Lyla slid the last of her four daggers in its sheath at her belt, patting it like she’d been reacquainted with an old friend. It was good to be back in her dark green and brown leathers, the clothes clinging to her with a familiar comfort, the faint smell of her sweat mixing with the earthy musk of the worn leather.

  She shuddered a final time at the thought of those itchy linens she’d been forced to wear these past two weeks. Next time she was on an infiltration mission, she’d make sure to confirm her options first. There were some things she wasn’t willing to endure and apparently, itchy clothing had climbed to the top of the list.

  “Okay, listen up,” Talghar said, leaning forward in his black leather pants and unbuttoned black jerkin hanging open over a chiselled torso, arms and chest bulging. He sat on a log by their campfire, just outside the Forest of Shadows. The hilt of his broadsword rested on one side of him with his wife, Aloise, leaning by his other. She wore two slim curved blades on either side of her hips, and dark leather much like Lyla’s. She was Talghar’s deputy, second-in-command of the Shadow’s Delta squad.

  They were both warriors, though their days of wearing plate or mail were long behind them. Armour made little sense at Starforged ranks, especially if it hindered movement. If a Starforged was at the point where their armour might make a difference, they were already dead. Equipment didn’t truly matter – only the strength of the one imbuing the equipment with their power.

  Well. Not all equipment mattered.

  “You four,” Talghar pointed at the four mounted scouts. “Take the information Lyla’s brought to Harshaw and Darius. Make sure you tell them about the stranger and let them know we brought our attack up by two days. Go.”

  The scouts turned and spurred their horses to a gallop, hooves kicking up dirt as they quickly disappeared into the night. The two companies of soldiers remaining – four hundred men – waited patiently for their orders, their captains standing to attention ahead of their men.

  The Shadow’s four elite squads sat apart from and senior to any other military unit in the Empire, and answered to the Emperor himself. They were tasked with completing their mission however they needed to.

  “Sagar. Take a company with you and take out the two camps to the north. They shouldn’t have more than a hundred and fifty, two hundred men at each camp. The soldiers are there to kill any runners. Do it quietly. Try not to alert the other camps.

  “The rest of us will take the main camp. That’s where the bulk of their army is concentrated. It shouldn’t take us long. Once you’re done, join us there and we’ll take care of the final four camps to the south.”

  The mage nodded at Talghar, then grabbed one of the captains, taking command of the men, before jumping in the saddle of his horse. Sagar led the company of soldiers through the shadowed forest, and before long, they had disappeared among the silhouettes of the trees.

  “Your job will be to take your soldiers to the north of the camp we’re attacking,” Talghar said to the remaining captain. “Stop anyone from getting away. Go now and get into position. We’ll attack from the south.”

  The captain saluted, before passing on the orders to his men. He saddled up, wheeling his horse away with his men following behind as they skirted along the edge of the forest before he would turn in further up. The main camp was just over a mile from where they were. A brisk fifteen minute walk for the soldiers. A quick one minute jog for the Shadows.

  “Here’s the plan. Urien and Danyll will take out stragglers or anyone runn…what is it, Danyll?” Talghar suddenly asked, looking at the ranger.

  Danyll was a shorter man, barely an inch taller than Lyla, black hair flowing to his shoulders as he knelt on the ground, eyes studying the forest. His usually brown eyes glowed golden as he used one of his tracking skills. He cocked his head, as if listening for something. Urien, their other mage was also looking in the same direction. Lyla turned to the forest herself, trying to see what they were looking at.

  “Do you hear that?” Danyll whispered.

  [Enhanced Detection]

  It was an ability that allowed Lyla to see better in the dark and hear more muted sounds. Very handy for killing people from the shadows. She strained her ears, then glanced towards the forest, in the direction of the enemy’s main camp. She was sure she had heard something. It almost sounded like a soft pitter-patter of steps, but it was gone so soon, she couldn’t be sure she hadn’t imagined it. She glanced at Danyll, who also frowned in the same direction as she had.

  “What is it I’m supposed to be hearing?” Talghar said.

  “Nothing. It’s gone now.”

  “What was it?”

  Danyll looked at Talghar, confusion passing across his face. “It almost sounded like a child’s footsteps.”

  Talghar snorted loudly. “A child? Out here, at this time?”

  Danyll chuckled with him. “I know. It’s stupid.”

  Talghar looked into the forest at the spot where Danyll’s eyes still lingered.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Do we need to check it?”

  “No,” Danyll replied. “I’m sure it was nothing.”

  “As I was saying then,” Talghar continued. “You and Urien give us cover and take out any stragglers or runners to the south. The soldiers will take care of the ones that run north and even if they get past, they’ll run into Sagar. Aloise and I will attack the Rhianians. Lyla, your job is to grab the king, dead or alive. Try to get his signet as well.”

  Lyla nodded. Dead suited her just fine. Dead was her talent.

  “Make your final preparations. Whatever you need to do. We leave in ten.”

  Rose was out of her depth.

  Genuinely, didn’t have a clue what she was doing, out-of-her-depth.

  Her arms were outstretched, hands beneath the pudgy arms of the shrieking male baby that an overworked mother had dumped in her hands. Clearly, she needed to work on her ‘don’t hand me your kids’ face. This wouldn’t have happened to Elliott. Nor Isabel for that matter. The baby was barely a year old, wearing a dirty vest and no pants.

  The moment the mother had plunked him in Rose’s arms, she’d known she’d need a protective shield around her clothes to keep this half-naked child from soiling them. She had been right. The child had tried. Oh, how the child had tried but Rose had thwarted him. Not today, mister! This was not the battle she ever envisioned herself having, but it was not a battle she was going to lose.

  She’d been left alone as Taalan and his men had walked back to the biggest tent in the camp, taking Korin with them when he told them he had information to share. Even Elsie had gone missing, without Rose even knowing. It was concerning that she didn’t even feel the doll leave her palm.

  She was at the northeastern edge of the camp, on the far side from the big tent, caught between the faint aroma of the meaty broth to the north and hints of the latrines in the forest behind her, where the mother had gone.

  Refugees had settled on the ground around fires that the soldiers had made for them, bowls of broth and pieces of bread in hand. Some of them were on their third serving, eyes full of wonder, smiles on their faces as they enjoyed their first proper meal for who knew how long. Their conversations roared above the crackling of the fires and several were even laughing. Others joined the soldiers nearby, helping to construct tents, though most of the refugees would have to endure at least one final night of discomfort. There were clearly not enough tents for all of them.

  As she passed her eyes over the various groups, she couldn’t help but wonder whether she would have had their strength. Sure, she had her own traumas from a young age, but she also had privileges. No child should grow up without their parents, but she was no ordinary child, born to one of the wealthiest families in the land. Money could never replace parents, but she wasn’t like some of the children she could see around the camp. Hollow looks in their eyes as they came to terms with having no home or parents. She would always have that hole in her heart where her parents should be, but she had never needed to struggle to survive. Looking at the children nearby, Rose didn’t know whether to feel guilty, or relieved.

  Something small hit the side of her head, pulling her from her thoughts. She snapped her head around, her eyes darting between the people nearby. A group of four refugees around a fire. A soldier and a refugee putting up a tent. A couple of soldiers sat conversing with refugees at another fire. Medics walking between the groups, checking if any of them needed attention.

  Nobody was looking towards her.

  Something hit her again, but it came from the direction of the forest to her left. She looked but couldn’t see anything in the darkness. She glanced down at her feet and saw the two pebbles someone had thrown at her. She squinted in the direction of the forest again but was interrupted by the baby’s mother, eyebrows raised at the way Rose was holding the child.

  “It’s a baby, not hot coal,” the mother said, gently taking Rose’s opponent away from her and walking back into the camp. Rose watched the mother walk away without mentioning that the baby was more akin to a fireman’s hose than a piece of hot coal.

  She turned back to the forest, and this time she saw it – a smooth pebble catching a flash of light as it flew towards the middle of her forehead. She ducked, the pebble sailing past her head. She heard it land with a plop behind her, and turned to see a man dipping his fingers into his broth and pulling out the stone, a look of bewilderment on his face as he narrowed his eyes at Rose.

  She gave him a deep nod and smile, before pulling her staff out of the ground where it had been firmly planted as she’d held the baby. She gave apologetic nods to the man, before turning to focus on where the pebble had come from. Out there, in the darkness of the woods, just on the edge of their camp, there was a smiling Elsie holding on to a tree trunk like a koala bear, waving at Rose and beckoning her over.

  With a quick glance at her surroundings to make sure no one was watching, Rose [Floated] over to Elsie and once there, Elsie took her further into the forest, away from prying eyes and ears.

  [Small Flame]

  A small ball of fire hovered above them, providing just enough light for them to see but not enough for those further inside the camp to do so. Elsie jumped into Rose’s hands and began frantically gesturing at her, like she was playing charades.

  First, she pointed over to the western side of the camp, beyond where the horses had been tethered, her tiny hands stabbing at the air. Then she held out an open hand, displaying all her fingers and holding up one finger on the other hand.

  “Six?” Rose said, and Elsie nodded, before flexing both her arms to the side like she was taking part in a bodybuilding competition.

  “Bodybuilders?” Rose said with a frown. Elsie shook her head, used a finger to point at herself, then flexed her arms again.

  “You are…strong?” Rose said. Elsie held a hand out flat and made a kind-of gesture, before going back to pointing to the western side of the camp, then making the number six, then flexing her arms, then pointing at herself. She cycled through those motions continuously.

  “To the west…” Rose said. Elsie nodded. “…six…strong…you?”

  Elsie half-nodded, half shook her head.

  “Six people as strong as you?”

  Elsie shook her head.

  “Six people?”

  Nod.

  “Strong?”

  Nod.

  “Like you?”

  Elsie made the kind-of gesture, then pushed down on thin air with her hands.

  “Six strong people, but not as strong as you?”

  Elsie gave a double thumbs up.

  Then she pointed at the camp, using her finger in a circular motion, then putting her little thumb to her neck and making the universal killing motion.

  “To the west…six strong people…are coming to kill us all?”

  Elsie smiled, pink stitching on her face curving upwards, double thumbs up again. She then made more motions for Rose to follow, first pointing at the big tent. Rose followed along as best as she could.

  “Tell the leader…” Elsie nodded and gestured at the camp again, then made a grabbing motion with her hand.

  “…grab everyone…” Elsie nodded, smiling, then held out her left hand palm up, and used the index and middle finger of her other hand in a running motion, then she pointed to the forest behind her.

  “…run…east?”

  Elsie nodded. Another double thumbs up, before she made her final gestures. Rose frowned until she realised what Elsie was telling her, then she pursed her lips.

  “You’ll kill them when we’re gone.”