“Right now?”
“You said the hunters are leaving soon. There’s no time to waste.”
“But I—”
“You don’t have to come. You don’t have to be involved at all. In fact, maybe you shouldn’t be. This might not end well.”
“All the more reason for me to be along to help,” he said staunchly.
I nodded approvingly and increased my pace.
We arrived in the square between the General’s house and the front gate just as he stepped out his door. Rushing over to him, I positioned myself in his path.
“Airlie.” He gave me an unnerving look.
“I’ve just heard there’s a hunting team going out today,” I said, trying to steady my breathing. “I want to go with them.”
His eyes tightened, but otherwise his face remained impassive as he looked at my companion. “And I suppose you want to go, too, Renley?”
“I could keep an eye on her, sir,” he said crisply. “She wants to prove herself, and I’m willing to assist in any way I can.”
I silently saluted him. He was a far better actor than I’d given him credit for.
“I note that all your attempts to prove yourself seem to involve a weapon,” the General said to me.
“Without my ability, my skill with the bow is all I have to offer.”
“Come now.” A hint of amusement entered his voice. “I’m sure you’re underselling yourself. But why the sudden hurry?”
“I can’t sit around here for another day doing nothing.” I let all my true frustration leach into my face and voice. “I need to do something active.”
The General turned his head toward the gate, a calculating look in his eye. When he turned back to us, he had a small smile on his face that sent chills up and down my spine.
“Why not?” he said in a deceptively soft voice.
I watched him warily, unable to believe it could be so simple.
“Be ready to leave in ten minutes. We won’t wait for either of you.”
“We?” I stared at him.
“I, too, grow weary of these walls.” His smile grew. “And I should like to see your loyalty in action for myself, Airlie.”
“I…” I pulled myself together. “I’ll be at the front gate in five minutes.”
Whisking myself away, I stopped as soon as I was out of sight, putting my back against the closest house and taking deep breaths.
“Are you all right?” Renley asked.
“No!” I hissed back. “The General is going himself. That’s the opposite of what I wanted.”
“Hopefully King Marius sent his best people.” Renley sounded grim. “Or it’s not going to be much of a fight.”
I focused on my breathing for a moment, tuning him out. Once I’d regained the strength in my legs, I straightened.
“This changes nothing for me. This is my chance, and I have to take it. But you can—”
“No. I’m coming.”
“Are you sure?”
“All I’ve ever wanted is to get out of these walls. I thought the General could give me that, but his promises are empty. You’re different, Airlie. I misjudged you at first, but I can see that now. Besides, do you know how to instruct Cadence on removing your neutralizer?”
I froze. “No, I don’t. I should have asked about that before now.”
“No matter. I know how it’s done. I was there for all the experimentation.”
“Thank you.” I tried to meet his eyes, but he looked away.
“It doesn’t come close to making up for what I did, but I know my mother would approve of this. She would want me to look out for you.”
I nodded, accepting his decision. “We don’t have time to pack. If this works, we won’t be able to take anything with us.”
“There’s nothing here I need.” He was silent for a moment. “At least not anything I can carry away with me.”
“In that case, let’s get to the gate. I’m not giving the General any excuse to leave us behind.”
We hurried toward the gate side by side, reaching it just ahead of the raiders making up the hunting party. As I scanned their number, my heart sank even further. While they weren’t a huge group, they were made up entirely of the General’s warriors. I couldn’t see a single face from either the original settlers or the non-combatant new arrivals. Usually resupply groups included at least a couple of older, experienced hunters and several women who were experts in preparing the catch for travel.
I told myself that the General must have some secondary plan for this excursion. It couldn’t have anything to do with the rescue party outside the gates since they had only just appeared.
As soon as the General himself strode up, the gates began to open, pulled by an enthusiastic pair of lads who gazed admiringly at the outfitted hunters.
I had claimed I wanted to hunt, but no one offered me a bow, and I didn’t have the chance to ask for one before I was filing out the gate at the back of the group. As the gates swung shut behind us, I gave a single, lingering glance back.
I regretted not having the chance to say goodbye to Quirin and the other settlers. My experience within the walls had been far more complex than I had expected when I was first dragged through them, and I struggled to know how to feel about the settlement’s existence. As a war camp, I would welcome King Marius razing it to the ground. But as the last Calistan settlement, I felt more at home there than I had anywhere else.
I shook myself, facing forward again. Home was Cadence, and a place where I didn’t walk around with part of myself shackled. This wasn’t the time for sentiment, or for looking behind.
Two warriors brought up the rear, their presence making any immediate attempt to slip away from the group impossible. But I couldn’t resist scanning the surrounding area, looking for the people I had glimpsed from inside the walls.
I could find no sign of them. The land dipped away from us in the direction of the lake, the closest hollow partially obscured by one of the stands of deformed trees. Had they taken shelter among them?
If the rescuers managed to evade our group, what would Renley and I do? We might be able to make our escape later, circling back to find the rescue team.
Before I could formulate plans for how such a thing might be accomplished, my eyes caught on the General. He had turned slightly in the direction of the stand of trees, his face raised into the slight breeze, and his head faintly cocked.
Something about the stance rang a familiar chord. Ice raced through my veins. I had once turned into the breeze for information on those around me, but I had forgotten the General had the same ability—as impossible as that was supposed to be.
Had he picked up the presence of the newcomers from the air before we ever left the settlement? Looking at the rest of the hunting party, I could no longer pretend it was coincidence they were all warriors. This was an ambush.
Desperately, I tried to think of a way to warn the incoming Tartorans. But there was nothing I could do at such a distance without my ability.
Still testing the wind, the General changed course, no longer heading for the border. Instead we walked toward the stand of trees. I tried to hang back, hoping to break away, but one of the men behind me pressed close, forcing me to stay with the group.