Page 67 of Mad Dragon of Chaos

As tempted as he was to make a comment, he thought it was more prudent to wait until he could steal a private word with Tyche. Then he would have vital information to share with Adrian, who enjoyed fun gossip like this.

They ate their meal, Shey sharing the few bits of information he had about Green Hollow. As far as he knew, there was no record of any member of the royal family visiting Green Hollow, so all information came second or thirdhand.

“The last time New Rosanthe invaded Caspagir, they went around Green Hollow and traveled a distance through the Ordas, hitting the town of Shallow Edge. That one had a small military base we used to train our soldiers. It was close enough to the Ordas that we occasionally got creature attacks.”

Adrian nodded at Shey’s words as he finished his sandwich. “That’s where Caelan and the others first reached Caspagir after they were forced to abandon their train and walk the last several miles through the Ordas.” He grinned. “Sorry again about blowing up your base. Just a shame I didn’t get to help them.”

Shey snorted. “Yeah, it would have been nice if they hadn’t completely leveled the place, but I’d rather it be blown to bits than house New Rosanthe soldiers.”

“Weren’t there ordinary citizens living in Shallow Edge too?”

Shey grunted and folded up the paper wrapper to throw away. “There were about thirty people who lived there who weren’t part of the military. They provided services to the base and the soldiers’ families who followed them there. We’ve only recently started to rebuild the training base. We’ve offered the people who wanted to move a payout for their property and a bonus for what they had to go through with New Rosanthe. There are a few people who are staying even though the base won’t be operational for another year. They’re receiving a monthly stipend until the base is open.”

Tyche lifted his elbow, bumping it against Shey’s arm. “Look at you taking care of your people.”

“It was the least we could do after what they went through. Plus, I talked to the commanding officer, and she told us about how those shops and other places offered the soldiers a pleasing respite from work. A taste of home. I don’t want my soldiers to miss that when they are sent to the base again. Shallow Edge is incredibly remote. It’s a hard life. I just want to do what I can to make it a little less difficult for them.”

As they were finishing their meal, the train lurched, and a horrible screeching split the air. Shey and Tyche were thrown forward into the table while Adrian and Haru slammed back in their seats.

As soon as they came to a stop, Shey was on his feet and hurrying to the door. “We’re not at Green Hollow yet.”

“Cow on the tracks?” Tyche suggested.

“Doubtful,” he muttered as he stuck his head out the door and peered along the corridor.

Haru had taken a walk through the train shortly after their last stop late the previous night and found that there were fewer than a dozen people on the entire train. Even so, the sound of panicked questions and thumping footsteps echoed through the quiet.

Shey twisted to peer into their room. “Adrian, come with me to check out the problem. Haru and Tyche, pack up our things to go.”

The prince had barely finished speaking when he zipped out of the room, Adrian right on his heels. Haru exchanged a brief look with Tyche to see the same worry he felt mirrored in the god’s green eyes.

“Did you throw those bones of yours this morning to see how this trip would go?” Haru asked as Tyche helped him to collapse the table.

“Yes.”

“And?”

“You don’t want to know.”

That was about what he’d expected. No one had said the words out loud, but there had been no need. If the Order had gone to the trouble of attacking Sirelis with its ships, it would be no great shock if the country moved ground troops into Caspagir from the south.

As soon as the table was stowed, Tyche zipped out of the room and hurried to the small room next door to this one that he’d shared at night with Shey. There wasn’t much to pack. They had brought along only what they could carry on their backs.

Haru grabbed Adrian’s bag first and tucked away the few things the guard had pulled out during the day. He tried to ignore the frantic beat of his heart and keep his wandering mind from fearful thoughts of things happening to his mate while he was out of sight. He pulled his bag from the shelf over his head and stuffed in the last two sandwiches they hadn’t eaten with the chips. They’d each packed rations for the hike in case they weren’t able to get supplies in Green Hollow. Worst-case scenario, Haru felt confident that he could hunt for what food they needed. The most important thing was getting out of Caspagir safely and into Zastrad.

TWENTY-FIVE

OMARI HARU

Caspagir soldiers were everywhere in the few narrow streets of Green Hollow. The heavy scent of smoke and diesel tainted the crisp air while townsfolk hurried along the train tracks out of the village, carrying their possessions and their children.

People rushing down the tracks had stopped their train. They begged for a ride away from Green Hollow.

“The town has about three thousand soldiers stationed there year-round, and my sister ordered another ten thousand to hurry south after the first Order soldiers touched Caspagir soil near Sirelis. They’ve arrived here a day ahead of us,” Shey explained as they wove their way through the panicked citizens heading in the opposite direction.

“Are thirteen thousand soldiers enough to stop the Order’s attack?” Adrian demanded.

“If this were a normal New Rosanthe test of the border, yes. More than enough. It’s why we keep three thousand stationed here. Just to keep them from getting frisky. But after the attack on Sirelis, I expect them to move more than a hundred thousand troops through here. The ten thousand that were sent are only here to hold the border until the evacuation is complete. Afterward, they are to pull back to Wolfpine. That town is more easily defensible and has become a staging area for our ground troops. We’ll be able to stop their invasion there.”