CHAPTER TWENTY
T HIS HAS TO BE THE most boring mission we’ve ever had to go on. We’ve been watching Squad Four stumble through the Nairiden Woods for two days now. Although Squad Six did end up joining them yesterday when they ran into each other. Evera and the blonde water Elemi seem to have made a truce without notifying the others. Lack of communication with your squad, especially in the field, can get you killed. The decision to let them tag along seemed to have annoyed half of Squad Four, especially Cadet Solace and her friends. Although I do have to give it to the tiny female for using her familiar to find their way and look for creatures that are looking to make them their next meal.
The raven seems be able to be affected by Jesper's illusions, otherwise I’m positive it would have spotted us by now. The only one who doesn’t seem to be affected is her. It’s curious, and if I’m curious it must be driving Jesp wild.
Even though we’ve been following Cadet Solace to the cavern under the castle for months, we somehow always lose her down there. It’s as if she vanishes within the stone, something she shouldn’t be capable of. I hate to admit it, but I’m intrigued by her, and I absolutely loathe it. Females are nothing but a distraction: a lesson that has been drilled into my head with countless beatings. So much so that even as a boy I was sent away for being too close to my own mother, who later succumbed to a beating my father gave her. Weak, he said. Females are weak, nothing more than broodmares to further the Driscol line of the fiercest Vopn Fo warriors.
I remember the first beating I received because of a female. She was a wicked, sharp thing with the personality of a thousand suns. We were children who were forced to play together, me and the other lords’ sons, when we were all at the royal castle. My father didn’t like how close we all grew with her, me especially. It was a beating I ignored several times, because she was worth it. It doesn’t matter, though. She’s dead, along with the rest of her family and fae bloodline.
And as much as I hate it, this cadet reminds me of her, but it will never be her . My brothers all seem to be distracted by her, even our never-bending leader Talyn. I’ll need to have a conversation with them soon. We can’t let her distract us from our goal. Distractions mean death.
“They’re making good progress,” Talyn mutters.
I grunt in agreement. After watching them bicker when they woke up and try to get their bearings, Evera tried to be a leader and instantly failed. She’s a selfish leader. She shouldn’t have been enlisted to join the Damorleia ranks, but she begged her father, just so she could be closer to Talyn. None of us opposed, hoping that this war would end her and our brother wouldn’t have to go through with this arrangement.
He was never meant to be hers. His heart will always belong to a dead female, one who never got to see the world or come into herself. All of us gave her a piece of ourselves then, but it never got between our friendship—in fact it made us stronger.
“I still think Little Mouse is up to something,” Jesper says, his eyes never leaving her. The moniker suits her, especially with how she’s able to slip through the cracks.
Talyn glances towards him his voice dripping with frustration. “You still haven’t been able to figure out where she goes or what she gets up to down there?”
He shakes his head, his long red hair shimmying around him as his face pinches with annoyance. “No, it’s as if she vanishes. We’ve searched the tunnels high and low, even accidentally finding our way into the dragon’s den—almost got our asses roasted by the wild ones, which I got a firm talking to about from Tisur.”
I watch Talyn’s face as he goes into leader mode. “Enough is enough. If she lives through this trial, I’m coming with you. You should have told me this awhile ago. If she has an earth Elemi helping her, I should be able to sense the magick. Depending on what we find down there, we will handle the problems as they come. But I’m with you. There’s definitely something about her. I swear I… never mind. It would be impossible.” He shakes his head, watching the cadets set up camp for the night from our perch in the trees above.
Once they go to bed, I will stay, while the other two will head back to see what Hemmings and Featherington have made for dinner before getting some rest, and someone will relieve me when the moon is high in the sky. That way Jesper can rest after using his magick non-stop to hide us. He’s one of the most powerful Szellemi fae there is alive, probably even surpassing his father now. He says hiding us for the amount of time he does is nothing, but we don’t want to risk it. We’re supposed to watch and not interfere. That way we can report back deaths, and who would do well with what rank they will receive after The Choosing.
Jesper shifts towards Talyn, giving him his full attention. “What’s impossible?”
Talyn snaps. “I said it’s impossible, now drop it.” his gaze snaps to me. “They should be heading to bed any moment. Are you fine for the first watch? I need to go and hunt for rations for the rest of the journey,” he fibs. We have enough rations.
I grunt, nodding my head, and he takes off, heading away from the cadets with a perplexed Jesper watching him stride away.
“I only see him get that annoyed when one of us tries to bring her up… Do you know what’s up with him?” he asks, turning his mismatched eyes on me.
My head shakes as I cross my arms across my chest. “No. He’s probably just tired of sleeping on the ground.”
His gaze narrows but he shrugs, glancing one last time in the direction of one of our closest friends. “I’m going to head back to camp and get some food and sleep. Hemming said she would take the next watch earlier, so just wake her when it’s time.”
“Go get some rest,” I grumble. “ I got this.”
He ambles off through the forest and I feel it as his magick leaves, like a bubble popping. If I wasn’t so attuned to his personal brand of crazy, I probably wouldn’t even notice.
Deciding to get off the forest floor, I climb the massive tree in front of me. That way I have less of a chance of being attacked by creatures of this wood. I watch as they settle in for the night around the shimmering coals of their fire. It surprises me when the blonde water Elemi and Evera volunteer to take the first watch, especially since they’ve complained about doing it the past two nights.
It doesn’t take long before soft and obnoxious snores fill the forest, joining the symphony of crickets and nocturnal wildlife. The night stretches on as the two females whisper to each other instead of keeping watch. Stupid. If this was a real mission, I would have them reprimanded and sent to the front lines for a week. There’s a reason we have nightly watches and to gossip isn’t it. I’ll need to pass along this information to Major General Rune when we give our final report of their trial. If they live. Mind you, they’re about a day out from Phixmery, but it only takes a moment for everything to go belly up and you’re singing with the Sirens.
Cresida rises to her feet, but it’s far too soon to be relieved of their duty—they usually switch out in about another hour. She’s light on her feet as she makes her way over to where the tiny female is sleeping, looking for something. And when she doesn’t find what she’s looking for, she begins searching the treeline.
I hold incredibly still as her eyes cross where I’m hiding, only to blow out a small breath as she continues past me on her search. What could have her so intently looking for something? But when she finds what she’s been on the hunt for she summons her water, using the flask at her waist.
“Hurry up,” Evera hisses. “I want this done before anyone wakes up.”
The blonde scoffs. “We gave her some of those sleeping berries, she’s not waking up before we finish this,” she whispers. “She won’t be waking up at all.”
Finishes what? My stomach bottoms out as she creates a bubble of water, and sends it flying into the trees. A slight caw escapes before she pulls a water-bound black raven down from the trees. It struggles, flapping aimlessly as it fights for breath.
Cadet Solaces Familiar.
I’m at war with myself. I’m not supposed to intervene, but attacking your own squad, especially a familiar, must warrant some type of interference.
Cadet Yearwood snaps up and starts screaming. “What in the fates are you doing?” She attacks the blonde, sending her sprawling as her Vopn Fo magick kicks into gear and she pummels her.
Her magick calls to mine, egging me on to do something to protect the bird, to protect Solace, but I fight it. Females are weak, and I’m not wasting my breath to save her, I tell myself, over and over again. Although a part of me is begging Solace to get up and do something.
The noise stirs the other cadets awake and two of them are trying to wake Cadet Solace. When she finally wakens, she looks out of it as she tries to take in whats going on. The small bird writhes on the ground, and she finally notices.
“Nero! What have you done to him?!” She bellows as she stumbles towards her familiar.
Evera stands, lighting a fire in her hand. “Showing you that trying to steal another female’s mate has consequences. And if killing it takes you out too, then all the better.”
I’m moving before I even realize it: my feet hit the ground just as it rumbles around me. Solace’s hands are on the ground and suddenly the earth wraps around the water Elemi’s and Evera’s bodies, stopping them from causing any more harm.
Quickly, I duck behind a tree, hoping none of them noticed me. Fucking fates, what was I thinking?
“Nero? Nero?” Her soft voice cracks, leaving my heart feeling like it’s in my throat.
Why the fuck am I acting like a fates-damned bleeding heart? This is what she deserves if she can’t care for her familiar. But as my mind settles, I realize what I just witnessed. Cadet Solace has been hiding an element… earth. No wonder we’ve been losing her in the cavern. She’s not getting any help; it’s all been her.
“Oh Nero, you’re okay.” She pauses. “Yes, just rest here. I’m going to deal with the Banshees.”
I don’t stay to see what happens. I need to wake Hemmings and then go find Talyn. He’s going to want to know about this as soon as possible. Maybe Jesper was right. Maybe she is a spy from our true enemies.