Blood Sworn by Steve Vera

Author:Steve Vera
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-12-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Five

The night was quiet. Even the creaks of their carts and the hoof falls of their horses seemed to be muffled, absorbed by the night. Gavin felt as if he were on the Titanic as it was capsizing. The world was sinking. There were no owl hoots, no crickets or the baying of wolves in the distance, just a heavy, grim silence that followed their every step.

The whirr of dragonfly wings announced Pyrk before he popped out of the air.

“News, Sur Stavengre,” Pyrk said. His eyes were all pupils.

“Report,” Gavin said, not quite comfortable yet with being in charge of an entire army. He’d been trained, of course, but it had been a long time ago, and for a much smaller force. This had been Lucian’s expertise.

“There is nothing here,” Pyrk said.

“Night Breeds?” Noah asked from his side.

“Nothing, Sur Noahvden the Wise, not even a stag beetle.”

“How much farther?” Ladom’er asked.

Pyrk hovered beside them, even though their horses were still walking. “Very close, Master Ladom’er, just over the next rise. I must warn you, however. Once we cross over it, we will be visible to the fortress’s turrets.”

And that’s why we have a Tree Sprite for a scout.

“Thank you, Pyrk,” he said with a salute that wasn’t quite natural to him yet. Skip had come up with it—a blend of both worlds—a fist to the breastplate, then back out, followed by the edge of the hand to the eyebrow, just like they did it back home. This way, the Vambracians, Nu’romians, Flangers and the whole lot of them couldn’t fight over whose military system they’d be using. It was brand new to everybody. Same way recruits had their heads shaved to mark that all were the same. “Dismissed.”

Pyrk returned the salute and then disappeared.

Gavin held up his fist. The four Fu Manchus positioned around the column so everyone could see them mirrored his movements and in three quick steps the entire column had halted. They were getting better. “Noah, if you would be so kind as to summon Serjeant Loran for me.”

“Of course, General,” she said with the same salute and promptly cantered off to the Vambracian retinue.

One hundred and fifty-four sets of eyes followed her. She stopped in front of the serjeant’s horse, there was a brief exchange, and then they were both trotting up to Gavin.

They stopped in front of him.

“Salute the General,” Noah said in a low but firm voice.

Serjeant Loran awkwardly imitated Noah’s salute, which Gavin returned with an even gaze.

“Are you ready, serjeant?” Gavin asked.

“I am. Six will have to die, four will join us, the last two I am uncertain of. They tend to migrate where the silver is.”

Gavin reached down into his belt and brought up a pouch for just such an occasion. He tossed it to the serjeant. Five gold pieces and twenty silver, which broke down to about seven grand. A thousand for each gold, a hundred for each silver.

“This will do nicely,” Serjeant Loran said, raising his eyebrows, which put a crease in his forehead.

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