Page 122 of A Reign of Embers

An ache still throbs dully at the back of my skull, the pain winding through the mess of my consciousness. My shoulder pangs too, the result of a tumble I took down a shallow ravine while avoiding disloyal imperial soldiers two days ago.

Ignoring all those niggling discomforts, I swipe my hand over my face in an attempt to sharpen my focus. The horse I’ll have to swap sometime tomorrow to make sure it doesn’t die on its feet lets out a faint snort and paws the ground again, its head turned to the west.

I ease closer to the edge of the grove, staying low. As I rest my hand on one of the trunks near the open fields beyond, a flash of light catches my eyes.

What the fuck was that?

The stark brightness fades, but I catch the distant glimmer of campfires and torches. A trace of woodsmoke reaches my nose. The moonlight falls across the peaks of army tents and roaming figures in dark uniforms.

My gut clenches. I thought I’d gotten away from Lavira fast enough that I should stay well ahead of Valerisse’s forces. Apparently they started to head south around the same time I did.

This development doesn’t need to affect me. I can clamber back onto my horse, strain my gift for long enough to vanish into the distance cloaked in darkness, and get enough of a lead that these marching soldiers will never catch up with me again. That would be the smart thing to do.

But as Bastien wouldn’t hesitate to remark, my wits haven’t generally been my most lauded quality. And as I study the camp a little longer, another flash of light, this one tinged yellow, catches my attention.

It darted by so quickly I couldn’t make out any shape of it, just a streak against the darkness. Are Valerisse’s soldiers practicing some odd magic they’re planning to use against Aurelia and her allies?

Resolve wraps around my innards, drowning out wits and pains alike. If the traitorous pricks are up to something unexpected, I need to find out what it is.

At least then I won’t go back to my woman—mywife—totally empty-handed.

I waver between riding over for the ease of a quick getaway and going on foot for better stealth. It’s easier to conceal just my form than a horse’s as well, and I can’t count on the animal recognizing the need for silence.

After a matter of seconds, urgency propels me onward on my own.

I creep across the lumpy terrain, the small swells making me feel as if I’m a giant tramping over hills that only come up to my knees. The grass whispers against my trousers, but otherwise I make no sound. I pull a layer of shadows around me to help my dark clothing blend into the night.

A sharper ache wakes up inside my skull. I grit my teeth and keep going.

I’m maybe halfway across the distance to the camp when another glowing shape flickers into being over the tents. This one has a greenish tint. I think I make out wings and a rounded head before it fades back into the moonlight.

What in the realms are these assholes conjuring?

As the voices of the soldiers on watch become audible, I spot a patch of wiry bushes up ahead. Swallowing a relieved sigh, I duck down behind them and release most of the shadows I’ve been dragging with me.

My headache isn’t impressed, but at least it isn’t going to get much worse for the time being.

I’ve only been poised there for a minute or two before an immense swatch of bluish light soars overhead. Its vast shape looks almost like… a whale?

My confusion lasts only as long as it takes for the enemy soldiers to react.

“Fuck,” one of them mutters. I strain my ears to pick up the rest of his words. “Jurnus too? I don’t like this.”

His companion speaks in a derisive tone. “So the gods areputting on a light show. Do they really think they can intimidate those who walk with Sabrelle’s favor? They can’t touch us.”

“Why are they sending omens?” one of the others grumbles. “Don’t they want what’s best for the empire?”

“Maybe they’re testing our mettle, making sure we’re totally committed before we face the false empress and her army.”

The last voice doesn’t sound fully convinced. A smile tugs at my lips.

Look at my beloved, shepherding even the gods to her cause. If she could have seen this…

She needs to know the other gods are already campaigning for her cause just as Sabrelle is trying to impose her will on Vivencia.

A flood of orange butterflies streaks through the camp, waking up a few of the soldiers with started yelps.

One of the sentries tsks his tongue. “Not everyone’s passing the test.”

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