War (The True Reign Series) (24 page)

Savenek cleared his throat.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Facing the group, he began to address them. “Commander Mako has been organizing the rebels and getting everyone down the mountain. They should be located at various villages throughout the island by now, eagerly awaiting our arrival.”

Darmik added,
“The men from the King’s Army who are loyal to me are amassing in Werden, a town a half-day’s journey from King’s City.”

“
Once word reaches Mako that we’ve arrived,” Savenek said, “the rebels will travel to Werden to meet up with Darmik’s men.”

The boat lurched
, and Rema widened her stance in order to maintain her balance. “What we need to figure out, and communicate with the other five ships, is how to get to Werden. Does anyone have any ideas?” she asked.

The soldiers stared at her as if she
’d sprouted the head of a horse, so Rema kept calm and patiently waited.

Vesha raised her hand, and Rema nodded for her to speak.
“Maybe we can arrive at night? Then we can try and get off the ship quietly. The crew can stay behind. Once we’re on land, they can set sail and hide the ships off the coast, where no one will see them?”

“
I like the idea of hiding the boats,” Darmik murmured. “I’m not crazy about getting everyone off the ships in the dark, though. I fear we’ll still be noticed because there are so many of us. Even at night, people work at the docks.”

Neco raised his hand.
“What if we split up? Each ship goes to a different port?”

“
I like that suggestion,” Savenek said. “We have a better chance of protecting the empress that way, too.”

“
Anyone else?” Rema asked. “I’d like a few more options to consider.”

An
Emperion soldier raised his hand. Rema nodded for him to speak. He stood. “If anyone is looking for us, they will have people watching the main ports. I think we should avoid the obvious and expected. Are there lesser known ports we can dock at?”

Another soldier stood.
“All of us are trained to swim. I do not see the need to dock.”

Now they were getting somewhere.
“What are the risk factors in swimming from the boat to the shore?” Rema asked.

“
It depends on the water temperature, currents, and time of day,” the soldier answered.

“
I will not risk my soldiers’ lives if there is another, safer way.” Several soldiers smiled. “You need to know and understand, as your leader, I will always have your best interests as my priority, soldiers and citizens alike. Thank you for your suggestions. I want some time to think and consider the best course of action. Dismissed.”

****

Rema stood, staring at the night sky. The crescent moon’s reflection glimmered on the water. Thousands of stars twinkled above. Leaning her arms against the railing, she breathed in the crisp, cool air.

She heard her guards questioning someone, and hoped it was Darmik coming to join her.
They’d been so busy strategizing their arrival at Greenwood Island that they’d barely had any time alone since his proposal. Glancing behind her, she saw Darmik dismissing her two guards. Her heartbeat sped up just seeing him.

“
We should arrive tomorrow,” he said by way of greeting. He stood beside her, handing her a heavy, wool blanket.

“
I know.” She wrapped it around her shoulders, basking in its warmth. “I’m nervous.”

“
So am I,” he admitted.

Peering over at him leaning against the railing next to her, she noticed his lips were pulled tight and his shoulders were tense.
“I assumed you would be used to this sort of thing,” she gently said.

“
I am—to an extent.”

“
Then what are you nervous about?”

He turned toward her,
clasping her hands in his big, strong ones. “I’m worried about protecting you.” His thumbs rubbed small circles against her palms.

“
Once we land and join forces with the rebel army and your loyal soldiers, overthrowing Barjon will be easy. There’s nothing to be concerned about.”

“
I hope that’s the case,” he responded. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to never underestimate my father or Lennek.”

She
understood Darmik’s concern; however, who could possibly stand in their way or oppose their mission? The people of Greenwood Island were repressed, starving, and would welcome the removal of Barjon and Lennek. The King’s Army was loyal to Darmik, so there would be nothing to stop Rema from succeeding.

“
There is one thing I’d like to ask you,” he said.

She felt his hands stiffen.
“What?” she whispered.

“
Is there any chance of convincing you to hide somewhere until this is over?” He leaned back slightly, as if fearing her reaction.

Rema
’s eyes narrowed. He wanted her to hide? While her people fought for her? Although it might seem like the safe route, she had no intention of being a leader who bid others to do her business. Her empire would not function that way.

Shaking her head, she answered,
“No, there isn’t.”

She was about to explain her reasoning when Darmik smiled and said,
“I didn’t think so. Still, I thought I’d ask. If you hid, it would save me a lot of worry; although, the sort of person that would run and hide wouldn’t be the one to have stolen my heart.”

She
reached up, tracing her finger along Darmik’s cheek, down to his jaw, and then across his lips. His eyes darkened as he leaned down and kissed her. The blanket fell from her shoulders. She no longer felt the cold air as she leaned her body against his, craving his warmth.

Darmik

Since they were the lead ship, the other f
ive vessels followed them to their current location, just off the coast of northern Adder. Darmik stood on the top deck, along with his friends and all the soldiers on board, searching for a small fishing village. Neco said it was hard to find and they needed to look carefully. These particular villagers lived a sheltered existence, trying to remain unnoticed, keeping the King’s Army away.

“
We’ve been searching for over an hour,” Rema said, squinting from the bright sunlight.

“
If Neco says there are fishermen here who can help, then we will find them,” Darmik responded. “I promise.”

“
I don’t want to be spotted. Isn’t that the whole point of this?” She fidgeted with her key necklace, searching the shoreline.

“
Don’t worry,” Darmik assured her. Although he told her not to worry, he was concerned. This was her first act as empress and events needed to unfold smoothly in order for her to gain the army’s respect and utter devotion.

“
Drop anchor!” Neco shouted. He raised a horn to his mouth and blew, alerting the other warships to do the same.

Darmik wished they could
get closer to land; however, the helmsman had informed him that if they sailed any closer, they would run aground. Crew members shouted commands to one another as they brought in the sails and soldiers helped lower the anchor. Grabbing Rema’s hand, he took her port side so they could have a better view of the shoreline.

Neco
ran over. “I have my five companions chosen. All are strong swimmers.”

“
Excellent,” Rema said. “You may proceed.”

Neco smiled.
“Will do!” He made his way over to where five soldiers were removing their boots, socks, and tunics. Ellie rushed over to Neco, jumping into his open arms. They kissed and Ellie’s hair fluttered in the wind, wrapping around their heads, concealing the two of them. It felt good to see Neco so happy. Neco put Ellie down, gave a curt nod in Rema’s direction, climbed up onto the railing, and then leapt into the turbulent ocean below, all five soldiers following suit. The water had to be freezing. The six men all surfaced and began swimming toward shore.

Ellie came over and stood next to Rema, biting her lip and fidgeting with a strand of hair.

“This will work,” Rema assured her.

“
Of course it will,” Darmik added. He peered over the side, watching the group swim toward land. The shoreline was solid cliffs made from dark gray and black rocks, extending as far as the eye could see. Vibrant green trees lined the top. Following Neco’s path, Darmik saw a channel so narrow that he had missed it when scanning the coast. The fishing village must be through there.

After a good
twenty minutes, all six men entered the channel. Shadows from the towering cliffs made it impossible to see more than a dozen feet in.

“
They made it,” Rema said. She put her arm around Ellie, hugging her. “I didn’t realize Neco was such a strong swimmer.”

Ellie beamed.
“I know. He has many hidden talents.” She wiggled her eyebrows, and Rema laughed.

Darmik
watched the shoreline for concealed threats. He didn’t see a single person at the top of the cliffs; nevertheless, one could easily hide amongst the trees. All six ships had dropped anchor and were waiting. After about an hour, a small fishing vessel exited the channel.

“
I hope there’s more than one,” Rema mumbled. “Otherwise, this is going to take forever.”

Looking at the size of the boat, Darmik estimated that it could carry
fifteen to twenty people. At that rate, the vessel would need to make thirteen round trips in order to get everyone to land. The small fishing boat went to one of the other warships first, just like they had planned. Darmik watched it come up alongside the ship, hooking several grapples to it, keeping the boats together, but preventing them from smashing into one another. A rope ladder was lowered over the railing and down to the small vessel. Once in place, soldiers began climbing down.

After twenty soldiers were on board, the grapples were withdrawn, and the boat moved away from the warship
, heading toward the channel. Luckily, another fishing vessel, similar in size and appearance, exited the channel and headed toward the warship. Once all the soldiers were off that boat, Neco had instructions to send it with a minimal crew to the Great Bay. It was to dock at Plarek, the same port Nathenek used when he came to Greenwood Island.

Darmik suspected Barjon had men watching the ports. If so,
the king would send what was left of the army there, far away from Rema’s true location. The second reason for sending the warship there was to serve as a signal to Mako. Mako had rebels watching the port. Once they spotted the ship, they would alert Mako and word would go out to the rebels to amass in Werden. Darmik hoped that everyone would arrive at Werden within a fortnight. Then, as one, they would march to King’s City and overthrow Barjon and Lennek.

Rema
insisted on taking Darmik’s father and brother alive, but if any threat were made toward her, they would be killed. Even though Barjon and Lennek were his family, he felt no love toward them, and either their deaths or capture was fine by him. All that truly mattered was ending their cruel and unjust reign, thus freeing the people of Greenwood Island.

The wrongs of
Darmik’s father and brother would finally be made right. Once that was done, he would be worthy of marrying Rema.

****

One of the fishing boats finally neared the warship Darmik was on. Men leaned out of the boat, attaching long, metal grapples to the side of the ship. Once in place, Savenek tied the rope ladder to the railing and let it unwind down the side of the ship. Neco stood below, giving the thumbs-up sign. Darmik wanted to go first, so he climbed onto the railing and over the side, his feet hitting the first rung. He smiled at the anxious look on Rema’s face, and then climbed down. The wind blew hard, causing the rope to sway. Luckily, the rungs were close together, making the descent easy. When he reached the bottom, a wooden plank was extended from the boat out toward the ladder. After his feet were on the wood and he had his balance, he released the rope ladder. He turned around and made his way across the plank, jumping onto the deck of the fishing boat.