War (The True Reign Series) (32 page)

Savenek came up to her.
“Thank you for the honor of allowing me to protect you. I swear, on my life, to serve you until the day I die.” He knelt before her.

Rema touched his shoulder.
“Thank you for your loyalty.”

Mako approached.
“Your horse is ready.”

“
You want me to ride Snow?” she asked. Mako nodded. “Is anyone else on horseback?”

“
No,” he replied. “There aren’t enough for everyone.”

“
Then I’ll walk with my people.”

Savenek rolled his eyes.
“I forgot how difficult you could be.”

****

They traveled all morning before stopping for a quick meal, and then continuing. Word came from one of the scouting units that the small village town of Vara was deserted.

“
Darmik has decided to pass through in case anyone needs our help,” Savenek informed her. “But he doesn’t want you sitting outside the town watching. He thinks you’d be too vulnerable. So we’re going to be somewhere in the middle of the army as we enter the town.”

Word came down the line for everyone to prepare for battle. Savenek unsheathed his sword. The men assigned as her guard carried either a
sword or a bow. Rema removed her crown and hid it in one of the soldier’s sacks, so she wouldn’t stand out among them.

The town came into view. It appeared perfectly normal—no buildings destroyed and no signs of a battle or struggle.
There also weren’t any people about, no smoke rose from chimneys, and no dogs or animals roamed around. Rema removed her dagger, ready in case danger presented itself.

“
If a skirmish should arise,” Savenek whispered in her ear, “stay at my side—no matter what.” Rema nodded. “No,” he said, “I want you to promise me.”

“
Fine,” Rema said, “I’ll stay with you. I give you my word.”

The first
section of the army reached the edge of the town. Rema tried to find Darmik among them.

“
Let him do his job,” Savenek said. “If you’re worrying about him, and he’s worrying about you, someone’s going to get hurt. Understand?”

“
I do,” Rema said. “But if you keep me better informed, then there will be no need to worry.” One of her guards snickered, and Savenek glared at him.

The first group of soldiers entered the town. The rest of the army waited for the signal to attack or retreat. No one uttered a single word.
Rema held her breath, her heart pounding.

A soldier ran back, stopping before Rema.
“Commander Darmik requests your presence.”

“
What’s going on?” Savenek demanded.

“
I’m not at liberty to say.”

The rest of the army quickly left formation and started to circle the town. Savenek and her guard surrounded her as she made her way toward the
small city. At the village edge, she paused, listening. No signs of distress or indications of a scuffle.

“
Let’s go,” she whispered. They entered the town of Vara. Small, two-story structures stood on either side of the dirt road. “Where did all the people go?” she mumbled.

“They could be hiding inside,”
Savenek said. “Possibly watching us.” He looked at the windows of the buildings.

An eerie sensation came over Rema. She started walking faster, wanting to find Darmik.
She spotted him up ahead standing with a squad of soldiers, who surrounded something. As she got closer, she realized they had a dozen men dressed in the King’s Army uniform on their knees, hands on their heads.

Savenek
’s eyes darted to the nearby buildings. “Stay close.”

Darmik turned to face her.
“Your Majesty,” he bowed. “We encountered these men who claim to be stationed here. We apprehended them with ease, and with your permission, I’d like to interrogate them.”

She stared into Darmik
’s intense gaze. He nodded ever so slightly. “Find out why they’re here and where all the people have gone. Use whatever means necessary.”

“
Of course, Your Majesty.”

“
I’d like to stay,” Rema added.

Darmik froze.
“You want to witness the interrogation?” he asked.

“
Yes,” she responded. He scrunched his forehead, which was an unusual gesture for him since he normally maintained a neutral expression. He had to be weighing his desire to shield her from harm and anything unpleasant with her outranking him.

He nodded curtly and turned to face his men. Neco stood above one of the prisoners, pointing a sword toward the man
’s chest. Rema expected to see him near Darmik; however, she did not expect to see Mako and Kar there. Both of them stood near the prisoners, also with their swords drawn.

“
Bring him here,” Darmik said, indicating the captive on the end.

Neco grabbed the man
’s collar and yanked him forward. He threw the man to the ground, stepping on his neck, forcing him to stay down.

“
Are you the only soldiers here?” Darmik demanded.

“
Yes,” the prisoner croaked.

Rema wondered if he was telling the truth. There were a dozen
captives here. A squad usually consisted of twenty individuals.

Darmik
knelt down, close to the man’s head. “Pratok, we’ve known each other for quite some time.”

Shock rolled through Rema. Darmik knew th
is man? Of course he did, he was from his army. It must be rather difficult to interrogate someone he knew. She squeezed her hands together, trying to remain calm and in control.

“
We have,” Pratok said, pursing his lips.

“
So you know I can tell when you’re lying, and you know what I do to people who don’t provide worthy information during an interrogation.” Darmik’s face was hard and hands balled into fists, giving him a menacing look.

Tears formed in the man
’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” Pratok said. “I have no choice.” His arms started shaking.

“
Tell me why you’re here,” Darmik demanded. “If you lie to me, I’ll chop off your hand.”

Rema didn
’t think Darmik would actually do that, but she couldn’t be sure.

“
We were told to wait here.” Neco removed his foot from Pratok, giving him some more room to speak.

“
Who ordered you?” Darmik inquired.

“
Prince Lennek.”

“What are you waiting here for?”

Pratok let out a small yelp. “You,” he cried, “but that’s all I know.”

Darmik
cursed. He stood and came over to Rema. “He’s telling the truth. I’m not sure he knows anything else. I’ll ask the others a few questions, but I don’t think we’ll get any more information.”

“
What makes you so sure?” Savenek asked.

“
I know Pratok, and I know when people are lying.” Darmik crossed his arms. “What I find more concerning is that Lennek specifically sent them here. Almost as if he knew we were coming.”

Savenek chuckled.
“Lennek is a moron. There’s no way he’s aware we’re here yet. He probably just sent soldiers all over the kingdom.”

“
No,” Darmik responded. “He’s smarter than you realize. And I fear we’ve walked into a trap.”

Cold fear shot through Rema.
She felt people watching them, and she wanted to leave the town. She glanced at the nearby buildings.

“
If so,” Savenek snidely said, “then why are we the ones standing here while they,” he pointed to the prisoners, “are tied up?”

“
I don’t know,” Darmik admitted. “I’m afraid we just willingly walked into a trap. Although, I have no idea what it is.”

Savenek
laughed. “Who would have set it? Lennek?”

Rema knew that while Lennek might appear to be rash, careless, and a fool, he
definitely wasn’t. He was more intelligent than anyone realized.

“
Never underestimate my brother,” Darmik said. “Or my father. Both are cunning and shrewd.”

Rema wondered if the people hiding had anything to do with the missing children.

“Tie everyone up,” Darmik ordered. “The prisoners are coming with us.”

Rema didn
’t think dragging a dozen men along with them was a wise decision; although, leaving them free to report to the king and prince wasn’t any better.

“He should just kill them,” Savenek mumbled.

She hated the idea of Darmik harming another person, and was glad he didn’t willingly partake in it. Instead, he chose to try and rescue these men.

“
I promised Trell no unnecessary killing,” Darmik said. “I intend to keep that promise.” Reaching up, he took hold of Rema’s key necklace. He traced the edges of it before slipping it under her tunic. “Let’s get moving. I’d hoped to be in King’s City by now.”

Darmik

Darmik hated the fact that Savenek was continuously with Rema.

“Stop staring,” Neco said. “We’re almost at King’s City. Will you please focus?”

“
Sorry,” Darmik mumbled. He knew Rema was safest being guarded by Savenek, but the guy still irked him.

Greenwood Forest loomed to the right side of the dirt path they traveled on
, open land lay to the left. There was only one more hill before King’s City was in sight. Darmik estimated they’d reach the wall in about two hours, the same time as sunset. Attacking the king and prince would be more effective in the early morning hours.

Darmik raised his hand, signaling for everyone behind him to come to a halt. He told his runners to inform all captains and lieutenants to make camp for the night—they would attack at daybreak.

Everyone started to leave the dirt path to get situated. A horn blared in the distance and then the ground rumbled, as if hundreds of horses were coming toward them. Darmik turned to Neco, whose eyes widened in shock.

“
Weapons ready!” Darmik shouted. “Incoming!”

Unsheathing his sword, he face
d the open land before him. At the crest of the hill, he saw a single horse rider point his sword directly at him. “Attack!” echoed through the air. A sea of horses, ridden by armor-clad soldiers, thundered down the hill toward them. Darmik had never gone into battle against men he knew. He shook his head; he needed to get into fighting mode.

Neco stood beside him.
“Rema and Ellie are in the middle, surrounded by four squads of soldiers.”

“
Hopefully, there’s only one company of the King’s Army,” Darmik mumbled. Any more than that, and they wouldn’t stand a chance.

The horses stopped a hundred yards away. The riders pulled out longbows and aimed
at the forest. Darmik moved behind a tree, using it as a shield. Arrows sailed through the air. A couple dozen of his men fell to the ground. Peering around the trunk, he saw the soldiers nock arrows and aim high into the air, which meant the arrows would be raining straight down this time.

“
Stay close to the trees!” Darmik shouted.

Arrows whistled through the air and
sailed at them once again. A few dozen more men dropped to the forest floor.

“
Should we attack?” Neco asked.

“
No,” Darmik answered. “We can’t fight them on horseback. We’ll be slaughtered. Our best chance is to lure them into the forest.”

“
Here they come!” Neco shouted.

The horses moved aside
, and another company of soldiers marched over the rise toward them. Panic shot through Darmik. Two thousand men from the King’s Army were here. They were outnumbered two to one. There was no way to win this fight. Good men on both sides were about to die. He widened his stance, raised his sword, and mentally prepared for battle. He would not die today. The armed soldiers drew near.