35. Chapter 35
I ’d hoped that Annika’s mood would have improved after our conversation, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The woman whose mischievous smile could light up a room became withdrawn, and nothing I did changed it. She was calmer, though it felt like the calm before a storm.
The situation was made worse by the constant attacks during our journey to Katrass. Cahyon had learned from the previous battle, and in order to prevent Annika from taking control of his forces, he used guerrilla tactics.
The persistent hit-and-run attacks kept our soldiers from resting peacefully, and Ani was becoming frustrated at not being able to stop them. I made sure to reassure her that the attacks were being handled; we either destroyed the enemy or chased them away.
Reynard was gaining confidence the farther we travelled, especially after encountering settlements of humans and fae, descendants of the survivors of the Lich King’s purge during the First Necromancer’s War. He even confided in me that he hoped to rebuild Ozar after we freed the kingdom. I didn’t want to dampen his mood, but I was worried about our supplies, which were dwindling too quickly for comfort.
A soldier saluted me, stiff as a rod. ‘Commander, another group is headed towards the camp. Any orders?’
‘Reinforce the sentries and prepare for an attack, but don’t fire on them until you know if they’re hostile. And send the dwarven infantry and light cavalry commanders to my tent.’ I returned the man’s hasty salute and wondered how long we’d be delayed this time. ‘Wait, send the quartermaster, too.’
The soldier acknowledged the order and disappeared quickly, leaving me with a pile of reports, which did nothing to improve my mood.
They can wait , I thought, dropping onto the most uncomfortable foldable chair ever created. It creaked ominously under my weight as I considered Annika’s words.
To my satisfaction, she had joined our war council meetings. During the last one, while everyone enthusiastically discussed attack strategies, she had used a moment of silence to ask a question: ‘ Where are the golems? ’
The question had stunned the entire assembly. Within minutes, everyone made their excuses and left, not one of them addressing it.
Now, I found myself mulling over the issue. Where were they? We hadn’t encounter any in the battle at Lost Ridge, and they were never a part of the guerrilla attacks. The Lich King’s most famous creations—resistant to magic and difficult to destroy—were singularly responsible for the destruction of Ozar. And we had yet to encounter the frighteningly effective fighting force.
We had thought that Cahyon had used all of his army during the Battle of the Rift, but I finally realised he’d been expecting an easy victory, so he hadn’t bothered committing his best forces.
I was starting to worry, and not just about the golems. As we advanced, the land changed. After the barren soil of the border, we’d passed through salty marshes where seasonal tides seemed to want to reclaim the land, our men, and supplies.
We’d emerged with minimal losses and were now travelling along an old road surrounded by roughly cultivated fields that proved people still lived here. But we were sadly lacking when it came to information. Who, or what, would we face when we arrived at Katrass?
‘I heard another group’s been spotted heading towards us,’ Annika said, slipping into the tent. I was on my feet and embracing her before the flap fell closed, breathing in her scent and calming my worries.
She sighed, but her small smile eased the knot in my chest. She gently tapped her finger on my leather armour. ‘Are you guarding yourself against me, Commander?’ she asked.
I groaned, bending down to capture her lips. ‘Never, but my soldiers might not appreciate their leader parading around naked for his lady’s pleasure,’ I said when we parted. Ani chuckled, and the melody of her laugh almost brought me to my knees.
‘You know what? Fuck it. They can endure my hairy arse if it makes you smile. I missed the sound of your laugh, Nivale.’
I reached for the clasp of my breastplate, but Annika promptly covered my hand with hers. ‘No, some things are only for me. I just came to ask what you plan to do about the upcoming attack.’
Another thing I had noticed was that Annika didn’t speak of Alaric at all. Since the battle, she hadn’t once spoken his name, and each time I brought it up, she promptly changed the subject.
‘Ani, we’ll get him back,’ I said.
She placed her hand on my lips. ‘You don’t know that ... and I can’t ...’ I saw tears well in her eyes before she turned her head, blinking them away. ‘Tell me what you’re going to do and if you need me.’
‘ Orm? ’ Vahin’s voice in my mind made me sigh. He must have picked up on Ani’s feelings again.
‘ Everything’s alright, but she still refuses to talk about Alaric, ’ I answered.
I kissed Annika’s palm. ‘I was going to go and welcome our visitors. I don’t think you’ll need to fight, but I’d enjoy your company. Would you like to join me?’
The hope I had felt at seeing her in my tent was promptly extinguished when Annika shook her head.
‘Not this time. Bryna and I are going through Katja’s wagon. Her potions could help our healers, and if any women need clothes ... they can ... they can pick some,’ she finished, swallowing hard.
‘You don’t have to do that, love. I’ll ask the mages to send some healers. They will be better versed in deciding what tinctures could be used, and as they sort that out, they can help with the rest.’
‘No, Katja was a private person. She wouldn’t want strangers rummaging through her belongings. I will find what can be used and burn the rest. That’s what she’d want.’
She forced a smile for my benefit, wiping tears away. ‘I’ll get to it. That way, I might be able to avoid coming to the evening meeting,’ she said with one last pat on my armour, leaving the tent.
‘ Will she get better? ’ I asked Vahin, feeling his presence in my mind as he listened in on the conversation.
‘ With time, yes, but I don’t think she’ll ever be the same. Some wounds never heal, and while everyone’s idolising her, she can’t see her own path clearly. ’
‘ What can I do? ’
‘ Give her time, give her love ... and pray for your mate’s return. ’
‘Commander, you wanted to see us?’ Three men walked into the tent, cutting my conversation with Vahin short.
I nodded, pointing to the chairs.
‘Yes, there is another group heading our way, and if the information from the humans we captured is right, we are two days away from Katrass. I want to send a reconnaissance unit to scout their defences,’ I said, pointing to the crudely drawn map on my table.
‘We have three potential routes to reach the capital, and I want them all checked before deciding on the best approach. And, for goodness’ sake, ensure the soldiers are ready. The way they’re behaving makes me think they believe the war’s already won.’
‘Well said, Lord Commander.’ Reynard entered my tent, nodding to the men. ‘I came here to ask you for exactly that. The sooner we get to Katrass, the better for us all, and once we take the capital, subduing the rest of the Lich King’s forces will be much easier.’
‘My lord, may I request Lady Annika’s presence on the reconnaissance mission? In case we encounter unexpected resistance?’ The infantry captain asked with hopeful expectation, but his smile died when I shook my head.
‘You are all trained to deal with the unexpected. Are you suggesting your men can’t deal with the threat? If so, I can reassign your unit to the vanguard.’
I let my words hang in the air, the reddened cheeks of the dwarf letting me know that the insult hit the mark.
‘No, Lord Commander. We are perfectly capable of dealing with any threat. I was merely thinking of reducing possible casualties.’
Oh, he was good. My jaw tightened at the suggestion that I didn’t care about my men.
‘Lady Annika will be attending tonight’s war council meeting,’ Reynard said, unexpectedly coming to my rescue. ‘We need to plan the attack on Katrass, and I can’t lose her expertise for a walk down the road.’
‘Of course, Your Majesty.’
After that, we discussed several more minor matters before I finally sent them away. Alone with my brother, I leaned back in my chair, gesturing for him to take a seat.
‘How bad is it? With Ani? Can she fight?’ he asked.
I rubbed my tense neck. ‘Is that why you’re really here? To ask if she can kill more monsters for you?’
‘Cut the bullshit, Orm. I care for Annika, but I’m responsible for eighty thousand men and have almost no supplies left. We need to finish this or set up a permanent base here so I can send back the injured and resupply. Can you blame me for asking if we can resolve this in one fell swoop?’ Reynard asked, pulling a flask from his pocket. ‘Here, maybe this will mellow you out.’
I drank heavily from the flask. The burning in my throat and taste an unmistakable sign that Reynard had gotten hold of some soldier’s moonshine, distilled from the gods know what.
‘I’m not ... Fuck! Annika is ... She will fight if you ask her to, but unless the situation is dire, I won’t ask. Katja’s death hit her hard. Don’t force her hand. Please. I’m asking as your brother.’
‘I don’t want to, but I may have no choice. After Annika mentioned the golems, no one’s been able to think of anything else. For fuck’s sake, even Valaram voiced his concerns.’
Reynard watched me, waiting for my reaction, so I finished his thought for him.
‘And you think the reason our progress has been so easy is that Cahyon has pulled everything back behind the city walls, and that we should get ready for a nasty surprise or a long siege?’
‘Yes. The question is, what are we going to do about it?’
‘Catch a few who come our way, interrogate their scrawny arses—or ask politely if they’re friendly—and then decide. Why?’ I asked.
He looked like he had something to say.
‘I guess I could ask someone else to do that and send you to Katrass with Vahin instead,’ he suggested. ‘Have you see for yourself if the walls are still standing and whether there are any visible defences.’
‘Guess? Just tell me what you want me to do.’
‘Fine.’ He sighed. ‘Go to Katrass. And if there is anything I can do for Annika, let me know—maybe the light fae healers could help?’
Reynard had good intentions, but I burst out laughing.
‘If you could get them close enough to even touch her,’ I said with a sigh of my own. ‘Ani has refused even Valaram, and he’s someone she tolerates. No, we just have to wait.’
I pulled back the flap of my tent and walked outside. We were camped in a meadow and looking at the almost flat field of autumn grass and purple heather, I felt strangely at peace.
‘You’re leaving?’ Reynard asked.
I nodded without taking my eyes off the fleeting beauty of autumn. ‘Yes. I’ll see you this evening. Keep an eye on Ani. I entrust her well-being to you while I’m gone.’
It was his turn to laugh then.
‘You mean you entrust her to look after mine? Brother, your woman is a military marvel; if only she learned how to follow orders.’
I knew Reynard meant it as a joke, but I didn’t laugh. He didn’t really know her, and because of that, for him, Annika would always be a weapon of war, while all I could see were the tears in the eyes of my heartbroken Nivale.
‘Vahin.’
I said it aloud for Reynard’s benefit, and when my dragon descended from the sky, I turned, placing my hand on my brother’s shoulder.
‘Just look after her for me.’