Igniting Darkness (Courting Darkness Duology #2) - Robin LaFevers Page 0,140

set of knowledge, because he is also uniquely annoying.

The moon is only half full, enough to see by but not so much that I do not have to pick my path carefully to avoid stepping on a branch that could give us away. That is why I do not see the man until I am nearly upon him. He sits on a fallen log looking out at the night around him. Behind me, a boot crunch on the forest floor has me pressing back against the nearest tree and reaching for my knife.

Sybella is six steps ahead of me, her knife already in her hand. Our eyes meet, and a silent question passes between us.

“You’re late,” the man on the log says.

The approaching sentry—for that is who he is, the changing of the guard—says, “Christ, I haven’t slept more than half a night in I don’t know how long.”

“When are those other troops Rohan promised going to arrive? We’re spread too thin. That’s the only reason them loyalists have been able to get through.”

“How many attacks did the messenger say there were?”

“Two.”

It has been three, so their news is old.

“Told us the relief troops would be here mid-March. Still nothing.”

“You don’t think he lied to us, do you?”

More silence, as neither wants to answer that question. “Could be worse. At least we’re not still dragging all them cannon to Vannes.”

“Hard, slow work, that.”

“It’ll be worth it. That’ll convince Lord Montauban to surrender the city.”

“Then we’ll be able to move on the city. Can’t wait to get let loose among them pigeons.”

* * *

Sybella does not even have to wake the others, as Beast will not sleep until she is safely back, and Yannic will not sleep until Beast does. “We have news,” she says.

Beast motions to Yannic, who wakes up the rest of our party. When we have shared with them what we learned, Beast scratches his chin thoughtfully. “We knew our good fortune couldn’t last.”

“Who says this isn’t a stroke of good fortune?” Lazare asks as he leans against a tree.

“I’ve never known you to be an optimist,” Sybella says.

He shrugs. “I’ll admit, troop reinforcements are not good news. They didn’t happen to mention how many reinforcements or where they were coming from, did they?”

“If they had, I would’ve mentioned it.”

Lazare grunts before continuing. “Well, they’re not here yet. And we have a chance to strike a hard blow.”

“The cannon train,” Beast says.

The smile that spreads across Lazare’s thin face makes him look like a feral fox. “Exactly.”

 Chapter 78

Throughout the morning as we ride, we are joined by Arduinnites, in small groups of two and three at a time. They are easy enough to recognize—they all dress like Aeva, with their legs and arms covered in brown leather and their vests made out of fur. There is also a wildness about them, a sense of living close to both the forest and the gods. They are not threatening, they simply slip out from the trees and join our party. I have never seen so many before—nearly thirty.

“Why are they here?” I ask Aeva.

She regards me a long moment. “They are offering their aid in this venture.”

“I am glad of it, but why? This does not seem like their fight.”

She glances at the Arduinnites trailing behind us. “Our mission is to protect the innocent. That mission does not stop with a Frenchman sitting atop the throne. That is still our work. And,” she adds after a moment, “what better way to protect innocents than avert war?”

I cannot argue with her reasoning, so do not.

We spend nearly the entire day talking about the cannon train and how best to approach it.

“We could simply free their horses,” Aeva points out. “Then they would have nothing to pull them with.”

“But they could still be used at a later date. Would it not be better to destroy them?” Poulet suggests.

“You mean destroy the powder like we have been? Won’t they just get more?” Aeva asks.

“No. I mean destroy the cannon themselves.”

“Easier said than done, I think,” Beast says. “It takes eight pounds of powder to launch a cannonball. I can’t imagine how much it would take to destroy a whole cannon.”

“Not as much as you’d think,” Lazare says. “They’re all made of metal, but most have been pieced together so they’re vulnerable at the joints. It only takes a little more powder, loaded in a slightly different way, to make the entire thing explode.”

Beast steers his horse away before it nips at Lazare’s. “I