Even Gods Must Fall - Christian Warren Freed Page 0,3
residual effects. Ingrid held greater understanding of what had happened but lacked foresight to change the future. Where self-induced misery once occupied her mind she was now occupied with orchestrating that singular pivotal moment that would shift the balance of power and drive what remained of Harnin’s forces out of power for good.
Tiny laughter escaped her lips.
Orlek narrowed his eyes. “What’s so funny?”
“I was just thinking how we had this very same argument not long ago. Only I was the one consumed with grief over losses.” She paused, choosing her next words carefully. “Orlek, our raid on the western fortress can’t be construed as failure. We ruined Harnin’s plans for the west. Think of how much manpower and funding went in to building that hideous fort in the middle of nowhere?”
“Perhaps you’re forgetting how many fighters we lost in that engagement?”
She shook her head. “Absolutely not. Every face, every name haunts my sleep. I’ll never be alone again, Orlek. None of them died without purpose. Harnin sought to establish a firm base of operations in the west, thus depriving us of our hiding places. Yes, we lost, but Harnin lost a captain, a base, and numerous soldiers. We hold the advantage. All we need to do is reach out and seize it.”
“What advantage, Ingrid?” Orlek threw his hands wide in a futile gesture. “We’re borderline ineffective. It won’t take much to break what remains. You risk losing everything by taking to the field so soon.”
“We’ve all risked much since leaving Chadra. Harnin is weak. Bahr’s return gives us a new hope.”
“How? He clearly wants nothing to do with the throne or the kingdom.”
“So he says,” she conceded. “What if he’s not being entirely truthful?”
Orlek clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. “I’m listening.”
Ingrid began to pace around the campfire. “Bahr and his collection of friends are in a hurry to move east. Clearly there is a confrontation brewing that will decide the future of Delranan. Bahr knows what his brother and the One Eye have done here. He’s seen the suffering firsthand. There’s no way he can willingly walk away from this. Not if he expects to be able to live with his decisions.”
“I don’t know, Ingrid. That sounds like a lot of speculation. What is your reasoning?”
She paused. A warm grin spread across her face. “The princess.”
“Maleela? What about her? No one has heard from her since the Wolfsreik left for the invasion of Rogscroft.”
“Precisely. My gut tells me she is an integral player in all of this. Could Bahr be heading west to find her?” Ingrid’s eyes shone with fresh ideas. The princess of Delranan might well be the answer to all of their problems.
“More likely off to confront his brother,” Orlek concluded. “Badron’s never cared for his daughter. I think you overstate her importance.”
“Possibly, but we have to keep that option open. Orlek, I think we need to start driving east. Catch up to Bahr if we can.”
His eyes widened in shock. “To what end? You’ve seen his group. A Giant, Dwarf, wizard, and Gaimosian? That’s no meeting I want any part of. If Lord Death is stalking Delranan that group is heading straight for him.”
“Harnin will assume the same and move to stop Bahr. There’s no love lost between those two. We can use that distraction to slip back into Chadra, seal off the Keep, and bring the One Eye to his knees.”
Orlek wasn’t convinced. “You’re forgetting those five thousand soldiers roaming the kingdom. What about them?”
“We’ve already bloodied their noses in the west. Harnin’s lost significant supplies, weapons, and manpower. Orlek, this is the only chance we’re going to have.”
“We abandoned Chadra to change the war,” he said.
Ingrid nodded. “Now it’s time to change it again. We need to move into the end phase of the rebellion. Delranan can’t sustain the kind of warfare it’s been subsumed with. How many more sons and daughters are there to throw into the flames? This is our chance, Orlek. We can break Harnin. Argis is gone. Jarrik killed himself. The others haven’t been seen or heard from since Badron left. Only Skaning remains and his focus is moving east. We have to presume he’s chasing Bahr and forgetting about us.”
The decision to return to what little remained of Delranan’s capital wasn’t easy to make. Ghosts haunted the streets, worsened by the plague. Still, Orlek reluctantly admitted Ingrid’s plans bore at least a little measure of merit. Bahr’s return was no secret and Harnin would be frothing