Page 151 of A Crown of Lies

Ieduin huffed out a heavy sigh and lowered his head. “I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?”

“Ewan is my friend,” Rowan said firmly. “He is the heart of this rebellion. I’m bringing him home.”

“What of the preparations in the Wytchwood?” Rixxis asked.

Ieduin nodded, seeming almost relieved by the shift in conversation. “We’ve got the pits dug. Tripwires are being set as we speak. Too noisy to fell trees for proper palisades and spikes in the pits, but we had some mages working to shift stone into smaller spikes. I’ve got perches marked out in the trees, and the archers already have their assignments.” He looked up, eyes meeting Rowan’s. “The soundest strategy is to put your people in the vanguard just beyond the Wytchwood.”

“But that will be a massacre!” Rixxis objected, shaking her head. “Thousands will fall upon three hundred! They’ll be slaughtered!”

“Losses will be heavy,” Ieduin agreed, “but if Trinta sees Crows, they’ll know it’s an organized assault. They’ll be even more wary. I want them charging into the forest overconfident, thinking they’re chasing down fleeing farmers. As soon as the engagement starts, they’ll have instructions to fall back, starting in the center of the line. It’s the only way this is going to work.”

Rowan closed his eyes, considering. He didn’t doubt Ieduin’s tactics, but Trinta’s charge would kill men he’d known his entire lives. Friends. He told himself this was war, that loss was inevitable. That didn’t make the decision sting any less.

“They came here to fight for their land and their families. But it’s more than that. All of us are fighting for something bigger than ourselves. We’re fighting for freedom. All of them are prepared to pay the cost. As am I. As are we all. We must win this and send a decisive opening blow to Trinta’s invasion.”

“This is how we do it,” Ieduin said confidently.

Rowan nodded. “Then that is what we do.”

The tent flaps opened and a pale-faced Crow stumbled in, a stunned look on his face. He was sweating as if he’d just run a long way. “Pardon, Your Grace, Commanders.” He bowed quickly. “But this just came.” He held out a small, rolled up piece of paper.

They exchanged glances around the table and Ieduin plucked it from the Crow, unrolling it. His eyes scanned over it before he paled and lifted his eyes to Rowan. “They want a parlay. Our commanders with theirs at the edge of the Wytchwood in an hour.”

Rixxis wrinkled her nose. “Why would they want that? They have the superior numbers, and they know we won’t surrender.”

“We won’t know unless we go,” Rowan said.

Tofi shook his head. “This is a bad idea. Bad.”

“If we refuse, they may attack immediately, and we’re not ready,” Ieduin said. “We need to buy as much time as we can.”

Rowan took the letter from Ieduin and read it quickly. He didn’t recognize the handwriting, and it was empty of threats or demands. He lowered the paper. “Then the answer is simple. We go.”

Ieduin nodded and turned to the Crow who’d brought the letter in. “Rally the men. I want the Greymarkers to report. We’ll line them up and be prepared for a charge, just in case.”

“Tofi will make final preparations.” The necromancer bowed to Rowan slightly and left without another word.

“I’ll ready my brothers,” Peter signed, and followed him out.

The next half hour was a blur of rotating emotions as Rowan, Rixxis, and Ieduin readied. Rixxis and Ieduin were already in their black Crow armor, but they spent a few minutes checking their weapons. Rixxis polished the head of her war hammer in silence while Ieduin counted and recounted the arrows in his quiver. A single arrow with red feathers marked the one meant for Divina. It had been spelled to break through magical barriers, just in case she tried that. He filled a secondary quiver with a dozen arrows with black feathers, the arrowheads coated in Tofi’s bone dust, which he’d turned into a paste.

Rowan worked the same paste over his sword and his back up dagger before rising to don his armor. Ieduin immediately gave up counting his arrows for a third time and came to help him. Without a word, he tightened the straps on Rowan’s breastplate before retrieving Rowan’s helm. When Ieduin turned back, Rowan caught him in an unexpected kiss.

“Promise me something,” Rowan said, holding his chin in two fingers. He glanced beyond to Rixxis, who’d looked up from her work.

“Anything,” Ieduin replied, almost breathless.

Rowan gently stroked a thumb over Ieduin’s cheekbones. “Promise me you won’t die for me. No matter what happens, I want you to live. I want you to behappy. I would rather lose everything else in this world than lose either of you.”

“The elf in me wants to give you that promise.” Ieduin caught Rowan’s hand. “But the Crow in me can’t. Respectfully, sir, you hired us to do a job. We are here to protect you, and I intend to do that to the best of my ability.”

“As do I.” Rixxis planted her hammer on the floor and pushed up to stand. She came over and put her forehead against his. “No stupid risks, though.”

Rowan closed his eyes and nodded, breathing in their scents one last time. “No stupid risks.”

They went out of the tent, armored, armed and ready to meet the enemy. On horseback, they met Tofi and Peter at the edge of camp and rode out.

As soon as they came to the other side of the trees, the Greymarkers following on foot began to assemble a line at their backs. Banners waved in the breeze, but there was something else on the wind, something foul.

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