Jesha’s strawberry hair was tied back with a fine white scarf stitched with pink flowers. It gave her a soft look when combined with the simple forest-green dress she wore. She looked more like a wealthy lady from one of the settlements thanthe future leader of a brigade. It was probably a front though, something to make people underestimate her.
Nenad, on the other hand, looked every bit a military officer. He was ruffled, probably having come right from training, with practice armor still strapped to his chest. His clothes were dark and colorless compared to his wife’s color and light.
“Pyetar, it’s been too long,” Nenad said with a bright smile that mostly hid the worry in his eyes. “Please sit. And Iryana was it?”
Surprised he recognized her, let alone remembered her from the summit, Iryana nodded quickly and sat down next to the chair Pyetar was lowering himself into.
“I’m sorry I haven’t made it out here in a while; congratulations on the wedding,” Pyetar spoke comfortably. Clearly as familiar with them as she’d suspected.
Jesha smiled fondly at her husband. “Thank you. Pyetar, forgive me for being direct, but what’s brought you this far south? The last time we talked, we were at an impasse, and it didn’t seem like you were likely to change your mind.”
Iryana looked at Pyetar, who furtively avoided her gaze.An impasse?Now who was keeping secrets?
“The situation has changed,” Pyetar answered with a drag of hesitation. “I think Iryana will need to explain.”
She narrowed her eyes at him; she didn’t enjoy going into this conversation missing facts. But she wouldn't question him in front of the majors.
“I am a soldier in Karvek’s brigade, as you know, but I am also Third of the Guardians of Klees.” She started slowly, struggling to find the calm and confidence she needed to portray. “I have been—infiltrating, I suppose you could say—the 18th in an attempt to strengthen my family’s part of the border.”
Their eyes narrowed, and Jesha looked to Pyetar.
Iryana pushed on, not sure what else to do. “The duchess’s settlement is struggling with the growing dakya population. The borders harder to hold. The dakii are just… getting to be too much, and our numbers keep dwindling.”
She took another deep breath. “My clan is going to lose our post, have to pull back from our valley. And the only way around that is to work with the brigades to secure the area. And Karvek’s plans to expand are only going to make it worse.”
“That is far north of our territory,” Nenad cut in. “I hope you are about to tell us how this concerns us.”
“Karvek is gathering an army, and he intends to take your territory. By force.”
The majors glanced at each other, exchanging a look that Iryana couldn’t quite decipher.
“You think Karvek is bloodthirsty enough for that?” Jesha asked.
She was sure they’d heard rumors of how Karvek took over, but Iryana answered anyway, “I was there when he killed General Pavishol, I watched him stab the man in the back. I saw how effortlessly it was done, how little Karvek felt. I have seen him beat my sister to near death.
“He wants to gain control, power. And until there is no one who can threaten that, he won’t stop. When we met last, for the King Commander’s meeting, he was planning his strategy for expansion. And the North and River Brigades are where he will start.”
“And you agree with this claim, Pyetar?” Nenad asked, clutching the hand Jesha placed on his arm.
“I do. Iryana understands how my brother works, perhaps better than I do at this point. And she’s been working most of the summer to find a way through this.” Pyetar gave her a small smile. “If you want my advice, I suggest you listen to her.”
Jesha and Nenad were looking at each other, communicating silently again, and it was making Iryana nervous.
“Look, I know your brigades are smaller. Even together, I believe Karvek has more soldiers. Pyetar told me you’ve both lost some territory to the 18th in the past few years, and some to the brigade to your south. You are in a weak position, and your neighbors are growing. If you want to survive this, you need a stronger position. You need allies. If you wait for Karvek to bring the fight to you, he will destroy you.”
“Like you said, we have fewer numbers than Karvek. How do you expect us to win?” Nenad asked.
Iryana smiled slightly at that. “There are those in the 18th that will stand with us, as will my clan. But we need your soldiers too, and the element of surprise, to take Karvek out and remove him from power. Then we will work together tostrengthen all of us. Increase our trade arrangements, our partnership. Make sure the other brigades know we will stand together if threatened.”
“And what happens to the 18th once Karvek is—removed?”
That was one part of the plan that they hadn’t delved into too far. It was hard to know exactly which side everyone in the 18th was going to turn up on.
“We will find a good leader to replace him,” Pyetar said. “Someone who the brigade will respect but who will care about the people and our allies. Someone who will support our plan of working together.”
Jesha was already shaking her head. “It has to be you.”
Pyetar jerked back. “What? We’ve talked about this…”
