"Where'd you get that?" Timon asked.
"When we attacked the wild men's camp," I told him. "I took it off a man I killed. Don't know what it does, but it's mine now."
"Is it metal?"
"Yep." And I blew on it, two short blasts. Air hissed through it, but that was the only sound. "It helps me think. Keeps my nerves steady."
"Then maybe I should get me one," Timon said, offering a weak smile.
Which made another guy call over, "Gotta kill a few first, Timon!"
"Yeah, yeah," Timon grumbled, waving him off.
I blew a set of three blasts, hoping somewhere out there, a dog would be doing its thing, and then I talked around the whistle. "Since we're not hunting meat, I'd rather all of you were careful instead of bold."
"Yes, sir," Timon said, turning to Elijah on his other side.
Those two had been spending a bit of time together lately. I wasn't sure if it was because Elijah was watching out for him, or if they were becoming friends. I also didn't mind. Either way, it was working, and I really didn't want to be the reason these men died tonight - or ever.
So I kept blowing on my whistle. I'd walk a few steps, blow it twice, then walk a few more and puff three times. In truth, it wassoothing. I found a pattern to it and just kept going, allowing all of my fears about this mess to fade away.
Ayla had to be out here somewhere. If not her, then the man who'd given me the whistle. Maybe Sylis was with them? Would he be well enough for fighting yet? I didn't know. I simply walked and whistled, keeping my word in the hopes I'd live long enough to tellsomeonethis code.
At some point, the world around us grew cold. Puffs of breath became visible, and the animals had gone completely silent. The things which usually moved were gone. In my experience, this was the middle part of the night, halfway between the sun going away and coming back. And yet, my whistling still didn't stand out.
Not long after that, Matheos moved closer. Seeing him coming my way, the men from my squad slowed, giving us space. Sure enough, the squad leader fell in at my side. At first, he simply walked, acting like this was normal, but I knew he wanted something.
"What?" I asked, ending the charade.
Matheos ducked his head and chuckled. "I still don't understand what we're even doing out here."
"Me either," I agreed.
"But whatdoyou know?" he pressed. "What are we walking toward?"
I shrugged. "Mr. Peterson said we need to break through this line they've made, so that's what we're going to do."
"So, we're fighting them just to fight them?"
I grunted under my breath. "To kill them, I think."
"But why?" another man asked, angling his feet so he veered toward us.
Some of the other men did as well, and it made even more move my way. We still had to weave between the trees thatwere all around us, but in a few steps, the cluster of men had condensed to half the size it had been a moment ago.
"Why what?" I asked the guy.
It was his friend who answered. "Why are we attacking them? They know where the line ends. Why don't we just go around?"
"Gideon's team found the left edge already," another pointed out. "His squad was bragging about it."
"Told ya," Timon grumbled.
But that made me stop hard. "Wait. Pull it in for a moment."
They did. The rustling of their feet in the leaves was loud, but that man had just said something important.
"How many squads did Gideon take?" I looked around, making it clear anyone could answer.
