"So did we. I meant that he headed west after you left. We're going with you."
Now the scowl came. "I hope that's a joke, Ash."
"It is not. I'm going with you so I can get the news from the city. It's our best chance of hearing gossip on Moria. When you return to Tyrus, we'll ride back together."
He argued, but there was little he could do now with Tyrus long gone. Finally, he waved at Guin. "And her?"
"I asked Guin to come along," she lied for Guin's sake. "I thought that best. She can find a place in the city and--"
"I'm coming to care for your siblings," Guin cut in. "So you will have no cause for concern on their behalf."
Ronan sputtered, then settled for aiming an accusatory look at Ashyn.
"That was not what we discussed," she said slowly. "But perhaps it is not a bad idea . . ."
"Not a bad idea? She's been non-corporeal for an age. She's barely stopped walking into walls."
Guin glowered at him. "I have not walked into anything since my second day in this body. I can care for children. I had younger siblings when I was alive. They all survived the ordeal of my care."
Ashyn expected Ronan to snap back a retort, but he only glanced away and grumbled, "You'll not care for my siblings. Since the prince is long gone, though, I must accept Ashyn's companionship."
"You're too kind," she murmured.
He glared at her and said to Guin, "And since I accept hers, you--unfortunately--come as part of the deal. But if you impede our progress or endanger Ash at any turn--"
"I would never endanger Ashyn," Guin said hotly. "You, perhaps. But not her."
Ronan opened his mouth to reply, but Ashyn cut him off. "If I can find information on my sister, I'd like to do that soon. Can we stop arguing and start riding?"
THIRTY-SEVEN
At nightfall they stopped at an inn that had sprouted its own settlement, as inns sometimes did, with enterprising traders and artisans making their homes nearby to profit from travelers. The building itself was typical for the region--two stories, with an exterior walkway along the second floor.
Ronan and Guin went inside to get a room while Ashyn and Tova waited. Once a bedchamber had been acquired, they smuggled Ashyn up the outside steps to their room. It wasn't a given that she'd be recognized, but they took no chances.
Once inside she was expected to stay there until morning. Guin and Ronan would be more sociable, dining downstairs and wandering among the trading carts in hopes of hearing news.
Ronan managed to sneak Tova up when he brought Ashyn's evening meal.
"There's something going on out there," he said. "A rumor. I'm trying to track it down."
"What are they saying?"
"Not much. But when trouble is afoot, people get anxious. There's almost a . . ." He struggled for the word. "Something in the air. A sharpness. A tightness."
"Does Guin notice it?"
He made a face. "Hardly." He leaned against the wall. "There are things you learn growing up as a thief, and some of them aren't as obvious as others. You need to be able to tell when people are nervous so you can get out before it goes bad."
"Is that what you want? To get out of here?"
"Not yet. It feels like a mix of trouble and excitement. People know war is coming and it scares them, but it's exciting, too. A chance for change."
Ashyn paused. "Do you want change?"
"Not from a man who slaughters villages with shadow stalkers. My issues with the empire aren't from anything Emperor Tatsu has done. But dissatisfied people don't always see that. To them, revolution means rice wine and honey cakes for all. I've been getting that sense of tension and excitement every time we pass through a village. Here, it's multiplied tenfold."
"Perhaps there's news? Of actual war? Or another incursion?" She paused. "Or perhaps something about the children. Of Edgewood and Fairview . . ." She knew that was not their priority now. It couldn't be, with Moria captive and Tyrus wanted for treason. But she still thought of the children. Often.
"I must be discreet," Ronan said. "But I said that I'd heard something about children being taken, and no one knew anything of the sort. As for the war, everyone who has news is eager to share it, but the rumors are the same. The empire still is preparing."
"Perhaps those preparations are escalating, and it's having some effect here."
He considered it. "They will recruit for the army. Not for warriors, of course, but for cooks and blacksmiths and such. But I can't see how that would be any cause for anxiety or secrecy."
"What if it's not Emperor Tatsu who's recruiting?"
He nodded slowly. "Let me make another round, then, with more pointed questions."
After Ronan left, Ashyn paced. She could do nothing else. There wasn't even a window to peek out. She did open the door a crack. Though night had fallen, she could see torches. An inordinate number of them, it seemed, and lanterns, too, as if people were milling about waiting for something.
She was still looking when she heard the thump of footsteps on the stairs and glanced over just as Ronan crested them. He waved her back inside. She'd barely gotten the door closed before it opened again.
Ronan strode in, caught her by the shoulders, and kissed her cheek with a loud smack. "You are a genius. Have I mentioned that?"
"Not lately."
He grinned and squeezed her shoulders. Guin came in and shut the door as Ronan and Ashyn moved farther into the room.
"You were absolutely right," Ronan said. "A few of Alvar's mercenaries and bandits are here, recruiting. They're finding able-bodied young men and women and offering them positions. They're being very secretive about it, and of course no one wants to admit to being approached, but nor does anyone dare report them. Not that there's anyone here to report them to. They're choosing well, canvassing small settlements like this, without any regular guard."
"You're sure that's what's happening?"
"They approached me and asked my views on the current situation. When I said I hadn't made up my mind, the man started telling me why my life would be better under Alvar. He said the rebellion needs young men like me, and I could be raised to the warrior caste if I demonstrated an ability for battle. I told him I'd consider it."
"Wise," Ashyn murmured. "These aren't men you wish to cross."
"It's also the truth. I am considering it." He flashed a broad grin as she looked over, shocked, and when he spoke again, his voice strummed with excitement. "Think of it, Ash. Where better to get information on Moria? On the entire situation? I could be a spy."
"No, you could not."
He paused, his mouth open. When he shut it, his face darkened. "If you think I could not handle it--"
"I'm sure you could, but--"
"I have martial training. I could be a warrior." When she opened her mouth, he cut her short with a wave. "I don't mean truly ascend to warrior caste, Ash. I mean within their ranks. That would get me more information than if I was working the stables."
"It could also get you killed."
Guin cleared her throat. "I'm going out. I saw a vendor selling sugared plums--"
"Yes, yes," Ronan said. "Go."
Once she'd left, he rolled his eyes. "We're discussing a serious situation, and she flits off to buy sweets."
"I don't want to talk about Guin. I want to talk about you. There are men on Alvar's side who've seen you. Who know you're with us. Barthol and his confederates--"
"He wouldn't recognize me. I look like a hundred other low-caste brats."
"And Gavril? Let's say they make you a warrior, and they present you to Alvar Kitsune. Do you not think Gavril would be at his side? That he'd not recognize you?"
"There would likely be many warriors present. Gavril wouldn't notice me."
He gave the argument weakly, and Ashyn could tell she was gaining ground.
"What about your brother and sister? How would you check on them?" She paused for a moment, thinking fast. "I'd have to do it for you."
"What?"
"Someone needs to stay with them. We can't trust Guin to do it. So I would."
"You, living in the city? The exact twin of the girl wanted for highest treason?"
She lifted her chin. "It's a risk, but if you're taking one, so will I. You'll infiltrate the ranks of Alvar's men, and I'll infiltrate the city. We must both do what--"
"Enough," he grumbled. "I may call you a genius, but I would prefer you used that genius to help me, not thwart me."
"I would never--"
"Don't give me that wide-eyed look, Ash. It worked well when we first met, but you've learned much since then."
"I have an excellent teacher."
His scowl deepened, but only for a moment before he shook his head and took her hands. He held them for a moment, fingers rubbing the backs of them.
"There are times when I think those teachings are for the best," he said. "And times when I regret them."
"Because I use them against you."
He looked up. "No, because I fear I am a bad influence."
She pulled her hands away. "I'm not a child, Ronan. I would have you teach me more. I ought to know how to steal, how to--"
"Absolutely not."
She looked him in the eye. "I'm not asking because I think it would be fun to take things that don't belong to me. I'm as much an exile as Tyrus and Moria, even if no one speaks my name with theirs. As long as I cannot walk into a town and ask for shelter and food, I am reliant on you."
That smile quirked the corners of his mouth. "I don't mind that so much. I ought to, I know, but--"
"That won't work. I'll not be distracted. I want to learn--"
Tova got to his feet and stared at the door. He looked toward Ashyn and whined.
"He hears something," Ashyn said.
She walked to the door and cracked it open. Lanterns and torches still lit the darkness, perhaps a few more than before, but the people carrying them only milled about, as if they weren't sure why they were out of doors and were looking for a cause.
Ronan brushed past onto the walkway. "I don't see anything . . ."
A man's voice sounded beside him. "If you're joining us, you'd best hurry. That was the signal."
The man passed the partly open door. Ashyn shrank back, but he didn't glance into the room. That would be rude. He wasn't much older than them, perhaps entering his second decade. A Northerner, with light hair and skin, dressed as a merchant. He bounced down the steps and into the night.
"The man I spoke to said they'd give a signal when they were ready to assemble and leave." Ronan glanced at Ashyn.
"I can't stop you," she said. "But I am serious. If you leave, I must stay with your siblings for you, so at least tell me where to find them so I'm not wandering the city."
He shook his head and reentered the room. "I'm not going. And not because you threatened--"
"It wasn't a threat."
His look said they both knew better. "I'm staying because you're correct that I could be recognized, and that won't help anyone." He closed the door. "I want to circulate some more, but I'll wait until after they leave. If Alvar's mercenaries don't get as many volunteers as they'd like, I'd not put it past them to impress young men into service." He crossed the tiny room and sat cross-legged on the sleeping pallet. "We'll be at the city tomorrow, and we need to discuss what we'll do once we're there. I know you wish to get word to Tyrus's mother and we'll figure out how to do that, but at first, you'll have to stay outside the city with Guin."
"So you won't leave her with your siblings?"
"I don't trust her not to simply flit off when the mood strikes. She's easily distracted."
"They aren't babies," she said carefully. "Aidra is six summers, is she not? And Jorn is ten? It's not as if Guin would turn her back and they'd wander--"
"No," he said sharply, getting to his feet. "All it takes is a moment, and I'll not entrust their lives to her care."
He walked to the door and opened it enough to peer through. Ashyn watched him, his shoulders tight, his gaze fixed outside.
She rose and walked over. "Guin would--"
"Shhh," he said. "Something's happening."
She caught the sound of raised voices. Ronan walked out, letting the door close behind him.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Ashyn pulled on her cloak and tightened the hood, making sure her hair was tucked in. Then she stepped out to find Ronan on the balcony walkway, his hands braced on the railing as he looked down at the collection of wagons below.
Beyond the wagons was an open area where people could take their food, sit, and talk. Now, the benches had been cleared aside. No one stood in the square, but people ringed it, as if something was coming and no one wished to miss the spectacle.
"A performer, most likely," Ashyn said. "An acrobat or a bard. I'd suspect they've been paid by Alvar's men to provide a distraction as the recruits make their getaway. Clever."
When someone finally entered the empty square, though, it wasn't a performer, but a warrior. Dressed in the colors of the imperial army.
Ronan swore under his breath. "Alvar's men picked the wrong settlement after all. There's going to be trouble, Ash. Get back in--"
He stopped. Then he cursed again. A second warrior had joined the first.
"That's the man who tried to recruit me," he said.
"The warrior?"
He nodded grimly. "Not one of Alvar's men, apparently. Back inside, Ash. Now. I don't know what's going on--"
Ashyn rose on tiptoes for a better view as the warriors herded a group of young men and women into the square. They were bound with hemp rope, like convicts. As the warriors propelled them--at blade point--one of the young men fell to his knees. Ashyn recognized him as the Northern merchant who'd hurried past them moments ago.
"This is a mistake!" the young man cried. "I never--"
One of the warriors raised his sword to the man's throat, but the first warrior--the apparent leader--waved the blade down. He unfastened the man from the rope, grabbed him by the hair, and dragged him to the center of the square. Protest rippled through those watching. An old man stepped forward, but one of the warriors stopped him with a wave of his sword.
The warrior in charge kicked the young man's feet out, forcing him to kneel while still holding him by the hair, suspended, his knees not quite reaching the ground. When the young man tried to rise, the warrior kicked him back down again.
"You were approached by a man recruiting for the traitor Alvar Kitsune. Do you deny that?"
Ronan's curse hissed in Ashyn's ear as he shifted uneasily beside her.
"I do not deny I was approached," the young man said.
"Then do you deny that an offer of recruitment was made?"
"No, but--"
"Do you deny that you accepted the offer?"
"No, but--"
"Then you cannot deny you are a traitor yourself. That you were willing to join the enemy and betray your people, destroy your land."
"N-no. He offered money. Good money. My family needs--"
"You were joining the enemy cause. That is treason. High treason. Do you know the penalty for that?"
The old man who'd tried to move forward earlier did so again, saying, "My grandson meant no harm. Please. We are traders who have had a run of bad luck, and he made a foolish choice. Do not exile him--"
"Exile him? Where, old man, would we exile him? The Forest of the Dead? Have you not heard the news? Edgewood is gone. The people of Edgewood betrayed the empire, letting Alvar Kitsune live and then hiding him for these ten summers. The village has paid for its treason, executed by order of the emperor. Every man, woman, and child has been put to the sword--"
"No!" Ashyn cried before Ronan could slap a hand over her mouth. Her cry went unheard, as a similar one rose from the crowd assembled below, shock and disbelief and outrage. She twisted in his grip and peeled his fingers away. "They lie. Why would the emperor lie?"
"Look closer, Ash. Do they truly look like
imperial warriors to you?"
Below, the crowd had erupted in chaos, held in check only by the men's blades. As she peered closer at the warriors, she remembered what Moria had said about when she'd first come to Fairview. How she'd known that the "warriors" standing guard were no warriors at all. Little things. A general slovenliness of appearance, such as stains on tunics, and signs they'd made hasty attempts to clean themselves up, like poorly braided hair and shaving nicks.
As Ashyn looked at these warriors, she saw the same signs. Yes, they wore the uniforms of the imperial army. They bore the twin blades. A few even had imperial army helmets--the distinctive horns and dragon crests at the temples that marked them men of Emperor Tatsu.
But faced with the panic and unrest of a growing mob, a warrior should not forget his caste. He did not shout at commoners or bicker with them or threaten them, and below, she could see "warriors" doing all three.
Why would Alvar's men recruit volunteers and then pose as imperial warriors? Why lead the recruits into fake exile?
No, the leader had said there was no exile. Not anymore.
"The old ways were soft," the leader said, his voice ringing out as the crowd came under the warriors' control. "Your emperor realizes that now."
There was a commotion in the audience, and he had to stop as his men subdued it. While they waited, Ashyn's gaze swept over the prisoners, six young men and two young women--she choked back a gasp.
"Guin," she whispered.
She raced along the walkway for the stairs. Ronan let out a stifled cry as he came after her. He caught her arm before she descended.
"Guin," she said. "She's among the captives. She volunteered."
His face screwed up. Then he shook his head. "You're mistaken. Guin looks like many empire-born girls. She's certainly not going to volunteer for something--"
"--that will help us?" She looked him in the eye. "After someone repeatedly reminded her that she's useless? That she never does anything?"
"She wouldn't--"
Ashyn wrenched from his grip and hurried down the steps. She set out at a run across the yard. Ronan raced after her, calling for her to come back as loudly as he dared.
Ahead, the leader was still talking. "Your emperor has realized he is too soft on criminals. None of this would have happened if he'd followed the ways of the great emperors past."
Ashyn tore around a cart and stopped on the other side, where she could see the crowd. All she could see, though, was that crowd--the backs of onlookers, with the warriors and captives lost in the middle.