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Chapter 12

While they waited for their lieutenants to arrive, Luc offered General Ru something to drink, and called to one of the guards outside the tent for some food from the open kitchen nearby.

It arrived quickly, and the general ate with relish.

“I heard you say you had met Ava’s grandmother once.” Luc waited until Deni had stepped out of the tent to join his own guards at the entrance. He had wondered about that statement since the night before.

“I did. On a mission to the Grimwalt court. She was present as a representative of her region.”

“She passed away while Ava was held captive.” He could still hear the hitch in Ava’s breath from last night, the clog of tears in her throat, as she’d told him.

“And I understand her parents are dead, too.” General Ru put down her cup.

“Killed by the Queen’s Herald.”

General Ru gave a slow nod. “I can see why she is very determined to be part of the Rising Wave.”

“And yet, she’s chosen to remain with the Venyatux.” He still didn’t quite understand it.

“It was part of our agreement.” General Ru shrugged. “But it is also more than that. She was alone for a long time, I think. And with us, she has found friends. Camaraderie. She doesn’t want to lose what to her is something very precious.”

Before he could respond, there was a hail from outside, and Dak and Massi came in, followed by two of the general’s four lieutenants.

No one made mention of Revek’s absence, and Luc preferred it that way.

“The enemy is no longer content to watch us from afar,” Dak said as they crowded around the map on the table. “They’ve increased their patrols, and they’re coming closer.”

“Agreed.” The Venyatux lieutenant who had introduced herself as Fervanti tapped the place where the two columns were currently camped. “I don’t think they’re taunting us by coming so close. I think they’re trying to work out how many of us there are and where we’re all from.”

“Because they want to know who might still be coming.” Massi nodded. “I hope they caught a glimpse of the Skäddar. That would give them a fright.”

“Whoisstill coming?” Kurvin, another of General Ru’s lieutenants, asked. He was a wiry man in his early thirties, although the long brown braid falling over his shoulder was liberally threaded with silver.

“We are hoping to collect more Cervantes as we move through the plains.”

“Have you opened a line of communication with the Jatan?” Fervanti asked.

“We tried.” Massi put her hands on her hips. “They weren’t interested in even an exchange of information, even though it would have been beneficial to us both.”

“That’s their way.” General Ru leaned over the map. “They don’t like cooperating with others.”

“As long as their way is to wage war with the Kassian to the north west, I’m happy.” Luc had never expected the uprising on the Jatan border, and it had given him months to gather his Rising Wave. Months he would never have had otherwise. “They’ve helped us enough, just by taking on the Kassian and focusing their numbers and strength away from us.”

“But by now, the Kassian must know how big our combined army is.” General Ru tapped a considering finger on her chin. “Even if they’ve withdrawn some of their forces from the Jatan border and diverted them back to Fernwell, the Queen’s Herald will soon have to decide whether to come out to meet us before we reach Fernwell, or whether to prepare for a siege. He has to.”

“Agreed. So the question is, how many of his forces has he moved away from Jatan, and where will they choose to meet us?” Luc stared at the map, and tapped at a point on the Bartolo River, just north of the city of Bartolo. “Here would be a good place to get us. Crossing a river that wide is hard enough without dealing with an attack.”

General Ru nodded. “If they’re good strategists, they’ll definitely be looking there.”

“So we have to send scouts ahead to keep watch at that point. And wherever else anyone here thinks will be a good ambush spot.” Luc studied the map and the path they would need to take to Fernwell. Once off the plains, with its clear view in all directions, there were a lot of places where they could be surprised.

“Will they definitely ambush us, not simply attack?” Kurvin asked.

“It’s certainly possible they could choose a straightforward attack. And they’re arrogant enough to think they could best us without the element of surprise.” Luc pointed to Dak and Kurvin. “You two, find places that would suit a front-on attack, Massi and Fervanti, you find places where an ambush is more likely. General Ru and I can look over your suggestions, and then we can put together small parties to go ahead to those places, keep hidden, and see if the Kassian look interested.”

He realized belatedly that he’d just ordered the general’s staff around, and he looked over to her and gave a bow. “If that makes sense to you, General?”

She looked at him with a glint of laughter in her usually unreadable dark eyes. “I agree. Let us meet tomorrow to discuss this.” She took a final handful of the sweetened nuts from one of the bowls the cooks had brought in, and wished them all a good night as she left.