10
Of course, the final wagon, escorted by Izgath and Uzadaan, was the one to break a wheel on a rock in the river.
“All hands weave shadows!”
I shouted at the males knee-deep in the river with me. Izgath, Uzadaan, and I worked in tandem, coordinating our soldiers to weave a solid block of black, combining at least a dozen strands of magic to level the wagon out.
It still hadn’t righted, and the water was picking up speed, sending twigs and fallen leaves bumping against our knees as they raced away from the glacial mountains that fed them.
Izgath craned his head to look at those on standby on the riverbank. “We need more at the back to help push!”
Without hesitation, a dozen more returned to the river, sloshing around the horses to the rear.
“It had to be a front fucking wheel,”
Izgath cursed, surveying the scene with hands on his hips.
I judged the distance between us and the opposite shore. “We only need to go about fifty more feet.”
Izgath grunted. “But that fifty feet will take every single one of us helping.”
“We can do this,”
I shot back, shoving up my sleeves. My magic well had enough reserve to contribute, though if we didn’t move the remaining distance quickly, I’d run out faster than I wanted to later that day.
The thickness of my shadows was about twice that of the other soldiers helping, thanks to my burgundy eyes, though Vagach had garnet, so I had to carefully hold back some, not only because I was using it to retain the form but also because I was pretending to be someone other than myself.
Izgath studied the shimmering tendrils weaving their way among the others, giving whatever I could to level the wagon. Stretching out his corded forearms, shadows sprung from the palms of his hands as he added more to the effort. With that final contribution, a solid base formed, and he shouted, “Let’s go!”
Rocks crunched beneath the horses’ hooves as they dug into the riverbed, and with the help of the soldiers at the rear, the wagon lurched forward.
“Hold!”
Izgath yelled, ducking beneath the belly to retrieve the broken pieces while keeping one hand free to use his magic. They’d be needed if there was any hope of repairing the wheel.
Once he was free, Uzadaan gave the command to continue again. Sweat poured down the back of my neck, all the way to my low back, as we strained with the effort of moving the laden wagon forward.
“Should have taken a few things out,”
I gritted through clenched teeth. Twisting my hands, I poured more magic into the frame, maintaining the lift.
“Too late for that now,”
Izgath grunted, flexing his fingers to add more of his own. Slowly, the wagon rolled forward, eventually gaining momentum and closing in on the riverbank.
“Out of the way!”
I shouted at those lingering on its sides, watching us. With a slight incline, we’d need to put all our focus on maintaining our magic rather than dodging onlookers. They scattered as the first pair of horses reached the soft, muddy earth, already carved up from the thousands of feet that had crossed it.
Fates, please don’t let it get stuck here.
“Push!”
Uzadaan commanded, our lines of thought clearly running parallel. A sucking sound reached my ears as the horses lifted their hooves and planted them again, the leather around their bodies going taught as they surged forward.
It wasn’t enough. “More!”
I yelled, changing the splay of my hands to accommodate the new angle of the slope. Black flared at the rear, and the wagon jolted, giving the horses enough slack to leap forward, successfully rolling it up and to level ground once again.
Several Demons ran forward with thick rocks and poles from the tents, hurriedly bracing them beneath the wagon. When they stepped away and nodded, I released the hold on my magic, along with the others, nearly sinking to my knees and heaving in the breaths my lungs craved.
Cheers erupted around us, and a moment later, Jaku was clapping me on the shoulder and giving it a shake. “Well done, Vagach. Thanks to you, we’ll be able to reach Uzhhorod days ahead of schedule.”
All I could do was nod and wipe the sweat from my face with the back of my sleeve. The effort of holding up the wagon took more than I thought, and I was grateful not to be assisting now as a handful of males worked to repair the wheel.
“Dromak, while we wait for the wagon to be fixed, show the new recruits some basic fighting maneuvers. It’s about time we get them used to it. Plus, Parancsok Olet will appreciate that we were proactive in our efforts,”
Jaku said, never one to waste a moment. His obsession with the war was borderline unhealthy, though I supposed that was necessary to achieve a high rank in the army. “With the Halálhívó’s new plan, the Angels will be routed within the next few years.”
“You seem to have a lot of confidence in him,”
I commented, wondering more about this venerated figure. Priestess Anara tended to focus on other subjects during her lessons with the females.
“We all do.”
Dromak stopped suddenly and faced us. “Once you’ve seen him fight in battle…”
“There’s nothing like it,”
Izgath finished for him. “His power is…unnerving but incredibly effective. Honestly, his presence on the battlefield is enough to shake the Angels’ knees. He’s a scary fucker.”
“I wouldn’t want to be on his bad side,”
Dromak snorted. “He kills anyone and anything that pisses him off and calls it a day. No remorse, no regrets. He’s ruthless, cruel, and cunning, but it’s because of those qualities that the Demons will rule over the whole of Keleti one day soon. Between the Halálhívó and Kral Xannirin, the Fates have woven a path straight to victory.”
“Then why have the Angels gotten so deep into the Demon Realm?”
I questioned. If what Jaku said was true, and the conscription of males from the southern plains, then the Demons were losing, and badly.
The four fell deadly silent. My mouth had gotten me into trouble again. Swallowing, I tensed, fingers flexing as I prepared to defend myself.
Jaku leveled a heavy gaze on me, then spoke with utter seriousness lacing his tone. “This time last year, we were well into Angel territory, from the Skala Mountains all the way to the Haka Islands in the north, and as far south as the entrance of the Es? Forest. The Weaver and the Reaper are offering us a challenge, a chance to prove our devotion to them and their cause.”
Trying to cover my misstep, I said smoothly, “Of course, the Fates are wise in their weaving. But what happened that caused us to lose that land?”
“The plague,”
he replied simply.
The same one that tore my mother, father, and sister from me, and Izgath’s brother, too. The death toll was enormous in our region, but if the losses were great enough to lose massive swaths of land, then it was worse than I thought. Thinking of the millions of Demons that must have died from it brought a fresh wave of anger and grief from low in my belly. If it weren’t for the Halálhívó and Kral Xannirin and the Fates and all their stupid games, everyone I loved would still be alive.
I wouldn’t be so utterly alone.
“Well, better get these lazy donkeys into shape then so we can take back all that territory,”
Dromak joked, breaking the tension. He shouted at the recruits lolling about the field just past the treeline, and they quickly formed ranks.
Uzadaan rolled his shoulders and neck. “I will help him.”
Without waiting to see if any of us would join him, he and Dromak strode away.
My breathing and heart rate had returned to normal, but I was too tired to offer to join the male’s training. “I’ll stay here and oversee the repairs,”
I offered. “This sort of break happens more often than not in a farming community.”
Jaku made a noncommittal noise, while Izgath regarded me in a way that sent icy fear skittering down my spine. I’d fucked up again with my mouth, and I really needed to keep it shut or they’d figure out I wasn’t Vagach in no time.
“I’ll stay and help Vagach. You should oversee the training, Jaku. You have an eye for who has potential and who does not,”
Izgath commented, his garnet eyes ghosting over me before turning to our Százados. His bare arms shone with sweat, and the long hair piled on the top of his head was askew from the effort we’d put out. Somehow, the Incubus managed to make his roughed-up look something utterly sensual.
Stop thinking about him that way, Assyria!
“Come find me when it’s fixed,”
Jaku ordered, picking his sword up off the ground and reattaching the scabbard to his back. Then he walked out of the treeline and toward the group mimicking Dromak in a series of strikes and kicks.
Izgath tore my attention back to him with a low laugh. “I take it you never learned to fight.”
There was no use in denying it. “I did not.”
The sly smile that spread across his face sent a shiver down my spine. “Don’t worry, I will teach you everything you need to know.”
More was implied beneath his words, which only added to my confounding curiosity about the male. At this point, I could only assume the feeling was mutual.
“Thank you, Izgath, I appreciate that,”
I replied, pointedly turning my attention to the males working on the wheel. One of them pulled a strip of metal from his bag, then wrapped it around the broken spoke. Just as he was about to secure two stiff rods on either side of it I stepped forward. “Don’t forget to secure points above and below the break, otherwise we’ll end up in the same situation tomorrow when the pressure is transferred higher and lower.”
The males slid their attention to me, and my cheeks flamed. It was so instinctual to help with tasks like these, having grown up on a farm. I’d had these same conversations with my mother and father while we tended to our own equipment. I knew none of these males, and they did not know me other than as the Kormánzó of the vidék they’d just conscripted from. But this bossy behavior was in Vagach’s nature, so I held my ground rather than shrink from speaking out of turn, as I normally would have done.
The one with the metal in his hands spoke first. “Really? That explains why we’ve had to replace so many wheels entirely.”
I tried not to blink as I processed his words. With the Kral’s financial backing, I understood why they might toss a perfectly good wheel rather than learn the proper techniques to repair it. My family didn’t have such privileges. “I can show you if you’d like.”
“By all means,”
he said, scooting back. While doing the work himself was not something Vagach would have done, a sense of pride and purpose swelled in me. As I worked on the wheel and explained the logic behind the repair, I felt more like Assyria than I had in weeks.
I miss this. I miss me.
Dusting myself off once the metal was properly secured, I found Izgath watching me once again, head cocked ever so slightly to the side and muscled arms crossed over his chest. “Did you learn something new?” I asked.
He offered me a slow grin. “I think I did.”
The driver hitched the horses again, and soon, the males were removing the blocks beneath the wagon, preparing to test the strengthened wheel. Holding my breath, I waited for the first few revolutions to pass, hoping that it would hold. After the horses hauled the load a dozen feet and no problems arose, I relaxed. Our journey would continue without issue.
Hopefully.
“Well done,”
I told them as we walked alongside the wagon, steering it toward the others that waited in the field beyond. As we rolled out of the tree line, Jaku spotted us, saying something to the group training in front of him before jogging in our direction.
“All is well?”
he asked, glancing amongst us.
“Indeed, and it should hold up longer than usual now,”
I offered.
Jaku nodded, giving the wagon a once over. “Good. Dromak and Uzadaan are almost finished with them, and then we can continue on to the main road.”
“No time to waste,”
Izgath and I pronounced together, at the exact same time as Jaku. We laughed, and he scowled.
“I am not that predictable,”
he protested, crossing his arms over his chest, the metal cuffs around his forearms catching in the sunlight.
“I hate to tell you, Százados, but you are,”
Izgath chuckled.
Jaku ran a hand over his short hair, then wiped the sweat collected there on his pants. “I’ll admit that my greatest concern is returning to Uzhhorod.”
With Jaku facing us, he couldn’t see Dromak and Uzadaan approaching. The former realized this, and I pressed my lips together and returned my attention to the Százados, lest I give away what was about to happen. “Don’t you mean your only concern,”
Dromak said, grabbing Jaku by the shoulders from behind.
On reflex, Jaku shot an elbow up toward Dromak’s face, but he dodged it at the last second, shoving Jaku to the side and grinning like a cat that caught a mouse. “You’re getting sloppy in your situational awareness, Százados,”
he drawled.
“Don’t think I won’t punish you for that,”
Jaku threatened, but there was no real bite to his tone. We shared a chuckle, then turned our attention to the recruits in various stages of finishing their training—some pulling their tunics on, others searching for their packs.
Jaku stepped out of our little circle and brought his fingers to his lips, releasing a sharp whistle. “Listen up! Once you’re in formation, we’ll march for another hour, then take a nice long break tonight. You all deserve it for your hard work.”
A series of excited whoops filled the air.
Thank the Fates.
With so much free time, I might be able to rest enough to refill my magic. Every evening after our training, it had been dangerously low, and any bolster I could garner would be to my benefit.
By the time I settled in Blaeze’s saddle again, the males had taken up their respective positions around the caravan, and we were ready to set off on a short jaunt, because, of course, we had no time to waste.
As the hour drew to a close, I spotted a small stream in the distance, with large, voluminous plants lining the shores and a copse of trees surrounding it. “Jaku, we should stop there for the night. It’s calm and protected from the elements with the trees around it too.”
“I agree. Good eye, Vagach,”
he replied, steering his stallion toward them. Dromak and I turned with him, and I glanced behind us, ensuring the squad saw our slight change in direction. A gentle curve formed in the line until we came to a stop among the shady trees.
The spot was serene, with the wind whispering through the lush branches and birds chirping overhead. Late summer flowers bloomed at their bases, and I nearly leaped from Blaeze when my attention landed on a moon lotus vine wrapping around one of the river birches. Gardening and plants were a female’s pastime, and not something Vagach would have any interest in.
Maybe when everyone is occupied with something else…
Dromak interrupted my longing, and I loathed having to tear my gaze away from the rare flowers that bloomed only at night. “Are you sure we aren’t training this afternoon?”
he asked Jaku.
The cherry-eyed Százados turned in his saddle, surveying the group as they trickled in. “Not tonight. I promised them a rest, and a rest they shall receive. Perhaps after everyone’s had a chance to bathe, we’ll break out some of the ale.”
“Fuck yes,”
Dromak cheered, pumping his fist.
At that moment, Izgath and Uzadaan rode up. “What are you celebrating, Dromak? Remembering how to spell your name?”
“I know how to spell my name,”
he protested, and Izgath and Uzadaan laughed.
“Our great Százados has offered to open up the casks of ale this evening,”
I commented, grinning.
“Please don’t tell me that’s what was in the broken wagon,”
Izgath groaned, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Why? Would you have left the ale behind in the river?”
Dromak snorted, raising an eyebrow.
Izgath rolled his eyes. “I would have made you help and sat on my horse and watched. What are those,”
he looked pointedly at Dromak’s muscled arms, “for if not for lifting? We should have made you take the place of the wheel.”
“There’s no way I could have held it all by myself,”
he shot back, mouth curving into a frown.
“Then it sounds like you need to work on getting stronger,”
Izgath teased, eyes crinkling at the corners as he smothered a grin.
Their squabbling pulled a smile from Uzadaan and me. Jaku, on the other hand, shot them both a playfully irritated look. It was amazing, really, how unlike Vagach they were. My father had been a kind, albeit quiet male, much like Olrus, and yet outside of the two of them, I’d only experienced abuse. Perhaps this was the evidence I needed to soothe that fear that a male would harm me, if given the chance.
“If you two are quite finished, I’d like to start setting up camp for the night,”
Jaku grumbled, though his lips twitched into a grin.
“Aye, of course.”
Dromak slid from his horse, and we followed suit. By then, most of the squad had made their way among the trees, the wagons settling between trunks and males unsaddling horses, pitching tents, and building fires.
After weeks of practice, the camp came together faster and faster, until the thousand males worked like we’d been made for this dance. Within half an hour, everything was arranged and the various groups split apart, some lounging around fires, others resting in their tents, and still more making their way to the reedy stream, bags in hand. I stopped at the male handing out bars of soap and collected one for myself to use.
Then, I slipped into my tent to rest. I’d have to wait until all the males had finished bathing and were slightly drunk before going to the stream myself to, well, be Assyria and bathe. Once I’d secured the flaps behind me, I released my magic, sighing. Every day, this moment was like removing dirty, travel worn clothes, though I still had to physically remove them from my body once I returned to myself.
Shaking out my tired limbs, I did just that, letting them drop to the canvas before lifting my feet from the thick leather boots. I was tempted to stick them outside to let them air out. They were starting to stink, and I didn’t want the smell invading my senses while I napped in my tent. But it was still glaringly bright outside, and I couldn’t risk my slender arm being seen slipping through the flaps.
So with a sigh, I curled on my cot, closed my eyes, and dreamed of the bath that I would take later that evening.
Weariness still pulled at me as I roused myself. Boisterous laughter drifted through the fabric surrounding me, and I heard Dromak’s deep voice boom as I stretched my arms overhead. Yawning, I pushed myself upright, blinking the world into focus.
The sun no longer shone little pinpricks of light across my body, which meant that it was late enough that the males had likely tapped into the casks of ale and started eating dinner. A rustle sounded behind me, followed by a laugh and footsteps, then a shadow crossed the canvas for only a moment before disappearing. Everyone was on the move and enjoying themselves.
A slow smile spread across my lips as I tipped my head back, letting my messy, matted hair fall down my back.
Fucking finally, I can bathe.
Grabbing my bag, I pulled out everything but the clothes I needed to wash, leaving it lighter. Pulling on the clothes I’d discarded earlier, I reformed Vagach around myself. The shadows in my chest came easily when called, as happy as I was to have gotten a few extra hours of sleep.
Untying the strings that held the tent flaps closed, I peeked my head out. A handful of large fires blazed past the row of tents in front of mine, and most of the males surrounded them, passing skins around or pouring ale into metal cups. Those with long hair still dripped water, while others’ tunics clung to their muscled torsos in a few damp spots.
Plates piled with food made their way around too, and the smell of roasted meat hit my nostrils, pulling a long growl from my stomach. As tempting as it was to grab a few slices of what appeared to be venison from them, I needed to slip away unseen now that it appeared most of them had already bathed.
Dragging myself and my bag through the flap, I secured them as best as I could to make it appear as if I were still inside. Crouching, I slipped through the tents, making note of any others that strolled through the clearing. Izgath glanced over his shoulder but quickly continued to the center along with Dromak and a few others. Once they’d passed out of view, I peered into the growing darkness around the stream to ensure I’d be alone.
No one spotted me as I broke away from the camp and slipped into the trees. Straightening, I walked toward the reeds, scanning for a flat rock beside the bank where I could deposit my bag along with the clothes that would need drying once I’d washed them. Down one side, a group of them waited as if that spot in particular were made for such activities. I switched my direction, heading straight for them. It was a little further away than I wanted to be, but if I bathed quickly, it would be worth the extra privacy.
Hopefully no one will look for Vagach while I am away.
That was the challenge; if someone suspected Vagach had deserted, they’d hunt for him immediately. I hoped that they would give him the benefit of the doubt for a little bit at least, leaving me with enough time to return, wet hair and all, showing that I’d merely been taking a much-needed dip in the stream.
I heeled off the heavy boots, then glanced around again to ensure no one was around to bear witness to my activities. Dusk had fallen, and in the distance, small fires dotted the center of camp. The smell of roasting meat had grown fainter, and the air was punctuated occasionally by a bark of laughter.
Stripping out of my travel worn clothes, I dropped my magic. Sweet relief captured me as I wriggled my bare toes in the grass, appreciating the feel of something other than Vagach’s form on my skin. It was too risky to remain in the open, so I grabbed the bundle of dirty clothes and the bar of soap and pushed through the reeds. Easing forward with my toes, I tested the muddy ground before stepping into the cool water. The bottom was a mixture of sand and smooth rock, and as I waded in, the water quickly rushed up to my waist. With a swish, the fronds closed behind me, giving me the first semblance of true privacy I’d had in weeks. Overhead, the sky was clear, the last rays of the sun casting long shadows of the Skala Mountains over me.
I closed my eyes, savoring the caress of the water against my skin. The light scent of lilies mixed with the crisp, cool air reminded me of hours spent in the garden with Olrus.
Olrus.
Grief slashed at my heart as I thought of the male who had helped me escape a pyre for killing my husband. I missed my friend fiercely, and I wondered if he’d be proud of how well I had stepped into my leadership role. He’d love to hear about the moon lotus vine I’d spotted, and of course, I’d try to sneak away to observe their pearly white blooms opening.
With a sigh, I forced myself to return to the present moment and continue on with the task at hand.
Birds released their last chirps before settling in for the night, and a soft breeze whispered through the thick plants crowding the riverbanks. It was a stolen moment of peace among the stress of maintaining my secret.
The water was calm, so I set my belongings against a thick plant before dunking under and scraping my nails against my scalp. Coming up for air, I reached for the soap and scrubbed vigorously against my skin, removing weeks worth of dirt and sweat. I circled my palms over it, creating a thick lather, and then worked it through my hair, feeling lighter as oil was stripped away from my long locks.
It wasn’t until my skin had pinkened and the soap was nearly half its original size that I realized how much cleaner I felt. My clothes were next, and after I finished one piece of linen, I risked a momentary peek beyond the fronds to place them over the rock to dry.
A shadow shifted in the distance, and I paused, waiting to see if it would move again.
I am being paranoid.
Shaking off the feeling, I grabbed a tunic from my bag. Pulling it into the water with me, I scrubbed the soap over it and then used the plants as a washboard to remove any excess dirt from the fabric. I repeated the process twice before I held it up to the fading light, turning it this way and that in search of any spots I might have missed.
Satisfied and wearing a soft smile, I dropped it back to the water, breath catching immediately at what the movement revealed.
From the riverbank, a pair of garnet eyes stared at me with wide-eyed shock.