It was difficult to sew with her hands bound together, but not impossible. She worked slowly and carefully, using the working she had sewn into her tent. Making her cloak impossible to see.
She wished she had her scarf with her. All she would need to do was pull it out, although she thought it only made her difficult to concentrate on, easy to overlook. She had never assumed it made her truly invisible. She would need something to cover her entire body for that.
When she was done, she lifted her hood and drew up her knees, awkwardly tucking her cloak around her with her bound hands. She bend her forehead to touch her knees, arms tucked against her body, and hoped her cloak covered her completely.
Then she kept very still.
Cassak and Nedar had moved forward a little, and she tuned back into the negotiation they were having with Luc.
She heard the sound of a horse trotting into the tiny clearing, and risked looking up. It stopped and then moved back when it saw strangers blocking its way.
“No, no, no.” Nedar leaped forward, grabbing hold of its reins, and it jerked in panic.
Cassak moved forward to help him, and they finally got the horse under control.
“You’ve got your horse, now give us our scout.” Luc’s voice was so close.
Just beyond the tangle of bushes.
“That wasn’t the deal. Stay back or we’ll hurt her.” Cassak sounded panicked.
Nedar shot him a look and made a gesture with his hand she guessed meant shut up. “We’re taking her with us,” he called out. “Give us an hour and then you can come find her.”
“If you hurt her, there isn’t a place you can hide from me.” Luc’s voice was calm now. It was a promise, not a threat.
Her two captors glanced at each other, and Ava realized they sensed something off about Luc’s very personal reaction.
“You do that for all your scouts?” Nedar asked.
“Why do you think every single Chosen turned and fought with the Commander against the Kassian two years ago?” Luc’s voice had gone soft. “It’s because we fight for each other, and have each other’s backs, no matter what.”
It was a good save on Luc’s part.
Ava saw Cassak visibly swallow.
“Don’t follow us, and you won’t have to hunt us down anywhere. Because we’ll leave her nice and safe for you to fetch.”
That was her cue.
Ava bent her head again, hunching low.
She heard Nedar helping Cassak up onto the horse’s back, and then knew the moment they realized she was gone.
All sound stopped.
Cassak sounded slack-jawed with shock. “Where—?”
He grunted in sudden pain, and she guessed Nedar had hit him to stop him saying anything out loud.
Nedar swore under his breath, dragging the word out softly and then she heard the jingle of his stirrups as he mounted his own horse. “An hour,” he called out. “Any sooner and she gets hurt.”
He led the way out, and Cassak followed after him.
As soon as they were out of sight, she lifted her head and started unpicking her invisibility stitches.
Luc must have been moving so quietly, she didn’t realize he was in the clearing until he’d passed her. His face was focused, his body fluid as he ghosted through the small space and disappeared between the trees, following her captors.
Damn!
He hadn’t seen her.
She frowned. Her head hadn’t been down. And he still hadn’t seen her.
She refused to believe he wouldn’t have been paying attention to everything around him.
Which meant—-
She went absolutely still when she heard a rustle of leaves, and then a small group of five soldiers stepped into the clearing. They were a mixed bunch; Rising Wave and Venyatux.
Deni was among them, and a Venyatux soldier she had sparred with before, Taira.
“This is where they must have been holding the Commander’s friend.” One of the Rising Wave soldiers looked straight at her, and she waited for him to call out or notice her, but his gaze moved on.
He had looked straight into her eyes and he still hadn’t seen her.
He had a bulky frame, a maturity of stature, that told Ava he was older than the rest of the group. He had an insignia on his leather vest that spoke of some kind of rank.
“Quiet,” Deni hissed. “If they hear us, they promised to hurt Avasu. As it is I’m worried about them hearing your Commander.”
“They won’t hear him.” The ranked officer shook his head. “Truth is, there is no one I know who moves as quietly as that man.”
“How does he do it?” Taira asked.
“All Cervantes move quietly. It’s in our blood. But he’s the best I’ve seen. Still, he’s already been caught by the Kassian once, so I wish he’d let us go with him.” The unit commander lifted his shoulders.
“He asked us to wait, and I have to trust he has Avasu’s best interests at heart.” Deni spoke softly.
“I’ve heard she’s enspelled him.” The woman who spoke was Rising Wave.
Ava’s focus fixed onto her.
“Who’s enspelled him?” Taira scoffed.
“Your Avasu.” The woman rubbed the back of her neck, her gaze darting around the clearing.
“Who told you that?” Deni asked.
“Yes, who did tell you that, Haslia?” The ranked officer asked. “I’ve heard that rumor and I’ve been trying to work out where it started.”
“It’s because Haslia shares pillows with Revek sometimes,” the remaining Rising Wave soldier volunteered. “I thought she got the story from him.”
Haslia shook her head. “I didn’t start it. And I didn’t hear it from Revek.” She slowly turned in a circle. “Do you feel eyes on you?” She spoke in a whisper.
“Don’t change the subject. You’re the one who tells it the most. I think you did start it,” the soldier who’d mentioned the women’s connection to Revek said. “The story I’ve heard that has more weight, though, is about his sword.”
“What about his sword?” Taira asked.
“Enchanted,” the soldier said.
“Enchanted?” Taira scoffed.
“Have you seen it?” The soldier’s face was earnest. “It’s got a gold pattern on the hilt. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. He got it in the dungeons of the Kassian fortress where he was held prisoner. Found it there and used it to fight his way out.”
“Why does anyone think he’s been enspelled or carries an enchanted sword anyway?” Deni asked. “Has he been behaving strangely?”
“He was always a good fighter,” the soldier said. “The best, really. But now . . .” He lifted his shoulders. “There have been three assassination attempts on him since he got back to the Rising Wave from Kassia, and he’s stopped every one of them singlehandedly. It’s like he’s got a magical edge.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” Deni asked.
“Magic isn’t the way to fight a war,” Haslia said. She had relaxed a little and Ava focused on her again.
As soon as she did, Haslia began to fidget.
“If magic’s given, it can be taken away. Or perverted. What can be made strong can also be made weak.”