Cara finished going over her report for the third time before remembering to breathe.

She leaned back, sucked in air, and waited for Elivala to demand she go over it yet again. Every detail might well be important, but, really? Three times!

Jeremy had that dark look on his face. At least this time, it wasn’t about her. “Rebirth, or some twisted form of it. It’s worse than we feared.”

Elivala nodded. “Indeed. And now our best scouting squad is without a Prowler.”

“It wasn’t all his fault.” The words blurted out before Cara could stop them. “His plan sucked and he could have just followed orders, but without him, we’d have missed an opportunity.”

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “Cara defending Phelan. A welcome first, for a change.”

She refused to meet his gaze. “He fought bravely. Not that he should ever have been made a Prowler.”

Elivala lifted her chin and focused on Cara, ignoring Jeremy’s pointed glares in her direction. “With all the new Lookouts, we require new Prowlers. Prowlers with proven combat experience.”

Jeremy smirked at Cara. He never smirked! “Prowlers who have earned the respect of their squad.”

“Prowlers who can get the best out of those under their command.”

They couldn’t be suggesting—? Cara blinked rapidly and shook her head. “No, no, no, no, no! I can’t. What about Aidan? Aidan’s smart! He’s dependable! They trust him!”

“Aidan.” Elivala’s steely gaze burrowed into Cara. “Would Aidan have brought back this knowledge?”

Cara looked away. “He’d have brought everyone back in one piece.”

Elivala bowed her head. “He would, but this is not a time for playing it safe. Think on it, Cara. And get some rest, you look exhausted.”

“I… I will.” She pulled herself to her feet. Even for a wood elf, going this long without sleep was pushing it. “Keeper, Prowler.” She nodded her head to them both and set off for the mess hall. If Gramok wasn’t busy, he’d be there.

The moment she arrived, a warm bellow greeted her. “Cara!” Gramok grinned, lounging on one of the mess hall benches, his armor glistening like always. Did he ever take that armor off? “How was the mission?”

“Alright, mostly.” She grabbed a bowl of proper mushrooms plus a plate of meat, and staggered over to collapse beside him. “How’s the Forest treating you?”

“Not so bad. Spent a while drilling rangers on how to fight in melee. You’d think some of them had never seen a real sword before.” He paused and looked her up and down. “What’s on your mind?”

Was it really that obvious? “They…” She shrugged. It was insane. How could they think this was a good idea? “They’re desperate enough to make me a Prowler.”

“And you said yes, right? Right…?”

She glowered back at him. “Of course not.”

“Why not?”

“Why not?” She couldn’t help but laugh. “By the Great Tree, have you ever met me?”

For once, Gramok wasn’t laughing, not even grinning. “I have, and that’s why I ask—why not?”

She swallowed. He was actually serious, wasn’t he? “I’m not cut out to lead! I can barely keep track of my own shit, let alone other people’s! Did I ever tell you how I left Ted behind in the Forest because I forgot he was following me?”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

A warm smile spread across his face. “Yeah, Ted told me about that. Do you know what he said?”

Of course Ted had told him that story. Cara sighed and looked away. “What?”

“That it was his fault.”

Cara turned and stared at Gramok. That made no sense. “It was my fault! I’m the one who forgot.”

“And who didn’t say anything? Ted. He’s an adult, he’s responsible for his own safety.”

Her stare turned into a glower. “What’s your point?”

“Leadership is about getting the best out of others. Ted’s… well, Ted, but your Lookouts are trained rangers. Let them help you, Cara.”

It wasn’t that easy. She scowled down at the food and shoved it in her mouth. Why did the world have to be so stupid?

That Gramok was right only made it worse. Aidan, Nola, Kegan—they were trained Lookouts, not raw recruits. She wouldn’t have to hold their hands.

Gah! At least there was proper food here.

They ate in silence. When Cara was done licking her fingers clean, she cleared away her plate and bowl, cursing how loudly they clashed together.

On the way out, she paused and looked back at Gramok. “Hey… thank you. For everything.”

Despite everything, he smiled. “Anytime, anywhere.”

She hauled herself away and headed home. He was a knight and the son of a lord. He had to know something about leadership. But even if she could do it, she wasn’t ready.

Was anyone ever ready?

When she got home, she stared at the door for a while before pushing it open and walking into the lifeless room beyond it. Everything was exactly as she’d left it, but nothing was the same.

Her heart fluttered. How long before Ted came home?

Not that this was his home, not really. One day, if everything went right, he’d be gone for good.

She placed her pack on the bed and pulled out the little nest. “You’re not going to leave me, are you, my darling little girl?”

Squeak! Squeak! Nibbles raced up her arm and gnawed at her ear.

“You missed that, huh?”

Squeak! The gnawing stopped. Nibbles ran back down her arm and looked around. Her tiny little nose sniffed at the air, searching for the scent that should have been there but wasn’t. Squeak! Squeak!

The dull ache in her heart flared up again. “I miss him, too. He’ll be back as soon as he can.” He damned well better be.

She flopped down onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. The tree-song faded to a dull whisper. The grief of the forest slipped into the background, leaving her alone with the empty void in her chest.

***

Kratgok the Hammer pushed from behind, trying to shove Ted through the gap in the side walls. Even as the stone pinched against Ted’s sides, he appreciated the irony. The gaps meant for hurling death at invaders were now the key to bypassing their defenses and saving the town.

The pressing pain of being shoved through a gap a little too small for him, even wearing robes rather than armor, was rather less appreciated. Damn it, Luther, couldn’t you have spared a single dwarf to greet us? For that matter, had the dwarves really needed to ward the room against all forms of Telepathy? What was even the point of that?

Ted took a deep breath and pushed again, trying not to think about the explosion they’d heard above. Trying not to think that Luther probably had left a dwarf here with orders not to leave until the battle began.

With a final heave, and a last burst of agony, he broke through and tumbled to the floor. He picked himself up, walked around, and opened up the heavily runed metal door from the other side. “Welcome to Valbort.”

Problem one was out of the way. Problem two was how to get his reinforcements into the battle without freaking the crap out of the dwarves, or at least without it turning into a three-way brawl.

Before he could even say anything, Yana wove purple magic in the air. The spell was fuzzy to his Discern Magic, but clearly complex enough that Ted doubted he could have deciphered it anyway. When she cast it, the battlemages transformed into dwarven guards clad from head to toe in heavy armor.

Ted scratched his head. The style on the armor was a bit wrong, probably ten thousand years out of date, but who’d notice in the heat of battle? “Nice. Let’s go.”

He led them up the narrow staircase to the heart of the keep, and a half dozen guards on high alert. When the guards spotted them, they did a double-take and formed up for battle.

The sergeant lifted his visor and barked, “Halt! Who goes there?”

Twenty-four orc battlemages and the idiot who smuggled in them was probably the wrong answer here. “Deputy Mage Edwin, son of Eric.” The name was ash in his mouth, but now wasn’t the time for sentimentality. “I bring reinforcements for the front line.”

The sergeant eyed him up. Technically, it was completely true, but that was no guarantee they’d buy it.

Where did Deputy Mage rank in the hierarchy, anyway?

After a very long, tense few moments, the sergeant dropped his visor again. “Let them pass!” The spears pointed back up to the ceiling.

Ted nodded in thanks, straining to keep his calm. If they were discovered… “Move it, men!”

They marched out of the keep, their secret intact. The sooner they found Luther, the sooner they could drop this ridiculous charade.

Outside, he looked around for the fiercest part of the battle. That’s where they had to go, where they’d find Luther. But where was that?

Ted bit his lip and swallowed hard. An acrid taste filled his mouth. All they had to do was follow the smoke.