Page 130 of Scorched Earth

“I’m fine, too, sir,” Quintus said. “Thank you for inquiring.”

Marcus ignored him, as well as the officers in the pavilion who watched with keen interest. Like they were assessing the level of sentiment between them. “She did that to get back at me.” He growled the words. “This is why I didn’t want you involved.”

And yet he hadn’t sent her away.

Teriana shook her head. “Here or not here, it doesn’t matter. My people have named me a traitor and put a target on my back. I think it fair to say the Gamdeshians have done the same.”

“Traitor?” Marcus’s eyes blazed with terrifying fury. “After everything you’ve done for your people?”

“It’s because of what I’ve done.” She hung her head, unable to meet his gaze. “They see those five hundred as casualties of war. The cost of saving them too high to pay.”

“Teriana, why didn’t you tell me any of this?”

She laughed because the alternative would be to cry. “Because you never gave me a chance. And because it doesn’t change anything.” She lifted her face and stared Marcus down. “I’m not going to break.”

His eyes searched hers. “I know you won’t.”

Climbing to his feet, Marcus pulled Quintus upright and inspected the gouges in the metal on his back. “You’ll need to have that repaired. And I’m assigning you more men.”

“That bird should never have gotten so close.” Quintus glared down the slope at the Fifty-First archers, who were shifting uneasily as though anticipating reprimand. “They stop teaching boys how to aim at Lescendor? How did every single one of you miss?”

“Because they were under orders to miss.” Marcus took another step away from Teriana. “I wanted Astara to deliver a count of our numbersand position. But now…” He turned to Felix, who was tracking Astara through a spyglass. “How badly did Quintus wound her?”

“Can’t tell.” Felix lowered the glass. “But she’s not struggling to fly, and I assume one of their healers will mend her.” His eyes flicked to Teriana, and she nodded confirmation even as she hunted for her composure.

“She’s passed the third marker, sir,” Nic said from where he stood on the ridgeline squinting after Astara. “Do we continue with the plan?”

Marcus had known Astara would track them down. Had wanted her to see all this and bring the news back to Kaira. Teriana swallowed hard, her mind racing through what he could possibly be planning next.

“Do you still wish to pursue the same strategy, sir?” Felix asked.

Marcus exhaled slowly, watching the progress in his directives the legions were making, expression distant. “Yes. Proceed.”

Teriana’s heart beat wildly as Felix stepped close to a signalman, who nodded several times as he was given lengthy instructions, which Teriana couldn’t overhear. But immediately, the boats that had been used in the attack began returning to the south side of the river even as more that had gone unused were dragged down to the water’s edge.

And the Forty-First finally began to move.

Gear slung over their shoulders, they marched down to the water’s edge and began loading into the boats by the dozens. The hundreds. Thethousands.Not to row across to the north bank, but to float downstream.

As she watched, Marcus stepped close to Felix, their foreheads pressed together as they spoke. Then Marcus clapped him on the shoulder, and Felix said, “Take care of him, Amarin. Food. Water. And at least some sleep,” before starting toward the river. Within moments, Felix was in one of the vessels and drifting out of sight.

“Where are they going?” she demanded. “What’s going on?”

Marcus didn’t answer, and taking a few quick steps, she grabbed his arm. “What are you doing, Marcus?”

But the man she loved was gone again, the Empire commander firmly in control as he said, “What I do best.”

The men all raised their full cups in toast, then they walked down the slope to Rastag’s bridge, leaving Teriana and Quintus with a handful of the Fifty-First on the ridgetop.

We do not fall back.

45MARCUS

He lingered only long enough to allow Rastag the manpower he needed to modify his bridge to allow the river to flow beneath. The floodwaters drained swiftly out of the Gamdeshian fortress of Rita, though getting rid of the mud would more than occupy the small force he left behind for the days to come.

Then Marcus ordered his army to march.

It felt peculiar marching without Felix at his side, though Austornic was eager to take up Felix’s usual duties, which meant he never left Marcus’s shadow. The boy desired to endlessly rehash the mechanics of the battle on the Orinok, picking Marcus’s brain over how he’d coordinated each step, how he’d kept the trebuchet a secret, and how Rastag had determined distances. Though Marcus’s focus was the strategy to come, he forced himself to answer the endless variations of the same questions, knowing he’d been equally inquisitive at that age. It wasn’t until Hostus had gained authority over him that he’d stopped asking questions, because firstly, the legatus of the Twenty-Ninth had little to offer, and secondly, Hostus had had a tendency to answer questions with violence.