"Halt!" Echoed in my ears, terrifying to the core.
I exhaled, trying to calm my nerves. My breath was visible in the frosted air. Almost as if the Autarch upset nature with her presence, making the sun shine less brightly and the air turn cold.
I held my breath, trying not to give away my position. This could not be a long term solution, but it would work for now.
The company of the Autarch stopped in their places at the command of their ruler. The discipline of these elite warriors seed unearthly. It felt as though they moved and breathed as one being instead of many.
The Autarch turned her horse and faced the company behind her. She pushed back her traveler's cloak to reveal tal armor with a dark green sheen. I had never seen such a tal before. At least not outside the vision of the gnos.
"What is it, Sister?" A voice below called out. I could not see the woman.
Her accent seed more like she learned our tongue from soone from Ensis. She had fewer inflections in her accent than the Norads typically did, that is now that I knew what they sounded like.
Who was this mystery woman? Was she actually a sister of the Autarch or was this a common title among the Norads? Either way she seed to be one of power.
"I do not think we are close enough to the capital to require magical assistance in hiding ourselves," the mystery woman continued.
"Agreed, my dear Nyx. I was wanting to know what our gnomish friend saw," the Autarch spoke sharply.
Nyx? I heard that na before. This was the mistress of the laundress and the maid. She was the one who wanted to make Alejo and Alina's deaths look like an accident. She certainly was crafty if she was this close to the ruler of the Norads and calling shots behind the Empress's back.
"Hynaeus!" The Autarch's forceful tone made the gno in the forrly yellow tunic beside her shrink away from his mistress. "Report!"
The gno focused on the horizon. His face slowly morphed into the fleshy green color. I knew all too well what that ant. He was attempting to see into the future.
Before my eyes, a gnomish vision from my past was playing out. Instead of the hazy mist that frad the first version of this scene, I had a crystal clear image.
My engagent did nothing to stop this part of the vision from coming true. In fact, without my presence in the palace, we might not be in the woods at all for to see this second act of the gnos' tragedy.
My heart sank. Have my actions helped to doom my king? No. Surely not. King Caderyn is still alive and I cannot live my life second guessing uncertain futures.
"Lorcan looks like we left it, still burning with soldiers scattered, when they receive the news of our attack. This future is still hazy. It is not certain, Your Majesty." Hynaeus cowered.
A snort of derision, or maybe confirmation that she indeed heard this foretelling escaped the Autarch. The gno, for his part, bowed his head in respect. The Autarch moved closer to Nyx, falling out of my line of sight.
"I think we can assemble our troops and be ready to attack by morning," the Autarch said in hushed tones beneath my tree.
I caught a glimpse of my neighbors. Holden looked steeled for battle. The carefree man of the woods was gone and the cold look of duty bound honor took its place. His thoughts were a mystery to .
Cali looked mortified as we shared a glance. Our kingdom, our families and our ho was just threatened and we are the best chance they all have of surviving. At least we can hopefully make them lose the elent of surprise.
"Do you think we can sneak into the city with enough troops to storm the castle? Or is our plan still to siege the city?" Nyx asked in hushed tones. If they had chosen any other place I might not have heard them.
I could see Cali lean toward the conversation, hoping to catch what the ladies said. I too leaned toward the won.
"I think we might be able to enter the city pretending to be rchants. We will need a wagon. Magic can hide the rest," The Autarch stopped her speech abruptly as if sothing caught her attention.
"Is there sothing in this tree? I thought I saw sothing," the Autarch spat.
Cali's eyes grew wide. Neither of us could see which tree the terrifying leader ant, but she was closer to my tree than to Cali's. I balled myself smaller, realizing that at so point I had stopped holding my breath.
My warm breath almost seed like a smoke signal in the frosty air. I held my breath again, this ti determined to hold it even if I was going to pass out.
A deeper cold seed to pass over . I closed my eyes wishing I was anywhere else. I could only imagine how close I was to the Autarch now. Could she see ? Dark thoughts hovered at the edge of my mind. Had I spoken my last words to my family?
Suddenly I could hear rushed footfalls. Soone was running. Did Holden try to escape? Was Cali rushing to my side? That thought gave hope. If anyone was going to take on an entire invasion force alone, it would be Cali. A slight warmth filled my heart, fighting the frigid cold.
I peeked through my tightly balled body. The younger scout that had passed under us before was running toward the company. The man bowed and was let into the inner circle around the Autarch.
The young man bowed again on the very edge of my field of vision. He seed to need to catch his breath. "Supre Autarch, we have found a manor up ahead." The man reported
Alina!
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