Page 105 of Scorched Earth
Though no matter his plan, the results would be the same. Kaira had refused to deal, which meant a battle was coming. The ships would sail north, would land, would fight the Gamdeshians until one side was defeated. In her heart, she knew who would lose.
How many would die?
How many people were going about their lives, entirely unaware that these coming days would be their last? Unaware that their end was near, whether it be by hunger or on the tip of a legionnaire’s gladius or beneath the heels of a thousand feet.
What are five hundred lives compared to the millions in Gamdesh?
They’re everything.
They’re—
A piercing shriek from above ripped Teriana back into the moment. Her heart leapt to her throat as the giant hawk circled low above the massed legions with no care for the danger they posed to her.
Marcus glanced upward, then shouted, “Shoot her, you idiots! She’s a spy for the enemy!”
The legionnaires within earshot were all boarding, but they scrambled for weapons. Arrows were fired, but all too late, for Astara had already soared out to sea, heading north to report what she’d seen to Kaira.
“Interesting that he didn’t anticipate she’d be watching,” Quintus murmured. “Now if I were a betting man—”
“Which you are,” Teriana snapped.
“—I might suggest that hewantedher to fly north to give Kaira a report on our activities.” He hesitated, then nodded and pointed. “Look.”
A flicker of light flashed across the sky, as though a bit of glass were catching the light of the setting sun.
“Past the first scout.” Quintus lifted a hand to shade his eyes from the sun, nodding as another light flashed. “And the second.”
Teriana’s eyes moved to Marcus, who was berating the legionnaires boarding the ship for sluggishness and seemingly not paying the slightest bit of attention to the scouts’ signals.
“And the third,” Quintus said.
Felix reached out to touch Marcus’s arm, and what had obviously been false outrage at the men’s failure to shoot Astara disappeared. He and Zimo exchanged swift words. Zimo nodded with an approving expression, then he called out orders and a centurion strode up and down the dock, screaming more commands in the aggressive fashion every man of that rank seemed to use.
Teriana felt theshift.
Where they’d been dragging their heels, now the Thirty-First moved with the speed and efficiency the Cel were known for, every man knowing exactly what he was supposed to be doing and where he needed to be, all while Marcus continued to instruct the officers, each of them nodding in approval of what she could only assume was his explanation of hisrealplan.
It was happening.
Gods help her, it was happening.
Teriana’s heart was in her throat, pulse roaring, but there was nothing she could do but stand there as Marcus and Zimo claspedarms. The latter laughed with obvious delight as he turned on his heel to stride up the gangplank, the ships at the neighboring docks already running out sweeps to move the vessels into deeper waters.
Theunderloadedships.
Rather than the waiting vessels moving into empty berths to be filled with more legionnaires, they raised their sails. “What is…”
She trailed off as Marcus started walking down the dock, Nic and Felix following at his heels.
The wind from the water caught at Marcus’s crimson and gold cloak, sending it floating out behind him as he walked. Face expressionless, he said something to Felix, who lifted an arm. A signalman from the Thirty-Seventh hurried up the dock, listened to Felix’s orders, and then lifted a signal flag, the fabric slashing this way and that in such rapid motions that Teriana couldn’t parse the meaning.
“It would appear we aren’t sailing to Gamdesh after all,” Quintus said, and Teriana’s stomach twisted into knots even as the horns that had been blasting through the city all afternoon echoed the signalman’s orders.
“He’s ordered a march north,” Quintus continued. “Double time, no torches.”
Teriana barely heard her friend, for Marcus had reached the end of the dock. His eyes went first to the hair ornament resting against her cheek and then to her eyes. “Last chance. Do you want to join theQuincenseor march?” He hesitated, then added, “Quintus will go with you, regardless of your choice.”
Guilt made her chest clench, because if she said yes, Quintus would be reunited with Miki, but as she met her friend’s gaze, he shook his head. “Don’t make the decision because of me.”
