Illusion: Book Four of the Grimoire Saga (20 page)

Rieve’s eyes widened, but she didn’t speak. Kara waited, meeting each vagabond’s eye for a few seconds. Deep in the pit of her gut, she wished they would all back out. She wished she had no volunteers. She couldn’t guarantee their safety after the fight ended, much less in the battle itself. If they survived the war, they may be ostracized or attacked out of fear. After the torture and betrayal she’d endured since discovering Ourea and becoming its Vagabond, she couldn’t trust the yakona not to treat her people the same way.

When no one spoke, she swallowed hard and nodded. “Does everyone know what they’re supposed to do?”

“Use our grimoires to communicate orders across armies,” Twin answered.

Kara nodded. “Right. What else?”

“Look out for each other,” Rieve said.

Kara nodded again. “No one else will. Those in the battle will get inkwells to hang around your necks and short quills to stick in your grimoires for easy notation.”

“How will Twin get to Hillside before the battle?” Richard asked with a look toward the young woman.

“I’ll take her there with Flick. It should take all of fifteen minutes.”

Richard nodded.

Kara crossed her arms. “I’m terrified for all of you. As the Vagabond, I’ve endured so much. I’ve been spiked, auctioned off, used as bait, hunted like an animal. I’ve seen my father’s soul ripped from his body.” Her voice caught, but she pinched her arm and forced herself to continue.

“I’ve been abandoned, drowned, brought back from the dead, and threatened to within an inch of my life. This is not a charmed existence. We are a threat because we are totally free. We are a rarity, and we are feared despite everything we say and do to prove ourselves. I can’t stand to see you hurt, but you might experience the same hatred I’ve seen since I arrived in Ourea. I don’t know what will happen after we open those doors. My guess is they will welcome you, except for Evelyn.” Kara glanced toward Rieve, who frowned. “But I don’t know what will happen afterward. All I can say is you will never have the life you lived before this. Everything changes the moment they know what you really are.”

The hallway hushed. Twin set her shoulders and lifted her chin in defiance. Several other vagabonds followed suit.

“Gavin already knows about us,” Twin said with a grin.

“It’ll be the first time I’ve seen him since we left Hillside, but I’m ready,” Richard added.

Rieve crossed her arms and smiled, though the creases in her forehead suggested it was forced. “My brother will be in the final fight to watch over me.”

Kara frowned. “I don’t trust Evelyn.”

Rieve nodded. “I know. But she’s in this alliance. She won’t hurt me.”

Kara hesitated. She wasn’t convinced, but at least Zimmermann would be there to look after his sister. He and several other Ayavelian yakona would be in the guard, ready to protect Rieve if something went wrong.

Azo—the other Ayavelian vagabond who volunteered—watched Kara and barely blinked. She met his eye. He simply nodded.

Roj, one of the two Lossian volunteers, set his hands on his hips. “This is my honor, Vagabond. My brother and I are committed to seeing this through.”

“Thank you,” Kara said with a nod.

“It’s my honor as well,” Elana said with a curtsy.

Kara sighed. “I’m afraid for you, Elana. You’ve never seen war.”

“No, but I know Blood Aurora better than most. She is a friend of mine. I’m going as much to watch over her as to be Kirelm’s eyes during the fight.”

“Will she still be your friend when she finds out you’re a vagabond?”

Elana smiled. “Absolutely. The Kirelm people respect you and believe in your purpose.”

Kara’s body tensed. Her mind raced back to her fight with Carden through the Kirelm throne room. They trusted a liar. They worshipped a lie. Her ears rang. Images blurred past—twisted metal, Carden’s wide eyes, the beam of energy tearing through the protective gate around the city. The word
murderer
rang through her mind.

She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. She had to focus.

Are you all right, Kara?
The first Vagabond said in her ear.

She nodded out of instinct, though it took a moment for her to realize he couldn’t see her—yet everyone else could.

“What’s wrong, Kara?” Twin asked.

“Nothing,” Kara lied.

“You are all so brave,” a man said.

Kara twisted around. The Vagabond’s ghostly frame filled the space to her left. His hood covered his face, but she’d seen him plenty of times before.

He crossed his arms. “Thank you for taking this risk. I’m proud to call you vagabonds.”

“It’s our pleasure,” Richard said. The former king beamed with joy.

Kara smiled. Sometimes she forgot how much Richard idolized the first Vagabond. It was what drew him toward the cause in the first place.

She looked around the faces of her vagabonds. They all smiled—every one of them, even the solemn Azo. They respected the authority of the Vagabond, the power and freedom of having a grimoire to call their own. They volunteered for this. They knew the risks, and she couldn’t protect them forever. Come hell or high water, they were in this with her to the very end.

Kara cracked a small smile. “Let’s get this over with, then.”

An icy chill raced down her back. She turned, expecting the first Vagabond to have his hand on her shoulder, but he was gone. The chill dissolved.

She squared her shoulders and set her hands on the doorknobs. With two quick twists, she opened the double doors and walked into the war room.

A table filled the middle of the room—the same room in which she’d proposed going to the isen. Several yakona sat at the table, their faces turned toward her. She lifted her chin as she scanned the room—Aurora smiled from her place beside the stone-faced Gurien, who offered Kara a nod as her eyes passed him over; Gavin sat beside a large Hillsidian man Kara didn’t recognize, though his scowl sparked a vague sense of familiarity; Evelyn occupied the far end of the table, away from the others, with an Ayavelian man Kara had certainly never met; Frine sat with his son and yet another Lossian Kara had never met; and Braeden had seated himself at the head of the table. He wore a broad smile on his face as she caught his eye.

Kara stepped aside and waved toward the six vagabonds in the doorway. “Bloods and Heirs, these are the vagabonds who will be your open line of communication to this final battle. They took a great risk in revealing themselves, so I hope you give them the utmost respect.”

Her eyes wandered around the room, gauging reactions. Evelyn’s frown only deepened. A flutter of worry wove through Kara’s gut, but it was too late now.

Gavin leaned back in his chair and stared at his father, his mouth a thin line. Kara couldn’t read him. Either he was hurt, angry, or a little scared. Maybe all of the above. Richard and Gavin hadn’t seen each other since Richard became a vagabond, and Richard was smuggled out of the city because Gavin overheard a dark confession from his father that may have ended with spilt blood. But Gavin had changed since then, and Kara had faith the reunion wouldn’t end with a murder.

Aurora’s face split into a wide grin, and Gurien managed a smile. Kara sighed with relief—at least them she could trust with her vagabonds’ identities.

Frine, however, didn’t react. Neither his nor his son’s expressions changed. Kara didn’t know what to make of that.

“Shouldn’t there be two vagabonds for each kingdom?” Aurora asked.

Kara nodded. “A young lady named Minly is already back in Kirelm. Likewise, Roj’s brother Tier is a Lossian defense guard already in the Lossian capital. It didn’t seem right to pull them away only to send them back.”

“Understandable.”

“Explain what the vagabonds will do in detail,” Frine said.

Kara’s eyebrow twitched at the order, but she obliged him. “Vagabonds need to check in regularly throughout the battle, as much as possible, and give updates on positions, concerns, and the like. When each army is in position, the volunteer vagabond will write me a note. Then, when everyone is ready to attack, I’ll give the order to start. Hillside will go first, sending Garrett in before Hillside and my isen attack.”—Frine and Gavin cringed, but Kara plowed ahead—“Richard will leave a note when Hillside attacks, and Elana will notify Blood Aurora that they’re set to go. Fifteen minutes later, the Kirelms attack and Elana will write a note for Losse to prepare. And so on, moving from Losse to Ayavel. Ayavel will still serve as a final wave, coming in with healers to aid any fallen soldiers.”

“When do we leave?” Frine asked.

“Sunset tomorrow,” Braeden said.

Kara nodded, though inwardly she felt the air rush from her lungs. So soon.

Braeden leaned back in his chair. “Why don’t we let each of the vagabonds speak with their Blood? It would be good for everyone to connect.”

She tensed. She couldn’t protect these vagabonds anymore. She had to let them go and trust they knew what they were doing. With one final glance toward Evelyn’s deepening frown, Kara nodded.

Chapter 12

Exposed

Braeden crossed his arms and watched the vagabonds disperse from their clump at the door. Kara stood by the edge of the table, eyes flitting around the room as her people risked their lives and family by exposing their identities. Lines appeared in her brow and by her eyes, testaments to her unease.

He wanted to rub her skin, to tell her everything would be okay, but not here. The war room was meant only for strategizing.

The Ayavelian vagabonds smiled and bowed to Evelyn, but the queen frowned and stood.

“Good day,” she said without looking at them.

Without waiting for a reply, the queen ripped open the door and left the room. Rieve and the second Ayavelian—Braeden forgot his name— stared at the queen’s seat, apparently unclear as to what just happened. Rieve turned toward Kara, who crossed her arms.

The other vagabonds had better luck. Aurora smiled and wrapped her arms around Elana in welcome. Gurien clapped a hand on Elana’s back. The Kirelms spoke in hushed tones, but smiled and seemed to welcome Elana as their vagabond. Braeden let out a breath, but his shoulders still ached from tension.

Blood Frine and his son nodded in welcome to Roj, who stood stiffly at attention. Frine’s mouth moved, but Braeden couldn’t make out the words. Roj replied with single-word answers, primarily yes and no.

Richard’s brown hair caught Braeden’s attention. A flurry of excitement flushed through him at seeing his adoptive father. Richard’s eyes shifted as if they felt the weight of Braeden’s stare, and the former king’s mouth bent in what could only be a subtle smile. Braeden returned it and shifted his focus, choosing to watch the Hillsidians reunite out of his periphery.

Richard and Twin strayed from the pack, moving slower than the others to reach their Blood. Gavin stood as they neared, his shoulders tense and back arched. Twin and Richard bowed their heads in respect, and Gavin—much to Braeden’s surprise—returned the bow.

The three Hillsidians huddled nearby, no one speaking. Braeden’s jaw tensed, but he forced himself to sit and wait. They would have to work this out on their own—there was nothing he could do.

Finally, a quiet voice broke their silence.

“I’m sorry, Richard,” Gavin said.

A smile broke over Richard’s face. It melted the king’s expression, filling his brow and cheeks with happy wrinkles. He offered a hand to his son, who shook it.

Gavin cleared his throat. “And you, Twin, I’m sorry. I manipulated you.”

Her lips curled into a small smile. “I forgive you.”

Braeden released a sigh of relief but stopped when he returned his gaze to Kara. Arms crossed, her eyes scanned the room. The Ayavelian vagabonds stayed close to her, silent as they, too, watched the room.

Hillsidian reunion or no, all was not well in Ayavel.

An hour later, Braeden closed the door to an empty war room and stood in the hall with Kara. Her eyes shifted out of focus. He began toward their room, and she followed, hands crossed over her chest as they ambled down the silent hallway. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. They meandered, taking the empty corridor one step at a time, side by side.