Page 17 of Heart of Defiance

Landric looks at the ground. "My father. Competition over a deal. Just greed."

I haven't thought about that in ages. As I look at him, my throat constricts. Maybe it makes sense that he insisted on coming on this mission after all.

I don't know if the Darium empire can ever repay everything they owe us, but they're going to make a small start tonight.

Chapter Seven

Signy

We stop well before we reach the glow of the guard post's lantern, which is hanging over the door of the wooden structure.A couple more lights glow in the second-floor windows.

I flex one calf and then the other. The walk took three peals of the hourly bells ringing in the temples and villages we've passed at a distance.

Jostein considers the terrain around the guard post. It’s mostly open fields with a few low hills to the east and south, but a sparse woodland starts several paces to the north of the building.

He tips his head toward the trees. “Let’s circle around, staying out of view, and see what we can make of the place from closer up.”

We have to cross another road dotted with horse dung on the way over. None of us speaks, keeping our ears pricked for any hint of discovery by the soldiers inside the post.

We make it to the scattered trees without any calls of alarm. But then, even if a soldier on guard noticed a few figures walking across the nearby fields, they’d probably assume we’re no threat.

When was the last time anyone truly challenged Darium authority?

We sneak between the trunks until we’ve come up alongside the building within the shelter of the trees. We’re close enough that I can make out muffled voices and a brief chuckle but not most of the words.

Then someone who must be near an open window or in the upper lookout that’s open to the air lets out a disgruntled sigh. “My uniform still smells like fucking smoke.”

Her companion snorts. “That’ll take ages to come out. At least you have happy memories to go with it.”

“Happier if we could have barbequed all those stupid peasants.”

“I wish I’d been able to join the razing. To see a bunch of ungrateful Veldunians crushed—can’t get better than that.”

My teeth set on edge. Ungrateful? What exactly do these assholes think we’re supposed to be grateful for—the honor of having them shove us around and steal what’s ours?

“Bastards,” Landric growls under his breath.

Jostein’s gaze looks even more determined than before. “How are we going to do this? I’ve got a flint, and all that wood will be flammable, but we’ve got to get the fire to the post before they can stop us. And make sure it’ll spread quickly enough that they can’t just stamp it out.”

Iko hums to himself. “We should have brought some pitch. It burns like anything.”

“I don’t think Captain Amalia wanted us stopping to make supply runs along the way.”

My mind trips back over our journey alongside memories of the odd sorts of kindling I’ve had to resort toat the worst of times. “We might have something just as good.”

Jostein’s eyebrows lift. “What?”

I aim a slanted smile at him. “Dried horse manure is almost perfect fuel if you don’t mind the smell. And I’d say in this case that’s a benefit rather than a downside. Especially if we mix it into balls with dead leaves or grass…”

I’m expecting the men to recoil, and maybe Landric does, but I’m paying the least attention to him. Jostein nods slowly, and Iko clasps his hands together with an air of excitement. “We can find plenty of that along the road. The summer heat will have baked it dry quickly—it hasn’t rained for days.”

“We still have to get the burning dung into the building,” Landric points out. “I guess it’d be too heavy for arrows even if we had a bow… A strong enough throw might cross that distance.”

Iko’s face lights up. He reaches to one of the trees, just barely bigger than a sapling, and tugs on a pliant branch. “We don’t need to risk falling short. It’d be easy enough to turn part of a tree into a miniature catapult.”

Jostein chuckles. “Get to it then, master inventor. We’ll collect all the fuel we can.”

Without a word of complaint, Landric hustles alongside the squad leader and me back toward the road. He produces a sack of thin canvas that was folded in his pocket.

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