O’Shekl froze. He was mulling these words over, that much was clear from his expression, and the wrinkles and scars on it became more prominent as a result.
“With all due respect, my General, I’ve always thought it was the other way around. The less noticeable one is, the easier it is to kill their enemy.”
“And you’re wrong to think so,” Hadjar shrugged. “By the way, you still haven’t noticed that my dagger is resting against your femoral artery.”
The Lieutenant started and looked down. He saw the steel aimed straight at his thigh. If Hadjar moved his hand even slightly, the officer would die from blood loss in a few minutes.
“Because we aren’t hiding, we’ll lull the enemy into lowering their guard,” Hadjar returned the dagger to the folds of his clothing. “We’ll make them doubt everything with our brazen approach. Doubt and a lack of vigilance are certain death for any rebel.”
The Lieutenant, after gulping loudly, hit his chest with his fist. “Please forgive my insolence, my General.”
“It’s all right, Officer,” Hadjar took out his pipe and lit the tobacco with a slight effort of will. “I understand your concerns. Believe me, if we do everything properly, you’ll get to see your wife again in three weeks.”
O’Shekl glanced at the leather bracelet on his right wrist. There were no wedding rings in Lidus, they had wedding bracelets instead. After hiding it under the sleeve of his shirt, the Lieutenant saluted once more and returned to his soldiers.
Hadjar was left alone. He smoked and looked at the forest. Somewhere in the middle of all that snow, there was a man for whom Hadjar had too many questions. For some reason, the General was sure that, right now, this man was looking at the darkness as well. He’d looked at the endless fields of flowers and seen the fires burning.
He wondered if this man knew his fate. Did the royal ‘dogs’ know that Hadjar had lied to them? If everything went according to his plan, then none of them would ever see their families again.
Hadjar stayed awake that whole night. Having reached the Transformation of the Mortal Shell Stage, he could now go almost four days without rest, and only needed to eat food once a week. That was enough for his body to function properly.
As soon as the first rays of sunlight touched his face, Hadjar emerged from his deep meditation. Throwing on his cloak made from the White Ape’s skin, he got on his horse and blew the alarm horn.
Ten minutes later, the tents had been packed up, the campfires put out, and the soldiers stood ready as the cavalry mounted up. Half an hour later, the squad reached the very edge of the White Forest. It was quite an amazing sight.
Even as summer and sunshine reigned supreme behind them, the cold and darkness were undisputed here.
“Squad!” Hadjar addressed the soldiers. “I want to remind you that we aren’t here to do battle. Therefore, you must treat any forces we encounter with the utmost friendliness and camaraderie. Don’t fight unless I give the order. Move through the forest in a tight formation. I assure you that if we end up disorganized, we’ll be going to the forefathers! Every tree is a danger to us. Every gust wind is a potential hazard! Every rustle is a warning sign! Don’t forget that we’re entering the land that has been a source of many horror stories for generations of our people.”
Hadjar fell silent and the soldiers shouted back in chorus: “Yes, General!”
Nodding, Hadjar was the first to enter the shade of the ice kingdom. The snow cover crunched under his horse’s hooves, and the frosty wind immediately stung his cheeks. The first snowflakes fell on his eyelashes and Hadjar involuntarily remembered the day when he’d raced after the island witch while wounded. The wind, as if agreeing with someone he could no longer hear, whispered a quiet “Stupid General.”
Following Hadjar, the rest of the squad entered the forest.
Chapter 234
In just a week, Hadjar learned firsthand that South Wind’s tales had been sugarcoating things, if anything. The White Forest was a more perilous place than anything the Mad General had encountered before.
On the very first day, four people lost their lives. Not to an enemy’s blade or because they’d been eaten by a hungry beast. Their death had been much simpler and, at the same time, much more terrifying.
When night fell, Hadjar had decided to make camp. They’d traveled deep into the Forest, but hadn’t found any signs of people. There was no point in continuing their search at night, when they couldn’t even see their hands in front of their faces.
The squad started setting up camp. Hadjar made do with just his Ape’s skin, which protected him from the cold. After wrapping himself in it, the General sat down in the snow under a tree. It was quite comfortable. He didn’t need even a tent.
The soldiers didn’t have the luxury of a cloak made from a White Ape’s skin. They needed fires, tents, and warm bedrolls. Most of that wasn’t an issue, but the fires, well...
Seven soldiers went to gather dry brushwood. Half an hour later, when O’Shekl had started worrying about them, only three men returned to the camp. They had been young guys with full heads of black hair, but now they were gray.
It took an hour of drinking soothing, herbal tea before they were able to tell their story. They said that they’d been collecting brushwood when a snowstorm began. In the storm, they’d seen several ghostly female figures. The women had been so beautiful that the soldiers had been ready to sell their souls just to touch their bodies once. Four soldiers had managed to do just that. As soon as they’d gone inside the storm, they’d immediately disappeared, turning into four ice statues.
Hadjar went to search for these ice statues on his
