Narda snorted, amused. “Yes, we do walk on foot. There are battalions on horseback, and your position on the line depends on your rank, too. But as for the Wenches, we don’t want to draw attention to ourselves too much, anyway.”
“That’s pretty fucking hard to do, Cap’n,” Myka called, meeting with them. “Have you seen you?” She winked at the other three, then paused, looking them over, particularly at Ruli, who had Kire’s sword and Wyvern armor on. “My, my, my. Looking very Empressy today, aren’t we?” Though she clearly was making a joke, her demeanor was less cheerful now. The sight of Ruli as decoy hammered home the dangerous task they were to take on tomorrow. “This is it, huh.”
“Mmhmm. This is it,” Narda said solemnly. “We’re just waiting for the Wyverns to give the signal to begin. Won’t be long now, the battalions are almost done packing up their camps.”
A half hour later, Kire and Ed emerged. The meeting was exactly Kire had expected: both Jan and Ulrich were straight to the point, meticulous but efficient. Perfect for each other then, Kire had concluded, and from Ed’s expression she could guess he felt the same way. Jan wasn’t riding to battle with them, but she was to stay here and hold the fort, just in case they needed to send more men. “You owe me a marriage ceremony,” Jan said to Kire, who grinned before she hugged her.
“I’ll bring your fiancé back, and I’ll officiate it, myself,” she promised. Ed embraced Jan in turn, whispering a few words of encouragement, before they left. As soon as the Wyverns got on horseback, their banners were raised, and horns sounded throughout the camp. The vanguard, on horseback, moved first, with the rest of the battalions moving forward once the first had advanced. The Wenches joined the third battalion to move out, with Narda in the lead, in the middle of the whole march. The Wyverns were right behind them, with Ulrich and his sons nearby.
Gavin felt cold, though the chill wasn’t just from the weather; it dawned on him that he was walking amidst an actual army. He remembered how Ikegai wanted to raise one of his own, an army of dolls, with mercenaries paid with Itallo’s coin. This was nothing like that. Gavin had never felt so small. Strangely, he didn’t feel nervous yet, but that may be because they still had a day’s march to finish. Are they nervous? Afraid? he wondered, looking at Ruli and Ysaryn. Ysaryn, probably not. Ruli kept his cards close to his chest most of the time, though. What about the giantess and Myka? He looked behind them at the two armored Wyverns. He remembered the day Kire cut down Ikegai and set him free from his control. How it was clear Kire would lose her life for that one short to lop off his head, and how she took it, anyway. Gavin looked down at his hands, remembering that desperate scramble to get her heart started again. Would it come to that, again?
The day wore on. They left behind the hills and forests of Ulrich’s territory and moved on to flatter land. Vast golden fields, past farming towns. At one point, they sighted from a distance an empty battlefield, the remnants of a battle picked clean by scavengers, both human and animal alike. Gavin spared it only a few moments of attention before decidedly looking ahead and away from it. They made camp by noon. Gavin picked at his food, wondering if the nerves manifested as loss of appetite. “Eat, boy,” Narda demanded, though not unkindly.
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered, smirking a bit, before trying to eat properly. “How many wars like this have you fought? Are you used to it by now?”
“Mm—quite a few. There had been a civil war a few years ago, and sometime after Kire’s coronation, too. Besides that, we’ve hunted on Kire’s behalf, as well as fought with slavers,” Narda answered, while Myka nodded along, in the middle of her meal. “Used to it? Not sure if that’s the word for it. There will always be routines, yes. But every war is different.”
“Hey, since you’re borrowing that, show us,” Myka said to Ruli, grinning as she gestured at the sword he was carrying. “That sword is like Kay’s Ring. Barely leaves her side. Is it heavy? Have you practiced with it?”
Once rested, the army moved out again. The weather was more cooperative now, and it had grown a little warmer. That, or they had been walking for so long the effort stored up heat in their bodies. “Still willing to go along for the whole march?” Narda said to the two Shadow-walkers, grinning. Ahead of them, the mountains grew closer, and Ruli and Ysaryn would have recognized the terrain from their current position by then. By late afternoon, they had finally reached the main road and the village Ed and Ysaryn had seen from their last visit to the mountain range. Ahead of them, the military camp that had received Kire here after they were spat out by the world gate was waiting.
They reached the main camp by dusk. As soon as the battalions had settled, Kire came to visit them. “Regretting it yet?” Kire asked Gavin.
“No. But we haven’t fought anyone yet,” he answered.
“Fair enough.” Kire smiled, though the weight of what will come tomorrow reflected in her tired gaze. “We’ll reach the Capital tomorrow by midday, sooner if we keep a good pace. Later, if the weather doesn’t cooperate.”
