Rex aimed a rueful look at me. “I was, at first. But remember, I was listening to you two for a while, before I stepped in.”
It took most of the night to reach the western corner of the isle. As we approached, I spotted multiple campfires, small enough that they wouldn’t draw attention. Out here I detected only the wet silt scent of the river and the crushed pine aroma from the bed of needles where the Uroch camped, along with smoky wood. Szarok led us through his soldiers with complete confidence, and though they stared, none of them moved toward us. Fear quaked through me; I’d never been so close to my enemies with no defensive measures in place. Memories of my flight through the horde threatened to drown me.
“You see,” he said when we reached his fire, tended by a young Uroch. “They fear you, for you have killed so many of their mothers and fathers, but they will not harm you. We want the same thing.”
“A better world,” Rex said.
I was flummoxed by the idea that these powerful creatures feared me. Was I the terrible story that Uroch mothers told to their brats in order to persuade them to behave? I sank to my knees, unnerved by the way the world had spun tonight.
I don’t want to be the monster that haunts a child’s sleep. A small voice added, And neither do they.
Szarok nodded. “Do you wish to converse with them? A few speak your tongue as I do.”
Freezing, I had an awful thought. “My man was taken a while back, treated like an animal, and he suffered greatly. Did you learn our language from human captives?”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “A number of the old ones saw humanity as a useful food source. We argued, but when only a small minority supports your view, you cannot always stop awful things from happening.”
That, I understood too well. With a pang of regret, I recalled the blind brat Fade and I had let the Hunters kill down below. “You didn’t answer my question, though.”
Sidestepped it, at best.
“They weren’t captives when they taught us,” Szarok said.
“You freed some human hostages?” Rex sounded surprised.
“One night on the plains, there was a disturbance,” the Uroch explained. “We saved as many as we could when the old ones gave chase. But your people were weak. They required care before they could return to their homes. As we looked after them, they taught us your tongue.”
My mouth hung open. “I … I’m pretty sure you’re talking about the night I saved Fade.”
I’d finally startled Szarok. From his wide-eyed reaction, he hadn’t known I’d crept into the horde and opened the slave pens. “How extraordinary. It seems as if our paths have been converging for some time.”
I agreed. And until dawn broke, I talked with the Uroch warriors. Szarok had shown them the Otterburn girl who saved his father’s life, and unlike their parents, the young Uroch could choose another course. Hatred was not emblazoned in their bones.
“I want to learn to plant things,” one young Uroch whispered to me. “To put seeds in the ground and make the greenings grow.”
“So do I,” I admitted.
That was the skill I coveted most. Last summer, I had envied the planters who knew what to do with the earth, how to treat the plants, and make them strong. I wanted to grow food people could eat and flowers they would admire. It was one secret I’d never admitted aloud because it was so silly for a Huntress, yet I told this Uroch with eyes clever as a cat’s.
Rex moved amid the camp too, his hostility fading. I recognized the moment when he accepted that these weren’t monsters, but another people. With the proper support, he and I could pave the way to peace. My spirit lightened when I imagined an end to the war that might not result in complete annihilation on our side.
“Do you accept the alliance?” Szarok asked as dawn broke.
Though I trusted my instincts, I couldn’t be sure this wasn’t a trick … and I still had to persuade my men to work with their former enemies. Exhaustion flared in a headache, tightening my temples. I don’t want to make such a big decision. But there was nobody else.
“It will take some convincing,” I said, “but I’ll bring the men around. Your warriors will need to wear armbands or something, so there’s no confusion when we attack.”
And if you betray me, I’ll die trying to make you sorry. Yet I was willing to gamble everything on the promise of a lasting peace. If I was wrong about Szarok, that’d be a sad thing for someone to carve on my grave marker.
Here lies Deuce Oaks. She was gullible, but she tried.
“I’ll find a way to distinguish us from the old ones.” He offered his hand and I shook it.
This time, no images or memories came with the contact, so he must control that ability; the Uroch were fascinating when they weren’t trying to kill you. He released me with a tip of his head, and I had seen enough of the way they interacted with one another to take that as a sign of respect. Since I came up from down below, I had gotten skilled at recognizing other people’s customs, mostly because I learned them anew, everywhere I went.
“You mentioned other allies,” I said.
Between his five hundred and my two, it was hard to fathom the battle ending well against two thousand feral Freaks. And they squatted on the banks of the big river, poised to destroy the last bastion of peace in the territories. Rosemere.
They come no farther. It ends here.
Szarok nodded. “I’ve made contact with the small folk. They live in the caves and tunnels and they, too, have suffered from the endless fighting.”
“The small folk?” Rex asked.
I thought of Jengu and his kind, then I described them to the Uroch leader, who said, “Then you know of them. They call themselves the Gulgur.”
“How many are there?” I asked.
“Willing to fight? A hundred or so. They’re few but cunning, masters of remaining unseen. They’ll slip in while the old ones sleep and poison their meat.”
“Can you be ready two days from now?” That would give me time to make arrangements and persuade the men.
Szarok nodded. “I’ll coordinate with the Gulgur and ensure they carry out their role.”
“My men will attack from the east. You strike from the west. And let’s hope it’s enough.”
If the horde was weak and sick from the tainted meat, eight hundred of us might be able to defeat them, though we would take heavy casualties. I shared a glance with Rex, who said, “It’s time to tell the others. We can win.”
Resistance
The village was in an uproar when Rex and I returned. I was reeling with fatigue after so long without sleep, so my head was fuzzy as to why. For obvious reasons, we left Szarok in the Uroch camp, and as we strode into the village, I saw that Company D was already assembled and listening to orders shouted alternately by Tully, Spence, and Fade. Thornton had our smith checking all the weapons; it was like they’d decided to go to war overnight.
“What’s going on?” I called.
At hearing my voice, Fade spun and covered the ground between us in three strides. He crushed me against him, shaking. For a few seconds, I couldn’t breathe … and I was confused about his reaction. Then I knew. Before he spoke, I knew.
“I thought they took you, somehow.”
Like they did you.
With everything that had happened, I hadn’t considered how worried he must be. I go out for a walk and I don’t come back? Stupid. You should’ve sent Rex with word. Shock from the night’s events had driven all other considerations out of my head … but I couldn’t get enough breath to speak, let alone apologize.
“I realize you’re glad to see her,” Rex said, “but you’re crushing my sister’s ribs.”
I didn’t fight to make Fade let go, though; instead I hugged him back as tight as I could. The rest of Company D, currently watching, could wait. It took a while for him to calm down enough to release me, and when he stepped back, his dark gaze glittered with fury. I could expect a proper quarrel later. Since I wasn’t injured, his eyes said, and clearly I hadn’t been taken, there was no excuse for putting him through that much grief.
And he didn’t have Stalker to help him figure out the way I went, either. He must’ve felt so helpless.
Personal matters had to wait, however. “There’s been a most unexpected development,” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “If you’ll come with me, I’ll explain everything.”
Since we were standing in the middle of the market, I thought it best not to talk about the Uroch camped on the western part right then. The villagers might panic, and that was the last thing we needed, two days before engaging the horde. Company D was well trained, luckily, so they fell in and followed me past the docks, along the coastline to the east. I marched until it was safe to talk. The only fishermen I saw were out on the river, not working from shore.
“I’d sure like to know why I gave up a night’s sleep searching for you,” Thornton said. “When you’re clearly fine.”
Taking a deep breath, I answered, “I’m glad you asked. You may not like what you hear, but don’t say a word before I’m done. There will be a chance to talk afterward. Not during.” I scanned all the men’s faces and added, “That’s an order.”
Rex put a hand on my shoulder in moral support. Then I explained where I’d been all night—and with whom. Shock and rage governed most faces, although Tegan and Morrow looked intrigued rather than angry. That was about what I expected. When I wrapped up the story, Company D exploded with outrage, protests, and disbelief. I didn’t address their collective fury until it started to die down. Once they realized I wasn’t arguing with them, the men paused and glanced among themselves, as if wondering at my tactics.
Since it was our only chance against the horde, I didn’t much care what they thought of the idea. “I don’t expect you to like them … or even trust them. But your goal hasn’t changed. You’re still tasked with defeating the horde. The only thing I ask is that you don’t harm the Uroch. They’ll be fighting alongside us … and if you reckon they can’t think, feel, and hurt … well, you’d be wrong. They’re people. Not like us, true, but they’re not monsters. The fact that they’re willing to fight their own to save us proves it.”
“We don’t get a say?” one soldier shouted from the back.
“You can walk,” I said. “But then you have to live with knowing you were too much of a coward to complete your mission. It’s your choice. I won’t make anyone fight, but I’ll be awfully proud of those who do.”
My brother stepped forward. “Last night, I almost stabbed my sister rather than listen to reason. I hope you won’t make the same mistake. I was there with her. I talked with them too. They may not look like us, but they’re not violent, unthinking beasts.”
“My men will stand,” Tully said, fixing a hard look on the crowd.
A rumble of assent greeted her words. Fade was ominously silent, but I thought that was because he was angry with me for scaring him. He might also have a deep objection to cooperating with the Uroch; I just hoped I could make him understand that the young ones weren’t the same as their parents, just as he and I weren’t like the elders in the enclave. It was crazy that I had become an advocate for the monsters.
“Tully doesn’t go to war without me,” Spence said. “And I’ll make sure my boys are ready to bring the pain.”
Morrow added, “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
Thornton spoke up then. “Company D may not like your orders, but we follow them. When does the assault commence?”
Relief surged through me. At least I hadn’t lost my officers. “I need everyone assembled here, three hours before dawn, two days from now. Before then, I’ll speak with the boatmen about ferrying us across. We can’t strike if we’re all exhausted and waterlogged from the swim.”
“Good call,” Tegan said.
“The Uroch will be wearing something—I’m not sure what—to help us tell them from the elders. It may be hard to track in battle, but a good rule of thumb is, if they’re fighting other Muties, they’re on our side, so leave ’em alone.”
That sparked nervous, uncertain laughter from the men. I imagined it was hard for them to accept this idea. Fortunately, they would have almost two days to digest the new reality. If some of them left the unit or refused to fight, so be it.
I went on, “One last thing. Not a word to the villagers. There’s no need for them to worry. All the fighting will happen across the river, and they might panic. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” the men answered as one.
“Dismissed. I’ll see you day after tomorrow, three hours before dawn.”
As the men went about their business, some discussing the incredible idea of the Uroch helping us, others saying they’d rather kill Muties than fight alongside them, Morrow pushed through the men, looking troubled. I thought I understood what was bothering him, but I let him start the conversation.
He paced as most of Company D headed back toward town. “This is my home. I don’t know if I can let this go without telling my father. He’s the governor, responsible for people’s safety. He needs to know about the army on the other side of the island.”
“Can he handle the information?” I asked. “If the Uroch meant to hurt Rosemere, they’d have attacked last night. Szarok wouldn’t have crept into town quietly, looking for me, so we could build an accord.”
“That’s probably true, but silence feels like betrayal.”
I nodded. “Follow your conscience, then. But if the situation blows up, your father informs the town council, they panic and a mob of villagers descends on the Uroch, it’ll be a bloodbath. You know that.”
Tegan stepped up and put a comforting hand on his arm. “Maybe we could meet them? I must confess I’m curious—and it might set James’s mind at ease to verify that these Muties—I mean Uroch—are everything you claim.”
Morrow gazed at her as though she were the answer to every dream he’d ever known. “That way, I can be sure they’re not moving against Rosemere. Would Szarok agree to that?”
“I’m sure he would.” Glancing around, I found Rex nearby. “Would you mind guiding Tegan and Morrow to the camp?”
My brother smiled. “Not at all. I’m glad to finally feel useful. I’m the worst in the company with any weapon, apart from a skinning knife.”
Tully and Spence had been listening to the conversation and at that point, she said, “We’d like to go with them. I have some questions for our new allies. Not that I don’t trust you, Deuce, but if I’m ordering my men to fight alongside them, I want to satisfy myself on some issues.”
“Just do me the kindness of being polite?” I requested.
They all nodded, like that was a given. A small party, made up of Tegan, Morrow, Tully, Spence, and Rex, shouldn’t alarm the Uroch. So I gave the expedition my blessing with one condition. “I’d prefer that you return by midnight before the attack. My officers can’t be wandering the shoreline when they’re supposed to be here.”
“Done,” Tully agreed.
They moved off, leaving me alone with Fade, who had been seething at my side for the last fifteen minutes. His silence was like a sunburn. The rest of the men were halfway back to Rosemere, but I thought it best to let him yell at me in private … if he ever spoke to me again.
I swallowed hard to get my apology past the lump in my throat. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
His reply, when it came, was a low snarl. “Do you have any idea what last night was like for me? What I imagined they were doing to you? We thought the horde had you. Company D was ready to go to war, even though we had no chance of winning. They were all ready to die for you, and if you had been half an hour later, we’d have been across the river.”
My heart dropped all the way to my toes. In disbelief, I said, “Even if I had been taken, none of you should react that way. I’m one person. I’m not irreplaceable.”
Fade grabbed my shoulders, as if he couldn’t help himself. His fingers bit down, not quite enough to hurt, but I felt the ferocity coursing through him, his pulse hammering in his wrists. “You are. How can you not know that?”
I started to answer, but his mouth took mine, and his kiss was hard and hungry, angry and voracious, until my mouth felt swollen and tender, but I held on to him, sparked by the need he had always hidden. Fade tried to be gentle with me but that wasn’t the whole of him. He was furious and starved, desperate, and I felt it too, until we were both trembling. His breath mingled with mine when he eased his head back.
Against my lips, he whispered, “Sometimes I could almost hate you because you don’t understand how much you mean to me, how dark and empty I was before. Solnyshko moyo.”
I didn’t think I’d ever heard those words, but I was wobbly from exhaustion as well as his anger. “What does that mean?”
“It’s in my father’s tongue. I can’t remember more, but he used to say that to my mother. Solnyshko moyo. It means ‘my sun.’” Fade leaned his brow against mine, closing his eyes. “Each time Stalker called you ‘dove,’ I wanted to hit him. Because you’re not a little gray bird … you’re all the light in the world.”
“So are you,” I said, flattening my hands on his chest. He jerked at the contact, but not in a bad way. His breath hissed through his teeth, and he opened his eyes to gaze at me with desire blazing like a signal fire. “And I do understand. You’re all that’s kept me going when it seemed like this was hopeless. It’s also why I did whatever was necessary to bring you back. You’re my beating heart, and without you, I cannot live.”
“Now? You say that to me now?” Fade seemed peculiarly indignant as he gestured at the empty, rocky coastline. “Here? When we’ve both been up all night, Stone and Thimble are waiting for us at the cottage, and there’s not a bed in sight.”
Ah. Heat washed my cheeks when I understood what he meant. “There’s a mossy bank.”
He sighed at me and pulled me closer, gentle this time. “Let’s get some rest and tomorrow, we’ll talk to the boatmen.”
“I was afraid you wouldn’t—”
“If you swear they’re different from the rest, I believe you. I can’t pretend I’m happy about it, but if the alternative is having our settlements destroyed, then … I can handle it.”
Fade ought to rant at me some more because I deserve it. I hadn’t meant to frighten him—and the consequences could’ve been so grave. I shuddered as I envisioned my soldiers dead on the wrong side of the river, all because I hadn’t thought to send word that I was safe.
“I’m sorry,” I said again, as we strolled toward the village, too tired for a faster pace.
“I’m still angry, but I’ll think of a way for you to make it up to me.”
I angled a teasing grin at him. “I’ll let you beat me the next time we spar.”
“Not what I had in mind,” Fade muttered.
Back in town, I made up a ridiculous story about walking along the coast and getting lost. By their dubious expressions, Stone and Thimble suspected I was lying—and I didn’t know whether to be pleased that they thought better of my abilities—or dismayed that my deception disappointed them. Still, they put aside their qualms and invited us back to their home, where they fed Fade and me. Talk was scant and stilted while my former brat-mates held whole conversations with their eyes.
Finally, Thimble said, “You’re exhausted. Don’t mind us. Get some rest.”
With her blessing, we crawled up into the loft without delay. Downstairs, Stone set to household chores and played with Robin while Thimble went to her workshop. Fade pulled me close and settled me against his chest. For a few seconds, I listened to his heart.
“When did you know?” I wondered sleepily.
“What?”
“How you felt about me.”