Siege (The Warrior Chronicles, #5) - K.F. Breene Page 0,57

nodded. “Good work. We’re meeting on the other side of the city. We’ll leave tomorrow at dawn.”

“Should leave after dark.” The Shadow grabbed his bow from the ground and stood in a smooth movement. “I only killed the Graygual I felt. My range is not great. Some will have gotten away.”

Sanders shifted, thinking over what he knew of the Graygual. “They don’t seem to surrender. If they run, they’ll just be killed by the higher officers. So they wouldn’t check in with one of those.”

The Shadow grinned. It was a predatory expression. “Not all of these are from the Graygual land. The army is also made up of normal men who don’t know the customs. They don’t know what they’ve gotten themselves into. They will sing like canaries before they are done away with.”

Sanders gave a nod before turning. His first foot hadn’t hit the ground before the Shadow said, “I’ve heard of you, you know. The Inkna hate you more than the Chosen. You withstood their torture and killed them all.”

Sanders scoffed. “I didn’t kill anyone.” Why lie? Not like it was a big secret. “I shat my pants while a girl rescued me.”

The Shadow laughed. “I have never heard of anyone escaping torture. I heard you mocked them.” The Shadow hefted his bow, preparing to head to the meeting place. “People talk. The Graygual will hear of us before we get there, unless we hurry.”

Sanders watched him walk away for a moment. He snatched a piece of grass from the ground, sniffed it to make sure it hadn’t been pissed on, peeled the end, and stuck it in his mouth. He needed something to chew on.

“Daniels,” Sanders barked as he approached the hiding place. One of the women rose from some brush not far from where he stopped. He hadn’t even noticed her. “Good work. Head to the east side of town.”

“Thank you, sir. Yes, sir.” She took off at a jog.

He might actually get used to the women after all. When they got it in their heads to follow commands, they did it without the need for violence. It was just getting through their thick heads that was the problem.

“What news?” Daniels asked, his hand on the shoulder of the prisoner. Tomous walked out behind, his face a mask of disdain.

“We’re heading to the east side. Town is still in disarray but they are getting their leadership in order. Once that’s done, and their army is in some sort of shape, we’ll make a plan. Not long now.”

Daniels glanced at Tomous. “Take the prisoner.”

“With pleasure, sir.” Tomous roughly grabbed the prisoner’s arm and pushed him ahead.

“He’d better arrive alive,” Sanders ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Tomous said. Sanders caught a hint of frustration.

When they were out of earshot, Sanders said, “There’s some question of when we leave.”

“We will be on our way at dawn, I thought. That is what the Captain said when he checked in after the victory.”

Sanders grabbed his wrist behind his back and studied the ground as he walked. He relayed what the Shadow had said.

“You didn’t kill anyone. You were mostly dead.”

The sound of grinding teeth wasn’t healthy. Sanders spat out the mangled stalk of grass while he squeezed his wrist harder. “Yes, Daniels, I pointed out the flaw in the story. My point was regarding to how fast word travels.”

“Ah yes, I see your point, muddled as it is.” Daniels stroked the stubble on his chin. “This Shadow makes a valid argument, but we are a day away. The men are tired from battle, and traveling at night is treacherous.” Daniels’ brow furrowed. “I will need to speak to the Captain and Shanti about this. We need to know how fast the Graygual can prepare a large force for battle.”

17

After an exhausting night and morning of traveling at a breakneck pace, Shanti crouched with a small force behind a hedge of a farmhouse, staring ahead at a tall stone wall with very few handholds or areas to climb. At the top stood a sentry, only his head visible. Beside him the wall dipped for a place to fire arrows, and then rose again for cover. The crenulations lined the whole of the wall, perfect for defense. Way off to the right, guarded from above by four Graygual, sat a large archway, currently open to travelers. Spikes of a gate barely showed below the arch, and thick wooden doors were pulled wide behind.

“All that structure, and they still have a moat.” Rohnan was looking at the