Page 77 of The Turncoat King

“It looks the same.” Dak peered over her shoulder.

She stepped back to look at it critically. It wasn’t perfect, but hopefully the small differences wouldn’t be noticed.

“We need to get these back.” She had a low-level dread in the pit of her stomach over leaving the working in Karl’s possession. If he gave it to someone, or they took it from him, what havoc would it cause? And would they begin to work out they had been enspelled?

“Your knowing one of the traders was one of those rare things, a serendipitous meeting.” The general carefully rolled up one of the scrolls. “I need a candle.”

Massi rummaged through a box, found one and lit it.

The general held the bottom of the seal over it for a few moments and then pressed it back into place.

“You’re good at that,” Luc commented.

The general smiled. “How do you think I got ahead in the military?”

She laughed at the surprise on everyone’s faces. “I was a spy for a short time.”

Luc handed the other scroll to her, and she did the same again.

“Tell your lieutenants what you think is best without revealing that Ava is Grimwaldian, if you can.” Luc slid the scrolls into a bag and slung it across his chest. “Ava and I will return these.”

“And we will need to talk about ambushes. Because we won’t be moving toward Fernwell undetected. We already knew that, but these messages just confirm it. Everything we do is reported back. We will have to face them and we know they will want to fight us away from Fernwell.” General Ru walked toward the tent flaps. “Let’s speak tomorrow while the column moves. We cannot afford any more delay.”

“Agreed.” Luc waited until she was gone, then turned to Massi and Dak. “What’s the news on Revek?”

“He’s much better. Awake and even sitting on his own.”

“I’ll speak to him after Ava and I have returned the scrolls. We need to know what he told Haslia, and what she told him.”

Dak nodded.

Massi hunched her shoulders and turned away.

“Massi.” Luc waited until she’d turned back to face him. “You don’t have to be there.”

“I will be.” She glared at him. “Someone has to be on his side.”

“Let’s first find out if he was on ours.” Luc turned away, walking out the tent.

“You need to check yourself,” Dak murmured, and Massi turned her hot, angry stare on him.

“Run along, Luc’s waiting for you.” Massi flicked her fingers dismissively at Ava.

Ava couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of her throat. “Listen to Dak,” she said.

She turned, and as she walked out, she heard the low, hissed conversation between Massi and Dak behind her.

She longed for the camaraderie of the Venyatux column, where the only thorn in her side was Nabi.

And the Speaker’s spies.

She sighed. She would have to do something serious about them now. It was no longer a game of hide and seek.

Chapter 24

“It went well?” Dak asked.

Luc nodded as they stepped into the healer’s new tent. He’d stood in the dark outside the spy’s cart and listened as Ava gently coaxed the wine merchant into helping her put the scrolls back, convinced him she had brought him medicine that would ensure he felt completely well by the time he woke, and had taken back her spelled scrap of fabric.

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