Without a word, one soldier, a thin, sharp-faced woman Iryana thought was named Lyuna led them into the trees. All Iryana knew was that they were headed west, perhaps slightly south, away from the mountains and her family.
It took some time for her to find her rhythm, to remember how to move with the horse, but she soon matched the tempo.
The horses were quieter than she was used to them being; they hardly nickered or snorted. And their gaits were more fluid, moving through the forest far more quietly than she would have expected. They were obviously trained to move outside the safety of walls, though she hadn’t seen anyone riding in the forest before.
Iryana didn’t know where Midmarket was in relation to Myura River Fort, had no idea how long they’d be gone for. She’d met with Hadima the night before, her sister pleased with her progress although Iryana had been light with the details. Hadima was going to send a letter when they could meet next, and Iryana hoped they wouldn’t be gone so long that she’d miss it. Rationally, she knew Hadima wouldn’t blame her for it, especially given the opportunity at hand, but she didn’t trust that her sister wouldn’t be disappointed anyway. But she pushed that worry out of her mind.
Iryana eyed everyone’s full saddlebags and the pack horses with their large baskets of what looked to be food and camping supplies.
As her anxiety rose again, she finally forced herself to ask one of the most benign questions swirling around her head. “How far is it?”
Lyuna raised a brow at her, then glanced at Karvek. When he nodded slightly, Lyuna answered, “The ride normally takes four or five days. We’re going to make it in three. Less, if I can manage it.”
And Lyuna seemed intent on meeting that schedule, pushing them to hurry. She only stopped to occasionally reference charts of the dakii’s movements, looking up toward the sky and redirecting their path.
It was strange how secretive they all were, even out in the woods, hours away from the fort, with no one to overhear. No one knew where she’d gone, but Karvek would have left some kind of message behind—at least she hoped so.
They rode hard through the night until Iryana’s eyes were burning from exhaustion and her thighs ached. A brief encounter with a small pack of dakii wasn’t even enough to make her feel alert. The others chatted occasionally, but there was tension and urgency in the group. Karvek rode behind Lyuna the whole time, neither of them saying a word.
Despite her exhaustion and growing discomfort, Iryana focused on pushing through it. She couldn’t let Karvek down. Couldn’t let the Kleesolds down.
They barely stopped long enough to sleep, taking minimal breaks for the horses. She wasn’t sure if they’d be able to make the return trip home without days of rest first, but she kept her mouth shut.
The sun had just dipped behind the trees, the sky slightly glowing. Everything around her was gray, as if the approaching night had draped a black gauze over the world. The trees were hazy in the shadows, as if neither the sun nor moon had the power to hold them to their shapes while they exchanged power.
“We’re approaching from the west.” Karvek kept his voice low, leading her quickly through the trees.
The others had already split off, waiting for them to make their round. Now it was just the two of them.
She squeezed her hands, desperately wishing she could pull out the carefully marked parchment one more time. But the maps were miles away in the camp they’d set up that afternoon, along with the horses. And really, she didn’t need them anymore.
Every inch of her body ached. They’d set up camp miles away in a small rock shelter along a cliff, soldiers armoring up fully and strapping on all their weapons before starting the long walk. She and Karvek were the only ones wholeft their armor and any bulky weapons behind, by his order. He didn’t offer an explanation, of course. The leather of her reins had rubbed her hands raw, her thighs were numb, and the only chance she’d had to wash had been when they crossed a thin stream that morning. Karvek had only allowed the break so the horses could drink.
They’d had to take down two small packs on their way, unable to avoid them without the extensive charting they had of the dakii closer to Myura River. Each delay seemed to wind Karvek tighter. Iryana was amazed she had the strength to follow him given how fast Karvek was moving now that they were outside Midmarket.
It was quickly getting darker; the sky blotched with dark clouds. The moon would have been bright following so soon after the full moon, so they were lucky to be shielded from it. With Iryana and Karvek trailing just inside the edge of the forest, Iryana could only see glimpses of the tall wooden wall of Midmarket. It was bigger than she’d expected.
She looked down and saw that her hands were trembling. The sight unnerved her.No, there was no time for that.Iryana clenched her hands tight. This was her chance; she couldn’t mess it up.
If Karvek had meant for her to join the other soldiers as they entered the fort, he would have told her to wear her armor. She didn’t think he wanted her fighting that night.
They paused every so often, sneaking closer to the forest’s edge and observing the guards. Iryana flipped through the maps and diagrams imprinted on her mind, matching everything up. Accounting for deviations. Then, in hushed voices, they’d discuss before moving on to the next spot. They worked their way around the great walls until they came back to Captain Nosh, one of Karvek’s right-hand men, waiting where they’d started their circuit. The rest of the soldiers Karvek had brought waited deeper in the forest.
“What’s the plan, Major?” The captain asked Karvek, glancing awkwardly at Iryana. None of them had asked why she was there, likely used to Karvek keeping most things to himself.
Karvek rolled out a blank diagram of Midmarket, with no guards or patterns drawn in. “Well, Iryana?”
Her eyes widened as she stared at Karvek. He wanted her to make the final plan? Sure, they had discussed several options, but it had all been based on what they’d find when they arrived. The pressure of it bore down on her, and she fought against the rising panic.
She swallowed. “It’s one of the lighter night shifts, but there are a few extra guards placed into the rotation here, and here.” She pointed at the spots, scanned the map carefully, and then pointed at a few points along one stretch of the wall. “The easiest places to enter unseen would be these areas.”
The fort before her grew in her mind, the armored guards falling into place as if she were tracing a constellation on a cloudy night. Even if she couldn’t see them, she knew where the stars were.
Karvek looked at her, a satisfied look creeping across his face, and Iryana quickly diverted her gaze.
At his insistence, Iryana continued, explaining where the breaks in the patrols would be, the moments to take advantage of. Karvek and his captain listened closely.
When she finished, Karvek gave the captain the order to distribute the plan to the rest of the soldiers. She thought that was it, but once they were alone, he pointed to an area of the castle on his map.
