Page 3 of Between Fear and Favor

“Hello?” I called out, voice raspy from disuse. It took all my energy to climb to my feet, muscles screaming in pain. How had I been immobile for so long and not starved to death? Though I was ravenous and parched beyond measure—with an achingly full bladder—my body wasn’t much worse for wear. I stumbled toward a wall, using it for support as I relieved myself.

“Aonara’s tits,” I cursed under my breath. I, surprisingly, found myself missing Dewalt, wondering what he would have done in my circumstance. He wouldn’t have gotten into a mess like this. He would’ve known the ship following us was manned by pirates. Fiona never would have taken control of our ship, and we wouldn’t have been forced into an impossible position with Estri. But if faced with the Sea Queen as I was, would he agree to whatever she asked? If Rainier had given him the responsibility to make allies of the ancient power, would he have hesitated?

I only had to ponder it for a moment. Of course, he would have done everything without question. For Vesta and for Rainier, Dewalt would have given in to her and probably enjoyed himself in the process.

Pressing my head against the cavern wall, I found that the cool dampness did little to ease my stress. I was so hungry that my head ached, and I thought of compelling a fish to swim up so I could grab it. Disappointingly, my plan quickly fell through when I reached for my divinity, only to remember the lava rock encasing me.

“Fuck,” I groaned, using the wall to support myself as I made my way over to the torch. Though it did little to brighten the cave, proximity to its light made me feel slightly better. Sliding down the wall, I stared at the hole in the ground. I supposed there was nothing to do but wait. Someone—or something—would come from that hole and either kill me or feed me or fuck me. It was just a matter of when.

Chapter 3

RAINIER

“I trustyou all know how to swim?” I asked, resigned to doing this the hard way.

The Aesiron Bridge was well guarded by Nythyrian forces at its southern end, and it wasn’t hard to spot the sentries posted farther north. Even rifting and using brute force to fight our way past wouldn’t be enough. They’d accounted for conduits who could rift, even utilizing small boats manned by people whose divinity could manipulate the waves or the air. On the horizon, I could just make out one of Nereza’s war ships. I knew they wouldn’t leave their supply line unguarded, but I’d hoped for a little less meticulousness.

Stretching from the northern shore of Vesta all the way to the southern shore of Nythyr, the Aesiron was a true marvel of architecture. Crossing over Seyma’s Gulf, the centermost point of the bridge stood over incredibly deep water. It wouldn’t be easy to access its weakest point.

“Too heavy,” Shade said, gesturing to the weapons which adorned her body. The sword that nearly weighed as much as my smallest soldier would make things difficult for her. I didn’t bother taking into account all of her other hidden weapons. The soldier who had waded through Shit River with Dewalt to rescue me was always prepared with an impressive personal armory.

“Ideally, you won’t need it. We’ll rift in, wreck a section, then move on.” If we destroyed the bridge at multiple points, there would be no rebuilding. The Nythyrian supply chain would collapse, and eventually they’d have to retreat. A portion of my forces had been harassing runners along their route, but once they reached the divine border protecting their army, there was little we could do. I didn’t have enough people to make an impact. Vesta was facing enemies on too many fronts, and I’d been spread thin.

Fearful of a second wave of Folterrans coming to support the Supreme, I’d sent Raj to Nara’s Cove with a contingency of men suited to defend the port city and the plainsfolk who lived between the two cities.

If we didn’t make a striking blow, I didn’t know how much longer Astana could last.

“How far are we talking?” Lasu asked. He peered at me with his single eye as he ran a hand through his short, dark hair. The man had been part of Em’s group to rescue me from Folterra, and he was one of my most trusted soldiers. He fidgeted, and I did my best to reassure him.

“Not far. I’ll get us as close to the pillars as possible, and then you’ll attach these.” Pulling one of a half-dozen small, black orbs out of my pack, I handled it carefully. Smooth like glass, the obsidian was tightly compacted. If there was one thing the Folterran shifter who’d tortured me and attacked Dewalt was good for, it was this. After the shifter had made one explode, destroying a stable and embedding obsidian into Em’s skin, we knew it was a worthwhile weapon.

Equally carefully, I fished out the matches Em had created. With her divine fire imbued into the striker, when used on the obsidian orbs, they would create an explosion I hoped would decimate the pillars supporting the Aesiron Bridge.

“Sounds easy enough,” Maurice said. With an arrogance that reminded me of Dewalt’s more annoying moments, he shrugged his shoulder. The boy irritated the fuck out of me, but he was a healer. I’d brought him along with us in case my divinity was spent rifting. He held a hemlock branch, picking at its leaves and seeming nonplussed. This was the closest to the Aesiron I’d dared venture, and while we were relatively safe, I desired a more observant soldier.

I stared at him until he looked up. Finally, his gaze met mine. With pink cheeks, he cleared his throat and put the branch down.

“The problem is,” I began, holding a match in one hand and the obsidian orb in the other, “neither of these items can get wet. If even a drop of water touches them, they will not work. I have a few spares, but if we fail, the bridge will continue to stand.”

Eight solemn faces stared at me. I’d hand-picked each person for this expedition, knowing how important it was for them to work cohesively. The only one I worried about was Maurice. I’d trust the rest with my life.

“We won’t get another chance at this,” Lasu said, voicing my concern aloud.

“No. So, if you don’t trust yourselves to keep these items dry, tell me now. We’ll figure something else out.”

None of my soldiers spoke up, so I continued to explain my plan. Because of the distance to the center of the bridge, we’d all have to slip through a rift first, bringing our position closer to the center. I wanted to strike at the place that would be hardest to repair. Then, I would open four more rifts, sending a pair of my soldiers through each one. I would watch as they attached their obsidian bomb to each pillar. Then, after they struck the divine match, I’d bring them back to the safety of land.

We would have to be quick, and the gods only knew how wrong it could go if we were spotted.

“I think I’m going to try to catch a rabbit,” Maurice said. “I’m starving.”

Aurelia, Lasu’s wife, elbowed the boy in the ribs. “We all are, you idiot.”

As if in agreement, my stomach clenched painfully. It was true that our stores were running out. There was only so much we could manage to sneak into the city, and I made sure to only take the bare minimum needed to continue fighting for my kingdom. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if we ran out.

“We wait for dusk. Though we’ll be beneath the bridge, I want you to stay on the inner side of the pillars. If one of their patrol boats spots us, we’re fucked.”

Lasu’s brows lifted as we made eye contact. “Something tells me we’re fucked either way.”

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