“And how do you intend to do that?” Rakel nodded and offered a hint of a smile to a group of three villagers who bowed to her as they hurried past.
“I have no idea,” Phile admitted. Her pretty face was twisted with irritation as she adjusted the red kerchief covering the ponytail of her black hair.
The pair was sitting in the mess hall—what used to be an inn before the invasion. As it was the lunch hour, almost everyone was present. Gerta, Kai, and the other two children in the village were eating together under Hilda’s watchful eye. Oskar was seated with Knut, Topi, and a mixture of magic users and soldiers. His infectious smile and good humor had the entire table laughing.
“I am fairly confident I will be able to match Tenebris, particularly if Liv is there to support me.” Rakel smiled at Halvor and Steinar when they entered the mess hall side by side. “But that does raise a few problems.”
Phile nodded. “Your brother told General Halvor he wants your role reduced so you aren’t required to expend so much of your power.”
“General Halvor didn’t agree?” Rakel asked, slightly shocked. Halvor was her second biggest nursemaid after Oskar, and he was intent on keeping her as swaddled as possible. The only reasonshedidn’t have a guard—as Liv did—was because he knew she would dismiss them.
“Oh, no, he agreed. That is why they plan to keep you in the center of the army instead of on the front lines during the next attack,” Phile said. “But you didn’t hear that from me.”
“Theywhat?” Rakel hissed, dropping her wooden spoon.
Phile raised her hands. “I’m not saying I support their decision; I just thought a fair warning was in place.”
“If I don’t match Tenebris, we’ll slowly be bled of resources, troops, and time. Spring will come, and then I’ll be almost completely incapacitated. And that doesn’t even begin to address the problem of Farrin. We have to strike now—keeping me coddled is not the answer!”
“What we need is someone who has defense-focused magic, and who can guard you while you’re out of it,” Phile said.
“Defense-focused magic?” Rakel asked.
Phile used Foedus to make patterns in the gravy smeared across her plate. “Like Farrin’s. Magic that can counter other magic. Kai has it, but he’s too young and untrained.”
“He’s a child. We cannot put him on the battlefield.” Rakel glanced at the little boy. He was unaware of her scrutiny and smiled at something Gerta said.
“All I was saying is that Kai has defensive possibilities, too.” Phile spun Foedus across her knuckles. “Unfortunately, he’s the only magic user we’ve found so far with such powers in Verglas. Though that does raise a good point we could press on your brother and Halvor.”
“What?” Rakel asked.
“Perhaps we could dispatch a few people to search for magic usersoutsideof Verglas who could help. There are plenty of enslaved and repressed magic users. Any of them would jump at the chance for freedom, and I’m sure there must be some with the kind of powers we need.”
Something about the idea made Rakel uneasy, though she couldn’t put her finger on it.But Phile has the right idea. Recruitment would help us greatly.Rakel thought of Farrin, and she frowned.I wonder…why did I not think of this previously?
“We do not have to journey outside of Verglas to recruit,” Rakel said.
“Oh really?” Phile eyed Rakel. “Because I would love to know where you are going to dredge up a magic user with powers comparable to Farrin’s.”
“I don’t have to find anyone. I will, as you put it, poach him.”
Phile stood up and almost flipped her plate. “What?” She looked around and realized her sudden movements had caught a lot of attention, so she smiled and plopped back down on the chair. After a moment she leaned across the table and growled. “You want to poachFarrin Graydim? How do you intend to do that? Waltz up to him and say ‘I beg your pardon, Colonel Graydim, loyalist and top military officer of the Chosen Army, I have decided I want you formyarmy. Would you come with me?’”
Rakel thought for a moment. “That sounds about right.”
“And you think he’llagree?”
“There’s a good chance he will.”
“Why?”
“Because he has feelings for me.” Rakel sipped her apple cider. “I feel ashamed for not thinking of it sooner. I wondered, but it hadn’t occurred to me to push.”Perhaps telling me his background was a cry for help?She winced.I should have stopped him from leaving. If Tenebris learns he spoke to me, I imagine the consequences will be even worse.When she realized Phile hadn’t said a word, she looked up from her drink.
The Robber Maiden was slack jawed, caught in a rare moment of shock. “He has feelings for you?”
Rakel blinked. “I thought you knew. You made enough implications about our friendship that I assumed you did.”
“Of courseIknew! But I didn’t thinkyouwould recognize his affection for at least a thousand nights!” Phile thrust an accusing finger in her direction. “How didyou—a socially awkward exile who barely understands the meaning of friendship and lived like a mountain man in the hills for twelve years—realize that Farrin Graydimfanciesyou?”
