Page 26 of Of Scale and Blood

Kerryn Vertale—my second, and one of the best trackers in the squad—nudged his mount forward slightly and saluted. “What’s our target, Captain?”

“An unidentified fog shield a couple of miles into the Barrain Ghost Forest. Damon is a mage and will accompany us to advise the best means of its disposal.”

His gaze scanned Damon curiously, though he was aware of my marriage and knew well enough Damon was heir to Zephrine. But all he said was, “Usual formation once beyond the wall?”

“Until we near the forest, yes.”

He nodded, and the team swept in behind us as we clattered through the now open portcullis and into the long dark tunnel that had further portcullis slots every twenty feet and regular murder slits in the ceiling. If the Mareritt ever managed to break through into the tunnel, they’d be greeted by boiling liquid.

Perhaps the awareness of that possibility was why they were now attempting to break the main wall itself.

The tunnel led out into the mountain pass known as the Eastern Slit—a deep, angular crevice created by a long-ago eruption that sliced right through the mountain’s heart. I twisted around once we were beyond the entrance, but even though I could see the tiny figures atop the wall, I really couldn’t see the damaged section, thanks in part to the still rising layer of smoke, and in part due to the heavy spray coming from the nearby waterfall. Once we made our way past its lake without seeing any sign of the Mareritt or their magic, I raised a fist to let those watching know the area was clear, then pushed Desta into a canter, leading the way through the valley’s twists and turns then out into the wasteland.

Am here, Kaia said.

I glanced up and spotted her high above, her wings outstretched as she soared on the breeze.Any movement visible across the plains?

No white hairs. No horned ones.

According to the accompanying image, the horned ones were what we called moosu, a large deer-like creature that was almost six feet tall, with multi-pronged horns and shaggy brown hair. They tended to live in Mareritten’s higher elevations, but came down to the plains to mate and raise their young in the milder spring and summer months. Their meat was gamey, but good eating when on a long line sweep and surviving on little more than trail rations.

Can you see the fog from up there?

Is fog false cloud?

Yes.

See. Looks like stinging cloud.

I hoped not, and not just because there were no handy seas or large expanses of water anywhere near this part of Mareritten but because it would be yet another sign that they might be working with our foe.

We fanned out and formed a V-shape, with me and Damon at the head, three riders either side of us, and the rest in a well-spaced line behind us. It was a formation that made it harder for the Mareritt to take everyone out in the one attack, and was so successful that we maintained a tighter version of it in the marshlands and forests. Kaia kept high, so as not to spook our mounts or draw unwanted attention from any sentries the Mareritt might have placed.

It took a couple of hours to reach the outskirts of the marshlands, and another half hour to reach the foothills of the Barrain Ghost Forest, which had gained its name because of the cloak of silver fronds that covered its twisted trees in summer and the soft, ghostlike moans they emitted whenever touched by the wind.

I called a halt and ordered everyone to take a mounted break, then nudged Desta closer to Damon’s mount. “Are you sensing anything untoward as yet?”

“I can feel magic thrumming ahead.” His gaze met mine, bright depths troubled. “But it’s more like the magic we found in the blue vein caverns than anything the Mareritten mages have ever produced.”

I frowned. “The Mareritt are surely too territorial for any sort of alliance.”

“I guess it would depend on how desperate they are to destroy Esan and claim at least one part of Arleeon.”

“I can’t imagine the gilded riders will be the type to share the spoils of victory. Besides, for an alliance to exist, that would mean they revealed themselves to the Mareritt long before they attacked Eastmead, and I just can’t see how that timeline is feasible.”

“Feasible or not, it’s a possibility we have to consider. You want me to take the lead?”

I nodded. He might not be familiar with this area, but he had been well trained militarily and was well used to riding out on investigative forays. He also had the extra benefit of being able to spot magical traps.

He nudged his mount into the lead, and we moved on, our formation by necessity tighter than it was out on the plains. The forest itself was hushed aside from the soft moan of trees teased to life by the wind and the occasional rustle of small creatures running through the soft undergrowth. But as we moved deeper into the forest, other sounds began to intrude—the sharp thwack of axes biting wood, the metallic song of metal against wood, the occasional wisp of guttural conversation. It very much sounded like the Mareritt were digging themselves in.

We continued on, weaving through the trees and around the increasingly large mounds of rock. This entire area had once been a flood plain for the multitude of volcanos that still existed along the Blue Steel Mountains, and eons of eruptions and lava flows had forever pockmarked this landscape.

The deeper we moved into the forest, the sharper the noise became. I glanced upward, but couldn’t see Kaia through the gently whispering fronds above us.

Am here. Bored.

Then you should have gone hunting with Gria.

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