Page 23 of Spoils of war
Neither of them even looked at her. They didn’t care who we were or what we were doing.
"You've passed curfew," the taller one barked.
The other stepped closer.
“What curfew?” Eryx asked, squinting at them.
“The one I just ordered. Pack it up, or you’ll be spending the night in chains.”
I glanced around the fire—Will, Selma, Aran, Nora... and then Einar. Standing beside me like he’d always been there, jaw clenched tight, his eyes locked on the soldiers.
And of course, Aran had to be Aran.
“All of us?” he slurred, a stupid grin spreading across his face. “Wait—waiiit, wait wait,” he added, stumbling into a spin by the fire. “You two fuckers gonna arrestallof us? You can’t tell us to do shit!”
He was clearly drunk, which made him reckless. I could see the anger building in him like a storm. Boys like Aran didn’t cry, instead they picked fights with armed soldiers. If they couldn’t win, at least they’d go down swinging.
“Big bad soldiers,” he sneered. “Picking fights with drunk kids. Bet you feel real tough, huh? Bet your mamas are real proud.”
“Don’t play smart with me, boy,” one of the soldiers growled, stepping forward. “I’ll throw you off the cliff.”
“You can’t throw shit,” Aran snapped, brandishing the bottle like a sword. “Bet your king’s got you bent over so far you can’t even walk straight.”
The soldier’s rifle cracked into his ribs before he could say another word, and Aran crumpled to the ground, coughing. Will rushed forward.
“Wait—wait! He’s drunk! He’sclearlydrunk out of his damn mind!”
Selma shoved past him, kneeling beside Aran.
“What the hel are you doing?” she hissed.
“I’m doing,” Aran wheezed, “what everyone else is too fucking scared to do.”
“Anyone else got something to say?” the scarred soldier barked, scanning the clearing.
No one moved, except Aran, already dragging himself upright again, blood at the corner of his mouth.
“Stand down,” the soldier warned, leveling his rifle.
“You gonna shoot me?” Aran laughed. “Gonna kill me like you killed the royals, huh? Hunt me down like a dog too?”
Will grabbed his arm, panic rising in his voice. “Stop! You’re gonna get yourself killed!”
“They were kids!” Aran shouted. “You sick fucks!”
And then my voice slipped out before I could stop it.
“Is it true?”
Einar’s hand clamped around my wrist, too late.The soldiers were already staring at me.
“I recognize you,” the taller one said. “Don’t I?”
My throat tightened. Had he seen me in town? At the bakery? HadIseen him?
I looked away.
The scarred one stepped forward. “Is what true?”
