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Frayne should have been focused on the reason they were in the camp, but there was something about the general that tugged at him. He had tried to hold back. Going in, he had planned not to show his true skill with the sword, but the general was an unknown. He had come in harder than expected, and Frayne understood the man would have known if he was trying to hide anything.
“When?” Heath murmured as they lifted another pole into place.
Not long after they had arrived, a large group of soldiers led by the cardinal had ridden out with no indication of including them in their number. The fact both worried Frayne as to what they might be up to and relieved him that he wouldn’t have to be involved. The general hadn’t even left his tent to see them off, nor had he left it since.
The few soldiers who remained in the camp were helping rebuild the cardinal’s tent by directing them to do it. Frayne thought the king’s soldiers should likely have more sense, but then there might have been a reason these men were left behind. Too used to receiving orders, they were taking delight in giving them.
“We need the general out of the way,” Frayne said. He looked about for anyone who might be listening to their conversation, but no one was close enough to hear. The soldier standing at the entrance to the general’s tent didn’t even flinch when they walked by—nor when anyone else did, for that matter. Although it didn’t appear to be as large or fancy as the cardinal’s tent. It was lost in a row of very similar tents.
“Why didn’t he go with the others? Or is he not into killing women and children?”
“Who would know?” Frayne murmured. The general seemed content enough to kill his own sister. He looked out over the trees, hoping she was far enough away from them that she was safe. He wasn’t sure why he worried about her as much as he did, but he couldn’t help himself. He looked back at Heath as he cried out and the post slipped from his grasp.
“Some focus would be helpful, or we’ll be here all night.”
“I didn’t come to build a tent,” Frayne grumbled as they pushed the earth in around the base of the pole.
“No,” Heath said, looking back towards the tent. “And even if we get the general out, how do we get in?”
“Maybe we need another fire,” Frayne mused.
“Would she help?” Heath asked.
“I thought we could start it on our own.”
Heath looked at him open-mouthed, but then he nodded slowly. Frayne could only hope it helped. If this girl didn’t want to go with them, then their remaining at the camp would only put Nelda in more danger. Assuming she had stayed close by and not run away and left them there alone.
When he looked up, one of the soldiers was watching him too closely. He wondered if they had an idea of why they were there and what they might be planning. But then the man looked away and said something to a colleague, who laughed. They were just relieved they weren’t doing the work.
“Is there a river near here?” Frayne called out to the soldier.
“You want a bath?” he called back with a laugh.
“I want a drink.”
The man shook his head and indicated a barrel not far away. “Not too much,” the soldier growled. “We had to carry that in. And the cardinal’s tent used up far more than we should have given up.”
Frayne nodded and stepped up to the barrel. He lifted the lid and pulled the cup on a string up to pour it into his mouth. The barrel was less than half full. If the others were like this as well, then there was a good chance any fire would be hard to extinguish. They would have to move quickly to get the girl out before anyone realised what was going on and before she was in danger herself.
Heath still held on to the post they had set, not that it needed holding. It was steady on its own, but they were trying to make it look like harder work than it was. “We could do with a hand,” he said to the two soldiers still watching.
They walked quickly away.
“Dedicated, aren’t they?” Heath quipped.
“I would rather they were further away. We just need a way to start this,” Frayne said, looking around the camp.
“So?” Heath asked, nudging him as his mind wandered away with the idea of something hot and tasty his mother would have made after a hard day’s work. He wondered if their parents were worried about them or guessed where they might have gone.
He shook his head.
“No one is watching,” Heath hissed.
“We need something far from the general,” Frayne murmured.
Heath looked about then, stepping away from the pole. They needed to get out of sight without drawing attention to it. And then find the girl. Frayne closed his eyes and took a deep breath, sure he could smell the smouldering coals of a fire. There were likely several fire pits around the camp that had burned low overnight. He grabbed Heath by the sleeve and, with a quick glance around to make sure they weren’t being watched, dragged him away from the cardinal’s tent and towards the smell.
“What do you know?” Heath asked.
“I have an idea,” Frayne returned, wondering why his brother couldn’t smell the same. But then, Heath often couldn’t pick up on clues Frayne thought obvious.
They slowly worked their way between the tents, on alert for any soldiers, before Frayne pulled Heath to a stop. Towards the back of the camp between several larger tents was a fire pit. There was no sign of smoke, but it was as though he could smell the heat. They waited longer than they should have to ensure there was no one around, although it wouldn’t be long before someone would notice they weren’t working on the cardinal’s tent.
Heath waited patiently, as he always did when Frayne directed him. He trusted Frayne would lead him in the right direction. Frayne could only hope he wasn’t putting them and Nelda in further danger. He glanced back in the direction of the tent with the witch and the general, not that he could see it from their current location, and wondered just how determined Nelda’s brother was to end her.
“I can’t see anyone,” Heath said after too long.
“Just a moment longer,” Frayne whispered. And then the general walked through the area as though conjured by Frayne’s thoughts. He seemed somewhat preoccupied; although he walked close to their hiding spot, he didn’t appear to realise they were there. It also meant he was out of the tent. If they were quick enough, they wouldn’t need too much of a distraction.
One of the large tents beside the fire pot was a storage tent. Hay poked out from beneath the canvas, and Frayne could smell the grain and cloth. He glanced at Heath, who raised his eyebrows in a questioning way. He stepped out and looked into the pit, a low glow of heat still visible in the coals. He moved quickly, squatting down beside the tent and taking a handful of straw, then pushing it into the pit. It didn’t take long for the straw to catch, and he moved just as quickly to poke it back under the canvas into a larger pile of straw.
He had no idea if this was going to work. Frayne pulled Heath back between the tents as smoke started to drift from the opening of the tent. He just had to hope it would take hold soon and give them the chance to escape.
Heath tugged at his arm, and they ran as quickly and quietly as they could through the tents towards the girl. Frayne only hoped they were as quiet as he thought. He didn’t know if the general had made it back this way.
They could just see the tent where they thought the witch was kept when a cry went out across the camp. “Fire!”
When they peered out, the guard was gone, although Frayne had no idea if the general had come back to the tent or not. Heath was about to run forward when Frayne grabbed his arm, and the general appeared from the tent. He stood still, holding tight to the canvas, his eyes closed as he took in deep breaths. Something seemed to have confused him. He scowled back into the tent and then ran in the direction of the flames.
Maybe they were sure she wouldn’t escape, or couldn’t. Frayne ran after his brother towards the tent, something like fear for the girl tight in his chest. They burst through together to find her sitting on the edge of a cot. The tent was small and tight, and she looked up at them without a hint of fear as they raced in.
“You knew we were coming,” Frayne said.
She nodded once and stood. She was slight, her dress torn and worn, and he was reminded of Nelda still hiding in the woods beyond the camp. Her long blonde hair was golden even in the dim light of the tent. There was something that drew him to her. Heath had placed himself between them, and Frayne noted then that she hadn’t taken her eyes from him.
“We have come to help,” he said.
“I know.”
She looked then at Heath, giving him a gentle smile before looking back to the cot. She pointed at the ground and then slowly lifted her fingers upward. A narrow, bright-green blade of grass wove up from the ground, and Heath stepped back. It grew thicker and curled around itself, making its way towards the roof of the tent. Then it bent, as though sitting on the cot. The girl moved her hands slowly in an outward motion, and suddenly it appeared to be her sitting where she had been when they’d arrived.
Heath took another step back, and Frayne looked towards the tent opening. They didn’t have long. He motioned the girl forward. She lifted the hem of her dress, and only then did he notice that it was too long for her, dragging on the ground. Her feet were bare beneath it.
“I could carry you,” Heath offered quickly. She shook her head, moving to stand beside Frayne.
Heath gave him a dark look, then lifted the tent flap and indicated with a wave that it was time to move. The girl surprised Frayne by taking his hand, and they raced out towards the forest. They moved quickly between the tents, realising just how few soldiers had been left as the flames rose above the surrounding tents.
They headed straight into the trees, trying to put as much distance as they could between them and the camp.
“Which way?” Heath asked.
Frayne raised his hand to indicate the way he thought and found the girl had done the same. Not a girl—a young woman, closer to his age than he had first realised.
The witch still clung tight to his hand as they ran through the forest. With the light starting to fade, Nelda stood before them. The girl let Frayne go to run to her and threw her arms around her. Before Frayne could explain how they had escaped or ask what they were to do next, they both dropped to their knees on the forest floor, their eyes pressed closed, holding tight to each other’s hands and whispering something he didn’t understand.
Heath reached forward, but Frayne held out a hand to stop him. He didn’t think this was a prayer to the Goddess, but he knew it was not to be interrupted.