them pressed forward past the cavalry officer. I heard a sound like the sudden rustle of a low wind off to my left, but I couldn't tear my eyes from the soldier before me. He lowered his sword in a naked threat, gaze fixed on Caleb, and demanded, "Where did you—"
He cut himself short mid-question, and his eyes fell shut. The tip of his sword buried itself in the earth before him, then he sank easily down behind it. While I gaped in astonishment, he curled into a spot on the ground, hands folded beneath his head. Beneath the heavy armor, his shoulders rose and fell with slow, easy breaths.
And six other soldiers followed him to the earth. Whatever had overcome the Green Eagle hit Pollix, too, and he closed his eyes and stretched out to sleep upon the road. It washed over them like a wave, and in a matter of moments the knot of soldiers before us was sleeping soundly.
Caleb's head whipped to the right, and only then did I notice the sound. It was the same rustle I'd heard before, and now as I turned I understood it. A sentry from the corner of the next formation over had taken two steps out into the road to watch our altercation. Another handful of men from the same camp had left their fire to stare. All of them now were sound asleep.
I looked behind us, in the direction I'd first heard the noise, and I saw not a single waking soldier anywhere in the formation. The effect had passed right over us and into the next camp.
I looked up at Caleb. "Something's come over them."
He never even glanced my way. Fist still knotted in the fabric at my shoulder, he struck out west, dragging me along beside him. I almost had to sprint to keep up with his long stride. "What's happening?" I asked. "Do you know? What happened?"
Caleb didn't answer. He moved in a straight line, the same direction the rustle had gone, cutting a little north of west and out of the camp. We stormed right into the heart of the formation there, rushing past dancing fires and bubbling pots and dozens of men sprawled in peaceful slumber wherever they had stood.
We broke free on the other side of the camp and passed between two posted sentries sound asleep. I felt my eyes widen and glanced back over my shoulder toward the king's position. "Caleb, what's happening?" I asked again, a little frantic. "Are we under attack?"
"Hush," he said.
"No, this could be a strike on the king! By wizards. There was a rebel wizard before the dragons—"
"Shut up, Taryn."
The camp had stretched as far as the open plains allowed. Beyond the sentries' careful line lay perhaps a dozen paces of level ground before the earth fell away into the wide bed of a dried-up river. Caleb threw me on ahead of him, and I nearly sprawled. I caught myself with my palms, sinking one hand wrist-deep in the thick red mud of the riverbed. The smell of it was awful.
Caleb didn't even slow. He landed lightly beside me, rapped me on the collarbone with one knuckle in an effort to spur me on, and trotted the short distance across the bed. I was barely moving again before he'd heaved himself up the far side and pressed into the low bracken that grew against a shallow hillside.
It took me three tries to climb the slippery bank, and by then I could only follow him by the clear trail he'd left in the tall grass. I scrambled up the hill, hurrying after him, but then a shadow washed over me like winter's chill. It passed in a heartbeat, and as the shadow sped up the hillside above me I followed the motion up to the sky.
A dragon hung silhouetted against the moon.
It couldn't have been a hundred paces away. It was bigger than a house and glowed the same silver-white as moonlight. But...no! There weren't any dragons. Not in this part of the world. Not for years. The thoughts sizzled in my mind, defying the reality before my eyes. A sound like a whimper escaped my throat.
It was real. There was no denying it. It was nearly within reach. And it was flashing true as an arrow in the direction Caleb had gone.
He cut himself short mid-question, and his eyes fell shut. The tip of his sword buried itself in the earth before him, then he sank easily down behind it. While I gaped in astonishment, he curled into a spot on the ground, hands folded beneath his head. Beneath the heavy armor, his shoulders rose and fell with slow, easy breaths.
And six other soldiers followed him to the earth. Whatever had overcome the Green Eagle hit Pollix, too, and he closed his eyes and stretched out to sleep upon the road. It washed over them like a wave, and in a matter of moments the knot of soldiers before us was sleeping soundly.
Caleb's head whipped to the right, and only then did I notice the sound. It was the same rustle I'd heard before, and now as I turned I understood it. A sentry from the corner of the next formation over had taken two steps out into the road to watch our altercation. Another handful of men from the same camp had left their fire to stare. All of them now were sound asleep.
I looked behind us, in the direction I'd first heard the noise, and I saw not a single waking soldier anywhere in the formation. The effect had passed right over us and into the next camp.
I looked up at Caleb. "Something's come over them."
He never even glanced my way. Fist still knotted in the fabric at my shoulder, he struck out west, dragging me along beside him. I almost had to sprint to keep up with his long stride. "What's happening?" I asked. "Do you know? What happened?"
Caleb didn't answer. He moved in a straight line, the same direction the rustle had gone, cutting a little north of west and out of the camp. We stormed right into the heart of the formation there, rushing past dancing fires and bubbling pots and dozens of men sprawled in peaceful slumber wherever they had stood.
We broke free on the other side of the camp and passed between two posted sentries sound asleep. I felt my eyes widen and glanced back over my shoulder toward the king's position. "Caleb, what's happening?" I asked again, a little frantic. "Are we under attack?"
"Hush," he said.
"No, this could be a strike on the king! By wizards. There was a rebel wizard before the dragons—"
"Shut up, Taryn."
The camp had stretched as far as the open plains allowed. Beyond the sentries' careful line lay perhaps a dozen paces of level ground before the earth fell away into the wide bed of a dried-up river. Caleb threw me on ahead of him, and I nearly sprawled. I caught myself with my palms, sinking one hand wrist-deep in the thick red mud of the riverbed. The smell of it was awful.
Caleb didn't even slow. He landed lightly beside me, rapped me on the collarbone with one knuckle in an effort to spur me on, and trotted the short distance across the bed. I was barely moving again before he'd heaved himself up the far side and pressed into the low bracken that grew against a shallow hillside.
It took me three tries to climb the slippery bank, and by then I could only follow him by the clear trail he'd left in the tall grass. I scrambled up the hill, hurrying after him, but then a shadow washed over me like winter's chill. It passed in a heartbeat, and as the shadow sped up the hillside above me I followed the motion up to the sky.
A dragon hung silhouetted against the moon.
It couldn't have been a hundred paces away. It was bigger than a house and glowed the same silver-white as moonlight. But...no! There weren't any dragons. Not in this part of the world. Not for years. The thoughts sizzled in my mind, defying the reality before my eyes. A sound like a whimper escaped my throat.
It was real. There was no denying it. It was nearly within reach. And it was flashing true as an arrow in the direction Caleb had gone.
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