Scent of Magic (17 page)

“I know you don’t believe they exist, but—”

“That’s not it,” she said. “Wynn and Liv are too chatty. They can’t be trusted to keep such juicy gossip to themselves. I think it should be me, you and Sergeant Saul.”

“Saul? But he hardly says a word.”

“Exactly.” She paused when we reached the training area. “When do you want to leave?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

“What about the silent training?”

“Sergeant Odd can cover for me.”

“Have you cleared this with Major Granvil?”

Oops. I’d forgotten he needed to be informed. “Uh... Not yet.”

“I’ll take care of it. Find Saul, explain to him what we plan to do. Then both of you meet me in my tent right after supper. We’ll finalize the details of our mission.”

Thea hadn’t wasted any time in taking charge.

“Lieutenant, I’m happy to follow orders while we’re en route, but once we find the Lilys—”

“Then they’re all yours, Sergeant.” She waved me off.

I waited until Saul and his squad had finished with their hand-to-hand-combat drills before approaching him. While his soldiers returned to their tents, he stood next to the water barrel. Removing his shirt, he poured water over his head and upper body, washing away the sweat and dirt. His long lean muscles were the source of his wiry strength. He also had the fastest reflexes of all the sergeants in Thea’s platoon, even though he was the oldest at—my guess—close to forty.

Toweling off, he met my gaze. His light blue eyes studied me with mild curiosity. He gestured, prompting me to explain. I filled him in about the search for Peace Lilys. If he found the task strange or odd, he didn’t show it.

“We’re to meet with the LT after supper,” I said.

“All right,” Saul said.

I couldn’t resist asking, “Aren’t you curious why we’re going?”

“I’m to protect you. Correct?”

“Basically.”

“That’s all I need.” He smiled.

* * *

Later in the lieutenant’s tent, Saul surprised us both by unfolding a map of the area. Despite his apparent lack of interest, he had brought the locations of all the Lilys surrounding Estrid’s army and Zabin.

“This is a classified document. Did you steal this from Major Piran?” Thea asked Saul.

“I borrowed it, sir.”

“Isn’t this vital information?” I asked.

“The location of the ones in Vyg are the most important,” Thea said. “And every one of our patrols has memorized them all by now.”

I examined the map. “This will speed things up considerably.”

“We had to make a series of maps as we marched across Pomyt. We lost too many scouts to the Death Lilys,” Thea said. She tapped one of the red marks. “Although this doesn’t tell us if it’s a Peace or Death Lily or how many of them are there.”

“That’s fine. We’ll figure it out once we get there.”

“We?” Saul asked.

Both he and Thea looked at me as if I’d gone crazy. “
I’ll
figure it out. Okay?”

“Better,” Thea agreed.

After we finalized our plans, Saul and I left. He headed to our fire.

When I didn’t follow him, he stopped. “Coming?”

“I’ll be there in a bit. I’ve a few things to do.”

He nodded and continued. Saul was going to be an easy traveling companion. Ursan would have questioned me, demanding to know what
things,
or just following me. In this case, it wasn’t any of his business. I’d put if off too long. I needed to finally do what I’d come here to do.

* * *

I watched Jael’s tent. It didn’t take long for Noelle to leave, running an errand for the general. Following her, I waited for the opportunity to confront her. She kept busy, fetching officers, delivering orders and bringing a tray of food. Every third or fourth time, she’d remain inside the tent longer than a few minutes.

About to give up for the night, I caught movement near the entrance. Noelle headed back to the mess tent. This time she took the food in the opposite direction. I scrambled to keep up as she wove through the camp. Then she slipped between tents, disappearing from view. Dashing after her, I entered the same gap and stopped. The opening led to a secluded spot behind a row of officers’ quarters. Moonlight illuminated the space.

Noelle plopped on the ground as if exhausted. I debated. Should I wait until she finished eating? Or approach her now?

“Why are you following me, Sergeant Irina?” she asked.

My heart swelled a bit with pride—she could spot a tail. I stepped from the shadows. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you, but you’re always so busy.”

Noelle speared a piece of meat with her fork. “The general’s preparing for war. It’s not a good time for idle chatter.” Her tone implied this wasn’t a good time either.

Too bad. “And once Tohon attacks, it’s not going to get any better.”

“You have five minutes.” She scraped her teeth on the fork’s tines.

The metallic screech cut right through me as it had the thousand times when we were growing up. I shuddered.

Setting her tray aside, she surged to her feet. “I should have known. You’d never sacrifice your life for another. You’re incapable of bravery.”

So much for the happy reunion. I had expected this to be difficult, but there had been a tiny bit of hope that she’d forgiven me.

She gestured to my uniform. “And you’ve been hiding in plain sight. Neat trick. Did you do that when Mom and Allyn were sick? Spying on us until they died? Waiting until I left town before making your presence known to the neighbors?”

“No. I explained it all—”

“In your letter, I know. It doesn’t matter. As soon as you learned about the plague, you should have come straight home to check on us. Family first, Avry.”

“You’re right. I messed up, Noelle. I made a horrible, selfish mistake. I’m sorry.”

She crossed her arms. “Sorry doesn’t cut it.”

“Then what can I do to atone for my actions?”

“Contract the plague and die a horrible, painful death.” Her tone was nasty.

“Done that. What’s next?”

“You’re such a liar.” Noelle swept past me.

I grabbed her wrist and spun her around to face me. “I have
never
lied to you.”

She pointed to the stripes on my sleeve. “What do you call this,
Sergeant?
I’d say impersonating a soldier is lying.”

“I meant the real
you,
Noelle. Not Jael’s lackey. I’ve never deceived my little shadow.”

Yanking her wrist from my grip, she said, “That person is long gone. She died during the plague. A good thing, too. She was weak and pathetic, begging for help, crying nonstop for days, letting the street rats take advantage of her, hoping to find a friendly...anything. She learned that in order to survive, she needed to kill her old self. To become the complete opposite. And I don’t fall for anyone’s tricks.” She gestured to me. “Besides, I’m going to tell Jael about you. So you should run as far away from here as fast as possible.”

“Not going to happen. I’m done running and hiding. When I return from my mission, everyone will know who I am.”

“Then Jael will kill you.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. And I’m not afraid of her.” Which was true. After Tohon, no one scared me.

Noelle failed to look convinced.

“What else can I do?” I asked.

“Leave me alone.”

“No.”

“Then I’ll kill you.” She pulled a dagger from her belt and brandished it. “I call this my little shadow. It kept me alive more than once.”

“You’ll have to hit a vital organ or a major artery,” I warned. “Otherwise I’ll heal.”

“I’ve treated the blade with a fast-acting poison.”

More impressed than frightened, I shifted my weight to the balls of my feet. When she lunged, I twisted to the side and caught her wrist, trapping her arm against my body. My fingers touched her skin.

“Noelle, stop.”

“Or what? You’ll hurt me?”

“I can.”

“But you won’t because you’re trying to make amends,” she mocked.

“No. I won’t because I will
never
hurt you again.” I let her go and held my hands out to the side.

“You’re not going to give up, are you?”

“No. Because the old Noelle isn’t dead. Far from it. She’s hiding inside and I plan to coax her out.”

“Don’t bother.” She stabbed her blade into my stomach. Caught off guard, I stumbled back.

Keeping her hand on the hilt, she stayed with me. “How about now? Give up?”

Despite the burning pain eating through my guts, I met her gaze. “No.”

For just a second, the old Noelle gazed back. But she pressed her lips together. Yanking the weapon out, she wiped the blade on my shirt. “Next time it
will
be coated with poison. Stay away from me.”

“Not going...to...happen,” I puffed.

She paused, opened her mouth but snapped it shut. Without glancing back, she left.

Wrapping my arms around my waist, I sank to my knees. Blood soon soaked my sleeves as the world spun around me. Pain clawed at my insides. Sweat dripped and stung my eyes. I huddled on the ground.

My emotions seesawed. Her attack felt more like a reaction to fear than of malicious intent. Fear that I might break through her defenses and she’d start to forgive me. Hating me was easier than forgiving me. I remembered my own hatred when Kerrick had backhanded me. Even after his apology and promise never to do it again, I couldn’t trust him. It took time and courage to change my mind.

I decided to view my encounter with Noelle as a positive step. Next time would be better. And I would be prepared for anything, including a poison-tipped dagger. Unless Jael got to me first.

Eventually the pain lessened. I lurched to my feet and returned to my tent well after midnight. Snores emanated from Wynn’s and Liv’s cots. Fumbling around in the dark, I removed my bloodstained uniform and stuffed it into the bottom of my locker. The wound still oozed, so I wrapped a bandage around my waist before donning my nightclothes. Weak from blood loss and healing, I collapsed onto my cot.

* * *

Saul woke me the next morning. Disoriented, I squinted into the brightness. Liv and Wynn were gone. Remembering the mission, I jumped out of bed. I’d overslept! A wave of dizziness sat me back down.

“Are you—”

I waved off Saul’s concern. “Give me a minute.”

“The lieutenant’s waiting.”

And probably pissed. “Tell her I’ll be right out.”

When Saul left, I changed. The cut had sealed shut, but the skin remained red, swollen and tender to the touch. With stiff movements, I packed my bag and slung it over my shoulder.

Thea and Saul stood outside my tent.

“This isn’t a promising start to our mission, Sergeant,” she said.

“Sorry. I had an upset stomach last night and didn’t sleep well.”

“I trust you’re feeling better?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Let’s go. We’re burning daylight.” She headed north, setting a brisk pace.

Saul fell into step beside me. “Problem?”

“Not at the moment.” Which was the truth. After being in one place for close to fifty days, the thought of hiking through the forest for a few days energized my steps.

Even though we hadn’t discussed it, we all went silent once we entered the woods. Saul and his squad had also caught on quick to the training. No surprise since they had already been a quiet group. Interesting how the ten soldiers within a group all matched personalities with their sergeant. Did the assigning officer do it on purpose, or did the men and women change as they worked with a certain group? I’d have to ask Thea later.

During the day, we encountered a few patrols. We slipped by a couple, but most heard us. Thea needed more practice. However, once they ascertained our friendly status, they moved on.

We stopped for the night before full darkness. No sense stumbling around in the dark, setting up camp. Saul collected firewood while Thea and I built a stone ring to contain the fire. The season had been drier than normal, and the clearing we picked was small.

After we started a little fire, we attracted two different patrols, checking for unfriendlies.

“Shouldn’t they be patrolling in Vyg?” I asked Thea.

She had insisted on cooking and was hunched over the pot. “We’ve plenty of soldiers in Vyg. They’re also patrolling east and south of Zabin. We can’t let Tohon’s army come in from behind.”

“Why is Tohon waiting to attack?”

“I’ve no idea. According to our intel, he has the men and resources. But once he reached the middle of Vyg, he stopped.”

“Sector five,” Saul said.

Where the liquid metal mine was located. He needed it to protect his dead troops. But shouldn’t he have enough by now?

“That was months ago. Why doesn’t Estrid take the initiative?” I asked.

“The High Priestess doesn’t want all-out war,” Thea said.

Right. She’d rather “claim” towns and villages in the name of peace where there was no resistance—just people trying to survive.

“Whatever his reasons, it’s good for us,” Thea said.

I let the subject drop, and we chatted about mundane things. Thea was born in Casis Realm.

“Compared to the warrior priests back home, the High Priestess’s rules are minor annoyances,” Thea said. “I think we’re the only realm that actually benefited from the plague.”

Surprised by her comment, I asked, “But the plague killed so many. Surely you lost family and friends.”

She stared at the fire. “Probably. I was taken from my family when I was four to be raised by the priests. Training and lessons dominated my life. I had no time for friends.”

Saul looked impressed. “Assassin?”

A smile flickered. “Scared?”

“Only if you say yes.”

“Not an assassin,” I answered for her.

“Why do you say that?” Thea asked.

“You’re too noisy in the forest.”

Another rare smile. “You’re right. I was training to be a bodyguard for the cardinals.”

“That’s still impressive,” Saul said.

She shrugged. “I didn’t finish, but I’ve learned a few tricks.”

“Handy,” I said.

“It keeps the gentlemen callers away.”

I laughed while Saul looked confused. “How did you end up in Estrid’s army?”