The Rhyfelwr blinks his eyes, then sits upright. He looks dazedly around before his gaze lands on me. In an instant, he’s on his feet, panic and horror flashing across his face. Just like Osian did.
“You turned me into a revenant,” he breathes, his complexion paling past the color of death.
“Calm down,” I command, rising with him.
Instantly, the tension in his body loosens. “Yes.”
“Tell me where Osian took the harp,” I say.
He shudders again, then nods. “To the Observatory.”
I frown. “Not to Dinas Grym? Explain exactly what’s happening.”
“The Order took the harp to the Observatory,” he says automatically. “Some others are with the king’s army. They will end the rebel threat and recover the Ballad’s scrolls. Then the king will take Arawn the Mighty to Dinas Grym.”
I pace, then glance at the rebels saying goodbye to their dead. Low prayers drift across the riverbank beneath the hiss and crack of burning trees. “How many guard the Observatory?”
A long beat passes. I whirl back toward the Rhyfelwr whose jaw is locked so tightly it looks like it might shatter. Sweat curls down his face.
“Tell me how many guard the Observatory,” I command, my voice louder this time.
He winces. “A Section of twelve. Rhyfelwr only.”
“They won’t have their Swynwragedd? Why not?”
“The king has placed them all on secondment for his army.”
Strange.
“Right.” I point at him. “Stay here. Do not call out or make any loud noises. Do not fight anyone. You are my revenant, andyou will not do anything against me or the people with me. Do you understand?”
“Fuck you,” he mutters.
I flash him a vicious smile. “Fuck you, too.”
Rhian sits on the riverbank, staring at the rapids. I go to her and tell her everything I’ve learned. When I’m done, it takes her a moment to answer, and when she does, she swallows hard, like the words are stuck in her throat.
“Those Order bastards need to pay for this,” she says quietly.
“I agree.” I glance over my shoulder at the unmoving Rhyfelwr whose eyes blaze with fury. “We can use the revenant to get us inside the Observatory, find the harp, then end this once and for all.”
“And you really believe we’re capable of that?” she asks with a bitter laugh. “We just lost. Horribly.”
“Next time we won’t have Taliesin drain most of his power by making us an ice bridge,” I say. “Between him, my revenant, and the fighters we have here, a Section stands no chance against us. Besides, they won’t be expecting us.” A pause as I catch my breath. “We can do this, Rhian. I truly believe that.”
She nods, though doubt still lingers on her face.
“The Order is run by tyrants, Rhian. If they grow any stronger, no one will be able to stand against them. We must find the courage to break their grip on this world. In fact, I believeyou’rethe one who convinced me of that.”
“You’re right.” She inhales deeply, then stands. All her earlier doubt and pain vanish. In their place she wears determination like a shield.
She strides to the others with a sense of purpose in her steps. As she tells them the new plan, I start gathering only the necessary supplies. We’ll need to leave the wagon behind if we want to make good time.
We set off within minutes, making for the trail by skirting the charred and flaming woods. Gwenydd scouts ahead, dropping back every hour to let us know all is safe and quiet up ahead. The trail upward is a gentle slope at first, winding around the base of the mountain. But soon, it grows thinner and steeper, and as the sun dips beyond the peaks, Rhian motions us inside a cave to wait out the night.
The cave yawns open between two weathered slabs of stone,its mouth blackened with old soot. Cool air seeps from within, carrying the scent of damp earth and petrichor.The ceiling slopes low near the entrance before widening farther back.Water drips steadily somewhere in the darkness, the sound echoing through the chamber.
By the time we drag ourselves inside, exhaustion hangs over us like another layer of smoke. No one speaks above a murmur. Beyond the cave mouth, the woods still burn below us. Their dying flames are the only light in the growing darkness.
