Page 84 of Oathborn
Blood shone on the floor, wet patches reflecting broken bits of starlight.
Zari’s heart thudded harder. What had the soldiers been doing here? Beyond all the sprawled-out bodies, the opening on the far side let the breeze flow through, rustling the fallen soldiers’ uniforms. Who could have killed so many highly trained soldiers? And so silently? For them to be this freshly dead, they had to have fallen while Zari and the others had made camp, less than a half mile away.
“Blood Ember,” Zari whispered.
Hazelle did not counter her fear, but jerked her head toward the nearest opening. Together, they sprinted, charging ahead, not daring to look behind them. Zari crossed the threshold first. Dew-damp grass brushed over her ankles. They’d made it out.
A firm hand gripped her arm. Zari reacted instantly, elbowing whoever had grabbed her.
“Easy!” Daeden stepped back. He grinned. “Truly, you have a warrior’s heart.”
Hazelle drew near. Her face was still pale, and her hand shook as she held the pink orb of light higher. “There were… bodies, back there. Freshly killed. All of them…” she paused, swallowed hard. “All of them with Blood Ember’s hallmarks.”
The crack of a rifle’s shot reverberated over the stone ruins and hillside.
Chapter thirty-three
Tobias
Like any Rhydonian, Tobias knew about the massacre at Fort Lochna. He’d seen the photographs in the newspaper. A thousand dead overnight. The worst night of the war. Now, he was at camp, less than half a mile from the ruined fort, and the Crimson’s scouting party had yet to return. Nor had Javen, but that concerned Tobias less, given how often the man disappeared. The captain had finally showed up that morning, issued a few orders, handed a telegram off for one Crimson to take, and glared at everyone else while they’d eaten breakfast.
Around the campfire, the remaining soldiers checked their rifles and muttered curses against the fae. Erik was trying to get the others to agree that they too should head in the direction of the fort, where the scouts had headed before they disappeared.
“It’s not far,” Erik said. “We go, do a swift patrol, and return.”
As much as Tobias had come to value Erik’s not-quite-friendship, he couldn’t agree with the plan. “We should wait,” Tobias said. “Stick to the mission.”
“What mission?” Erik muttered. Javen had agreed to send the scouts out only after considerable arguing from Erik. He’d told the rest of them to stay put.
Right before he’d left, on yet another one of his mysterious solo ventures, Javen had found Tobias where he sat alone, cleaning his pistol. In a low,angry tone, Javen had made it clear Tobias was to remain at camp. Javen’s warning echoed in his ears.Do not approach the south side of Lochna under any circumstance.
“Come on,” Erik said. “There’s ten of us. Enough to help the scouts if they did encounter trouble.”
Tobias shook his head. “We should remain here.”
“Back to being a coward?” Erik asked him.
His fists balled, Tobias shook his head. “Captain Javen said—”
“Captain Javen is not here.” Erik rubbed his chin, looking out at the long shadows of the fort. “Something isn’t right with this place. Too many dead bodies. Too much bad luck. I’ll go alone, if none of you will come with me.”
Tobias rose to his feet. As much as he wanted to follow Javen, he didn’t wish to abandon Erik, either. “Fine. Lead the way.”
The other Crimsons fell in line, all of them shouldering their rifles.
They progressed swiftly over the grassy field, heading toward the looming ruins ahead. A flash of movement caught his eye. Two Crimsons brought their rifles down, tracking the shadow. Tobias held up his hand. He’d spotted white hair, most likely an elderly person visiting the unmarked grave of a loved one. Plenty of people made trips here, to mourn the dead and curse the war.
“We should wait right here,” Tobias said, finding his strength. “We still haven’t seen any signs of the scouting party.” Blood Ember was on the prowl, the fae Queen was trying to kill Javen, and who knew what else waited in the shadows.
At least the white-haired figure had already disappeared from view, melting back into the shadowy night. Tobias breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing more than a visitor to the ruined fort.
“We’ll give them a half hour,” Erik said. “No more.”
The time ticked past slowly. Tobias spent it observing the surrounding area, noticing the unfamiliar birds that flew overhead, the faint chirp ofcrickets, and the fog, which had rolled in and only grew thicker as night fell. It seemed to bring with it the scent of the sea, which made no sense, for Lochna was a freshwater lake.
“Time’s up,” Erik said. “There’s got to be something wrong. Everyone stay alert.”
Approaching the ruins, Tobias moved more slowly than the Crimsons, due to his own apprehensions, and because no one had seen fit to give him the same gear as those soldiers. The stars overhead dimmed, and clouds blotted the moon’s glow.
