Chapter 12
Twelve
Stavros
The sun is sinking by the time I spot the crossroads up ahead. I turn my stallion to the left before I reach the marker, a mix of trepidation and relief congealing in my gut at the sign that my destination is close at hand.
I’ve been riding for hours, but I’ve made it here in about the time I expected. I wanted darkness to be falling before I approached the small fort where one of my old colleagues has been posted for the better part of the past year.
I tie the horse well out of view of any road and make the rest of my approach on foot.
There hasn’t been much military activity in this part of the country in years, so I don’t encounter any sentries patrolling the grounds around the building.
I’d imagine Major Pawlem has gotten a little restless while overseeing this post. But it’s not far from the Icarian border to the southwest, and they could rush to help if Darium came at us across the Seafell Channel to the east.
The forest has been cleared around the stout stone building with its high surrounding wall.
The fort will house the major, a captain or two, and perhaps thirty infantry prepared to run a first line of defense against an attack.
They’ll mostly have been occupied with tracking down local bandits and highwaymen.
I stop at the edge of the clearing where the shadows of the trees still conceal me, the tart scent of the autumn leaves filling my nose. Lanterns gleam in several of the windows. The soldiers may be just sitting down to their dinner.
I spot a figure in the tower that juts up over the arched doorway and two others standing guard on the ground on either side of the gate.
As I watch, one makes a brisk circuit of the wall.
They talk in low voices for a few minutes, passing the time with idle conversation, and then the other makes his own circuit.
Pawlem will be inside. I don’t fancy marching into the midst of a squadron that may have gotten orders to arrest me on sight, so I need to contrive a reason for him to come out here.
I considered the problem for the entire ride out here, but I still pause and work through it in my head before stepping forward. One misstep, and this errand I decided to attempt will put everyone I care about at even more risk than before.
The two soldiers on the ground snap to attention the moment I’ve taken two paces from the trees. I stop before one has even hollered, “Who goes there?”
I keep my prosthetic tucked under my cloak so they can’t identify me by it. The cloak’s hood and the thickening dusk should hide my next most distinguishing feature: my hair.
I can’t do anything about my face or size, but it’s relatively unlikely that either of these two will have encountered me in person for any significant length of time. The plain trousers and jacket I borrowed from the Haven won’t fit their image of the great General Stavros.
“I’d like to speak with Major Pawlem,” I say evenly. “I assume he’s still stationed here? But I’d prefer to keep the conversation outside for discretion’s sake. If one of you go in and tell him the man he always beat at three-snap has stopped by, I’d imagine he’ll come.”
I've kept my tone mild, with just a hint of the commanding air I'd have projected if I had any real authority here. The pair draws themselves even straighter, studying me with more intense concentration.
I'd imagine they're not quite sure what to make of a man who dresses like a peasant, speaks like a noble, and refers to their superior officer with such familiarity.
The woman replies first, with a stern expression to offset her obvious confusion. "I think you'd better come inside. If the major is willing to speak with you, you should see him there."
"For the security of the country, I feel that would be unwise." Really for my own security, but a call to patriotism should work better as motivation. "Pass on the message. If he refuses, we can worry about alternate arrangements."
The soldiers step closer to each other to murmur in private conference. Their hands rest on the hilts of their swords at their hips. I keep my hand loose at my side, well away from my own blade, but I'm ready to retreat into the woods if they decide to take an aggressive approach.
They're good infantry, looking out for their commander and the safety of the fort. Watching them sends a twinge like homesickness through my chest.
It's been over a year since I last commanded anyone other than the students at Sovereign College. I never felt anywhere near as alive in the classroom or the courtyard as I did planning strategy, giving pep talks, and leading forays along the borders.
My vision fogs, reminding me of why I'm never going to take on that role again. What I'm doing right now is the closest thing to fighting for my country that I'm capable of anymore.
Before I can wallow in the loss, one of the soldiers ducks into the fort. The other remains, eyeing me warily. I keep my careful distance from the building, both so I don't appear a threat and so they can't pose much of one to me.
The last glow of sunlight fades from the sky. I shrug my cloak closer against the bite in the wind—and the gate swings open.
Major Pawlem looks much the way I remembered him: keen eyes wide set in his tan face, sandy hair pulled back in a short ponytail at the nape of his neck, average height made more impressive by the assurance with which he carries himself.
He strides a few paces from the doorway and stops there with an expression of disbelief I catch in the moment before my vision hazes again. "Gods above. What in the realms are you doing here?"
I note with relief that he hasn't brought any additional soldiers with him, at least not right out of the fort. Knowing Pawlem, he has at least a few waiting on his call just beyond the gate. His cleverness didn't only extend to card games like three-snap.
He's also been circumspect enough not to name me in front of his charges. Which means he isn't yet sure whether he should report my presence here or not.
I smile grimly. "I'm trying to avert a nation-wide disaster. And I was hoping we spent enough time together that you know I would be on the side of averting it rather than causing it."
He lets out a huff of a sigh and motions to the soldiers at the gate. They hang back while he ambles toward me, but their gazes stay glued to me, watching for any threatening movements.
Pawlem wears a sword of his own, his hand resting casually on his belt within easy reach of it. He comes to a stop about halfway between the fort and my position near the trees.
He doesn't want to open himself up to an easy ambush either. That's perfectly fair.
I walk to meet him, watching for any trickery on his end. No one else stirs around the fort. A raucous laugh filters faintly through one of the lantern-lit windows.
The soldiers are having a little ale with their dinner, from the sound of it.
I draw up a couple of paces from my former colleague: close enough that we can speak without his underlings overhearing, far enough that he'd have to lunge to stab me.
I pitch my voice low. "I'm sorry to come to you like this.
You're probably aware that my situation has become rather.
.. fraught. I won't take much of your time.
I've been cut off from my usual sources of information—I wanted to confirm that the royal family is still safe and find out whether there've been any additional attacks since the assault on the palace. "
Pawlem lets out a rough chuckle under his breath. "You have missed a lot. Is it really true, Stavros? You've given your loyalty to one of the riven?"
I manage to work a wry note into my next words.
"Strange as it might seem, it turns out there's more to them than their powers, just as there is with every other human being.
And this one happens to be the key to fulfilling my loyalties to the Crown, as hard as the king finds that to believe at the moment. "
"I'll say. By rights, I should arrest you. He's calling you a traitor."
I grimace. "He didn't give me much of a chance to explain myself. But I swear to you, Pawlem, on the souls of all the men and women we saw fall in battle, I'm serving him as well as I know how, whether he can understand my methods or not."
The major takes a few moments of silence. Even without twitching my head to clear my vision, I can feel him studying me.
He wasn’t one of the officers I worked most closely with, but he rode out under my command enough times for me to have felt this visit worth the gamble. There was a time when the man in front of me trusted my word implicitly.
He once helped lead our squadrons on a rambling hike through icy wind and drifts of snow because I said it was the best route to come at our opponents’ flank. On another occasion, he had his cavalry charge straight through what looked like a wall of fire after I assured him it was only illusion.
But now he isn’t sure he can even talk to me.
Pawlem swipes his hand across his mouth. His gaze darts from me across the nearby trees. “Is she here?”
I don’t need to ask who he means. “No. I came alone. For her safety.”
He sighs and shakes his head. “I never thought I’d see this day. There are patrols sweeping the countryside looking to hunt you down like a common criminal, you know. Have you gone as mad as the riven do, throwing everything you’ve worked for away for some woman?”
It takes all my self-control not to bristle.
“If you knew her, you’d realize she’s more than that.
And as I said, my decision has to do with what’s best for our entire country.
I can understand that’s hard to accept. You don’t have to believe it.
But what would it hurt to answer the questions I asked? ”