Bastial Sentinels (The Rhythm of Rivalry: Book 5) (29 page)

The next few hours made Cleve weary. It was difficult to maintain focus when no sound or sight ever repaid his efforts. Vithos, with a distant gaze and a smile of content, wore the same expression of reverie every time Cleve looked over. How long would his dalliance with Baylee keep him this way?
We should’ve brought a psychic who wasn’t so distracted.

As a test, Cleve stared at Vithos and shouted at the Elf in his mind, screaming for him to look over.

Vithos’ face immediately twisted as if he’d been slapped. “What?”

“Try to pay more attention to our surroundings.”

“It’s difficult. I should not asked Baylee for sex before this.”

Jek and Calvon turned. “Is that the pretty Elf that kissed you?” Calvon asked.

Vithos smiled again, his face taking the same expression as before. “Yes.”

“You asked her for—?”

“Let’s not get into it now,” Cleve interrupted Calvon.

“Well, at least tell me what she said.”

“She said yes,” Vithos answered proudly.

“If it’s that easy, maybe I’ll ask one of the women.” Although Calvon’s tone was serious, Cleve figured he was joking.

At least he hoped so for Calvon’s sake.

They walked the next few hours in silence, Cleve trying to ignore his gnawing hunger, which seemed to attack in bursts.

“If we’re going in the right direction, then we have to see them soon,” Calvon said. He slowed their pace, considering each opening between trees. “Or we’ve already passed them.”

They walked farther while birds screeched and flies buzzed. Calvon turned to the right and stopped, squinting while craning his neck.

“It looks like a path was made over there,” he whispered. “Stay quiet.”

The dirt was moist and soft, making no sound beneath their feet. But the plants in their way rasped in complaint as Calvon shoved them down with his feet.

Cleve spun to check every direction. He found nothing.

Just before emerging onto the open path, Calvon stopped them once again, holding out his arms. He listened.

Nothing.

“Vithos, can you sense anyone?” Calvon asked.

“No one near us.”

“Check the ground for tracks,” Calvon said. “Men came through here, though I don’t know if it was today.”

They dispersed and walked in circles with their gazes on the ground. Cleve felt like a dog trying to pick up a scent. There was great space between trees while dead leaves were pressed into the dirt. He crouched to look for footprints but found nothing.

“Over here,” Calvon called softly. “Look. See how the leaves are pressed more around here?”

Cleve looked closely and, once again, saw nothing. Jek and Vithos didn’t seem to see anything, either.

“These are wheel tracks that run south,” Calvon said. “They must’ve been made by something heavy. I can only think of siege weapons.”

“Weapons?” Jek asked. “As in, you’re certain there are more than one?”

“Yes.”

Cleve got to his knees and turned his head to look parallel along the ground. “There are two?” he guessed from the slight dips he saw.

“Two, yes,” Calvon said. “We must’ve walked by them to the west. Now we’re behind them.”

“Is there any way to tell how many men there are?” Jek asked.

“Not on this ground. I can’t see footprints here, just the tracks the siege weapons made. It should be safe for us to follow them, as long as we see the skunks before they see us.”

They jogged. Cleve couldn’t follow the slight depressions, yet the enemy’s path was still clear—wherever the flat ground remained wide between trees.

Cleve’s legs didn’t tire and his breathing remained steady. But his head felt light and unfocused. Striped shadows created by the evening sun, mixed with his hunger, made studying the distance difficult. It felt like he was trying to look through fog.

“How far to the bunker?” Vithos asked. “It’s dark soon.”

“Too far,” Jek said.

“We have at least three more hours before it’s dark,” Calvon said. “Hopefully the moon will give us light.”

“But we have no food,” Jek complained.

“And?” Calvon asked.

“I mean…I guess I don’t know what I mean.” Jek let out a sigh. “Let’s just go as quickly as we can. We only need to confirm what’s coming toward the bunker.”

“It’s pretty clear by now that it’s an army with siege weapons preparing to attack either tonight or tomorrow. But what we don’t know is how many and what kind of siege weapons.”

When they started into a jog again, Cleve’s hunger became intense. His stomach growled loudly. It felt like an insufferable little girl was clawing him with her nails from within.

After they passed through a ray of sun, Calvon stopped quickly and cupped a hand over his eyes. He cursed and pushed the three of them out of the path to get behind the trees. “I saw them.”

Fatigue caused Cleve’s vision to blur. He’d given one quick look and saw nothing but shadows and smears of green, but he trusted Calvon.

“We’ll follow them, but from the side,” Calvon said. “Stay as quiet as you can. Cleve, shut that stomach up.”

“Wish I knew how.”

By the time Calvon stopped them again, the whole forest was a sea of shadow. Cleve heard voices and the sounds of boots through the wall of shrubbery between them and the skunks. “One person should sneak over for a look,” Calvon said in a nervous voice.

“I’ll go,” Cleve volunteered. His stomach hadn’t made a sound recently. The blood rushing through his heart had filled him with nervous aggression, abating his hunger for the time being. He got a nod from Jek and carefully started through the shrubbery.

In the night, the trees were just black pillars. He held onto them for balance as he moved one step at a time, lifting his foot high so he wouldn’t be caught by the leafy plants covering the ground. Twenty paces ahead was the last line of trees before the enemy. The men looked like smaller, stockier trees all pushed together, black as pitch. His heart jumped when he realized how close he would need to get for a good look at their numbers and weapons.

He looked back and whispered loudly, “If I’m seen, run. Don’t try to help me.”

“Got it,” one of his companions whispered, their silhouettes too similar to tell who it was.

The skunks didn’t seem to be moving. Many of them appeared to be seated.

Knowing he was practically invisible while he stood still, Cleve put himself behind a tree and glanced at his enemies. It was too dark to see how many there were, especially when they stretched deep into the forest. But he did see the shapes of what had to be two siege weapons. They were enormous, yet still just below the height of the trees around them. They looked identical. The base and middle were just chunks of black, thick and sturdy. Long rods came up from them. At the apex of each was some sort of sling dangling down.

“I don’t know how many men there are,” he told the others after the slow trip back. “But there’s definitely two siege weapons that seem to have hanging nets for slinging rocks.”

“Can you guess how many you saw?” Jek asked.

“You would have the same chance of guessing as I do. There could be fifty. There could be five thousand.” Cleve wished he could see their faces. Were they worried and eager to leave, or did they feel the same as he did—like they wanted to do as much damage as they could? “I’m fairly confident we can get close enough to shoot a flaming arrow into one of the slings. It’ll catch fire quickly and make at least one of their siege weapons useless.”

“And when either fifty or five thousand—it doesn’t matter—start chasing after us, what then?” Calvon asked rhetorically. “We can’t run through this dark forest in hopes of escaping.”

“We can,” Cleve corrected him. “Vithos can slow them with psyche, and Jek can light our path.”

Jek’s voice came from the shadow of his body. “We know how to get back, Calvon. You’ve done your task. Start going back and we’ll meet you at the bunker before sunrise.”

“Is that an order or something?” Calvon asked spitefully.

“It’s an option.”

“You can shove that option back down your throat. If you’re set on this, then I’ll stay and do what I can. Just don’t expect me to stop and fight them off with my sword.”

“No one stop,” Vithos said. “We run. I pain men that chase. We get far.”

“Fine,” Calvon said, swinging the bag off his shoulder. He took out the cloth strips they’d brought and handed one to Cleve.

“I’ll take two,” Cleve corrected him.

“The more cloth you wrap around the arrowhead, the harder it’s going to be to shoot,” Calvon warned him.

“I’m shooting two arrows at once.” Cleve held out his hand.

“Have you ever done this before?” Calvon slapped the cloth into his palm.

“I’ve shot arrows wrapped in cloth.”

“Two at once?”

“Yes, though they’ve never been on fire before.”

Vithos touched his shoulder. “Find target first. Once arrows on fire, you can’t see anything.”

“And everything will be able to see us,” Jek added.

When they were prepared, Jek and Cleve waded through the plants while Calvon and Vithos stayed behind. Jek and Cleve could run there in the time it took to draw five breaths, but at their slow pace, it took them fifty breaths to reach the last line of trees before their enemies.

Please let no mages find us with Bastial light,
Cleve thought
.
Darkness would be the only way they could escape.

He loaded two arrows onto the string, grasping them with four fingers and holding on as tight as he could. The string dug into his flesh as he pulled it back. Hunger and fatigue made his arm shake. Luckily his target was close enough to reach by throwing a rock. He just needed to land one of the flaming arrows in the large net of the siege weapon nearest to him.

“Now,” he whispered.

Jek put his wand beneath Cleve’s arrowheads wrapped with cloth. A jet of fire jumped from his wand, blinding the rest of the forest to Cleve. He’d already chosen his force and trajectory, though. Now it was just a matter of holding steady and trusting himself.

Skunks yelled to each other. “What’s that?”

“Someone’s here!”

“Look!”

“Get a light on them!”

The fire in front of Cleve’s face suddenly was secondary as light from enemy mages swarmed him.

“Now, Cleve!” Jek yelled. “It’s lit!”

Cleve released. Blinded, he no longer could see the siege weapon. There was no way to tell if he hit his target. He and Jek turned and ran. There was so much light flooding past them, Cleve could see the dread on Calvon and Vithos’ faces.

“Hurry!” Calvon screamed.

An arrow passed by Cleve’s shoulder. Skunks sprinted after them. Jek didn’t need to light their path, as nearly the whole forest before them was illuminated. Jek twisted as he ran, shooting a fireball back at their enemies. There was a scream of pain, possibly two. Vithos held out his hand, bringing more yelps of agony.

Soon the four of them were sprinting together. The ground became soft and even. Quickly getting to the front, Cleve risked a look back. What seemed to be fifty men were slowing. Archers shot, mages cast, yet the arrows and fireballs landed nowhere near them. The light on them dimmed. Jek made his own light from the rear, aiming it before them. Their long shadows hovered in front of every one of Cleve’s steps.

He looked back again to find ten men still running after them. It might’ve been a battle they could win, but stopping to fight inevitably would lead to their death. The skunks who’d given up still weren’t far away. They could change their minds at any moment.

Cleve turned to lead their group into the trees and bushes. “Vithos, can you stop them without slowing your run?” he asked.

“No. They too far. I need stop if pain.”

“Don’t stop,” Cleve said.

So on they ran. They did not slow or speak. Cleve was the quickest, so he stayed in front.

Eventually, Jek uttered through heavy breaths, “I need a break.”

His light went out. They stopped and listened. It sounded like they still were being chased, though the skunks had fallen far behind.

Cleve put himself behind a tree. The others did the same, separating, catching their breaths as they waited and listened. Cleve was certain he heard boots, but they were just walking, searching. As he listened closer, it sounded like just one man.

What the Bastial hell is he doing?
Cleve didn’t wish to kill him. How could the skunk be so stupid…unless it was a trap? Cleve wanted to ask Vithos if he could sense anyone else, but the Elf was too far away.

The sole skunk came close, walking right between where the four of them hid. “Calvon?” the man whispered.

Cleve’s heart twisted as his mind went to work. Was this an ally who’d been captured by the skunks and managed to escape?

“Calvon!” the man tried again, this time loudly. “Where are you?”

Cleve couldn’t see Calvon, Jek, or Vithos from where he was. He needed to know where the other skunks were and what they were planning. Perhaps this was still a trap after all.