Page 15 of Heart of Defiance

I don’t know whether I believe him, but my gut twists at the plea in his words. He pauses and then adds, “Even if you say no, I’ll just follow behind you anyway. I know where you’re going.”

I let out a huff of breath and peer through the forest behind him. If we keep standing around, it’s possible a sentry from the squadron will wander over this way and spot us.

Why shouldn’t he put in a little work to offset the crap he’s done in the past?

“Fine,” I say brusquely. “Just make sure you keep up.”

We set a swift pace through the woods and come out on the edge of a stretch of rolling hills. Moonlight glints off the peaks of the distant mountains.

Now that we’re well clear of the camp, we veer in the actual direction of the guard post, which will bring us past Feldan. Our boots hiss through the long grass. Jostein peers up at the stars every few minutes, I assume making sure we stay on the right course.

After a long stretch of silence, too many thoughts are yammering in my head for me to stay quiet. I glance over at Landric. “What happened to your esteemed friends? Did they skip the celebration in town?”

I didn’t see the dukeling or his noble sycophants among the survivors.

Landric shakes his head, his expression grim. “We came to the square, but Rupert and the others took off for their horses the second we heard the first call to evacuate.”

“A more reasonable reaction than some others I’ll refrain from mentioning,” Jostein murmurs, but his tone is more dry than disparaging.

I glower at him. “It wasn’t even their town, just a place near his dad’s estate where he could slum it a little.”

The soldier meets my gaze, the glint of his eyes sending another flutter through my pulse. “You were about to face an entire troop of Darium soldiers with nothing but a roasting spit. At least on this mission, the odds will be a little fairer.”

My gaze slides back to Landric with the thought of another question I should ask. “What about your mother? Did she make it out?”

I haven’t seen her, but then, I spent most of my time in the camp tied to a tree.

He releases a shaky breath. “Yes. She heard the calls and ran for the forest before the soldiers arrived. But I don’t know how long it’s going to take her to process the loss of all her inventory.”

All the goods she would have traded or sold. I don’t know what it’s like to be a successful merchant—I have no idea what to say about that.

We lapse into a weightier silence for several minutes until Iko pipes up. “How does a dedicat to Inganne end up so warlike anyway? Shouldn’t you be chasing butterflies and frolicking with paints?”

I roll my eyes at him. "I'd rather be making something beautiful than doing this. Or at least appreciating the beauty that’s already there. The Darium empire just happens to be in the way."

I hesitate, but Landric already knows this. The soldiers might have heard it from my neighbors over the past day. It’s not that much of a confession. "My mother was an artist. The statue they were destroying—it's one of her best pieces."

Or it was. I never got to even try to fix it before the assholes stormed the town.

The quiet that follows feels even heavier than before. Iko breaks it with the same breezy tone. "Of course, I'm not anyone to talk about odd dedications. How many soldiers do you meet who picked Estera to guide them?"

My gaze snaps to him. He dedicated himself to the godlen of wisdom and scholarship?

"Did you not expect to go into service back then?" I find myself asking, curious despite myself. Plenty of twelve-year-olds can't predict what course their lives will actually end up taking.

"Oh, I did. It was obvious the world needed a little more order, and I'm more than happy to provide—or attempt to, anyway. I just wanted to be smart about it." He winks at me.

Jostein speaks up, low but with a fond note that tells me they've been friends for quite a while. "His gift does come in handy for military operations sometimes."

Iko makes a dismissive sound. "It's only a small one. I was brave enough to march into battle but not to sacrifice more than a few patches of skin. A little extra inspiration for seeing how the things I have could be put to some new use. I have to work out all the finer details myself."

He nudges Jostein with his elbow. "This one's got all the ambition. Dedicated himself to Creaden."

I find I'm not surprised to imagine the stalwart squad leader being drawn to the godlen of authority, but he ducks his head as if embarrassed. "I haven't been able to see through that purpose very well so far."

"Hmph. You've got to make captain soon. Then major, then general, then why not rule the entire damned army?"

Jostein guffaws at his friend's irreverence. "We'll see."

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