His jaw ticked, but I moved again, until finally I wrapped my arms around him. He didn’t have to reciprocate, but I needed my brother to know that all of it truly was for him, because I loved him deeply.
I found myself unable to let go, my hold on him only growing stronger the longer I remained. Seconds ticked by, probably awkward for everyone watching, but I couldn’t care. Too many nights I’d woken from nightmares where I’d lost them, too many days I’d accepted my inevitable death for my betrayal against The Order, leaving them to fend for themselves. Years of lost hope and sadness convinced me this moment would never exist. So I would embrace my brothers, angered and resentful or not.
When Jai broke down, sobbing into my ear as he hugged me back with fierce intensity, my chest collapsed. I fell to my knees, him with me, and we remained that way for several minutes. Kaval chatted with other members of The Kraanti, but their words were nothing but a blur.
“You smell horrible,” Jai mumbled, the first words to me since our silent ceasefire.
I barked a laugh. “You think living in the dirt has paid you any favors?”
“At least I have that as an excuse.”
We finally broke our hold. “I probably have your pungent odor to thank for tracking you down. I sniffed you out from a mile away.”
Kaval asked, “What have you eaten since you’ve returned south?”
I glanced at him with creasing eyes. “Dried meats mostly. Why?”
He exhaled, tension melting off his face. “Taja is sprinkling miraja crops with iron. Wanted to make sure you’re at full strength. The reports say The Order members left two days ago, returning to the capital, but we wanted to make sure the dust settled before we emerged.”
After living under The Order’s thumb, I didn’t find it hard to believe a leader would treat his subjects poorly. For the first time, I noticed the stockpile of dried beans and breads piled in the corner. “You were well prepared. I’m impressed.”
Kaval grinned to one side. “Thanks. Our network has expanded.” His tone became serious as he stared at me. “There’s about one hundred of us now.”
“Gods, Kaval. What the hell were you thinking? No wonder The Order received word regarding your whereabouts! Your job was to lie low,” I snapped.
“I think you know that preparing was the wiser decision. Besides, I had my big brother looking out for me. Every single time, your communications proved true, and we evaded detection.”
“You started playing with the odds. That’s a dangerous game.” I snarled, angry that he could be so flippant with his and Jai’s safety, let alone their entire group.
“You know I only ever make smart bets.” His blazing smile only stoked my anger. “While I do appreciate all you’ve done, Dae, truly, we wouldn’t be alive today if you hadn’t remained faithful all this time. But you’ve been away. We haven’t. We live in this kingdom, where magic is hunted, people hanged in the streets without fair trials, wielders being poisoned. If it wasn’t The Order coming for us, it would be Windguard’s soldiers.
“Building our numbers is the most advantageous move. We haven’t been careless about it. Excruciating consideration has been extended to every case, and it’s not like I’ve put up signs for recruits. But non-magic folk are also sick of feeling powerless, of watching their friends and family cut down by a hateful king. Many who have come to us have suffered loss, just as we have.”
If there was one thing Kaval was, it was considerate. As much as it sparked a roaring fury inside of me to think he’d been out in the world conspiring against the throne, his reasoning was valid. “Well, it will definitely help, though I’m not sure it’ll be enough.”
“Enough for what?” Jai asked from beside me.
I took a steadying breath. “I think The Order is planning to strike soon. They’ve been intent on hunting The Kraanti. I think once they acquire more elemental power, they’ll execute their plans. I haven’t been able to figure out what their game plan is, but I suspect it’s replicating the curse on Argora Vale. If they do, Windguardian soldiers will fall like leaves in autumn. Even magic wielders won’t be able to stop it.”
“What should we do?” an elderly man asked from his mat in the corner. I didn’t have to be in my tiger form to sense his fear, to see it written across some of their faces. Hell, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. The only thing keeping me going was the people I wanted to protect.
“I have connections to Highcrest now. In fact, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” My smile radiated, even in the depths of the underground.
If my body hadn’t needed rest, I would have tried to convince The Kraanti to leave with me in the night. But over a week of pushing myself to the brink finally caught up to me. I would have expected my sleep to be the most restful I had in years without the invisible worry over my brothers being alive or not. Yet, it was fitful as normal. When I awoke at random intervals, I’d envision Ro’s gorgeous smile. The way her lashes fluttered in her sleep. The wetness of her tears against my skin.
I’d left her in her deepest sorrow, and that ate away at my soul. Rest had been required, but I anxiously awaited the dawn.
Morning came, and I admired the rigid system they’d put in place. Before any of us emerged in daylight, several communications had been sent between the owner of the house at the front of the property, also a member of The Kraanti, and the stationed lookouts at various positions in and surrounding Basemount. We got the all clear and finally emerged.
Summer’s heat started early today, and Kaval insisted their men take time to eat and bathe before we left. Jai jabbed my elbow, insisting I do the same. “Especially if you don’t want to scare away your lady,” he teased.
No one dawdled, bathing by the stream efficiently. Within the hour we were on the road, horses and a cart hauled by two donkeys aiding our journey. The network Kaval had amassed proved entirely beneficial. We never slept without lodgings, never hungered for more than half a day. Silent nods andhandouts passed hands throughout the several towns we passed through, all the while no hint or sign any of The Order remained.
In fact, according to Kaval’s intel, The Order had departed from Kabash after a brief stop at the castle. They returned north, fully loaded with multiple caravans of stock, including meats, fruits, herbs, imported roots, and medicinal supplies.
The Kraanti extensively tracked everything The Order had their hand in, sabotaging them and the king as often as they could. Disruptions wouldn’t amount to absolving the threats they posed, but it kept their enemies distracted. By stealing iron made imports from Highcrest, The Kraanti knew exactly where in the kingdom the stationed soldiers would be pulled from to monitor the port, allowing their movement to continue unimpeded.
It also gave them time to spread word to magic wielders about miraja fruit being tainted, and that most local healers had been paid generously by Taja to report accounts of iron poisoning, which he then sent The Order of Darkness to collect.
