into slumber but never entirely with the waking world. David and Ryan sat close by, speaking in hushed tones. At one point she noticed Ryan put a hand on David’s thigh, and he touched it lightly before it trailed back to the bench. Her curiosity at what might pass between them was almost enough to rouse her from her dormancy, but she felt the obscure desire to protect their privacy, and so she made no move toward them.
When the signal came, it was not quite what she had expected. Jeremy stood up on top of one of the tables and rapped his boot loudly against his chair for attention. When what little sound there had been subsided, he called out in a clear voice:
“Sarah tells me the moon has risen—it is waxing, but there is enough light that it may prove dangerous, so be on your guard. We have divided the group into four companies, and each company has a captain. We will make the crossing at separate locations on the river, so as to ensure that we do not incur any unwanted attention. Marce will read the roll and yell out your company, so listen carefully. The company captains are King Darren, Jacqueline, Samuel, and Beckett.”
She heard a murmur of dissent, but couldn’t pinpoint it. One of the men at the table stood up, holding a piece of sacking left over from dinner. On it he had scrawled the names of the assembled company, and he cleared his throat and read them out in a powerful projecting voice. Taya guessed that he had a past as an army member, but when she asked David she was shocked to learn that he was a child of Yariel.
“He’s the company’s unofficial scribe,” David explained. “No one knows his story for sure, but the rumor about the place has been that his monastery was razed because it was suspected of harboring fugitives.”
“King Octarion would burn children of Yariel?” Taya exclaimed in surprise.
“Aye, but shh. We must listen for our names,” he admonished, and Taya fell into silence.
When the roll had been called, Taya was relieved to hear that her company contained not only Darren and Jeremy, but David and Ryan as well. All told, there were five soldiers and one captain to each group, plus one extra in her own company and one extra in another. Counting herself, that made twenty-six rebels trying to cross the river from Miranov to Sephria. The river Sirrin was a large, deep expanse, with dangerous rapids and heavily patrolled bridges. Though Sephria and Miranov were peaceful allies, there had been war recently enough that the guards on the border would be numerous, if not alert. Each of the four groups would leave by one of the four city gates, and cross the river using rafts which had been hidden during the day. The crossing would be dangerous, especially in the dark, but it was the only way to get by unseen. Even then, there was a possibility of discovery, and the groups would have to be prepared for battle.
Everyone divided quickly, already prepared for what was ahead. Ryan found Taya and wordlessly handed her a dagger. There was no point giving her a sword or bow—it would be an understatement to say she had no proficiency in either. She had never even held a sword, and only played at using a bow as a child. A dagger would have to do, and she would have to be smart and not throw herself into danger she couldn’t handle.
As she approached her group she overheard David speaking angrily to Jeremy. He was being as quiet as he could, but his deep voice carried unintentionally. They were speaking a merchant cant of Sanitas, probably so the others would have a harder time understanding, but Taya’s father was a merchant and she knew it well.
“If Lord Mendaci’s spies find us out, they can concentrate their forces on our company, wipe out every rebel leader in one attack,” David was saying.
“Let’s not pretend things will be better than they are. Chances are every group will be hit.”
“All the more reason for us to be divided between them! The king takes one group, I one, you another, and Jacqueline the last. We give Sarah and Liam to Darren, and I keep Ryan and Thomas. It was what we originally discussed!”
“I rethought, David, and I thought carefully. If we’re all together, and we get hit, chances are good some will survive. If we’re