Chapter 27 Kiera
Kiera
My grip trembled around my sword hilt as I tried to burrow into the tree I leaned against.
I counted eight of them. They were still unsaddling their horses and stoking their fire as if they’d just stopped patrolling.
Why weren’t they using the trail?
Either they were hiding . . . or they were searching for someone.
Ruru? He’d said the border patrol he’d escaped had stopped looking for him, but what if they hadn’t?
I needed to get closer.
Dropping to a crouch, I inched forward, breathing in the moss and pine needles that coated the forest floor. They muffled my slow footsteps.
Each soldier carried a huge sword and a bow with a case of arrows. They looked dirty, with rough skin and hair. One had a mashed nose ringed with fading bruises.
The one Ruru’s horse had kicked?
My fingers twitched toward my knives. I could throw one, just one, and sneak away in the chaos. He deserved it after what he’d done to Ruru. What he might’ve done.
But then they’d know an armed enemy stalked them in the woods.
Gritting my teeth, I watched as they took turns pissing against trees while another skinned a rabbit and strung it to a spit.
They weren’t worried about others seeing them. They probably assumed there was no one out here who would dare ambush them.
We could. We just don’t have the time, I silently promised them.
I eased backward, pushing down on my sword hilt to keep the sheathed tip from colliding with anything.
But then my boot landed on a twig. Crack.
I froze.
Gods damn it. Maybe it was quiet enough. Maybe they won’t see me. Hold still. Blend with the shadows. Don’t move. Don’t breathe.
“See anything, Mormont?”
Shit.
I sank closer to the ground, ducking my face under my hood.
Footsteps crashed through the brush, wandering left and right. Searching.
My heart hammered. Running was the wrong thing to do. They’d hear me immediately, spot me a moment later. Then I’d learn how good their aim was with a bow. I’d be no better than the rabbit that was now serving as their dinner.
But the impulse still flooded my veins.
Someone sighed loudly, only a few feet from where I was curled against some rocks.
“I don’t see anything,” Mormont called back. “And I’m fucking starving,” he muttered under his breath. “Waste of fucking time . . .”
His footsteps slowly receded, back to camp.
I shuddered, slowly sipping cool air. I waited long enough that I could smell their meat cooking. Then I slithered back. And back. Once I could no longer see the light of their fire, I rose to my feet and hurried as fast as I dared.
East. East. Up the hill a bit. A horse snorted, and I nearly whimpered with relief.
Aiden darted out the moment he saw me. “What happened?” He grabbed my arms. “You’re shaking. What did you see?”
“Border patrol. West. Eight of them.”
Aiden swore and released me. “Tell the others. I’ll ready the horses.”
We were packed and mounted within minutes. Ozlow wasn’t thrilled at being ridden again so soon, his extra grunts and huffs voicing his displeasure.
I rubbed his damp coat and whispered promises of carrots and apples. The Four only knew when I’d be able to make good on them.
I twisted in my saddle, keeping a steady watch on the western woods. I kept waiting for a shout, a blaze of torches, the thunder of hooves, but none came. They must’ve been as desperate for a fire and a hot meal as we were.
But they didn’t mind the risk.
We rode for hours. It was nearly dawn by the time we stopped again. Peach and lavender light filtered through the misty trees, making them look less threatening.
Jek angled us off the trail to the east and found a clearing to stop in.
“We’re an arrow-shot from Rellmira,” he said, his red-rimmed eyes still darting around us. “Another day’s ride to Calimber. There will be more patrols. We’ll have to keep moving to avoid them. But for now, rest, water, sleep a wink.”
Everyone nodded, too weary to speak.
I gave Ozlow a rubdown and some water before turning him toward a few clumps of spiky grass for grazing. I’d hardly slumped against a tree and closed my eyes before Yarina shook me awake.
“Up you get, princess,” she said gruffly.
I didn’t bother correcting her anymore. It didn’t sound like so much of an insult lately.
As I saddled Ozlow, I noticed Aiden was missing, yet Wicked was still here.
“Where’s Aiden?” I asked Nikella, who had already saddled her gray horse and sat atop him, holding tight to her staff—her steel spear safely inside.
“He’s scouting the gap,” she said without looking at me, her gaze to the south.
“The Rellmirans built a stone wall along the border from the cliffs to the trail, and a bit farther west. The stone wall is too high for a horse to jump, and the trail leads to the only gap in the wall. Aiden is checking for patrols.”
I swung on top of Ozlow. “Perhaps the patrol we evaded last night was in charge of the gap, but they decided to wander into Dag territory.”
Nikella didn’t answer.
We waited a few more moments before Aiden strode back with a grim look on his face.
“Six guards,” he said. “Not very alert, but well-armed.”
Maz swore.
“We could leave the horses and climb the wall farther down,” Yarina suggested.
“Someone would have to stay behind, then we’d be short a warrior and our horses,” Jek said.
Sigrid shrugged, her fur cape ruffling in the breeze. “Leave the boy behind. Our horses will be easily spotted on the plains near Calimber, anyway.”
Ruru sat up straighter on his horse, his hair sticking out in all directions. He opened his mouth, most likely to protest, but Aiden cut him off.
“No one’s staying behind. We may need the horses for a fast escape. We’ll just have to cut back west, hugging the wall until it ends near the Winspere estates.”
“What if we run into the patrol from last night?” I asked.
Aiden’s green gaze flicked to me. “That’s a risk we’ll have to take. I’d rather face a possible danger than a certain one.”
“Agreed,” Nikella said. “But—”
An arrow slammed into the tree next to her. Her horse jerked sideways, stumbling into Ozlow.
Jek roared something I didn’t hear. I was too focused on the lone horseman wearing the Rellmiran colors nocking another arrow into his bow.
He aimed for Jek this time.
“Down, Jek!” Nikella shouted.
He flattened himself on his horse’s back just as the arrow shot through the space his body had been.
Gasping, I unsheathed my sword, exhaustion and adrenaline at war in my veins.
But then the rider tumbled from his horse, an arrow sticking out of his chest.
I glanced around wildly. Sigrid slowly lowered her empty bow, her expression cold.
Everyone else exhaled in relief.
But then the rider staggered to his feet and screamed, “ENEMIES TO THE NORTH!”
“Shit,” Ruru muttered, grasping his sword like I was.
Aiden leaped on top of Wicked. “Charge them,” he said in a hard voice.
My stomach bottomed out, but I rode after him as he led us to the gap.
The rider must’ve been a scout, or the rest of his patrol would’ve followed him.
When we galloped up to the gap, the other soldiers were scrambling for their horses and weapons.
I tried to remember Nikella’s training, everything a blur as we came close enough to see their faces.
One soldier rode toward Aiden, swinging a sword. Aiden clashed with him and knocked him off his horse. But another rode out, his teeth bared in a snarl. He roared toward me.
My body instinctively curved away from his sword strike, and I stabbed at his torso. He wheeled his horse away. Jek crashed into him, and the two tumbled.
More horsemen stampeded the gap. Yarina, Sigrid, and Nikella surged forward to meet them.
Ozlow pranced and tossed his head, likely feeling the fear coursing through my body. I twisted in my saddle, looking for Ruru. I didn’t see him in the chaos.
An arrow whirred past the tip of my nose.
An archer stood farther back, on the Rellmiran side of the gap, shooting at us. Clearly not caring if he hit his own men.
I kicked Ozlow’s sides and raced for him. I held my sword steady as Nikella taught me.
The archer loaded another arrow, his helmet shining like a beacon. He paled as I galloped toward him. Fervent desperation twisted his face in a way that wrenched my heart.
But he was trying to murder my people.
He settled the arrow and swung it toward me. Time seemed to slow. Ozlow’s hoofbeats matched my heart.
Breath. Sweat. Wind. Tears.
How would death feel?
He let go of the bow string.
No pain. Ozlow didn’t falter.
I swung wildly and missed. I whipped Ozlow around, keeping my seat. I felt a burst of pride a moment before the archer grasped my ankle and yanked me from my saddle.
I collapsed on the ground with a strangled cry. My sword flew out of my hand.
“Stupid bitch!” the archer snarled, seizing my braid and jerking me upright. He reached for a knife in his belt.
I grabbed two of mine. Jabbed one in his arm, the other in his neck.
Warm blood sprayed over my hand and face. He released me with a gargle, his eyes wide, and fell back.
I stood over him, gasping, heaving.
Holy Four, this was worse than killing a Shadow-Wolf. The mask hid so much. But now, I watched the imminence of his death sink into his expression. His hatred. His fear. Fleeting moments until his eyes rolled up into his skull.
I staggered backward, bile rising in my throat.
Someone shouted my name. Aiden. I stumbled toward the gap, just as he rushed through on foot, his expression wild. Blood coated his sword.
He grabbed my shoulder roughly. “Are you hurt?”
I shook my head. “The others?”
“Alive, give or take a few scratches and bruises. These soldiers were more like street brawlers than Wolves.” He looked over my shoulder at the dead archer. He gently pushed me through the gap. “Go. I’ll grab Ozlow. We need to be prepared if another patrol happens by.”
My feet felt too heavy as I walked through the mud to join the others. Yarina and Sigrid gathered weapons while Maz and Ruru chased down the horses. Nikella and Jek dragged the bodies into the woods.
Nikella spotted me first. Her eyes widened, and she hurried forward.
“Injuries?” she asked tersely.
I shook my head again.
“Then clean those and sheathe them,” she said, nodding to the knives still clutched in my hands, as if the blood had sealed them there.
I nodded, feeling like a puppet, unable to speak. I dragged my sleeve over my face, trying to clean off some of the blood. Then I wiped my knives on my damp boots. Good enough for now. I slid them back into my brace.
Gods, that archer was just the first. There would be more before this new war was over.
Ruru gave me a swift hug, easing some of the tension from my shoulders. Maz patted me on the back, and Yarina gave me an approving nod.
Aiden returned with Ozlow, who was munching on some grass he’d found.
“What do you want to do with the horses?” Ruru asked him, holding the soldiers’ horses by the reins.
“Remove their gear and turn them loose,” Aiden said. “They’ll be happy in this field.”
“We should take their uniforms,” Maz said, watching Jek drag the archer’s body through the gap. I turned away.
Aiden nodded. “They could be useful if our Wolf disguises aren’t enough. Let’s gather them up, along with some armor, and use one of their horses to carry it.”
He seemed so calm, so in control.
I wanted to cry and sleep for two days.
Perhaps becoming a warrior would get easier. But not today.
We cleaned up our mess and rode out within the hour. The soldiers’ morning cook fire was still smoldering when we left.
The terrain immediately opened up into the wide, open plains Winspere was known for. It felt strange to be a speck in so much space after crawling through the forest for days.
I felt exposed. But so were any threats that hunted us. I tried to take comfort in that.
We rode south, the milky sun arcing overhead. We halted at a small stream shrouded on both sides with scraggly bushes and short pines.
“This is the last bit of cover before we reach Calimber,” Aiden said. “We’ll rest here until dark, then scout the mine by foot.”
I tumbled off Ozlow, my body more sore than usual. The moment I’d unclasped his bridle and saddle, Ozlow raced for the water. I followed him, stripping off my cloak and weapons.
Kneeling in the spiky grass, I plunged my hands into the cold water and scrubbed them clean of blood. Then I splashed some on my face, drinking a bit as I did.
My mind still felt every bit as bloody, but I couldn’t fix that.
The others washed and drank as well. I kept to myself, curling into a ball under a tree and falling asleep in moments.
My weariness must’ve been too deep for dreams, because all I found was darkness.
Then Aiden was squeezing my shoulder. “Kiera. We’re back.”
I sat up groggily. Night had fallen. The stream bubbled cheerfully next to me.
“Back?” I croaked. Gods, how long had I slept?
“Jek and I scouted Calimber.”
Something in his voice blew away the fog clouding my mind.
“And?” I asked. “Is it bad?”
“It’s not good. It’s as your sister’s lover said—there’s a whole army encampment surrounding the mine entrance. Guards on horseback run a perimeter around the camp. I assume the town, which lies even further south, is also overrun.”
I bit my lip. “So, how are you going to get in?”
“We need a distraction.”