Fantasy of Fire (The Tainted Accords #3)(11)
The person by the doorway is insistent. “How can she guarantee safety from both worlds? She’s Bruma. The Tatum will not hold to an oath,” they yell.
“Do you think this escaped my notice, Esus?” Adox bites out, not thrown off by the question. “Willow has provided her oath on King Jovan’s behalf. Currently, the Tatuma and the Tatum’s first son are staying in King Jovan’s castle. They’ve also sworn their oath regarding the future safety of the Ire.”
“But the Tatuma isn’t the ruler yet,” the same man speaks. I grind my teeth and keep my silence.
“You know how unbalanced Osolis is right now. I do not believe the Tatum will be in power for much longer.”
The man at the entrance, Esus, doesn’t reply and I roll the tension from my shoulders.
Adox looks around the group. “If you do not wish to participate, you must leave now. I give my promise, the mission is low risk, though there is some danger. It does not involve fighting, nor does it involve any communication with the Solati.” He pauses to check if anyone is leaving. I bite my cheek to stop from laughing at Hamish’s affronted expression. No one leaves. Not even Esus, who put up so much resistance.
At Adox’s command, the force take up the various cushions. There’s an even mix of male and females, ranging from teenagers to middle-aged. All are seated in a few moments. Adox gestures to me to take over as planned. I move to the middle of the tent, hands clasped behind my back, shoulders back. I was never taught this. But Aquin was the closest thing I’d had to a father. In absence of another role model, I’d copied all of his movements. He’d been the best of the Elite and the Head of Guards, so I’m glad it was his way of moving I’d decided to mimic.
I survey the crowd, much like Adox just did. But instead of trying to puff them up, I look for signs of fear and distrust; signs of confidence and excitement. I take a couple of minutes to do so, splitting the group in my mind.
“You, you and you,” I point. “Sit together.” They’re bewildered, but they do as I say. I go through the group of thirty, splitting them into twos and threes until there’s only one person left, other than myself and Adox. Adox needs to stay at the Meeting Island and coordinate the attack. The other person will be my pair.
“Remember your group,” I say. “This will be your company for the mission.”
“But what are we actually doing?” asks Hamish—the only person without a group.
I raise an eyebrow. “We’re going to destroy the pathway,” I say.
Gasps meet my words. A handful are unsurprised, either smart enough to work it out on their own, or filled in by Adox earlier.
Osolis and Glacium sat at the same level, with the floating islands connecting them. Logically, it would seem you could just walk in a straight line, hopping island to island to get from one planet to the next. The reality was different. The islands were all shapes, sizes, and heights. When our ancestors created the pathway, they spent years finding the easiest route. They then built the supports between those of the floating islands you couldn’t simply jump between, and made two maps. Before navigating the Oscala myself, I would’ve thought the journey would be easy. Surely you would see the next support, or the next part of the trail would be clear. I know better now. The pathway is twisting, doubling, and clawing. Needless to say, the only people to traverse the pathway were peace delegations, those with a death wish, or, in this case, several hundred soldiers. Of course, with my discovery of the Ire and their flying contraptions, the pathway is no longer the only means of traversing the distance between the worlds. In fact, it takes a baffling three days to go from Osolis to Glacium using a Soar—if you time it right with the smoke layer around my home world. Three days on a Soar, or a month on foot with a high risk of dying? I know which way I’d choose to navigate the Oscala.
“Each group will destroy two to three of the supports on the pathway,” I say while they’re still grasping what I’ve told them. “Hamish and I will deal with those closest to the Solati army.” Hamish’s green eyes meet mine, and he grins again. I return his smile.
“Each group will help to destroy the obstacles in front of the Solati army,” I continue. “The teams starting here,” I gesture to those beside Hamish, who seem the most confident, “will deal with the obstacles next to Hamish and myself. The group next to them deals with the next lot after, and so on.” I point to the Ire folk furthest from Hamish, made up of two young males and a timid-looking girl. “Your team will deal with the pathway supports closest to Glacium.”
Assured that everyone understands this, I move on. “Adox will discuss the exact locations you’re expected to tackle with each group, so there’s no confusion. As to how each obstacle is destroyed, that’s up to you. You’ll carry a few tools; axes, knives, saws. However you do it, keep the noise to a minimum.” I turn in a slow circle.
“I shouldn’t need to say this, but I will anyway. Your top priority is not to be seen. If the people closest to the army deem action unsafe, you are ordered to wait, or to move on to the next part of the pathway. We want to save lives, but not at the loss of your own. Is this understood?” I ask. Thirty serious faces nod back at me.
“In the unlikely event you’re seen, hide as quickly as possible. Remember, this army has been travelling for weeks now, and slowly. They’re tired and have no reason to suspect an attack from above. They may pass the sighting off as a trick of the light. Report any sightings to Adox.” On my crossing, I’d mistaken cracks in the rocks for Tellio lizards, and thought I was going crazy when I saw flashes of red. Later I learned the flashes of red were from Jimmy, who had been tailing us through the Oscala.