Chapter Three
THE SPY
Delah clasped a hand over her mouth in disgust, or surprise. Probably both. My lips lost the battle to the smirk fighting its way out. I hopped off my horse and pulled the rebel’s body off. Delah helped me lower the broken man onto a mat of hay.
“Would you grab something that would help him heal and stop the bleeding? Maybe something to help him regain consciousness?” I batted my eyes.
Delah rolled hers, then turned brusquely to retrieve whatever elixirs matched my request. I slumped back on my heels, wiping hair out of my face.
The earthy, wood chip smell of the stable was a stark contrast to the moldy copper scent from tonight’s extraction.
Torture was my least favorite part of this job. So messy.
I surveyed Dag. Guilt knotted my stomach, but I swallowed it down. What would make someone risk his own life and his family’s livelihood? Where did the hatred for our realm and its people stem from?
Delah returned with several vials. We maneuvered Dag’s body, sitting him more upright to keep him from aspirating all of the tonics.
I held his mouth open while Delah poured the liquid down his throat.
He sputtered, but involuntarily swallowed, a slight moan escaping his chapped lips.
I eased him back down, waiting for the tonic to take effect.
“What are you up to?” Delah crossed her arms, eyes narrowing on me.
“It might be best if you don’t know the full extent of it. I would ask that you keep this situation quiet, though.”
“Of course, Rue.” She gazed out the window, searching the shadows.
“Is everything okay?” I leaned toward her, picking up on a tension I’d been too preoccupied to notice before.
A smile that didn’t quite reach her hazel eyes formed. “I’ve been conscripted to become a Vestal Anchor.”
I choked on my own spit. “That’s great news!
I can’t believe you’ve been chosen.” I embraced her.
This was one less thing I’d have to worry about if my plan fell through.
Delah would always be provided for. No one had taken care of me when I had been young, and sometimes I wondered if my protection and duty to Delah stemmed from a desire to give her what I never had.
This turn of events would allow her to be honored as one of the revered Vestal Anchors. I couldn’t contain my grin.
“Yes,” she half laughed into my shoulder, her voice muffled by my hair. She pushed off me, regaining her balance. “It is great news. I don’t know why they chose me, but it’s an honor to serve the realm.”
I never interacted with them, only seeing the Supreme Vestal here and there among the castle grounds in his giant crimson cloak.
Vestals were specifically chosen through divine selection via the Good King’s magic.
Vestals used their powers to protect Haluma and serve the king.
There was no higher honor if you were chosen.
Vestals took vows of purity and silence and lived in luxury in their own wing of the castle.
Only King Nolan was more revered. I shook my head.
How providential for this news to fall on the very night I sought to change my own future.
A quick glance at Dag confirmed he hadn’t moved from his slumped position.
Shifting my focus back to Delah, her fisted hands and tight smile seemed out of alignment with her words.
Though they seemed genuine, her body betrayed an alternative sentiment.
“Why does it seem like this isn’t really good news for you? ”
She threw off my concern with a wave of her hand. “It’s been a long day and you dumped a rebel in our stable. We can celebrate later.”
I didn’t buy into her response, but Dag’s eyes fluttered and he took a deep breath, interrupting our conversation.
“I’ll see you inside.” Delah took one last look at Dag, then hurried away, leaving me with the awakening rebel.
He blinked several times, taking in his surroundings. Confusion etched his features until his gaze landed on me. He clumsily scooted backward, his shoulder slamming into the wall. I granted him his space, lifting my arms in a placating gesture.
“I’d like to make a deal.”
Dag paused his retreat, his attention fully upon me.
“I will return you to your family in exchange for information.”
He glared at me, his brain clearly ticking through my proposition. Crusted blood cracked along his tightened jaw.
His hand reached toward the wound on his neck. “I have no way of contacting anyone in the rebellion. And I have no cause to trust you.” He inhaled a ragged breath.
I prowled around him. “Ah, ah, ah! I know you can communicate with someone inside the rebellion. They wouldn’t send you here without an exit strategy.
” While blades and battles could achieve many things, cunning and manipulation were equally valid weapons.
I wondered if I could meet with their abhorrent general.
Perhaps we could make a deal regarding either Berine or Glint; I’d be pleased with either.
I didn’t know what motivated the rebels so strongly as to destroy Haluma. Power? Greed? No one had seen the general in years, but I had to try. “Get me an audience with the general, and I will release you.”
He winced, his hands now clutching his forehead, likely a residual effect of Wes pulling out his memory threads. His mind would be pitted with the loss, but Wes had removed relatively few. He’d be fine. Probably. “I’ll see what I can do,” he mumbled.
I arched a brow, waiting for him to continue.
“I have no way to reach out to them, but they’ll check in later tonight. They have an oracle who can mind-walk.”
I nodded, thinking. I maintained a mask of indifference.
The excitement that flared in my chest had me pacing to expel the energy.
I had no idea if the general would respond to my summons.
But this was the closest I’d come to enacting real change.
Perhaps I really could become a dreki, serve the king, rid our streets and alleyways of Glint, and turn the tide of this war. Gods, that sounded amazing.
“I can send the request. I can’t guarantee the outcome.”
“Tell them Ruin of the Scourge would like to barter. Then let’s hope you’re persuasive.” I stood, dusting dirt and hay pieces off my legs.
“Where are you going?” His eyes darted frantically around. Kaida entered the barn, her massive body blocking any hope for escape. Dag’s jaw fell open, his pale skin somehow losing even more color.
“I’m going to get some sleep. You should too. I’ll check on you in the morning. Oh, and don’t try to run, because there isn’t a tonic that will heal ice-burn.” I threw a saddle blanket toward my terrified captive, then surrounded him with a cage of ice.
My veins thrummed, antsy for news from Dag.
If I could secure a meeting with the general, it might be the key to securing my place as a dreki.
I didn’t trust the rebel leader. I detested everything he stood for.
But if we could strike a deal, it might be the extra leverage I’d need to negotiate new terms for my position in the military.
No one was coming to my aid. My future was up to me. If I couldn’t deliver, and they didn’t ask me to trade my humanity for the power of the dreki, then I risked becoming dispensable. Drained. I shuddered.
I threw a new pair of leathers on, secured my weapons, and plaited my hair. Three small braids below my left ear and two small braids below my right, then I gathered the whole thick, wavy mass and twisted them securely together.
Walking into the living area, I grabbed two apples from a bowl on the table.
Delah still slumbered in the room on the other side of our shared cabin as I quietly left, clicking the door shut behind me.
My sisterly protectiveness appreciated we could remain in our little home, a reprieve from the madness of the military and its politics.
Moonlight glazed the ground in shimmering patches, lighting a path toward the stable.
The rebel remained confined within the ice cage I’d constructed.
A snore rumbled out of his parted mouth when I entered.
Kaida wasn’t here, most likely having returned to some dark corner of the woods.
Wolvin were the things of nightmares, but she was my nightmare. I couldn’t get rid of her if I tried.
Kaida’s first appearance coincided with one of the worst days of my life.
Even now, pain twisted my heart when I thought of how I had returned from hunting with Dom.
But seeing her daily triggered my past less and less.
My entire life had been reduced to cinderblocks and ash.
The ground beneath me might as well have turned to lava and subsumed me.
Everything had changed in that moment. Losing my father wasn’t significant, but losing my mother was devastating.
But I lost more than just my parents, I lost my friend.
He promised he would find me, he would protect me.
Perhaps it was unfair for me to hold him to that.
My heart raged anyway, in the same old tune it always did when thoughts of him came up.
I rolled my shoulders and ignored the feeling.
With a flick of my fingers, the cage surrounding Dag dissolved into a puddle. Water soaked into his clothes, rousing him awake.
Startling to attention, he fixed his bleary eyes on me. I leaned against the wooden walls, lazily twirling my dagger. “Well?” I inquired. “Will you be returned to Yarit, or do I kill you now?”
His eyes widened. “The oracle mind-walked, just as I said. I got confirmation that the General will send someone to meet with you. It’s the best I could do.” He stared at his hands, twisting the ring on his finger.
It wasn’t what I’d asked for, but it was better than nothing. “Fine.”
“Fine?” Hope glimmered behind his trepidation.