Page 107 of Silver & Smoke
‘It’s her, alright,’ one of them said. ‘Silas is going to be pleased. But what are you doing here, storm girl? Did your army abandon you after all your lies?’
‘Something like that...’ Wren muttered, trying not to grimace as the metal dug into her back. She figured the cage was probably the safest place for her, at least for the moment.
‘She’s not as pretty as the drawings,’ another man cut in. ‘Maybe if she smiled?’
The cage rattled as someone clapped their palm atop it. ‘Go on then, give us a smile,’ the third man jeered.
Wren blinked up at them. ‘You’ve taken me prisoner, chased off my only allies, and you’re telling me to smile—’
‘Donovan, get over here!’ one of the commanders shouted from nearby. ‘Have you secured the perimeter yet?’
‘Just about to!’ Donovan called back before glancing again at Wren. ‘Guess you’ll have to smile for me later.’
Wren watched him go, her skin crawling. ‘I guess so.’
From her crate, she watched as the People’s Vanguard conformed to surprisingly regimented priorities. They secured the perimeter and gathered the maps Kipp had left behind, took inventory of the weapons and armour, and assigned guards to strategic points all around the site.
After a time, a new trio of guards was assigned to watch her, and with them came a captain. He looked at her suspiciously.
‘Why in the midrealms would they leave you behind?’ he demanded.
‘They didn’t mean to,’ Wren croaked.
‘It’s true,’ one of the men chimed in. ‘They were fleeing as we approached.’
The commander’s eyes narrowed as he studied Wren. ‘Why should we believe you?’
Wren shrank back against the bars. ‘I don’t care what you believe.’
He crouched before her, gripping her cage. ‘How many in the force that left you behind?’
‘In my immediate party? There was me and two others,’ she told him truthfully. ‘But before that? Three hundred? Four hundred? I don’t know. They don’t share the logistics with us women.’
‘And you expect me to believe that they left all this behind willingly?’ he barked.
Wren drew a trembling breath. ‘I don’t expect anything.But they were worried about the dark alchemy your forces use.’ She shook her manacles for emphasis. ‘They seemed to think that the Warswords in their company wouldn’t be able to withstand it.’
The commander huffed. ‘Well, that’s true enough at least.’ He straightened and addressed his underlings. ‘I want you to search the tents for any form of correspondence. I want weapons, armour and siege equipment loaded up. If there’s any preserved goods, medicine – even livestock – I want it all. Take whatever personal items you want for yourselves. We’ll be on their tail soon enough.’
Wren drew her knees up to her chest. They’d taken her belt of potions and the dagger sheathed around her thigh, and she felt naked without them. She hadn’t realized what a comfort the dagger had become to her, how her Warsword’s iron will was with her always.
But she stopped herself from reaching for him through the bond. It was best the Bear Slayer didn’t know how their plan had unfolded untilafter.
Through the bars of her cage, Wren watched the commander send scouts after Cal and Kipp as he redistributed useful supplies among his own troops and examined the food stores.
‘Are we holding the position or pursuing, Commander?’ one of the men asked, his gaze lingering on the barrels of wine nearby.
‘I’m waiting on reports from the scouts,’ the commander said.
The soldier gestured to the empty wine goblets and tankards Wren had scattered throughout the camp. ‘They know how to have a good time at least.’
The commander clicked his tongue in frustration. ‘Quit your griping,’ he snapped. ‘And if you’re going to drink that, at least testit on the prisoner first. Who knows what they might have laced this stuff with?’
The man who approached her with a fresh goblet was the same bastard who’d told her to smile. Wine splashed over the sides as he shoved it between the bars. ‘Drink this,’ he commanded.
‘I’m fine, thank you,’ she said lightly.
‘I didn’t ask if you were fine. I told you to fucking drink it.’
