get moving.” And he set off at a gentle run. Ambrose followed. This was what he lived for—action, purpose. It was what he needed now more than ever.
They made very good progress and rested the first night without lighting a fire. Ambrose shared the first watch, then lay down to sleep, but woke again just as it was getting light. His first thoughts were of the mission, not Catherine, which was a good sign. He also didn’t feel the wave of depression hanging over him, another good sign.
He got to his feet and walked around the small camp, checking that the watch had changed as it should and that all was well, then went to the stream. He crouched down to scoop a handful of water when a small deer stepped into view. Ambrose froze. The deer eyed him. Perhaps it had never seen a human before. Ambrose remained motionless as the deer drank. Then the sudden noise of a dropped helmet came from the camp, and the deer leaped away.
“So much for me and my silent soldiers,” Ambrose muttered.
They set off again, and by afternoon they were approaching their destination. Geratan pointed and signaled to Ambrose:
Demon hollow. Three hundred paces.
Good, thought Ambrose. But now for the hard part . . .
A demon hollow meant a demon. And Ambrose needed to get into the demon world without killing it. He intended to lure the demon out and use strong nets and ropes to trap it. This was how the Brigantines had gained access—captured a demon and caged it in the hollow to ensure the tunnel didn’t close. It didn’t feel good to be doing the same things as the Brigantines, but neither Ambrose nor Geratan could think of another way. The troop had practiced this, though never with a real demon, of course. But they needed to get it right—the tunnel had to remain open as an escape route for when their mission was over.
“Set up the trap. You know what to do. Lure the demon this way, Geratan, and we’ll do our best not to hurt it.”
Geratan nodded. He’d volunteered to lure the demon out—he knew how to get into the demon world and what to expect in there. But would he be able to run fast enough? Geratan was strong and agile, but not the quickest of men.
The men set up the nets, and Geratan checked over everything. Then he shook hands with Ambrose, saying, “Seems like there’s nothing more for me to do except go and see this demon.”
“We’ll be ready.”
The men waited silently in their positions as Geratan crept toward the demon hollow and out of sight.
It was quiet. No birdsong. No wind.
Ambrose waited. And waited.
And waited.
Why was it taking so long? Was Geratan struggling to get in?
Perhaps he’s already been ripped in two by the demon.
But then Ambrose heard footsteps.
He’s done it!
Geratan came into view at a jog. Not the sort of speed to flee from a demon. What was going on?
“We’ve got a bit of a problem,” Geratan said. “The hollow isn’t there anymore. I’ve looked all around, thought perhaps I’d missed it, but I’ve checked the whole area. It’s gone.”
Ambrose cursed. They’d have to find another way into the demon world.
“How did you originally find the demon hollow that was here?”
“We crisscrossed the whole of this part of the plateau until we came across one.”
“How long did that take?”
Geratan grimaced. “A week.”
Ambrose cursed again, thinking of the week he had been so insistent on spending training the men before they set out. He hadn’t factored in the possibility that they might need to find a different hollow. Now they were up on the plateau with a few days’ rations and no idea where to start looking.
TASH
DEMON TUNNELS
TASH WAS tunneling again.
This time she was holding in her head an image of Frost alone and asleep. The tunnel grew differently now, in short bursts, as if it only worked when Frost was asleep or on her own. It was slow going.
It’s not a race. The important thing is to get her on her own, not with half the Brigantine army around her.
So Tash tunneled when Frost slept and rested while Frost was awake. And while Tash rested, she planned what she’d do when she found her.
I’ll sneak up on her while she sleeps. Put my knife to her throat. Wake her. Question her. Find out what’s happening to the demons and why.
It sounded unlikely to work, but then again, Tash reminded herself, she was tunneling