Palace of Silver (The Nissera Chronicles #3) - Hannah West Page 0,130
did not retaliate with magic. Tilmorn and I were able to drag Sev away.
“He tried to kill me at the palace!” he cried.
“That was his uncle!” Kadri yelled over the commotion. “Elicromancers don’t age, so the two look alike.”
“It was Devorian you saw a few days ago,” I explained, gripping his arm in case he planned to attack again. “But he left the palace soon after.”
Sev looked from Devorian to Kadri to me, his sweat-slicked chest heaving. Kadri’s words sank in. “Why was Mathis there?” I asked.
“When he left the Uprising, he must have realized Ambrosine was his only ally,” Kadri said. “She wants to cripple the Realm Alliance as desperately as he does.”
“Typical Mathis,” Devorian muttered. “Doing whatever is politically expedient without regard for the consequences.”
“So, you didn’t get the elicrin stone?” I asked. My first hope was to see them return alive, but the disappointment at their failure to retrieve my stone dug deeper than I expected.
“Oh, we did,” Kadri said, reaching into her pocket and pulling it out by the chain. She dangled it over her finger. “I probably should have led with that.”
THIRTY-EIGHT
GLISETTE
THE summer rains did come, just as Commander Larsio’s knees predicted.
For three wet days, we dug and rigged traps where the road met the border of the forest according to his sketches. Larsio traveled from town to town, recruiting trustworthy warriors. He sent some farther south to set up camp. That would be the decoy army, comprised of retired soldiers and inexperienced civilians.
Meanwhile, the commander had discreetly led the young and experienced soldiers to the armory rather than the campsite after rigorously testing their loyalties. Even with elicromancers and the element of surprise, our ambush needed muscle.
Kadri had deceived the Uprising informant about our “plans” to attack the city. We expected Ambrosine to send a scout and ready her troops.
That scout would find an army of hundreds helmed by Navara, Mercer, and Devorian. But when Ambrosine’s troops marched to meet them, we would spring our attack. Mercer and Devorian would materialize to help us, and Navara would lead the decoy army onward to reinforce us. Since she wasn’t trained to fight, Navara would double back to hide in the armory until the battle’s end.
The traps we set at the ambush site were simple canvas-covered pits containing sharpened stakes. My snowstorm would hide the coverings.
When those were ready, sentries stayed behind to keep a lookout while the rest of us returned to the armory. Weapons, waterskins, and stores of food and ale were distributed. By our estimation, Ambrosine’s army would be on the march by tomorrow morning. There was little left to do besides wait.
Mercer and I huddled with Kadri to try to teach her whatever spells she might need, but her marksmanship gift would be more useful than any spell.
“I told Glisette she can’t be my tutor back home,” Kadri said, eyeing me. “She’s too bossy.”
“Glisette? Bossy?” Mercer cocked his head.
“No matter what conditions I survive, you will always imagine me as a spoon-fed, demanding brat, won’t you?”
Mercer laughed his deep, resounding laugh and threw an arm around my shoulder. “I see the Ice Queen still hasn’t learned to tolerate jokes at her expense.”
I flicked his ear, surprising him. “And the Prophet still can’t predict what’s coming next,” I retorted playfully.
Mercer feigned hurt at my retaliation and Kadri laughed. She’d been cheerful since she’d learned that Tilmorn had been able to heal Rynna from the Jav Darhu’s poison.
I wandered over to the casks of watered-down ale to refill my flagon, weaving around clusters of young soldiers who couldn’t pry their eyes off of me. Whether it was my beauty, my resemblance to Ambrosine, or both, they studied me like a newly discovered specimen.
My fingers trembled as I turned the spout. I had survived the raid on Darmeska, but I was just as frightened now. The nightmares had never left me, and I wouldn’t forget the pain of the injuries that Rynna’s nectar had healed. Diversion seemed to be the only tool to assuage my fears. Tipping my full flagon back, I took a gulp and looked around for Sev.
I found him sitting on a crate, sharpening his hunting knife. But he wasn’t paying as much attention to the task. Instead, he was watching me.
I smiled. He returned a half smile and refocused on his work.
I made my way over to him and nudged his boot with the toe of mine. “Are you worried?” I asked, claiming a nearby crate.