his calf muscle. It would need stitches by one of the physicians, but Essie could at least wash it and bandage it to tide Averett over until he could pause long enough to get it tended.
“Helping Weylind set up the shelter for tonight.” Averett winced as she took a rag and dabbed the injury.
Ever since the ambush on the rear lines, Jalissa and Essie had been bunking with Weylind and Essie’s brothers, curtaining off a corner to give themselves some privacy. Averett and Weylind weren’t happy about having Essie and Jalissa closer to the fighting, but nowhere in the encampment was truly safe.
“Are the trolls still falling back? We gained a lot of ground today.” Essie dabbed at the wound, making sure she got all the dirt out. She wasn’t sure when she had lost any squeamishness over blood and sliced muscle, but it no longer bothered her.
“Yes. I think the trolls left fighting us are simply making a defensive retreat, delaying us while the rest of them retreat to Gror Grar and rally those defenses.” Averett rubbed a hand over his face. “While I’m glad it means we’ll arrive at Gror Grar all the sooner, I am concerned what we will find when we get there. Is Farrendel...”
“Still alive. But...” Essie resisted the urge to rub at the cold feeling of the heart bond in her chest. For the past two days, he had been nearly constantly blocking her. The only time he didn’t block her was when he was sleeping or unconscious. “Still not good. I think we need to hurry.”
She wasn’t sure what had happened. After a week of being nearly relaxed and pain free, Farrendel had suddenly gone back to the torture and pain of those first few days before Melantha had begun helping him. Had Melantha been killed? Or had she betrayed Farrendel again, and that was why he was so listless and pained?
But it had started the day after Farrendel had used his magic through Essie. Had the trolls figured out that was Farrendel’s magic that night?
With Farrendel blocking her, she couldn’t attempt to ask him.
“We’re only a day from Gror Grar.” Averett patted her shoulder. “He only needs to hold out a little longer.”
Her hands shook as she wrapped a bandage around Averett’s leg. As she finished, she pasted on a smile and stood. “You can put your boot back on. I’ll pass out if I’m subjected to the stench of your sock much longer.”
“Ah. Yes. Bathing and washing socks hasn’t been on the top of our list for the past two weeks.” Averett sniffed at his armpit. “You might want to avoid hugs as well.”
As she didn’t smell much better than he did, she might risk it, if Farrendel took a turn for the worse.
The cold breeze swirling into the shelter and the low murmur of voices woke Essie from a light doze. She had struggled to sleep, knowing Edmund was out there scouting and Farrendel was drifting in and out of consciousness.
As Jalissa stirred next to her, Essie eased out of her bedroll and slipped through the curtain separating their section of the shelter from the rest.
An elven lamp, glowing with a white blue light instead of the yellow of a flame, sat in the center of the shelter. Essie’s brothers gathered around a piece of paper along with Weylind. Edmund was pointing at something, but he glanced up as Essie wedged into the circle between Averett and Julien.
Essie glanced over the paper. A rough sketch of the terrain around Gror Grar? “I’m glad you arrived back all right.”
“No trouble. It looks like even more of the trolls have retreated into Gror Grar. We’ll have little resistance on the final march tomorrow.” Edmund shook his head and bent over the paper again. “It will be Gror Grar itself that will be difficult. Its mountain is steep and made up of shale on many of the sides. We will have no cover on the approach, even if we try to take the army up the sides. A frontal assault across the bridge would be even worse.”
“We will consult with the generals tomorrow. The final decision on tactics will be theirs, anyway.” Averett leaned his elbows on his knees, head bent. “But if anyone has any ideas, I’m sure they would love to hear them.”
Essie bit her lip. Should she mention this? “Up until a few days ago, I know Farrendel was planning something. I think he meant it to coincide with our