Page 69 of Silver & Smoke
‘Well, we can’t have that,’ Wren muttered.
Darian gave a dark laugh. ‘No, we certainly can’t. Perhaps some wine will dull the pain?’
‘There’s not enough wine in the world,’ Wren told him.
CHAPTER 37
Torj
‘No battle unfolds according to design’
– The Warsword’s Way
WHETHER SHE WASaware of it or not, as they travelled deeper into the heart of Delmira, Wren was getting stronger. Torj could feel her magic surging through the soul bond, could feel her storm power coming back to her in waves. She was a force to be reckoned with, one that Silas the Kingsbane should fear with every fibre of his being – for the Poisoner was coming for him, and she would not be stopped. Torj only hoped he’d be there to see it.
His condition ebbed and flowed, often in proximity to Wren. When he felt close to her, he was the capable Warsword he’d always been; when there was distance between them, his fingers were wracked with tremors, his muscles spasmed unexpectedly and fatigue hit him out of nowhere. He was doing everything Dessa instructed, taking every vile concoction she brewed for him, and yet it didn’t seem to make a difference. One moment his skin was singing with the memory of Wren’s touch, the next he was having to brace himself against his saddle horn.
As planned, they left a skeleton unit to guard the mountain tunnel and the garrison, with the bulk of their forces riding intoDelmira just after dawn. Everyone besides himself, Wren, Kipp and Dessa was unnerved by the newfound state of the kingdom around them. He rode with the three of them at the front of the company, Kipp making observations for his battle planning as they went.
‘See those?’ he called out over the noise of the horses, pointing to a fork in the nearby river. ‘Those are freshly formed waterways – they’ll be unpredictable, prone to flooding.’ He turned to Wren. ‘Remember how we utilized flooding in the shadow war?’
‘I’m not forgetting anytime soon, Kipp,’ she said dryly. ‘What else?’
He pointed to the closest tree line. ‘The forests are all full of new growth – they’re dense, but easy enough to move through. Good for cover if we’re wanting to move with any measure of stealth. And those meadowlands over there? Perfect for cavalry.’
‘You’ve got a decent eye, Snowden,’ Torj muttered with reluctant approval. ‘I’ll give you that. Make sure we identify the best water sources along the way and map them for subsequent forces.’
‘Already in the works, Bear Slayer,’ Kipp replied with a grin.
They rode north, where they came upon old roads that had been swallowed by new growth. In the distance there were villages that had been reclaimed by nature, the seemingly endless heather and wild thyme dancing in the breeze.
As they passed the ruins of old watchtowers and fortifications, a strange sense of uneasiness washed over Torj. He had been here in his younger years as a shieldbearer and as a Guardian. Even then it had been a land of ruins. It was as though, for decades, time had stood still in Delmira, that it had always been and always would be this way – lost to the darkness past.
But that wasn’t right. For it was teeming with life.
Vibrant flowers bloomed in the cracks of broken bridges. Trees towered where there had been none before. Roads long abandoned and in disrepair were overgrown with greenery.
‘Those are natural choke points there. See where the old route is overrun—’
‘I see them, Kipp,’ Torj cut him off. ‘But we need to establish our base first. We need to send out scouts to see what parts of the territory Silas is occupying, what his numbers look like...’
‘Of course, of course.’ Kipp waved him off.
If Torj had had his way, their army would have assembled outside Delmira and marched on the kingdom as one united front. But with their force consisting of so many different factions, they couldn’t simply lie in wait. Lord Briar and Lord Pendelton had assured him that the remaining units of their bannermen would join them as soon as they could. Which made Torj all the more uneasy. He wouldn’t have a solid idea of their numbers and resources until they were in the heart of the territory, where Wren’s alchemist’s cottage stood abandoned and in disrepair. It wasn’t an ideal destination by any means, but Wren needed the silvertide roses for her counter-alchemy, so there was little choice in the matter.
They pressed on through the afternoon, the landscape growing wilder and more vibrant with each league. Torj dispatched small scouting parties at regular intervals, watching them disappear into the rampant greenery with a growing sense of unease. The new growth worked both for and against them – it provided cover, yes, but it also meant their forces were more spread out than he’d like, more vulnerable to ambush.
A muscle spasmed in his thigh, and he shifted in his saddle, trying to hide his discomfort. Wren glanced his way, her eyes narrowing. The soul bond thrummed between them, and for a moment the pain eased.
By sunset, they’d covered more ground than expected and the first scouts were returning with their reports: no signs of Silas’s forces yet, but plenty of evidence that people had passed through recently. Broken branches. Disturbed earth. The remnants of campfires.
Delmira was no longer a secret.
Wren had dismounted some time ago to gather herbs from the underbrush and hadn’t looked up since, but her fingers workedwith quick, nervous energy as her words reached Torj through the soul bond.
I can’t believe it recovered after all this time... Only for us to bring war right back to its doorstep.
At long last, they arrived at the place Wren had called home for half a decade. As Torj clapped eyes on the ramshackle cottage overgrown with ivy, regret lanced through him. For five years she had grieved alone here, in this isolated place. He should have been here with her. They could have had that time together.
