Soldier at the Door (Forest at the Edge) by Mercer Trish

Author:Mercer, Trish [Mercer, Trish]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-06-28T07:00:00+00:00

---

In the coach High General Shin thought nothing more of his disappointing conversation with Nicko Mal, and instead read messages and reviewed reports from the north.

Three villages had been attacked on the same night. The High General sent two advisors to Mountseen and Quake to see for themselves the aftermath of the raids there, and to investigate the response time of the forts. Of utmost importance was devising strategies for securing the villages more effectively. The attacks were a highly coordinated show of Guarder strength, and the general hated shows.

The numbers were remarkable and immense. According to an update he received when they changed horses, Edge, Mountseen, and Quake had a total of twenty-nine residents killed, over one hundred citizens wounded, twenty-two soldiers dead, and forty-one soldiers injured. Twenty-three Guarders were killed by soldiers, and another three by citizens. The general wasn’t sure how to record the numbers of injured or captured Guarders that took their own lives. He would have to make a new column on the forms he’d already printed in order to list the forty-seven troubling suicides.

“You’re rather quiet this trip.”

He was surprised to find himself saying that to his wife, rather than the other way around, as it usually was.

Joriana had been looking out the window for several hours as the scenery sped past. She wiped away another tear.

“I just can’t believe they’re gone,” she whispered. “She was like my second mother, he was my other father. Perrin’s last ‘grandparents’.”

She sniffled.

Relf, knowing what was expected, fidgeted uneasily, put his stack of papers on the seat, and moved to the other side to sit next to his wife. After a moment he put an arm around her. He had many strengths, but tenderness wasn’t one of them.

Joriana leaned back against his arm, then rested her head against chest, a wisp of her hair catching in one of the many medals, but she didn’t notice.

“We could have lost them all,” she said softly as her husband awkwardly patted her arm.

“But we didn’t,” he reminded her.

“The little ones! Relf, what if they got our grandbabies?!”

“But they didn’t,” he said firmly.

“They’re so vulnerable! Why doesn’t he move them to the fort? Why doesn’t he come back to Idumea? He could be second in command at Pools, couldn’t he? Marsh is always quiet, and not so far for us to travel.”

Relf glanced around the empty coach for witnesses before kissing his wife on top of her head. “He won’t leave Edge. You know that.”

“Maybe he will now,” Joriana said, struggling to sit up.

Her husband deftly untangled the lock of hair caught in a brass star on his uniform. She smiled as he tried to tuck it back into her bun, abandoning his effort only a few seconds later.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and gave him a quick kiss.

He hesitated to return it before remembering no one else could see into the coach. “I’ll talk to him,” he promised. “They know where he lives—surely that ought to scare some sense into him.”

Joriana sighed and leaned against her husband again.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.