War (The True Reign Series) (33 page)

“
Ready?” Neco asked.

“
I always am,” Darmik replied, thankful his friend was at his side.

“
After you.” Neco nodded his chin toward their attackers.

Darmik smiled and charged at the
enemy, the Emperions and rebels following him. The clash of steel rang through the air. Darmik knew he had to strike hard and fast. With Neco at his back, he raised his sword and sliced toward the first soldier he encountered. The man went down. Darmik automatically swung again, parrying a blow from another man. He countered with a wide swing, slicing his attacker across his stomach.

He fell into a routine—swing, parry, thrust.
It felt like he fought for hours and yet, the enemy soldiers kept coming. Men littered the ground all around him.

“
Commander!” Neco shouted. “They broke through our line. I believe we need to assess the situation and locate our empress.” There was a hint of panic to his voice that Darmik had never heard before.

Darmik kicked the man in front of him, sending him to his knees.
“Let’s go!” He and Neco retreated, running into the forest area where the enemy soldiers had infiltrated. Darmik desperately searched for Rema, but she was nowhere to be seen. He ran deeper into the forest, looking for her. Everywhere he turned, he saw men from the King’s Army. They were desperately outnumbered.

“
Neco, tell the Emperion soldiers to fight forward for ten, and then back flank two back.”

“
What the heck does that mean?” he asked as he kept pace, running behind Darmik.

“
Just repeat the order, they’ll understand. Then find Mako and tell the rebels to fight for another ten minutes. Then I want them to fall back the way we came from, approximately two miles. We’ll regroup there. Go quickly and relay the messages. I’m going after Rema.” Neco took off.

Chaos surrounded Darmik. He
continued running, scanning faces for her. Up ahead, he saw a group of men standing shoulder to shoulder. Intuition told him it was her guard. Sprinting toward the fray, Darmik unsheathed a dagger, both hands now armed, ready to join in the fight. Two members of the royal guard went down, allowing the enemy to break through their line. Rushing forward, Darmik threw a knife into the back of one soldier. He reached for his last dagger and hurled it into the neck of another. Several men turned to face him. Darmik caught a glimpse of Savenek and Audek fighting, Rema still nowhere in sight.

The enemy came at him. Darmik swung his sword, blocking a blow and responding with a strike of his own. The sword he wielded was heavier than
the one he typically used, and his arms grew tired. He had to force himself to be quick with his movements. He swung again, the soldier blocked, and Darmik kicked his leg, hooking it around the man’s ankle, bringing him flat on his back.

Darmik
ran toward Savenek and Audek. When he got closer, he saw Rema fighting with a soldier behind them. She stood with her feet shoulder-width apart, both hands on the sword, parrying each blow dealt. Darmik almost stumbled when he saw her. He’d never been more proud, or more frightened, in his entire life.

A sound rustled behind him. He spun
and ducked as a sword flew over his head, narrowly missing him. Jabbing his sword forward, he sliced his opponent’s leg. When the man went down, Darmik turned and saw a soldier’s sword arc toward Audek’s chest, cutting him open. Audek stumbled and fell to the ground. Savenek faltered. Darmik knew Savenek would be next. Without stopping, Darmik threw his heavy sword toward Savenek’s opponent, hitting his back. It didn’t knock him down, but the distraction was enough for Savenek to refocus and stab the man.

Darmik picked up his sword from the ground and ran toward Rema. She
’d been disarmed. As she stood there, defenseless, the man she’d been fighting raised his sword to strike.

“
No!” Darmik yelled.

Savenek
threw his knife, embedding it into the man’s thigh. While distracted, Rema pulled out a dagger, stepped forward, and thrust it into the man’s stomach. His eyes widened as he lurched backwards, dropping to the ground. Rema stood frozen in shock.

Darmik grabbed her
shoulders. “Are you hurt?” he demanded.

She looked at him with wide eyes
, shaking her head.

“
We need to get you out of here.” He started to pull her further into the forest.

“
No,” she said. “We aren’t leaving without Audek.”

He glanced back and saw Audek on the ground, Vesha and Savenek
kneeling at his side. “Where’s Ellie?” he asked Rema.

“
I don’t know. I haven’t seen her since the fighting broke out.”

“
Is he alive?” Darmik called to Savenek.

“
Barely,” he responded.

Darmik ran back to them.
“We must hurry.” Enemy soldiers fought all around them. At the moment, everyone was currently engaged. “I’ll grab one arm, Savenek, you grab the other. Vesha and Rema, start running deeper into the forest.” The girls did as instructed while he and Savenek lifted Audek between them. Audek moaned, blood soaking his tunic.

They supported him while heading after the girls. The trees thickened
, and darkness descended. He heard the sound of crunching leaves. “We’re being followed,” Darmik whispered.

“
Duck,” Rema said. They did as instructed, and Rema threw a dagger at something behind them. She smiled. Darmik glanced back and saw an enemy soldier lying on the ground, a knife protruding from his chest.

“
Where’d you learn to do that?” he asked, shocked by her accurate throw.

“
Nathenek taught me.”

“
That was impressive.”

“
I know.” She spun around, grabbed Vesha’s arm, and they continued.

Once
Darmik was positive no one else followed, they headed north—the direction they came from earlier in the day. After they’d gone a solid two miles, Darmik directed them eastward toward the dirt path. It was difficult to see now that it was night and the moon was concealed behind clouds. Audek passed out. If they didn’t tend to his wounds soon, he’d die.

“
I hear something,” Rema whispered.

“
I told everyone to meet in this general area. Vesha, come take my place. I’ll go and investigate. You all wait here.” He removed his arm from around Audek and Vesha slid under his arm, holding him up.

Darmik crouched low, staying close to the tree trunks as he moved
through the forest. He heard a twig snap and spun around to find Neco.

“
Am I glad to see you,” Darmik said, relieved.

“
Is Ellie with you?” His eyes were pulled tight with concern.

Darmik shook his head.
“Let everyone know I’m bringing in an injured man who needs medical attention immediately.”

Neco hurried away
, while Darmik returned to his friends. He switched places with Vesha, and he and Savenek dragged Audek to where everyone else was. When they arrived, two Emperion men rushed forward to help. Darmik handed Audek over to them.

“We have a fire going over there,” one Emperion said. “That
’s where we’re assessing the injured.”

The two men lowered Audek to the ground next to the fire. One ripped open Audek
’s tunic, revealing a nasty gash across his chest. Vesha gasped and fell to her knees next to him.

“
Audek, listen to me,” Vesha said, taking hold of his hand. “You’re going to be all right.” Audek remained unconscious.

“
He’s not going to make it, is he?” Rema asked, coming to stand by Darmik, tears dripping down her cheeks.

“
I don’t know,” he answered.

Neco appeared at his side.
“Ellie isn’t here. I’m going out looking for her.”

“
It would be wise to wait until daybreak,” Darmik said.

“
I know, but if she’s lying somewhere, bleeding, I have to find her.”

He realized Neco
’s hands shook from fear. If the roles were reversed, and something happened to Rema, Darmik would do the same thing. “I’ll go with you.”

“
No,” Neco responded. “I want you to stay here. I’ll take Savenek with me.”

Darmik nodded. “Very well. Please be careful.” Neco patted Darmik
’s back and left.

Rema
went and sat near Vesha, rubbing her friend’s back.

“
He needs stitches,” one of the Emperion men stated. “But I am not very good at closing wounds.”

“
And medicine to fight infection,” Vesha mumbled, her healer training kicking in.

Darmik watched the Emperion soldiers mix some herbs
together and spread it over Audek’s wound.

“
I can do the stitches,” Vesha said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I’m good at it.” She took the needle and thread, very carefully pulling Audek’s skin together. The two men helped hold the skin in place while she sewed it shut.

“
Rema,” Darmik said, “can I speak with you?” She stood and came over to him. “We must find Mako and get the people organized. There’s much to be done.”

“
Of course,” she said. Rema glanced back at Audek and Vesha. “There’s nothing I can do to help him anyway. I might as well do my duty to my people.”

They
searched for Mako. Most people lay sleeping or tending to wounds. If Darmik had to guess, he’d say there were a little less than half their people present. Did that mean the rest were dead? Or missing? He finally spotted Mako sitting on the ground, his head between his legs.

“
How are you holding up?” Darmik gently asked.

Mako sighed.
“Better now that I know Rema is safe.” He stood and joined them. “We…we lost so many.” He rubbed his face with his hands. “It’s like they knew we were coming. It was an ambush.”

That
was what Darmik had been thinking, but hadn’t wanted to say. “I saw Lennek there,” he admitted. “He was wearing my commander’s helmet.”

“
Lennek was there? Leading the King’s Army?” Rema asked, her eyes darkening. “I’m going to kill him.”

“
Your Majesty,” a young soldier said, coming to kneel before her. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“
Thank you,” Rema replied, placing her hand upon the man’s head. He smiled and left. “I suppose I should speak to my people.”

“
That would be most wise,” Mako said.

“
I don’t want to address everyone as a group. I will go and speak to each person individually. I think that will help build morale. Plus, I need to thank each and every one of them for their service and sacrifice here today.”

Now that Savenek was gone with Neco, Darmik wanted to stay by
Rema’s side to ensure her safety until he returned. She went up to the first couple she saw sitting about ten feet away. She knelt down, speaking in low tones so Darmik couldn’t hear. He simply stood a few feet away and observed. The two men she spoke to nodded, their faces haggard. Rema said a few more words and then both men smiled, their moods improving.

She stood and moved to the next group
, doing the same thing. Each person she spoke to smiled, their face softening as if they truly appreciated her taking the time to talk to them and offer encouraging words.

After visiting a dozen groups,
Rema came over to Darmik, kissing his cheek. “Have you seen my aunt and uncle?”

“
No, I haven’t. I’m sure they’re around here somewhere.” He’d been looking for them for the past twenty minutes, but hadn’t spotted them anywhere yet.

Rema nodded and
went to the next group. While she spoke, Darmik continued to scan the area for Maya and Kar.

Rema stood, look
ing in every direction, her face pulled tight in concern. Then she went to the next pair of soldiers and talked with them. When she finished, she bit her lip. Darmik noticed her wiping her eyes. He went over and gave her a hug, rubbing her back. “You can do this,” he said encouragingly.

“
I want to know where they are.” She kissed his cheek and moved to the next group of people. Kneeling down, she kindly smiled and began speaking to them.

Darmik
couldn’t help but marvel at her beauty, strength, and passion—he both admired and loved her.

Someone nudged
Darmik’s shoulder, and he turned to see one of his soldiers standing there. “Commander, I’m glad you’re back.”

“
Thank you,” Darmik said. “I’m thankful you were there today. Even though we didn’t win, I’m honored to fight by your side.”

“
I didn’t realize you and the empress were courting.” He smiled cheekily at Darmik.

Darmik laughed.
“Yes, we plan to marry.”