I can’t believe it. I slept all through the night, for at least twelve hours, during which time Tovian managed to get Brenica’s permission to lead a contingent of fighters to Oceanside.
Leaving me behind.
“You needed rest.” The queen offers a piece of fruit to a rotund blue and yellow dragon. I didn’t really notice them yesterday, which is a mark of how out of it I was, but there are dragons everywhere in the village. Small ones, medium ones, even larger ones sunning themselves on the rocks. “You have done what was necessary. A princess is not expected to fight, much less for people who are not her own tribe.”
Several responses stick in my throat.We are all in this together. I was taught by the best warrior this nation has ever known. I might not have Lorcan’s innate sense of strategy or boldness in battle, but I’m no slouch with a spear.
Brenica’s argument is the same one my father made when he was trying to keep me at River Bend. I need to check in with him as soon as my phone is charged again—if only to prove I’m still alive.
But first, I have to get back to Ephram and Luza.
“Where are you going?” Brenica says to my back, astonished and definitely offended.
“To Oceanside.”
“Stubborn girl.” Brenica clicks her tongue. “Two hundred strong men went to aid your friends. Your presence is superfluous.”
I turn, walking backward several steps, and flash her a grin. “If you think I’m going to miss the Ansi fighters in action, Majesty, you’re badly mistaken.”
I trip over a basket of eggs, sending them rolling. None broke. Hard-boiled, I guess. A woman muttered curses at me as she bends to collect them.
“I’m not useless in a battle, Brenica,” I call over my shoulder, striding up the spiraling ramp. The clothes I arrived in were rags, but Tovian has a stash of clothes from the outside world. I’ll find something to fit me. “People need to believe there’s hope for a future. Belief is stronger than blades and bullets. It can mean the difference between victory and surrender.”
Lorcan’s words, not mine. A memory of him mid-battle, fierce and fast, flecked with blood, flits through my mind. He believed in this country with every fiber of his being. He believed in Zosia when she didn’t believe in herself.
He’s got to come back.
I can’t stop fighting until he does.
#
There’s only one problem: I can’t find my way out of The Boscage without a guide.
Once she saw that I wouldn’t be deterred, Brenica reluctantly assigned me one. Despite her disapproval, Brenica also gave me a set of outsider clothing to wear.
Tash is lean and strong, like most young Ansi, and she leads me through the forest like a bird evading prey—with quick, sure steps, followed by a pause, then another short sprint. In this fashion, she guides me to the edge of the jungle.
We don’t speak much along the way. I’m too breathless from trying to keep up to make conversation. She’s too focused on watching out for wild dragons, notably, the big one.
“Ada likes to stay further south,” Tash informed me when I asked. “This time of year, there are plenty of nests to raid.”
“They’re cannibals?”
“Big dragons will eat smaller ones.” Her gaze flicks to the green-scaled dragon gliding from tree to tree ahead of us. “Only the tamest dragons are permitted in the camp. Like Queen Brenica’s pet. Believe it or not, that was once a fighting lizard.”
“Fighting, how?”
“If you get to your camp in time, you’ll see. They fly down from the trees and tackle their prey from above. They can also swim.” She eyes the river warily before signaling for me to cross it.
“Do you ever go into Oceanside, Tash? Or trade in the Grasslands?”
“I used to. Women don’t leave the village anymore. It’s too dangerous for us.” Her smooth brow crinkles. “Only Tovian and his friends leave the safety of the Ansi now, to keep Brenica informed about the war. She is more worried about the invasion than she wants to let on.”
“What makes you say that?”
Tash shrugged. “The elders think we should barricade ourselves inside the village until the conflict passes. She hasn’t done it yet, but she might at any moment. Once that happens, if Tovian is on the outside, he will be on his own.” She turned to me, serious. “Brenica tries not to play favorites, but Tovian is her favored son. She doesn’t have a daughter to carry on her line. She wants Tovian to marry the next Ansi queen.”
Well, shit. That’s a lot of resistance to overcome.
