Chapter 74
The crack of dawn caw the packhouse empty, its shadow fading as the last of the soldiers filed out, their boots crunching over the frost. They had a long journey ahead – Coplas Fortress was 800 miles away, and at this pace, we’d be there in two days, ghee or take..
The road took us north, and the temperature dropped faster than I could track. A cold wind gnawed at my skin, sharp and relentless. The trees here were sparse, bent over by the wind like tired old soldiers. At one point, Hooked up and was taken aback to see frost lining the branches. It was so cold Frould almost feel their biting into my bones.
But the cold wasn’t the worst of it.
As we moved forward, we started running into refugees groups of them, ragged and pale, with nowhere left to go. Their eyes were hollow, haunted. Some of them, I could tell, had once lived in Craglen Fortress. But the rogues had taken it all–burned their hornes to the ground, slaughtered the innocent.
One woman, clutching a child to her chest, told Thorne, “It was hell. They came in the night, set fire
fire to everything. We tried to fight, but the rogues captured the men… They stripped them, left them to freeze.” She swallowed hard, the grief in her voice as sharp as the air “They called it… making “human popsicles.” We barely made it out.”
Achill ran through the camp. It was the kind of story that made even the hardened soldiers falter for a second.
The Craglen Fortress has guards, right?” Thomme asked, his voice controlled, though the tension was palpable
The woman’s laugh was bitter. “The rogues mixed in with us. They looked just like us. When they attacked… there was no way to tell who was one of
them.”
My stomach twisted. Prisca had warned me about these rogues. Cunning, deceptive. They weren’t as skilled as we were, but they sure knew how to
exploit weakness.
Thorne turned to his captains, his face hard. He made the decision to send a group of soldiers back with the refugees, to make sure they got some help. We couldn’t leave them stranded, not atter what they’d been through.
to our camp, my heart heavy with the stories I’d
The day faded into night, and we made camp. Thorne went off to handle the refugees, and i returned to our car heard.
Ast walked back toward the campfire, I spotted Jory leaning against a tree. He was waiting for me.
“I heard,” he said softly, his voice carrying in the stillness of the woods. “What those people said about the rogues. About how brutal they were.”
I didn’t answer at first. My chest tightened as I looked at him, trying to figure out what to say.
“What happened to them…” He paused, his eyes darkening “Used to be my life. My daily life.” His words were heavy with something couldn’t quite place.
“So, what?” I snapped, “You still think I’m going to question your loyalty?”
His eyes flickered with something–regret, maybe? “I’m asking if you are. After hearing that…..
Iturned away, my mind racing, “You should’ve told me sooner, Jory,” Thissed. “The minute you joined our army, you should’ve told me everything. Not wait until you became captain and I defended you in front of everyone.”
“If told you back then, would you have trusted me?” His voice was low, almost a challenge. “We both know you wouldn’t have. Look at ho looks at the rogues They don’t care. You wouldn’t either.”
I spun on him, fury flooding my veins. “You can’t compare yourself to them, Jory. Don’t. Not when you know how twisted they are?”
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Chapter 74
“But I’m not like them,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Before I could pond, a voice cut through the tension, sharp and accusing “What’s going on here?”
Both of us jerked around, and there stood Bex, a few paces away, his arms crossed and his gage hand. “What are you two arguing about?”
Jnry Lace stiffened, and before he could answer, I stepped in. “It’s nothing,” I said, forcing my voice to sound casual “Just going over some plans for tomorrow, Jery had questions
Beveyed us both, suspicion flickering in his eyes. But after a beat, he shrugged. “Well, the others and I are cooking dinner. You want to join us?”
Inodded, eager to escape the awkwardness. “Yeah, I’ll be right there.”
He turned to leave, but as soon as he was out of earshot, I turned back to Jory “Listen, I can’t keep this a secret anymore. Tomorrow, I’m telling Thome He’ll decide what happens”
Jory looked at me, panic Rashing across his face. “You’re going to tell him? Are you insane? He’ll tear me apart in an instanti”
“I’m not going to let him kill you.” I snapped, “But Thorne needs to know. He’s the leader”
Jory‘ grip on my arm tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might yank me back. “Please, Elara… don’t do this.”
But shook him have to
I didn’t give him a chance to argue further. Turning on my heel, I walked toward the campfire, where the other Gammas sat, staring into the fire, their faces weary
Theo groaned as I sat down beside Triss. “God, these cookies are dry. My tongue’s going to fall off,” he grumbled.
Triss chuckled. “You’ve never had field rations before?”
“Of course, I have!” Theo scoffed. “But this? This is trash. I’ve had better at Fenreach Pack, and that place was barely scraping by.”
I took a bite, agreeing with Theo’s assessment. The cookies were awful, but I didn’t mind. I’d eaten worse when I was living with the Diaz family. scavenging for whatever scraps I could find
Roman said suddenly, his cold eyes locking onto mine. “heard you had a little… disagreement with Jory. You sure everything’s fine?”
I met his gaze, refusing to back down. “It’s fine.”
Roman’s gaze hardened. “You know we’re not supposed to trust him, right? Not with everything going on. He’s our prime suspect”
Tet
my can down with a thud.
“I don’t need you to tell me how to handle my soldiers, Roman.”
The fire crackled between us, and the tension built up like a storm ready to break. Triss tugged at my sleeve, breaking the silence. “Hey, you want to take
this back to the bent?”
I grabbed the food and stood up, my temper still simmering. This followed me quietly-
“You know he’s just being a grumpy old man,” Triss whispered. “Honestly, I think he’s the one you should be watching, not Jory.”
Ismiled a little despite myself.
But right now, I can’t think straight.”
We didn’t say much aber that I went back to the tent and laid down, trying to shake off the constant tension. But sleep didn’t come es
– plagued me, dark and twisted, and strange sounds dritted in from outside.
Suddenly, I snapped awake, heart pounding. I reached for the flashlight by my bed and flicked it on.
And there, in the shadow of my tent, stood Jory. A knife gleamed in his hand.
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