“Loid Pavoshol, General of the 18th Brigade, is dead,” Karvek roared from the steps of the estate, his face a mockery of mourning. “I challenged him for control of the 18th Brigade, and now command has once again returned to the Horvols—where it will stay.
“My father led us through the first waves of the dakii, and claimed this fortress. Now I will lead us to greatness. This brigade belongs to the Horvols.”
Some of the regiment broke out into cheers, the others quick to join in. Iryana even forced herself to shout with them. It would be expected of her, of all of them.
“I must thank the loyal soldiers who helped me.” Karvek began listing the important soldiers that helped, calling out their loyalty and his appreciation. She could understand the strategy behind it, encouraging the soldiers to remain loyal. Then she heard her own name and stiffened. “And Iryana, a promising initiate whose strategic mind was instrumental in this mission.”
Eyes fell on her and Iryana instantly hated it, wanting to brush them off like a swarm of spiders. She met Vaneshta’s eyes first, noted the confusion and wariness there. Then she looked at the others in her team, their expressions even more distant than before. They knew she’d been hiding something and now they knew what.
As things quieted down, Iryana could hear bits of opposition from the crowd. There was grumbling, whispers of conspiracies that ran close to the truth. Karvek was no general, but he was a Horvol, and to some that sounded like enough.
She didn’t know anything about the man Karvek had killed beyond what he’d told her, had no idea what kind of leader he’d been. Still, anyone leading one of the military gangs couldn’t be that noble. She shouldn’t care if they ran around killing each other.
But she had seen the blood, seen the light leave Pavoshol’s eyes. The betrayal in his gaze that lingered longer than his soul.
Iryana looked around, trying to glean what she could of those who supported Karvek and those who didn’t. But then her eyes found a familiar face.
Pyetar was lingering near the edge of the crowd close to the estate. She hadn’t seen him since she’d left him on that balcony in the pouring rain. She had kept her ears open the whole way back, wondering if someone would mention him, but of course she’d heard nothing. It was as if he’d never been there. She hadn’t a clue what he had been doing, if he had really meant to stop Karvek, or what he would have done if he hadn’t been too late.
The secrets she wasn’t meant to know were piling up. Pyetar had been at Midmarket, had supposedly meant to stop his brother. And Karvek had murdered Pavoshol. How many more secrets would she hold before her time with the 18th was done?
Karvek held his hand up, silencing the crowd, before he spoke again. “The rest of Istri has abandoned us, hiding behind their settlements and leaving us to deal with the dakii. We are our own people now, and we will create our own towns and cities, strong enough to live without fear of the dakii.” Karvek scanned the crowd before him.
Iryana blinked. Was that his grand plan?
“What about the King Commander? He says he rules all the brigades now.” The voice came from the back, and Iryana couldn’t tell who had dared utter those words.
Karvek smirked, but Iryana could see the way his shoulders tensed. “ThisKing Commanderhas no authority in our territory. He may rule the table he invites the leaders of the brigades to sit at, but his reach extends no further.”
The group descended into questions shouted to Karvek, concerns they whispered beneath their breaths.
Karvek silenced them all. “We will be expanding. For those that are loyal to the brigade, there will be rewards. Darish is now major, he will lead the Myura River regiment for me.”
Iryana had spent enough time in the fortress to know how careful the balance was. They only had so much room for crops, and the pastures only supported so many animals. Unless they truly expanded past the safety of the fortress walls,Myura River was near capacity. She wondered how Karvek planned to support so many.
But if he made the area safe enough for that… her family’s problems could be solved.
No, there wasn’t enough time for that. Her window was already a third gone; it’d been almost eight weeks already since the duchess’s ultimatum. The Greening Moon was almost past, and then it would be summer already. Three or four months until the deadline. Not that her family considered it a deadline rather than a moving date. She shuddered.
Darish grinned at his cousin, a soldier next to him clapping him on the shoulder in congratulations.
“And for my new captain,” Karvek looked over the crowd, and Iryana could have sworn she could hear the anticipation. “My brother will fill the role.” There was something in his tone that nearly made Iryana flinch.
But when her gaze landed on him, she realized Pyetar wasn’t moving, just staring at Karvek.
“Well, brother?” Karvek asked darkly, prowling down the stairs and toward where Pyetar lingered on the far side of the crowd. A path split wide for him.
“I’ve never wanted leadership,” was all Pyetar said. Every line of his body was hard.
Iryana wasn’t sure if she believed him, or if he just didn’t want to be further under his brother’s control.
Karvek smiled. “Are you refusing your promotion?”
The moment was tense, bloated, but finally Pyetar shook his head. “Of course not. Whatever you need, brother.”
Stiffly, Pyetar moved to stand in front of his brother, slowly dropping to his knees.
Karvek accepted a forest-green belt from Darish, his new major, and held it over his head. Then he laid it over Pyetar’s shoulder. With the way Pyetar reacted, shoulders curling slightly, it seemed like hundreds of pounds had been laid on him.
