It took longer to climb up the hill than I would have liked. Unsure of how many guards might be stationed there, we moved stealthily. At the top, we hid within some shrubs and peered over the edge.

  “Not a single guard up here. Isn’t that strange?” I asked everyone.

  “There are probably some scouts hidden in this rugged terrain,” Sana said. “But perhaps their focus is on the horizon, looking out for an opposing army. They must not be afraid of a few trespassers like us.”

  When we saw the camp laid out before us, it made sense why they weren’t concerned about gnats buzzing around their camp. Our small group could never stand against their numbers. The warriors gathered here looked strong enough to crush any settlement in the region. With their base hidden behind this hill, the defenders would have no warning of the invasion.

  Tents spotted the area from the mountain to the river, and if each one only housed one person, then that was already too many. Near the edge of the camp where the hill ended, a river ran between it and the northern mountains. Facing that river, wooden barricades, watchtowers, and guards stood against any potential threats.

  “I guess that rules out a frontal assault,” Sana said. “They’ll spot us as we approach, and their defenses are formidable.”

  “Those fortifications took time to build,” Bass added. “They’ve been here for some time and are much better prepared than we are.”

  Since entering from the front was a fool’s errand, I wondered if I could infiltrate the base by scaling down from here, but the hill we were on was extremely steep. It reminded me of the first hill I went down to get to the ship to rescue Kaylie and the others from the slavers. That fall caused me serious injuries, and I wasn’t sure how close I had been to dying back then because I lost consciousness, but I doubted I would want to try that again.

  Just then, a shadow passed over me, pulling me from my thoughts. I glanced up, catching a fleeting glimpse of an eagle-like bird before it vanished into the clouds. I turned to the others to see if they’d noticed it too, but their focus remained on the camp below.

  I decided to take another look, focusing less on the defenses and more on finding Jack. I could see different people pacing around, going about their duties. Those in plain clothing were at the river, collecting drinking water or washing clothes. Soldiers in uniform patrolled the area, while others sat outside their tents, chatting and perhaps guarding those inside. Then, under the watchful eyes of a few officers, soldiers were performing backbreaking labor like chopping wood and erecting barricades. None of the people I saw anywhere had Jack’s large size and bald head.

  “You’re sure this is the right place?” I asked Saresh.

  He nodded. “I am certain Commander Drusus would have wanted to talk to Jack himself after finding out about the city.”

  After waiting a while longer, hoping we would catch a glimpse of Jack, we went down to a space secluded by dense trees. We kept quiet for a few minutes, glancing out to see if any guards were roaming about, until finally we felt like it was safe to speak.

  “Thoughts, people?” I prompted.

  “If Jack is in there, we aren’t getting him back,” Sana commented grimly. “Even if we managed to penetrate their defenses, there’s no way we are getting out of that base alive.”

  “I hate to be the one to say it, but Sana’s right,” Kaylie lamented. “Jack knew what he was doing when he joined the group to save the Dwarves. We can’t let ourselves get killed here and make his sacrifice be in vain.”

  “That isn’t being helpful,” I said sternly. I softened my voice when I saw Sana’s angry face. “Let’s determine where he is before saying it is impossible to rescue him. I mean, if he is at the edge of the camp, we at least have a chance.”

  “I’m with Alf. We should smash those Unionist scum and kill as many as we can when freeing him,” Bass echoed, though he didn’t seem to have listened to what I said.

  Saresh shook his head. “I don’t see why we have to kill the people in the camp needlessly. Not all of them are bad. I recognize several of them; they are farmers from my village who got conscripted into the army.”

  “Well, they aren’t farmers now,” Bass insisted.

  “And that justifies killing people who never even wanted to fight? Just because they’re in this war doesn’t mean they had a choice. Our village was small, with hardly any fighting force to defend ourselves. When the Union came to tax us, we paid, even though we could barely spare the food. And when they took our boys for their army, we didn’t protest—because if we did, they would’ve killed us. There is no choice when they come for you.” Saresh raised his fists slightly.

  “I’m sorry, Saresh,” Kaylie said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

  Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

  “It’s fine,” he said quickly. “And of course I understand you have to fight back against people who attack you. I’m just asking you to spare as many of the reserve forces as you can. Most of them are young men dragged from their villages and are just following orders.”

  “Well, I disagree with you,” Bass stated. “When those orders are to kidnap other people, and they follow them, they are now part of the problem.”

  "What was I supposed to do when the Unionist soldiers ordered us to take the Dwarves? In my squadron, I was the only reservist—a translator with barely any battle experience. I couldn't stop them, and disobeying meant execution. Are you saying I should have resisted, only to die for nothing?"

  “You fight back,” the Dwarf said with confidence. “You fight back and die if you have to.”

  “Such big words for a tiny Dwarf,” Saresh mocked him, perhaps feeling empowered by knowing more about the Union than any of us. “Yet your people didn’t fight back when we took them. It seemed to me that just about everyone you saved had given up and was going to be good little servants.”

  Bass advanced on Saresh, but he did not so much as blink. He stood firm, meeting the Dwarf’s glare as if daring him to strike.

  I immediately pulled Bass back, and he spat at the ground, “He insulted our tribe. At least let me land one good punch.”

  “You insulted his people first,” I said. “And we don’t have time to point swords at one another. Jack could be down there getting tortured right now. He is there because he helped save your people.” As I said those words, the fight went out of Bass. “Good. You,” I spoke, looking directly at Saresh, “what do you know of the camp below?”

  “I don’t know anything, I’ve barely been in the camp when picking up others and dropping off our men,” Saresh replied defensively.

  “Tell me anything, even if you think it isn’t important. For example, where is the reservist camp?” I tested him.

  “They have the lowest ranks among the group, so Commander Drusus put them at the edge. They’re frontline fighters, sacrificial pawns whose purpose is to slow down and soften the enemy. Right now, they’re doing menial tasks like washing clothes at the river.”

  “How about this commander of theirs? Where is his tent?” I asked.

  “He’s in the biggest tent near the hill’s base and surrounded by the strongest warriors. Normally, a commander stays at the center of the camp, but I guess he feels safer guarded by the hill.”

  “Well, what if someone came down that hill? They would be right on top of the camp’s leader. Maybe we could take him as a hostage and trade him for Jack?” I countered.

  “They won’t just let you lower yourself down with a rope without attacking.” Sana intervened. “Also, did you see that edge? Even someone as strong as Jack would struggle to get back up if he tumbled down the mountain. Now imagine you, injured and surrounded by enemies.”

  She had a fair point. I thought about climbing down, but that posed the same problem as jumping. If I scaled down the wall, they would pick me off with arrows. Either way, getting down the hill and to the commander’s tent would take time, enough for his forces to surround me as he retreated. The hill did indeed provide an excellent obstacle for anyone infiltrating the camp.

  “So that tent isn’t a good target, but that doesn’t matter, as we just need Jack. Where do you think he would be?”

  Saresh looked uncomfortable before he finally replied, “I think he is in that tent with Commander Drusus being interrogated, and we don’t want to piss him off. He is the nephew of the King, Lucius the Vengeful. They don’t call him Lucius the Vengeful because he has too many cats.”

  I didn’t want to start a new conflict with someone else. I especially didn’t want to start one with a King named Lucius the Vengeful. I worried that if this uncle were his role model, then whatever he was doing to Jack at that moment would be far worse than I imagined. I felt like I knew what he meant by interrogation, but avoiding making an enemy was a genuine concern, too. If I could avoid the conflict altogether, it would be better for all parties involved. I knew it would come to blows at some point when they tried to take the city, but that was better than an all-out assault at that moment.

  I leaned back, stippled my fingers, and spoke the problem out loud. “So we need to rescue Jack from the most secure location in the camp, but we need to make sure this Drusus is out of the way since he will surely be heavily defended, and I don’t want any of us getting captured.” I looked around and asked, “Any ideas?”

  “We could perhaps shoot arrows from up here,” Bass started.

  Sana retorted, “That won’t do anything. We are too far away to land any killing blows, and their healers could treat any wounds we inflict. That’s probably why they didn’t station many guards here. A small strike force like us can’t face an entire army, no matter what we do. Their only concern is an opposing army launching an offensive against them. But there would be no way for that army to sneak up to the hilltop.”

  “Hypothetically,” I smirked, remembering something in my magic bag we could use. “What if there was a whole army up here raining arrows down on them? How would they react?”

  “Were you not listening to me?” Sana said sharply, putting her hands on her hips. “There is no way an army could sneak up here. Also, we don’t have an army nearby. This conversation is pointless.”

  I waited for her to calm down before explaining myself, “That’s not what I am saying. What if we could make them think there was an army raining down arrows on them? How would they react?”

  She replied rather sarcastically, “If we could convince them they were under attack, they would run. Of course, I am not sure if all of them would, but basic tactics state that if a substantially powerful enemy took the high ground, you had to signal a retreat. After all, even their arrows can’t reach us here, so they’ll negate our advantage by moving away. So, even if we could somehow sneak an army here, we would still need two other forces to pincer them as they retreat. While that would be a great tactical move, it would be impossible to sneak these three large forces into position.”

  “She actually has a good handle on battle tactics. I am starting to like her,” Rabbit intoned in my head.

  I ignored him and turned to everyone else. “So long as we can convince them that an army is here, we can get them to signal a retreat. That way, we wouldn’t have to fight and kill people while we infiltrate the camp. We can grab Jack, then get him out.”

  I then laid out my plan, step by step.

  Sana was my harshest critic, pushing me to examine every detail until she was satisfied. Kaylie called it suicide, fearing I wouldn’t survive, while Bass argued for a more direct and bloody approach. In the end, Rabbit was the only one eager for a chance to test just how strong my bones really were.