11
This is driving me mad,” Calrain said as he paced outside the valley entrance. “She’s only been gone three hours and I already want to go in afterher.”
“I know what you mean,” Yarim said. He chucked a small twig into the fire they’d built from where he sat on the ground. “I feel useless sitting out here andwaiting.”
“What if the bandits saw through her disguise?” Calrain fretted. He pushed a hand through his mop of hair, his anxieties clawing at his insides. “What if they’ve already found out about us, and are waiting to ambush us the moment we set foot in thevalley?”
“You really ought to give Tariel more credit than that,” Zolotais said, sounding annoyed as she popped out of the abacus. She folded her arms across her chest and looked at them sternly. “Do you sense any distress from Tariel through thebond?”
“I…” Calrain trailed off. He cleared his own thoughts and feelings away as he reached for the connection between him and Tariel, bracing himself for pain or anger. But instead he felt an utter calmness, and he deflated a little, feelingfoolish.
“She seems fine,” Yarim admitted. “Certainly not under any distress. She must have made itsafely.”
“Of course she did,” Zolotais said. “Tariel is not some damsel in need of your constant aid. She is a strong mage, and once she is fully trained, she will be the strongest among your group. You really need to stop thinking of her as a helpless girl who needs to be protected. Calrain and Riann, I understand, given their backward upbringing, butyoushould know better,Yarim.”
Yarim’s cheeks flushed beneath his brown skin. “It isn’t that Tariel truly needs my protection,” he said, looking toward the valley entrance she’d passed through hours ago. “I am just not used to sitting around likethis.”
“Perhaps you should continue training Calrain, then,” Zolotais said coolly. “You two were practicing earlier, were younot?”
“We were,” Calrain said, “but I’d prefer not to exhaust myself right before a rescue mission.” Even so, he hefted one of the knives Yarim had given him. He supposed he could always work on targetpractice…
“Do you hear that?” Yarim asked, jumping to hisfeet.
Calrain turned toward where Yarim was looking, just beyond the next hill. The wind shifted, bringing the sound of galloping horses to hisears.
“Are those soldiers?” Calrain gasped as two men crested the hill. They wore red and gold armor with the golden lion of Carliss stamped across their chest and bright red plumes jutting out of their helms. The two men sat astride large, black warhorses, and as one of them pointed a spear at Calrain and Yarim, his stomach tightened withdread.
“Yes,” Yarim said, sounding worried. He gripped the hilt of his own sword. “If I had to guess, I’d say they were a scoutingparty.”
“Let’s hope they’re friendly,” Calrain muttered as the soldiers approached. It was one thing to kill bandits, but the last thing he needed was to have the blood of soldiers on their hands. They already had one country who wanted their heads—they didn’t need to add another to thelist.
“Who are you, and where do you hail from?” the first soldier shouted as they approached. When Calrain and Yarim hesitated, he leveled his spear at them. “Identifyyourselves!”
“I am Calrain of Fjordland,” Calrain said, stepping forward. “And this is my friend, Yarim, who hails from the Maroyan Empire. We are in search of our friends, who have been kidnapped by the bandits in thisarea.”
The second scout’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve had dealings with thebandits?”
Yarim snorted. “If by dealings, you mean attempted murder, robbery, and kidnapping, thenyes.”
The soldiers looked at each other. “Come with us,” the first one ordered. “The major will want to speak withyou.”
Calrain and Yarim exchanged glances. “We really can’t leave thisspot—”
The second soldier nudged his spear beneath Calrain’s chin. “This isn’t arequest.”
Yarim stepped forward, hand on his sword. “You will lower thatblade—”
“Don’t,” Calrain said tersely as the spear point dug into his flesh. He could feel a drop of blood slide down the column of his neck. “I’d prefer not to die today if I can helpit.”
“Listen to your friend,” the first soldier suggested. “We are not in the habit of killing foreigners, but if you draw a blade against us, wewillcut youdown.”
Yarim swore, but he took his hand off his weapon. The soldiers confiscated their weapons, then bound their hands. They were at least allowed to ride their horses, but the ropes around their wrists were tied to the soldiers’ saddles, preventing them from going veryfar.
Of course, they could just break their bonds and make a run for it, Calrain thought as they followed behind the soldiers. But then the Carlissians would send more soldiers after them, and as well-trained as Yarim was, he couldn’t hope to defeat an entire regiment of trained, armored fighters. No, it was best to just cooperate now, and see if perhaps they could leverage this situation to theirbenefit.
After close to an hour of weaving through the wooded countryside, the soldiers led them to a camp nestled at the bottom of a hillside. Calrain swallowed as he beheld the sprawling camp from the top of the hill—there were at least eight hundred menhere.
“A regiment,” Yarim muttered as they followed the soldiers down the hill and into the camp. “There is an entire bloody regiment outhere.”
