Kaiato held the notebook. They sat around the morning fire, eating. Omrai, Revin, and Shifra still weren’t speaking to each other. Omrai’s elites were quiet, but they usually kept to themselves. What might they be thinking about Omrai and all these dramatic young people he’d brought with him?

“One of the soldiers found this-” Kaiato said, holding up the book, “on the spy’s body before they burned it.”

“What is it?” Omrai said.

“His notes. One of which is where to meet Jebuthar next.” Kaiato smiled. “Northwest. Apparently, Koyeji is in some sort of relationship with Jebuthar.”

“Any clue what that is?” Omrai said.

“I don’t know,” Kaiato said with a shrug. He opened the book. “The notebook doesn’t have anything like that. Just rough sketches of the ship’s dimensions, the major entrances, a handful of the rooms inside. It’s not much, but enough to help us break in.”

Revin nodded. “Then we need a plan.”

The group went silent. Kaiato saw the awkward glances, the evading of the eyes. Kaiato took a steadying breath and closed his eyes.

“If I might offer up a suggestion,” Kaiato said.

“Go right ahead,” Omrai said.

“About all of you.”

They were quiet. Omrai nodded for Kaiato to continue.

“Whatever’s going on,” Kaiato said, “it’s not as important as our mission. So, I suggest, you put your egos aside and focus on the task. We all want Jebuthar beaten, correct?”

They all nodded.

“So, forget your squabbles,” Kaiato said, “For Kalt’s sake, I feel like I’m dealing with bickering children today.”

Omrai turned to Revin, who nodded and said “Fine.”

Kaiato looked at Shifra. She shrugged.

“Good,” Omrai said, “first thing, we need more manpower. I sent a contingent of elites to a city somewhat on the way. We’ll get them.”

“So, what’s our goal here?” Revin said.

“You said you felt there was a prisoner there,” Omrai said, “someone who knew what was going on?”

Revin nodded.

“Then we find him first,” Omrai said, “disabling that fortress will be a secondary priority.”

“Kaiato,” Revin said, “Let me see that map of the building...”

Kaiato handed it over.

“That’s a lot of running to get to the prison cells,” Revin said, looking at his knee.

“That doesn’t matter,” Shifra said, “you’re not going in.”

Revin shook his head. “No, I have to go in. The secret to how he makes the automatons might be in there.”

Shifra looked at Omrai pleading. “He’s injured, he’s in no state to run and fight.”

“I’ll think about it,” Omrai said.

Shifra frowned. “We should keep him back, I’ll protect him.”

Omrai shook his head. “I told you I would think about it.”

The tension threatened to boil again.

“Alright,” Kaiato said, jumping in, “Let’s break in, find that prisoner. Learn what Jebuthar has been up to all this time.”

“And use that knowledge to break him,” Omrai said.

✦✦✦

Revin handed the book back to Omrai. “This could easily be a death-trap,” Revin said. They were riding again, spread out in a small caravan, Omrai and Revin near the middle.

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

“From what I’ve seen so far,” Omrai said, “this entire war has been one deathtrap after another. But I cannot risk fighting Jebuthar without understanding him first.”

Omrai looked to the rolling hills. “And if there is no way to beat him, if this prisoner cannot help us, then I will consider surrender. Jebuthar has made it clear he only hurts soldiers.”

“He’s also made it clear he wants us dead,” Revin said, looking up at Kaiato, who was riding and speaking with Shifra. He felt a twinge of envy over that. How often did they talk? And why wasn’t Omrai yelling at Kaiato for spending time with his daughter? A part of him realized he should be grateful that he didn’t inquire any further about the fact that she kissed him.

He wish he understood why that had happened.

“I am willing to lose my own life to preserve my people,” Omrai said. “I just don’t know how he will rule. Perhaps Jebuthar will be fair, but he’s working with Sendeval. And I’ve seen their cruelty firsthand.”

They were quiet for a time longer until Omrai finally spoke.

“I need to apologize,” Omrai said.

“Don’t worry about it,” Revin said mechanically. He was not in the mood to discuss this.

“No, Revin. I’m serious. I was wrong to treat you that way. I was angry.”

Omrai looked ahead, obviously at Shifra. His brow furrowed. “I’m just concerned for Shifra. For everyone. It’s hard to trust something that precious to someone so unknown.”

“Like I said, I am trying.”

“If we work together,” Omrai said, “then this could work. Despite your flaws.”

Revin looked at him, hoping for sarcasm. There was none. “Are you serious? Come on, it’s despite yours too,” Revin said.

Omrai frowned at him.

“What?” Revin said, “I see you judging people. You say you understand people, and you’re scarily right a lot. But you could let people figure out their own weaknesses sometimes.”

Omrai looked surprised. “I don’t expect such candor from those who work for me, I usually receive more…”

“Pandering?”

“ Respect ,” Omrai said, “But perhaps you’re right, perhaps I focus on the weaknesses of others too much.”

Revin laughed, “You’d have to be magic to know people as well as you pretend to. And your men call me the sorcerer.”

“High General!”

A sentry rode their way on a gallimai.

“What is it?” Omrai said.

“You’ve got to see it, it’s…” the man looked afraid. “Just follow, quickly.”

They rode hard for a few minutes, seeing some mound of black and gray... Faint smoke rose from it, as if it had been burning. As they grew closer Revin realized they were bones. A massive pile of blackened saurian bones and flesh. Revin put his sleeve up to his nose, trying to stem the stench of burnt bodies. He heard a shout of horror from Shifra. She approached the pile, eyes wide and jaw dropped.

“He spares people,” she said bitterly, “yet slaughters saurians for no reason.”

Revin approached, grateful for his knee that he wasn’t on foot. It had to have been a pile fifty feet high, made of saurians of all shapes and sizes. All piled onto a heap and burned.

“What benefit could come from killing so many saurians?” Kaiato said, “Those metal warriors have no mouths to eat with.”

Revin looked at the pile, at the bones and melted flesh. Then he imagined it, they would have had to have died before they were piled and burned. There was no sign of struggle. And their bodies, mangle as they were, bore no sign of being eaten.

“These weren’t eaten.” Revin turned toward Omrai. “I can’t sit this one out. I’ve got to see what’s inside that fortress.”

“Your knee could crack all the way!” Shifra said.

Revin looked at the pile of dead saurians. “I want him to pay. I can’t sit by. Not when I can do something.”

He looked again at Omrai.

Omrai nodded. “Fine. But be prepared to ruin your knee if we must get out of there fast. You could pay for this choice for the rest of your life.”

Revin nodded.

He turned his gaze back to the pile.

There was a small skull, that reminded him of Avey, who he’d left behind in the city.

He held Birdy close.