I do know most of the beings around us better than Thorn does—they’re people I went to the academy with, people I’ve worked alongside in our various minor missions over the past few weeks.
The first three choices are obvious… Well, mostly. “Peri, Hail—and Mirage, do you think you can stick to the shadows, no tricks?”
Mirage chuckles with a flick of his furry ears. “I might be as tricksy as a fox, but for this assignment I can be as quiet as a mouse.”
I turn to the rest of our bunch. Thorn is obviously coming, and I don’t need to worry about his sense of discipline. If anything, he’ll be muttering about mine.
We’ll want plenty of ears in plenty of places to make sure we overhear the most important conversations. Who’s been loyal and reliable?
It has to be full shadowkind—the shadowbloods, skilled as they are, can’t merge into the shadows. Neither can Jonah.
I pick out Peri’s friends, the unassuming shadowkind who nonetheless have stepped up and aren’t likely to get any ideasabout going rogue. “Fen and Brine.” The centaur shifter whose attitude gets my hackles up but who I can admit has pitched in well under pressure. “Sorrel.” The two school administrators who’ve joined us. “Gnash and Shanty, if you don’t have other things you need to take care of.”
I’m not sure I could ever get used to the beings who once debated banishing me dipping their heads respectfully. Gnash adds his gruff agreement in words. “I can’t think of anything more important than finding out what the humans are scheming.”
“My colleagues can join us as well,” Thorn puts in. “Or—perhaps just Omen and Snap, not Ruse.” He fixes the incubus standing next to Sorsha with a pointed look. “He is somewhat distractable.”
Ruse raises his hands, his mouth curving into a wry grin. “Hey, I can stay focused when the situation calls for it! But I’ll probably be more useful for cajoling the humansoutof whatever plans they’re making if we see the need.”
I blink at him. “Can you convince the whole army to stop antagonizing us?”
The incubus’s grin falters. “Well, that might be a bit much, even for me. And I’ll admit I can’t do anything at all when they’re wearing the damned badges.”
Sorsha pats his arm. “I’m sure we’ll find plenty of other ways to put you to work.”
Rollick motions toward the patches of darkness along the edges of the room, where more shadowkind are watching. “Crag, Torrent, why don’t you go along too? That seems like plenty. Too many accounts and we’ll have trouble picking them apart.”
I’m not sure I agree with that idea, but the urge to get going is winding through my limbs. “All right. Let’s move out.”
That sounds like the sort of thing the colonel would say, doesn’t it? Am I becoming a sort-of colonel to the shadowkind here?
I wouldn’t mind that as long as I can be the non-asshole type. Hueber isn’t anyone I want as a role model.
My expanded team weaves through the shadows across the increasingly vacant refugee camp to the area the army has claimed. We pause at the edge of their territory, considering our final approach.
A squadron of men and women in uniform marches past at strict attention, perfectly in sync.
One of Sorsha’s other partners, Snap, eases up beside me. His bright voice reminds me a little of Peri’s. “Why do they walk so close together like that? Does it help them fight?”
Thorn’s tone manages to turn even gruffer. “It shows their discipline. They need to be able to work together utterly cohesively when a situation turns dire.”
I suspect my current team won’t be a match for the humans when it comes to walking in a straight line, but we definitely have them beat for stealth.
“Let’s spread out,” I say. “Ah, Shanty, Sorrel, and Snap, you can head to the north side of the camp. Gnash, Fen, and Omen can head south. I’ll stick with my original team in the center here?—”
“And I’ll take whichever of our companions is left and go straight to the colonel,” Thorn breaks in sternly.
Maybe he’d rather have been the one giving the orders. I could probably use a little more practice.
But everyone flits off in the directions I suggested without complaint. Thorn, Crag, Torrent, and Brine veer toward Colonel Hueber’s cabin. I spot his boxy head passing the dusty window and grimace to myself.
I’dhave liked to hear what the leader of these soldiers is plotting directly from his mouth. But I guess when you put yourself in charge, sometimes that means you delegate more than you do.
I travel straight ahead with Peri close by and Hail and Mirage trailing behind us farther out. When we reach the clumps of soldiers clustered around their tents and vehicles, Hail gives me a poke with a vague sense of direction. “I’m going to do my spying over here.”
I don’t see any reason to argue. “All right. We should all listen to different people. Call out through the shadows if you hear anything that seems important.”
“Aye aye, captain,” Mirage says jauntily, and darts off.
