why you told him four days instead of two.”
Bolt took a step on his injured leg and winced. “That and something might go wrong. It usually does.”
I shook my head. “True, but it’s a lot easier for men to hold out for two days instead of three or four.”
Bolt nodded. “Since there’s a spy in Rymark’s camp, getting into the city is going to be a challenge. If they’re looking for us I want to make sure they’re doing it at the wrong time.” He hobbled over to his horse and mounted. “Let’s go. Our only hope is to ride fast enough to leave Cesla’s net behind.”
I locked gazes with Gael and gestured. She understood. When we set out, she made a point to ride at Bolt’s side.
We began our dash to Treflow.
Ten miles from Treflow, Toria signaled Fess and Oriano to bring the wagon train to a halt. Wag sat on his haunches, his tongue lolling in the morning sun. She dismounted then stripped her gloves. “How many people do you smell in the direction of the sunrise?” she asked.
Many packs, Mistress, but they are still some distance away. His thought came with an image of a field covered with hundreds upon hundreds of men.
“And how many of those have the smell of the forest on them?”
Also, many packs. But the field contained less than half as many now.
“Can you guide us into the city and keep us away from those with the scent of the forest on them?”
Yes, Mistress.
With the sentinel in the lead, his nose into the air and twitching, they circled around to the south. Soon after the city came into view, they spied their first patrol, a group of seven soldiers with their heads bared. A weight lifted from her shoulders as the men in Caisel’s colors caught sight of them and headed their way.
Fess pulled his horse in front, his hand raised in greeting, when Wag burst into motion. The men tried to
