When Konstantin and I had been to Fulatrask, she had been kind to us, and even helped save us from the wrath of an ogre. But she had been a Queen"s guard, and now she was sneaking into our base camp. So things didn"t look good.
"Bryn Aven." Bekk sounded just as surprised to see me as I was to see her, but relief washed over her face. "I was trying to tell the guards but they wouldn"t listen to me. I came here to help you."
I narrowed my eyes. "Why should I believe you?"
"Helge Otack betrayed our Queen and our kingdom. He"s dragged us into a war that we have no place in, all for a few gemstones." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "He sold out our entire tribe. Queen Bodil doesn"t see it yet, but I do, and I won"t continue to do their bidding."
"So you"re saying that you want to fight on our side?" I lowered my dagger a bit, and she nodded.
"I want to fight with whoever is going to kill Helge," she replied coolly. "And I"ll help you however I can."
"I think I should take you to see King Mikko, and I"ll let him decide what to do with you."
She nodded. "That only sounds fair."
SIXTY-SIX.
dialogue Mikko pushed in the canvas door to the round tent that had been used for planning our strategy, his long silver fur robe dragging on the ground behind him. Baltsar and Finn followed.
I"d gotten his footman to wake him, and he"d apparently decided to wake Baltsar and Finn too, but that was just as well. Bekk and I had been standing by his table, warming ourselves by the thick pillar candles that covered it.
As soon as he came and eyed up Bekk, his mouth turned down into a deep scowl. "I thought we"d decided we"re taking no prisoners."
"I"m not a prisoner," Bekk said fiercely and stepped back from the table.
I put my hand on her arm in an attempt to calm her, and even through the thick leather of her jacket I could feel her thick muscles coiled. She could take us all out if she wanted to.
"She came here voluntarily to talk," I interjected hurriedly.
"What does she have to talk about?" Baltsar asked, eyeing her with the same suspicion as Mikko.
"Why don"t you ask me yourself?" Bekk shot back, and I was beginning to wonder if bringing her had been a bad idea.
"All right." Mikko took a deep breath, and his broad shoulders relaxed a bit, as he attempted to start over from a less offensive position. "If you came into our camp tonight, risking a great deal, you must have something valuable to tell us."
Bekk responded by relaxing herself. "I do. I came to tell you about Helge Otack. He duped Queen Bodil, and he"s been working with Viktor Dlig. He"s helped orchestrate the whole thing."
Mikko"s brow furrowed. "Helge Otack? I don"t think I"m familiar with him."
"He"s the Viceroy to the Omte," I said, and I bit my tongue to keep from adding that he was the b.a.s.t.a.r.d who was holding Ridley hostage.
"The Omte are working for the Kanin and Viktor Dlig. We all know that." Baltsar shrugged. "How is this exciting news to us?"
Bekk glared at him, her amber eyes seeming to blaze in the candlelight. "Helge helped orchestrate this whole thing. For over a year, Helge has been getting the strongest members of the Omte tribe exiled on the tiniest infractions, then pa.s.sing them along to Viktor for his army."
"Why would Helge do that?" Finn asked.
"Viktor traded our men for a few sapphires. Helge has been selling off our tribe bit by bit for a few lousy blue rocks." Bekk shook her head in disbelief. "He even sent off the Queen"s own nephew, and he got killed running errands for Viktor!"
The Queen"s nephew was Bent Stum. From what I"d gathered from Konstantin, shortly after Bent had been exiled, he"d joined up with Viktor and was immediately paired with Konstantin to track down changelings. Viktor had brought Bent to help ensure that Konstantin would do his job.
"How do you know all this?" Mikko asked. "I"m not saying I doubt your story, but I can"t imagine that Helge just confessed this all to you himself."
"I"ve never trusted Helge, but I started putting it together when we arrived in Doldastam and I met Viktor Dlig," Bekk explained. "I realized it wasn"t the first time I"d seen him. He"d been sneaking around Fulatrask before, whispering with Helge in the hallways of the palace.
"But last night I overheard Helge and Viktor talking and laughing about how their plans were coming together." Her lip curled in disgust. "They didn"t even care if anybody overheard anymore. They think they"ve won already, that Viktor will be King of the Kanin and Helge will be King of the Omte, and then they will take out the rest of you, until the tribes and all your jewels are theirs.
"That"s why I came here," she finished. "I can"t let that happen. I"d rather see the entire Omte kingdom destroyed than those two b.a.s.t.a.r.ds win."
Mikko stared at the floor, his hands on his hips as he breathed in deeply through his nose. Baltsar and Finn exchanged a look, one that appeared as if they"d just realized they were in deeper s.h.i.t than they"d originally thought.
"Thank you for coming here with this," Mikko said finally, and he lifted his head to look at Bekk. "What you have said is interesting, perhaps even valuable information, but it won"t help us win this war or defeat Helge Otack or Viktor Dlig."
"How about this, then?" Bekk challenged him. "The Hogdragen and Kanin soldiers are inside the walls at night. If you want to avoid fighting the Kanin, attack at first light. It will only be Omte and Viktor"s men on the outside."
Mikko nodded once. "Now, that might actually help."
Mikko, Baltsar, and Finn began talking among themselves, coming up with a revised battle plan. When it became apparent that Bekk and I were no longer needed, Baltsar told us that we should go rest as much as we could.
"Thank you bringing me to them," Bekk said as we walked back to my tent. I didn"t know where else to put her, and it would be good if we could get some sleep tonight.
"Well, thank you for helping us," I said, then I stopped to look at her. "I do just have one favor that I"d like to ask you."
She c.o.c.ked her head, appraising me. "You"ve got b.a.l.l.s so big they"d make an ogre jealous. Whatever you want, I"m game."
SIXTY-SEVEN.
battle cry The snow came up past our knees, but we marched on down the hill toward Doldastam. Mikko led the way, with each of the captains leading their respective armiesBaltsar headed the Skojare, Finn the Trylle, and Ludlow the Vittra.
Konstantin, Bekk, and I had no real allegiance, so we simply walked near the front, following Mikko"s long strides through the drifts. This time, since I wasn"t sneaking around the town, I"d gone for a Skojare sword made of Damascus steel.
Before dawn even broke, we had started our descent down the hill. Most of the Omte were sleeping, and we"d nearly reached them before one of them caught sight of us and sounded the alarm.
Within moments the Omte were in formation. Mikko yelled his battle cry, and the war officially began.
I had a very singular planto get to the wall. I didn"t want to be slowed down by fighting, but I would plow through anyone who stood in my way. Bekk had agreed to help me, and she quickly proved herself to be an amazing ally, knocking a giant ogre out of my way.
I"d drawn my sword, and I sliced through anyone who came at me. An Omte wielding an axI cut off his head. A scraggly ex-Kanin-looking guy with two swordsI cut off one hand, and then stabbed him through the chest.
I didn"t think about what I was doing. I just moved on instinct, jumping over bodies and broken tents. The Omte had been living here for days, and bones littered the ground. It was a mess of garbage, rotting food, and expired campfires. It was like an obstacle course, but with murderous maniacs charging at me.
Bearded vultures circled above us, squawking their rage. All around me, I heard people crying out in pain. I saw a Skojare soldier fall to the ground, bleeding profusely from his neck.
But my mission was clear, and I couldn"t save him. So I charged on.
Bekk stayed near me the entire way, stabbing or punching anyone who got too close. By the time we"d reached the wall, both of us were covered in blood. So far, none of it was our own, but that was bound to change.
I sheathed my sword and stared up the wall. It was still slippery from the ice and snow, and with all the fighting going on around us, it would be an impossible climb.
"Ready?" Bekk asked, right after stabbing a man through the head who had come running at us.
"Yeah, I"d better be," I said.
She grabbed me by the back of my jacket and the waistband of my pants, and with a grunt, she swung me back and then tossed me up. I flew into the top of the wall, with it hitting me right at the waist. I started to slip down, so I hurried to get a foothold. With my arms I brushed the snow out of my way and finally managed to get a grip on the wall and hoist myself up onto it.
I looked back down at Bekk and gave her a thumbs-up. She smiled and proceeded to punch someone so hard that his face actually caved in. I"d never seen anything like it, and I hoped I never would again. We were incredibly fortunate that she was on our side.
Then I stood up and turned my attention toward Doldastam. Since the Omte had sounded the alarm, the Hogdragen and Kanin soldiers were filling the streets. I was near the palace, which was where most of them were running toto protect the Queen.
"People of Kanin!" I shouted as loud as I could. The sounds of the battle were raging on behind me, but thankfully, the walls had a somewhat dampening effect. "Listen to me!"
Some of the people were still running around, but many looked up at me. I wasn"t wearing a hood. I made no attempt to hide who I was, because I wanted them to know.
"Mina is not your true Queen!" I yelled. "You have been deceived! She killed your King! She"s lying to you because she is Viktor Dlig"s daughter!"
Some of the soldiers and even the panicked townspeople gasped. Others were skeptical, but I knew they would be. I knew I couldn"t reach all of them, but I hoped I could reach some.
Beneath me, the wall began to shake, and I glanced behind me to see that the Vittra hobgoblins had started going at it with an iron battering ram. They were knocking down the wall to make an entrance for our army.
The fight was still raging behind them, with the Skojare and their allies trying to take out as many of Viktor"s men and the Omte as they could. Bodies littered the ground, blood staining the fresh snow, but it was hard to tell for certain if the fallen were allies or enemies.
Either way, the hobgoblins had decided it was time to move in past the wall, to get to the Kanin before they organized themselves.
"Do not let her deceive you any longer!" I shouted at the ever-gathering crowd. More and more were coming closer to hear what I had to say. "You have no allegiance to her, because she is a liar, a traitor, and a murderer! Rip off your uniforms and fight with us today! Fight against the oppression! Fight against the Queen! Fight for your freedom!"
In the crowd, I saw Ember standing with Linus Berling, both of them smiling at me.
Then a dozen Hogdragen made their way to the front of the crowd, took a knee, and pointed their bows and arrows at me. The wall beneath my feet felt very unstable, and I knew I had overstayed my welcome.
Just as they began to fire, I threw my sword to the ground on the village side and jumped down off the wall after it. The big drifts of snow helped cushion my fall, and I immediately rolled, attempting to limit the force on my legs and ankles. I grabbed my sword and scrambled out of the way to avoid getting hit by the stones that were tumbling down.
The hobgoblins had broken through, so the Hogdragen turned their attention on them as the army began spilling in over the rubble. I ran back behind the buildings alongside the crumbling wall, toward the palace. Toward Ridley.
SIXTY-EIGHT.
absolution The sound of a little girl crying stopped me in my tracks.
From where I stood, with snow coming up to my knees, I could see a back door to the palace half a mile away. It wouldn"t be easy to break in, but that was all the more reason that I should get moving.
Just to my left was the wall, and to my right was the small dormitory where unmarried Hogdragen lived. That meant this wasn"t the safest place for me to stop.
All around me I could hear men and women screaming, the clash of swords, and stones crashing against each other as the wall continued to crumble. The sounds echoed off the remaining walls and outlying buildings, and became the continuous growl of battle. But over all that, I could hear the little girl crying, which meant she had to be close. Which meant that I might be able to help her.
I took a few steps forward, following the sound of the crying, and I peered around the dorm. There in the corner, where the dorm met the Hogdragen gym and the snow had drifted away, leaving a quiet spot, a little girl sat on the ground with her head buried in her arms.
I looked around, making sure there wasn"t anyone lying in wait, and I crouched down and made my way toward her.
"Hey," I said softly when I got close, and she lifted her head.
When I finally saw her, I almost stumbled back in surprise. She looked so much like Kasper, it was like seeing a ghost. Since she was only ten, she had the chubbier cheeks of a child and her features were softer, more feminine, but she had his dark eyes beneath her black corkscrew curls, and his nose, and even his thick eyebrows.
It was Naima Abbott, Kasper"s little sister, and I knew that I couldn"t leave her.
"When the fighting started, I came here to get Kasper"s sword," she explained with tears streaming down her cheeks, and I couldn"t tell if she recognized me or not. "But I couldn"t get in. I just wanted to protect my family the way Kasper would"ve."
"That"s very n.o.ble, but Kasper would just want you to be safe." I held out my hand to her, the one that wasn"t holding my sword. "We need to get you back to your family."
She looked at me uncertainly, then she sniffled and took my hand, and I tried to figure out what I would do with her.
I knew I couldn"t take her into the palace with me, since that would be full of guards who wanted me dead, and there was a good chance she could end up as collateral damage.
The safest bet would be getting her back to her family, since her father was a former Hogdragen and her other brother was going to tracker school. They could protect her, and if she stayed inside her home, odds were that n.o.body would attack her.
Neither side of the war wanted to hurt innocent children. But with her out on the street, and ogres throwing people around, and people killing each other, it would be far too easy for her to be hurt in the chaos of it all.
Fortunately, the Abbotts didn"t live very far away from the palace. Unfortunately, that meant we wouldn"t be able to avoid the fighting on our way to her home.
"I"m gonna take you home," I promised her. "But if I tell you to get down, you need to find the best hiding spot you can and hide, okay?"
She nodded, so I led her around the dorm, down the alleyway between the Hogdragen facilities and the palace, and toward the main street. The worst of the fighting was concentrated half a mile down, where the hobgoblins had broken through the wall.
That didn"t mean others weren"t fighting down here, though. A Trylle soldier and a Hogdragen were fighting each other rather brutally right on the street in front of us. The Hogdragen was using a sword, but the Trylle had gotten a battle-ax, and they were mercilessly hacking at each other.
I pulled Naima behind me, trying to shield her with my body so she wouldn"t see the worst of it, and I pushed up my hood, hiding my blond hair. If they saw someone running across the street with a child, I would attract less attention if it wasn"t obvious that I was Skojare.
The Hogdragen had knocked the Trylle to the ground, and it looked like he might be about ready to finish him off, so it seemed like a good time to make a break for it.
"Run," I told Naima, and then I bolted across the street, still holding her hand.
I was hoping that we could make it across unnoticed, but behind us I heard the angry growl of an ogre. We turned sharply off the main road, running down the narrow cobblestone street toward the Abbotts" house.