Iryana’s eyes flicked over to Karvek, grabbing another arrow. “No. Why would I have known?”
Vaneshta gave her a long look. “Because you’re close with the general? Hejustinvited you to that late-night gathering…”
“He finds me useful,” Iryana forced out. “But I’m not his confidante.” She wasn’t sure if it was a lie or not.
“Well, it’s certainly surprising, isn’t it?” There was worry laced through Vaneshta’s words. “But are you sure you’re up for this?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Aren’t you tired?” Vaneshta frowned at her, a bit of pity in her gaze. “You’ve been training relentlessly, going on extra missions; you didn’t sleep much last night—”
“I’m good.”
Vaneshta shook her head but thankfully didn’t say anything else. Iryana didn’t have space for other people’s worries in addition to her own.
Pyetar came over then to gather his team, everyone shuffling to their spots in the formation. Karvek and the others mounted their horses, and then before long they were leaving Myura River Fort behind them.
Their team rode in front, but the rider leading them was someone she didn’t recognize. He had long, pale hair tied at the nape of his neck, and a thin face that seemed constantly pinched. He wasn’t armed, but the reins in his hands weren’t made of leather; rather a dark, mossy-green material.
“How far is Redni Castle, exactly?” Iryana whispered to Vaneshta, trying to work out the map in her head.
Before the dakii came, Redni used to be part castle, part monastery. The local elite would go there before bringing the pilgrims to the local metal wells. It was popular among the children of military leaders and guardian families. If she was remembering correctly, her own father had pilgrimaged there for his forging.
“I’ve only been there once, when I was going with my dad on a big supplies transfer,” she answered in a low voice. “Took around two weeks, I think, each way. But do you see the lead rider?”
Iryana nodded; she was still watching him.
“I think he’s earth-forged.”
She squinted at the man. Iryana had never met an earth rider, but she knew there was an earth settlement to the south at the edge of the 18th Brigade’s territory. She had gone on a mission to collect taxes and exchange goods there once, but they had met in the woods, possibly far from where the actual settlement was. Her team had not been welcomed in like they had been in the water settlement tree-house villages.
Vaneshta added, “With an earth rider, we should be able to go a little faster.”
Those forged with earth magic had a better sense of the world around them, able to subconsciously communicate with the ground to find the best paths that would speed movement. But it had to be more than that, as Iryana watched their party moving through the trees. Nothing about the forest seemed to hinder them, and even though she saw branches and roots and other things to avoid, she didn’t seem to need to move around them. It was an unsettling experience.
At the rate they seemed to move, Iryana expected they would make great time.
And they did. The entire trip took a week and a half, although it was excruciating. Iryana was used to walking, but this trip tested her endurance, and she was exhausted every night when it was finally time to lay down on her bedroll.Their whole group traveled quietly, taking care of the dakii threats that cropped up quickly before carrying on.
Pyetar remained tense the entire time, staying at the front of the party unless Karvek summoned him. Iryana tried to keep her attentions forward, but when they stopped or made camp, she frequently found Karvek watching her. She wished she knew what he was going to ask of her.
She knew Pyetar noticed, and she could tell he was worried about it. But he stayed far away, continuing to be even more distant with her than he was with everyone else.
But eventually they were there, their general sending a final order through the captains that they were not to say a word to anyone outside their party. Punishments for disobeying would be severe.
Redni Castle rose out of the river on a bed of stone, gray walls rising tall as the tree tops. Surrounded on all sides by the river, the single way across was a bridge that spanned the water, meeting the eastern gatehouses. It looked like other gatehouses had once been in use, but the bridges had been dismantled or destroyed.
Rednian soldiers met them at the bridge and led them across, the King Commander’s emblem sewn into their cloaks and surcoats; a deep, sapphire-colored crown that could only be metal-forged.
“Does the King Commander actually wear a metal-forged crown?” she whispered to Mezhimar, who was currently marching at her side. She’d tried to catch a glimpse of the infamous man when he was visited Myura River, but had failed.
“I don’t know,” he answered, looking like it pained him. “It would be a waste of magic, though.”
Maintaining a forging for any extended period of time took skill and endurance, but would still slowly drain one’s magic. That endurance could be trained, but only to an extent. Earth-forged farmers who used their plows and tools most of the day were able to hold their forgings for hours on end, but they didn’t need to worry about maintaining a reserve in case someone tried to assassinate them.
“Certainly. But quite the power move,” she pointed out.
The inside of the castle was laid out like a monastery. Stone dividing-walls sectioned off each area, small gatehouses dividing those.
