Retribution (56 page)

“He’ll still die. Then we’ll attack with purpose.”

Token laughed as he passed the pipe. “The guy’s been here… what? Two weeks?”

“Not quite, but the idiot threw himself into the fire. Guess he changed his mind when facing death. We’ll be hunting him down when we’re through with this mission.”

“You think we’ll make it through?”

“Why wouldn’t we? Our army’s almost two-hundred soldiers strong and we’re facing one family.”

“Hey,” Token countered, “you’re the one who told me the stakes were high and the witch was favored by the Heavens. Remember?
We’re either going to get this witch or die trying
.”

“Some will die,” Guthrie confirmed. “Her family’s strong.”

“But you think Agro will succeed.”

“If the witch is there, yes.”

“And if she isn’t?”

“Agro will snap, and there’s a good chance we won’t make it through that.”

“Sounds like we need that spy to show up with proof.”

Guthrie nodded as he glanced at the sky. Then his forehead creased as he squinted. “I’ll be damned. Looks like he’s here.”

Guthrie stood, and Token followed suit, looking up as Dolan darted around tree limbs.

“Not the smartest soldier,” Token whispered.

Guthrie withheld a smirk, keeping his expression stern as Dolan landed. “Look who decided to show.”

“Sorry I’m late,” Dolan returned, throwing off his hood as he reached for his foot.

“This isn’t late,” Guthrie countered. “This is fucking ridiculous. What did you do to your foot?”

“Lost a toe,” Dolan answered, pulling a piece of velvet from a bloody stump.

Token’s features pinched as he leaned in for a closer look. “Looks like you lost a toe-and-a-half,” he corrected, pointing with his pipe. “How the hell did you manage that?”

“A land shield closed on them.”

Guthrie’s gaze snapped to Dolan’s face. “Whose land shield?”

“The witch’s.” Dolan wrapped up his foot and straightened. “Or her army’s, I guess I should say.”

Token and Guthrie replied at the same time. “Her army?”

“Yes,” Dolan confirmed. “She has an army. That’s why I’m late. I managed to infiltrate the clearing housing their soldiers, but I found out this morning they were moving them. I tried to stick around long enough to follow, maybe overhear where the witch stays, but they figured me out. I don’t know how, but they did.”

Guthrie’s mouth hung open as he absorbed the information. Then he closed it and furrowed his eyebrows. “She doesn’t stay with her army?”

“No. I didn’t find them until yesterday evening, and I heard rumors of a witch matching our target’s description visiting the clearing, but I didn’t see her until today, when they came to move everyone.”

“How big is the army?”

“Around 150, not counting her family.”

“Shit,” Guthrie whispered.

Token shook his head as he put away his pipe. “This just got serious.”

“To say the least,” Dolan returned, hobbling toward camp. “We need to tell Agro what’s going on. What’s the password?”

Still cursing under his breath, Guthrie fell into step behind Dolan, but Token didn’t move. “What will the boss do, Guthrie?”

Dolan kept limping toward the land shield. “That’s for the boss to decide. What’s the password?”

But Guthrie had stopped and turned toward Token, seriously considering the question.

“Will he back down?” Token pressed. “Or will he go get his witch despite her army?”

Guthrie’s chest expanded as he found his answer. Agro would go get his witch… or die trying.

“Shit,” Dolan cursed.

“It’s just a toe,” Guthrie snapped.

“And a half,” Token added.

Guthrie snickered. Then his heart jumped into his throat as Dolan screamed and threw his head back.

“What the fuck?” Token mumbled.

The screaming stopped, and Guthrie moved forward. “What’s your problem, soldier?”

Dolan gagged, his muscles flexed and vibrating, and as his bulging eyes flipped from the sky to Guthrie, something shot from his throat – something large and sharp and dripping with bodily fluids.

“Shit,” Guthrie yelled, stumbling away.

Dolan’s eyes rolled back as his body followed the bloody projectile into the air, and Guthrie looked at the ground, finding a huge tree root jutting from earth. The muddy bark disappeared beneath Dolan’s cloak, but Guthrie knew the root kept going, no doubt impaling the poor guy’s ass before carving through his throat.

Dolan’s twitching ceased as rivers of blood snaked toward loose soil. Then the ground opened, swallowing the killer root and its victim.

“Fuck the Heavens,” Token breathed, darting his gaze around the forest. “What was that?”

“I don’t know,” Guthrie whispered, watching the dirt settle.

A laugh rang out above them, and their eyes flashed up as Lynette dropped out of a tree. She lithely landed on Dolan’s grave. Then she picked up a handful of dirt and looked over. “You guys about shit your shorts.”

“You did that?” Token exclaimed.

She grinned. “Pretty clever, huh? No clean up. It pays to be an earth child.”

“What were you thinking?” Guthrie scolded.

Lynette straightened and brushed off her hands. “I seem to be the only one of us who is thinking, Guthrie. If he’d gone to Agro with this news, we’d be screwed. I know it, Token knows it, and you know it, but I’m the only one with the guts to fix it.”

“How?” Guthrie barked. “How could we possibly be any more screwed than we are now?”

“Are you kidding? This is the best thing that could happen. Now we hold the cards. You, me and Toke.”

Guthrie started pacing. “Shit. What am I going to tell Agro?”

“Aren’t you listening?” Lynette snapped. “You don’t tell Agro shit.”

“To what end? So he’ll march us all to certain death?”

“He would have done that anyway.”

“We don’t know that.”

“Yes we do, Guthrie. I saw it in your aura. You know damn good and well Agro would risk all our lives for that one witch.”

“She’s right,” Token added. “You told me as much the day you fetched my troop.”

“We’ll still march to our deaths,” Guthrie pointed out, “just less prepared.”

“Agro won’t be prepared,” Lynette confirmed, “but we will. We know what’s coming and can work out a plan.”

“To do what? What’s your big plan, Lynette? What did you think would happen after you shoved a tree root up Dolan’s ass?”

Lynette giggled, still proud of her creative spell, but then she sobered and emphatically answered. “There are two dozen witches in that camp ready to do whatever I tell them. And with the news of our impending doom, I have no doubt we can sway some of the others tonight. When Agro attacks the witch’s army, we let him. Then we take those we’ve swayed and leave him to his fate.”

“Damn,” Token interjected, “you’ve really thought this through.”

Lynette ignored him and stepped toward Guthrie. “The witch has strengthened her numbers, threatening the lives of everyone here, but we can save some of them. All we have to do is wait until Agro and his loyalist are getting slaughtered then step away. You’ll be a hero, and Agro will be gone.”

A moment of tense silence passed as Guthrie paced. Then he stopped and looked at Lynette. “Do you know how many things could go wrong? What if he wins? Then we’ll be on his shit list.”

“Then let’s make sure he doesn’t win,” Lynette whispered. “The bastard makes our lives miserable. We can’t beat him and all the soldiers who lick his asshole, but we can let the witch take them out for us.”

“And what about her? You think she’ll stop at Agro?”

“I think we stand a better chance against her divided than if we align ourselves with the wizard she’s aiming for. If we see an opening while she’s distracted with Agro, we take it. Neither side will be expecting us.”

Guthrie stopped and looked toward the sky, watching limbs sway in the breeze as he contemplated his next move. The guard Token sent away could return any second.

“I’m done, Guthrie,” Lynette added. “I’m done dealing with that man’s bullshit, so either you join me or you kill me. Those are your options, because I’m not caving. If you won’t do this, I’ll take the girls and do it myself, and you can burn in that battle with Agro.”

“She sounds serious,” Token observed, casual as ever.

Guthrie scanned Lynette and had to agree – she meant what she said.

“Fuck,” he yelled, throwing his hands in the air. Then he turned and stomped away.

Chapter 39

Layla and Quin stayed busy through the afternoon and evening – moving the army, taking a trip to the glacier, grabbing a bite to eat with their family, and finalizing their plans. By the time they were getting a late report on Agro’s camp from Belinos, they were tempted to tell the world to go to hell so they could fly home. But they didn’t.

“Did you see a wizard show up alone?” Quin asked.

“Yeah,” Belinos answered. “A wizard in a black cloak came in by himself this afternoon, but he didn’t make it into camp.”

“What do you mean?”

“A witch killed him before he could enter their land shield.”

“Agro probably ordered her to do it.”

“Maybe. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, just bits and pieces that didn’t make sense… something about a toe.”

“He was a spy,” Quin revealed. “He knew about our army.”

“Shit,” Belinos muttered, his face draining of color. “I’m sorry, Quinlan. If I’d known, I would have tried to intercept him.”

“You couldn’t have known,” Quin assured, slapping his uncle’s shoulder. “Go get some rest.”

Belinos walked away, and Layla took a labored breath as she watched him join his family. “So Agro knows.”

Quin cleared his throat and pulled her under his arm. “Probably.”

“Do you think he’ll postpone and bring in more soldiers?”

“I don’t know. Let’s hope his obsession and impatience convince him otherwise.”

“You know what’s twisted?” she asked.

He looked down and found her stare. “What’s that, love?”

“That we’re hoping battle will come sooner rather than later.”

“I wish I could delay it forever, Layla, but this is our only chance to get him out of our lives. If he gathers more soldiers, our fight is over. We won’t have the numbers to stand against him.”

She nodded then turned into him. “I want to go home.”

“Sounds like heaven,” he agreed, leading her across the lawn.

Halfway to the house, they came across Weylin, who was lounging in a chair with one foot on his knee, his hands behind his head, and his gaze on the cloudy night sky. Quin and Layla exchanged curious glances then came to a halt in front of him.

“What's up, Wey?” Quin asked. “Why aren't you home with your family?”

Dropping his foot from his knee, Weylin grinned at them. “I have a witching hour rendezvous with a feisty flower.”

Quin’s expression smoothed. “Does Dahlia know your plans for tomorrow?”
 

“Are you kidding?” Weylin returned, rising from his chair. “For one thing, that would mean revealing the secret you asked me not to. For another, if I gave her even a hint of what's to come, she'd interrogate me the whole time I'm with her. And that's
not how I want to spend my night.”

“I see your point.”

“She's a tough witch,” Weylin added. “She'll handle the news better than most if it comes to that.”

“Oh crap,” Layla exclaimed.

Weylin and Quin jolted to attention, shifting closer to her as they glanced around the lawn.
 

“What's wrong?” Quin asked.

“Travis and Phyllis,” she answered.

Quin relaxed, but Weylin’s confusion grew. “Who are Travis and Phyllis?”

“Two of Layla's hexless friends.”

“Oh yeah. I forget you lived in that world for so long. Hexless friends… weird. Well,” he said, slapping Quin's shoulder, “I'll leave you to it. See you tomorrow, gorgeous.” After bowing to Layla, he shot into the air, concealing himself as he went.

Layla looked from the sky to Quin. “What’s with him and Dahlia?”

“They’re good friends,” Quin answered, leading her toward the house. “Why?”

“Because that didn’t sound like friendship to me.”

Quin smiled as he found her thoughtful expression. “They rely on each other when they have no one else to rely on. They've had the same arrangement for years.”

“That’s weird.”

“Or smart.”

Layla wrinkled her nose. “But how do they make it work? It seems like things would get complicated.”

“Wey and Dahlia have known and trusted each other for a long time, and they’d much rather be friends than a couple. When one of them decides they want a relationship with someone else, the other willingly lets go, no hard feelings. They value each other’s friendship, happiness and bodies equally, so that kind of relationship works for them. And since magicians shamelessly celebrate sexuality, it’s probably something you’ll see again.”