It would have been a ridiculous story, of course, if Leti hadn’t already seen Alex’s and Abraham’s supernatural powers. As it was, guilt flooded through Winter as she saw the girl’s expression change, her horror hardening into a sense of renewed purpose. It’s true, she told herself. We are trying to stop them, even if I haven’t filled in all the details. But she still felt like she was abusing Leti’s trust.
They slogged through the next day, following the bank of the river, where the forest was a little thinner. This land had clearly never been cultivated, which made Winter wonder just how far from civilization they were. She’d been in Murnsk long enough, though, to know the line between humanity and the wild could be abrupt, and she hoped and prayed they’d run into it sooner rather than later.
That night Winter directed the group to a rocky outcropping, where they could put their backs against something solid. Instead of lone sentries, they kept watch in shifts, staring at a perimeter of makeshift torches for signs of movement. They saw points of glowing red, now and then, well off in the dark beyond pistol range. The Beast was there, watching.
“It’s not strong enough to rush us,” Alex said quietly. “So it’s trying to wear us out, slow us down. It must have more bodies closing in.”
Winter nodded. Inwardly, she wanted to scream, to rush out and tear the things to shreds. Only it wouldn’t help. How can you fight something like this? It was too big a task, like trying to dig up a country with her bare hands. No matter how many bodies they killed, the Beast would only send more, a never-?ending flood spreading out across the world.
They struggled on through the next day, and the next, setting the pace as fast as Winter dared. Every moment they were stopped, she felt the jaws closing around her, the hidden tide of red-?eyed monsters getting closer. Leti had circulated her description of what the Beast could do, and as a result none of the Haeta complained when she asked them to walk longer or push harder. A few of the younger girls collapsed, and the others carried them. Abraham was practically a ghost at the end of every day, white-?faced and trembling, and Alex stuck close to his side, looking worried.
But no matter how far or how fast they went, the red lights were waiting for them in the darkness.
This can’t go on. It was a killing pace. One more day, she told herself. One more day. If we don’t reach some kind of civilization, we’ll have to risk a longer halt, recover some strength. Even the Beast’s bodies couldn’t run forever. They still tired, still wore out, even if they could ignore pain. One more day.
Then, on the fourth day, one of the scouts came back to report a curl of dark woodsmoke rising against the cloudy sky.
*
“They have ships,” Alex said.
“Boats,” Winter said, although she had to admit she wasn’t entirely sure of the difference.
Whatever they were, there were two of them tied up to a stone pier, bobbing in the fast current of the Bataria. They had one mast each, and locks for several sets of oars. Winter thought they looked like something between a ship’s longboat and a proper sailing vessel.
They were looking at a small fortress, presumably one of the Murnskai army garrisons Alex had mentioned. It had an outer palisade of logs strapped together, with a wooden wall walk and a pair of gates. Inside was one large stone building, grim and official-?looking, surrounded by a scatter of makeshift wooden shacks and lean-?tos. In addition to the smoke rising from the chimney of the central structure, several smaller fires contributed thin strings of gray.
The hillside they stood on was some distance away, and overgrown enough that Winter was reasonably certain they wouldn’t be spotted. Around the fortress, though, the forest had been cut back, leaving a clear field of fire.
Leti squinted, shading her eyes. “I see men on the walls.”
“Are they in uniform?” Winter said.
“I think so. White uniforms.”
“Murnskai army, then.” Winter had half expected the fortress to be held by bandits, but apparently the garrison was still in residence. “When you were fighting the heretics, did you work with them?”
Leti shook her head. Vess, crouching beside her, looked sour and said, “The priests told us we were serving in the same cause but that the southerners were too blind to see it. We stayed apart from them where we could and killed them when we had to.”
“They don’t seem to be expecting trouble,” said Alex. “There’s only a few men on the wall.”
Winter made a quick count of the buildings she could see and the number of fires, and frowned. “There could be at least a hundred of them in there, though.”
“Wait for nightfall,” Vess declared. “We can go over that wall easily in the dark, kill the guards before they can cry out.”
“Then what?” Winter said. “Slaughter them all in their beds?”
Vess nodded. “Now that the heretics are gone, there is no reason for us to consider them allies. We have often fought the white-?coats.”
“We don’t necessarily need to kill all of them,” Alex said. “Just steal their ships. If we can get over the wall, we can just go to the pier and help ourselves.”
“Getting our supplies over the wall would be difficult,” Vess said.
“Capture a gate, then,” Alex said.
“Too dangerous.” Vess set her jaw. “If they are alerted, we will be too few to fight them.”
Leti was looking at Winter. Live up to her standards, Winter thought.
“We should try to talk to them,” she said. “I don’t want to massacre anyone, if we can help it. And they need to be warned about the red-?eyes.”
“They won’t listen,” Vess said. “And once they know we’re here, they’ll be on guard. We’ll lose our chance.”
But Leti was nodding. “Even if we take them by surprise, attacking is risky. If one guard shouts, we could all be killed. I think it’s worth trying to talk.”
Vess looked from her sister to Winter. Her expression said, Of course you do.
Winter cleared her throat. “Besides, do you know how to sail a ship like that?” The two Haeta shook their heads. “I certainly don’t. If we can convince them to evacuate before the red-?eyes get here, they might be willing to help.”
“We can manage the ships,” Vess said stubbornly. “Logs float downstream. I’m sure we’ll be able to.”
“With the river running so fast, I wouldn’t bet on it,” Alex said. “Logs don’t mind being flipped over.”
“We’ll talk,” Leti said decisively. “I will go.” She looked at Winter almost shyly. “Will you accompany me?”
“Of course,” Winter said. “Bring a few more warriors. Not too many. We don’t want to scare anyone. But just in case.”
“I’ll come,” Alex said, but Winter shook her head.
“Stay with the camp,” she said. “If the red-?eyes see we’ve split up and decide now is the time for another try, you’re the best chance of stopping them.”
“I will—” Vess said, but Leti interrupted her in her own language. An argument ensued, but after a few moments Vess sighed, got to her feet, and stomped back in the direction of the camp.
“What did you tell her?” Winter asked.
“That she should stay behind,” Leti said. “If something goes wrong, she will have to lead the others.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”