Our new Nestori guests took to the house much quicker than I'd anticipated. They didn't mind taking their meal or sleeping wherever there was a flat surface, even if it was on the floor. Beata seemed pleased to have even more people to mother, and I was just glad we were back on speaking terms.
The morning after they arrived, we were awakened by the sound of giggling and noise from the kitchen below.
Beata opened one eye at me. "It's not even dawn yet."
"I'll go see what's going on," I whispered, kissing her and tossing the sheets off myself. Snatching my dressing robe from the hook near the door, I walked down the stairs, yawning and hoping it was just one or two causing trouble.
Instead, our dining room was filled with children—all wearing masks. A floral scent was in the air, but before I could even walk into the room, one of the wolves threw up her hand.
"You will succumb," she said. "Wear this."
She handed me a cloth mask and I wrapped it around my face. "What's going on here?"
"We have brought the flowers," the wolf said. "But we need help pulverizing it and making the bags your daughter requested."
"W-what?" I shook my head in confusion. "Elisha? Where are you?"
The teenager in question appeared in the doorway, her eyes wide. "Shit."
"Language," I said, casting her a look. "Care to explain what you're doing here?"
"Well…" She looked around, as if seeking an escape. "I thought it would be good if they taught some of the kids Nestori stuff. They know a bit about knockout powders and bags, but I thought we could use the hyblatha on the gate."
I put my hands on my hips. "What is that, exactly?"
"It gives whoever inhales it a wicked nightmare," she said, her eyes crinkling as she smiled behind her mask. "Which makes it easier to tie 'em up. That way you don't have to blow up the gate." She crossed the room and picked up a small bag. "You just load this up on your crossbow and shoot it at whoever's shooting at you. Then listen for the screams."
The corners of my mouth twitched. "And you thought it a good idea to include the children in this task?"
"Why not? They used to do stuff like it at camp." She squared her chest. "And they're bored learning their letters."
"Elisha…"
Jarrah rose to her feet. "We have finished making our preparations. Where is your enemy?"
"To the south," I said. "But—"
She barked, and the rest of the wolves jumped to attention, as did the children. "Out."
"Out?" I shared a look with Beata, who'd joined us from a safe distance. "You can't go. We have soldiers for this."
"They do not know the Mother's magic," she said, shouldering the bags of hyblatha. "And we have to fulfill our end of the bargain to repay our debt to your queen."
"Then you go, but the children will stay here," I said, standing in front of the doorway. "It's too dangerous."
"It will be more dangerous if they do not come," Jarrah said, sidestepping me. The rest of the group passed around me and out the open door.
"It'll be all right," Elisha said, standing defiantly in front of me. "I'll keep an eye on them. But don't follow us into the forest. We can handle this."
I looked to Beata for help, but my resolve to argue was weakening as each child walked by with a stoic determination nearly identical to the wolves'. Perhaps Luard had been right; they hadn't been coddled in Celia's camp, and it was time we stopped coddling them. If they felt confident they could do this without us…
"You should fetch the soldiers for backup," Beata said, kissing me on the cheek. "The children will need it."
Joella scrambled her troops quickly, and a contingent of us marched toward the southern border. Beata and I joined Luard at the outskirts of the city, holding each others hands as we waited for news.
"How long do you think it'll take?" Beata asked.
We didn't wait long. A blood-curdling scream echoed out of the forest, but Luard shot out his arm to keep the two of us from moving forward.
"That's a man's scream," he said. "They're in. Joella, you might want to start passing out the tinneum."
He handed her a bag of the minty herb and she dispersed it amongst the soldiers as more screams echoed from the woods beyond. I closed my eyes and whispered to myself that it was merely hallucinations, that they were in no danger, but it still rattled my nerves. Beside me, Beata's hand gripped mine so tightly that I was beginning to lose feeling in my fingers.
Finally, there was movement in the treeline. Jarrah appeared, chewing like a cow as she walked. She was dragging something much heavier than a girl her size should've been able to carry.
"What is that?" Luard asked, squinting into the forest.
"I can't tell," I said. "But it looks like a person."
"Oh, Mother…did she kill someone?" Beata said, holding her hand to her mouth.
I released her hand and jogged forward with Luard, praying we wouldn't see something grotesque when we got there. These wolves were feral, but they also followed the Mother.
"You can move your troops in now," Jarrah called. "Make sure anyone who goes into the forest has the tinneum."
"You heard the woman," Joella called to her waiting soldiers. "We're taking prisoners only, soldiers. Move out!"
The soldiers, all chewing tinneum, sheathed their weapons and jogged toward the forest in waves, giving Jarrah, still dragging that body behind her, a wide berth.
"Is he…?" I asked, tentatively stepping closer to her. "Wait a second, Captain Mark?"
His face was a stark white, as if all the blood had been drained from it, and he'd wrapped himself into a ball, perhaps making him easier to drag. But his eyes, red from crying, were far away.
"Give him some tinneum," I said, panicking a little.
Jarrah gave me a look. "He's the leader of your enemy's forces."
"That can't be," I said. "He served Brynna's father. He's Felix's mentor. He couldn't have been the one…"
"He was rather put out when Brynna fired him," Beata said, coming to stand next to me. "Perhaps he landed in Ilara's employ after that."
There had to be a different explanation. There was no way he could've allied himself with Ilara, not after all she'd done. But he'd been the one firing on my soldiers, and his soldiers had fired on Luard's guards even when they wore Niemenian uniforms.
"Tie him up then give him tinneum," I said, after a moment.
My soldiers did as I asked and forced the bitter herb down the screaming captain's throat. He chewed, his tears and wild looks subsiding. As he came back to himself, his trembling ceased as well, in favor of looking around the forest.
"K-Katarine?"
"Welcome back," I said, kneeling down at his level. "I confess I'm very surprised to see you. Of all the people Ilara could've put here, a former Forcadelian captain wouldn't have been the one I picked. How did you come to such an assignment?"
He remained silent, the wheels in his mind clearly turning.
I sighed. "I'm here on behalf of Queen Brynna."
"Didn't know she coronated herself. Seemed like she was a prisoner when I saw her."
My heart leapt to my throat. "She was here?"
He clenched his jaw, looking to the side.
"Very well," I said, rising. "Perhaps your soldiers will offer more information. We've taken this forest and beyond for ourselves and for Queen Brynna. If you cooperate, perhaps she might find it within her heart to forgive you for allying yourself with the enemy."
"She allied herself with the enemy," Mark said. "I don't know if you're aware, but she's been kissing rings and bowing to Queen Ilara all this time. Sounds like she left you for safer pastures. If you're planning on taking over the kingdom in her name, you might find yourselves without a queen."
I merely smiled, grateful to hear Brynna had been such a good actress. "I'll surely take your advice to heart. Take him to the brig and perhaps a few days in confinement will loosen his tongue."
They carried him away, and Beata shook her head. "I can't believe… Captain Mark. It just seems like…"
"I know," I said. "But you heard him—Ilara believes Brynna to be her loyal subject. Our plan is working. We can continue down to Forcadel."
"Erm…" Joella said, walking out of the forest. "I think you might want to reconsider that idea. You guys need to see this."
It looked like something stronger than Niemenian ore had been placed in the river, cutting off the water to the south and routing it east. Something so massive surely should've come across my desk as Ilara's attendant, but clearly she'd been keeping this close to the vest for some time.
"Where does it go?" Beata asked.
"The soldiers that have come to said it goes to Aunela," Joella said. "And that's where Brynna and Ilara went."
I walked to the riverbank, staring down at the rushing water. Things were starting to fall into place for me, small conversations that, at the time had meant nothing, but were now coming into stark relief.
"Then we go to Aunela," I said softly. "Jo, how quickly can you get a small riverboat ready to depart?"
"Within the hour, m'lady."
"Then do that," I said. "I want a small cadre of soldiers—Forcadelian, so they don't arouse suspicion—to go ahead and scout the area for us. If you can make contact with Brynna, do. And if there's anyone else in the city we can call an ally, tell them the rest of our soldiers will be arriving as soon as they can."
"And what of the wolves?" Joella asked. Jarrah had followed us into the dam, a sneer on her face as she looked at the newly cut river. "Should we ask them to come with us?"
"We have repaid our debt," Jarrah said, ignoring us as she poked at the riverbank. "And will be returning home as soon as you can ready a boat."
Joella looked ready to argue, but I shook my head. "Tend to the prisoners and see if you can get more information from them. Beata—"
"I'll help," she said, casting me a knowing look. "Seems like you could use some more hands."
When they were both gone, I approached the Nestori. "What's wrong?"
"This is an abomination," she said. "The Mother's magic was used to create this new scar in Her lands. It will not stand."
I nodded. "I wanted to thank you for your help. We couldn't have done this without you." I took a step forward. "If you would stay and join us in Aunela, we would gladly be in your debt."
She cracked a smile. "You do not need us. The children in your home are well-versed in the Mother's magic. You'd do well to trust them with it, especially the eldest. The Mother spared her life for a purpose, and you are wasting Her gift."
A shudder ran through me. Elisha could've told the Nestori about Celia's camp, but something told me she hadn't.
"Is it wasteful to keep her alive for another day?" I said, as Elisha appeared in the forest, her crossbow raised as she hunted down stragglers. "The Mother may have plans for her, but my queen gave me orders to keep her safe."
The wolf smiled as she rose. "The child will do what she wants, and you would do well to flow with the river, instead of trying to control what you cannot."
She left us as Elisha spotted me, jogging over with her crossbow pointed at the sky. She wore the serious look of someone who knew exactly what she was doing, and it broke my heart that someone so young knew such things already. But more than that, I'd just gotten her back, and now I was sending her away again. But with the Nestori's words, I could no longer deny what had been in front of my face. Elisha needed to play her part in this, and I needed to stay out of the way.
"I've swept the area, but I haven't seen any more. I think we're in the clear," Elisha said. She noticed my face and frowned. "What is it?"
"Elisha," I said, swallowing. "Go down to the docks and tell Captain Kinsella that you'll be going with her to Aunela on the scouting ship."
Elisha's eyes widened. "W-what?"
"The wolves won't be going with them, and we need someone well-versed in Nestori magic and vigilante arts to keep them safe." I straightened. "Can you handle this task?"
She licked her lips. "This ain't a trick, is it?"
"No," I said. "But you must promise me you'll be careful, and mind whatever Captain Kinsella says. If she wants you to mop floors, you will mop floors. And if she tells you to look out, you will look out only. Am I clear?"
Elisha nodded. "Why are you sending me away?"
"Because you're the best we have." Something tugged at my heart, and I couldn't quite articulate what I wanted to say. "And we could use all the help we can get."
She gazed into my eyes, as if expecting me to say something else, but then nodded. "I won't let you down."