Page 75 of Queen Demon
The plan was that Kai would lead the dustwitches to Dashar and meet with the vanguarder waiting there who had been watching the fort. He would hold the dustwitches in reserve until the Arike army started the attack. Then Kai and the dustwitches would handle the demons and any expositors as the army engaged the legionaries.
Kai had spoken to the dustwitches and offered them revenge against the legionaries and Hierarchs, and a guarantee of food and protection with the Arike army. He gave them the same choices as Bashasa had given Cimeri and Raihar: stay with the army and fight, leave if they wanted, or go to one of the hiding places for non-combatants. Kai had done it because he knew Bashasa would offer these choices as soon as he spoke to the group himself. But that wouldn’t happen until after they took the fort, and since Bashasa wasn’t here now, Kai made the offer of food and protection contingent on coming to the fort to fight the demons.
“Like we fought you?” one asked skeptically. She was older than Nightjar, and hadn’t put her veil back on like some of the others.
Kai said, “No one taught you how to fight. I will.”
There was a stir at that, maybe interested, maybe just doubtful. But Nightjar said, “Whatever anyone chooses, we need to pack our goods and put our supplies in order.” She gestured to one of the downed tents. “We can’t live like this anymore.”
The appeal to practicality worked. The dustwitches began to move, slowly at first and then purposefully, taking down the camp and taking care of their riding animals and generally getting ready to leave. Kai tried not to show what a relief this was.
Tahren and Kai’s cadre had followed Ziede back with suppliesfor the dustwitches to sweeten the offer, but now they had to return to the army encampment to take up their places in the outguard. “Be careful, and don’t trust any of these lying shits,” Ziede told him quietly as she and Tahren prepared to leave.
“You be careful,” Kai retorted. “You’re not invincible, and remember they have archers.”
“I don’t need you to tell me how to fight,” Ziede said, and pulled him into a tight hug.
Kai hugged back, burying his face in her shoulder, trying to memorize the sweet scent of her hair. She was the closest thing to home he had left.
When Ziede stepped away, Tahren gripped his shoulder. “If any turn on you, I’ll come back and kill them all.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Kai said, meaning to make it a joke and addjust kill a few as an example to the others.
But Tahren interrupted, “I do. You took Dahin from the grasp of a Hierarch and sent him back to me. If you agree, I will send him to you when we draw closer to the coast, to be under your protection until we take the fort.”
Kai lifted his brows. “Is that a good idea?”
Tahren didn’t quite wince. “He isn’t listening to me. I’m afraid he won’t stay back with the supply train as I’ve told him to, but will come forward with the cadres that follow the outguard.”
It wasn’t as if Dahin hadn’t done something like that before, and been captured in the Summer Halls when he should have been safe with Bashasa’s dependents.
“No place is safe, but I can’t watch over him while in battle, and no one who can make him obey will be free to do so.” Tahren added, damningly, “He listens to you.”
“He mostly listens to me,” Kai corrected. “But he can come to me once we get to the coast.” He did not add aloud,and I’ve had a chance to get rid of the dustwitches I don’t trust.
“Thank you.” Tahren watched him, her gaze direct. “If I did not make this clear before, I consider you my brother.”
“Oh.” Kai didn’t know how to take that and was so thrown that he blurted out the truth, “I don’t want to be a Blessed.”
“Many of my family feel the same.” Tahren pulled him into a hug.
Sending his cadre away was much harder. None of them wanted to go. They stood in a reluctant and somewhat sullen group, holding their restive horses, as Salatel tried to convince Kai it was a bad idea.
“No, again,” Kai told her, trying to make it clear that no persuasion would change his mind. “I need time to deal with the dustwitches. I don’t want any of you held hostage against me.”
“We fight well together,” Salatel protested. Unlike the other times they had disagreed on something, she sounded actually upset. “We are not yours to protect, we are yours to guard your back and fight your battles. That is how it is with the Arike.”
Kai said, “No, you are mine to protect. That’s how it is with Witches.” He added pointedly, “And you’re supposed to do what I say, so I’m telling you to go back and ride with Bashasa’s cadre. He’s yours to protect, too. I’ll send for you once we reach the fort.”
Salatel grimaced and looked off toward the dustwitch camp, and finally said in resignation, “Yes, Fourth Prince.”
While Kai waited to see that they got onto their horses and actually left, Cerala made an attempt at a last-moment rally, saying, “You ask us questions all the time. What if you need to know something? Maybe just one or two of us should—”
“Get on your horse and go,” Kai told her.
The dustwitches were both harder and easier to manage, once the camp was broken down and they were almost ready to leave. Nightjar grew frustrated as some responded readily to instructions, and others just became angry and obstructive. It made Kai wonder if Nightjar had ever lived in a true community of Witches before. Witches didn’t live in hierarchies, and they didn’t like having been forced into one. Particularly as many wereprobably only now realizing that they had been manipulated to do things against their will. To distract Nightjar from another argument with them, Kai asked her, “Where did the Doyen come from?”
“I don’t know.” Her brow creased, as if this was something she had just realized. “She said once that her mothers were Saredi. It was why she was so strong.”
