32

"What in the hell are you doing here?" I hissed. "Where have you been? You abandoned me, you jerk!"

Reinhardt shook his head and slowly stood up, wiping his brow. "It's a long story, Sasha. I'm sorry I left you back in Thirsk, but I didn't really have a choice."

"And why not?"

"They chased me out," he said testily. "I told you they didn't like me there. And we have more important things to worry about right now, in case you hadn't noticed."

Gaea hadn't even noticed Reinhardt was there because she was so intent on listening to the Legion soldier, but when she saw him she burst out, "Red-Spear! What are you doing here?"

"That's what I want to know," I said, glaring at him.

"It doesn't matter!" he shouted back. "We have seven injured people here, and if some of them don't get proper medical attention soon, they are going to die! We don't have any food or supplies of any kind!"

Gaea instructed her men to hand over the supplies we had brought, although they didn't amount to much. The people at Raven Rock hadn't had anything to eat since dinner the night before, and they quickly ate the small amount of food we had brought with us. We had a few healing potions, and Reinhardt made quick use of them as well, applying them to the most seriously wounded. Gaea ordered the men to take a look around the compound for anything else they might be able to salvage. Blankets, torches, anything that might help.

One of the survivors, a portly little man with thinning hair, looked up at me as I tried to make myself useful. "Ah, I remember you," he said in a tired voice. "I guess that message you gave me turned out to be true after all ..."

I didn't know what he was talking about at first, and I thought maybe he was hallucinating. But then I realized with a start that it was none other than Falco Galenus, the manager of the mining operation. I had met him when Gaea and I had come to Raven Rock a few days earlier.

"Shh, Falco," Reinhardt said, putting his hand on the man's shoulder. "Don't try to talk, just lie still. You're going to be okay, but you have to stay still and don't move."

"Yes," Falco whispered, closing his eyes. "Yes, thank you."

"How are we going to get these people to safety?" I asked. "We can't just carry them all the way back to Frostmoth."

"We'll have to build a sled or a litter or something," Reinhardt said as he tucked Falco in a thick blanket. "Or we can find a mage who can teleport them, but somehow I don't think we'll be that lucky."

The Legion soldiers returned with a few items, but nothing very useful. Some tools and a few weapons, but they did find some hard bread and dried fruits inside the mining office. They gathered some more firewood and started up two more campfires to keep the survivors warm, while Gaea tried to decide what to do next.

She pulled two of her soldiers aside and said, "You two have to go back to the fort right now and tell the Captain what happened. He has to send more men here right away, and some way to get the wounded back to the fort."

"But we don't know the way," one of them said.

"Just follow our tracks in the snow, they'll lead you right back. I can't go with you, I have to stay here."

"Yes, ma'am. We'll bring back help before it gets dark, we promise."

They ran off and Gaea sighed wearily, rubbing her eyes. For someone who didn't want to be in charge, I thought she was doing a pretty good job so far, and I told her so. She didn't react at first, but then she thanked me gently. I could see how upset she was, but she was holding it in because she was in command, and her soldiers needed her to be strong.

"Reinhardt," she said, walking over to him. "Do you know anything about what happened here?"

"I'm sorry," he said, "but I got here after it was all over. I found the whole place in flames, and just did my best to help the ones who were still alive."

"Just like at the fort," Gaea said softly.

"Yeah," he said with a short nod. "Just like at the fort."

"Have you been awake all night?"

"I slept for a few hours right before dawn." He gestured at the Legion soldiers. "These men are some of the reinforcements they sent?"

"Yes, they arrived yesterday morning. Our new Captain is Lucius Cavorian."

"I think I've heard of him," Reinhardt said vaguely. He was lying and I knew it.

I interrupted them and said, "He doesn't think that Nords are responsible for the attack, which is a good thing. But we still don't know who is, and unless we get some kind of evidence, it might not make a difference."

"I know," Reinhardt said.

"They must have left tracks behind," Gaea said. "We can find them now, follow them right to their hideout."

"We need more men," Reinhardt insisted. "The force that attacked here was at least fifty men, and that might not have been all of them. We have less than ten. We can't go running after them or we'll all be killed."

"Well, I don't know about you," I said, "but I'm sure as hell going after them. You can come with me if you like."

"Don't be stupid," Reinhardt snapped, getting frustrated. "You're not the only one here who wants revenge. I spent a lot of time here, I knew some of those miners. They were friends of mine. I want to track down their killers more than you do, but we can't just run off after them without a plan!"

"I have a plan," I said, drawing my sword. "This is my plan right here."

"Stop it!" Gaea ordered. "This isn't getting us anywhere!"

The guards heard her, and then suddenly everyone was paying attention to us. Dannus and the other soldiers came over, not wanting to be left out of the loop.

"What do you suggest?" Reinhardt asked Gaea. "You're in command here, it's your decision to make."

"We can't all go after them," Gaea said. "Some of us have to stay here and wait for the Captain to send more men. But," she added, "I think that maybe sending a few people to follow the tracks sounds like a good idea."

"For what purpose?" Reinhardt asked.

"To gather information, to see just what we're actually dealing with. Follow the tracks and see where they go, maybe you can sneak up on them and spy on them. Maybe find out who they actually are."

"Yeah, Reinhardt," I said. "You should be used to spying on people by now."

He glared at me, clenching his teeth, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Instead, he turned to Gaea and asked carefully, "Who exactly do you want to send?"

Gaea didn't answer, but merely turned to look at me.

"I'm going," I said. "I can't just sit around here and do nothing."

Gaea nodded, but she had a pained look on her face. "I can't go myself," she said. "I have to stay here."

"I'll go," Dannus volunteered. "I can't let the little lady go by herself."

"Why, thank you," I said sarcastically.

Gaea just shook her head. "No, you all have to stay. You're not as familiar with the landscape here, not as familiar with the weather. If anyone goes and they do find out where our enemies are hiding, they need to be able to sneak in and out silently. We would stick out like a sore thumb in our armor."

"Just a small number of people," I suggested. "Maybe just two."

Gaea nodded. "Maybe."

Reinhardt closed his eyes and groaned in frustration, shaking his head. Opening his eyes, he cast an angry glance at me and then looked at Gaea. "You want me to go, don't you?"

"I'm asking you," she clarified. "Nobody knows this island better than you do, Reinhardt. You and Sasha are the best prepared to track these men, and you know it. I can't send Legion soldiers, but I can send you."

"This is a bad idea," he warned her.

"I don't think we have a choice."

"Come on, Reinhardt," I said mockingly. "You and me make a great team. Besides, if things get dangerous, you can just run off like you did last time."

His arm snapped up and he pointed at me threateningly. "You're pushing your luck, you little brat! You want to run and play hero and get yourself killed? You think you're invincible? You want to go take on an entire army all by yourself? Be my guest!"

"Reinhardt, please," Gaea said.

"Fine!" he snapped. "I'll do it, I'll go and stick my neck out. But if we aren't back by dark, don't bother searching for us, cause it means we're both dead."

Gaea said nothing more, she gave us one last pained look and walked off. The Legion soldiers followed her lead, since they didn't know either me or Reinhardt very well anyway, there was nothing for them to say. Dannus, however, gave me a supportive nod and a smile before he headed off.

I looked at Reinhardt and gave him a smile that would have cracked ice. "Looks like it's you and me, again. I'm really looking forward to it."

"I should have never gotten involved with you. You're going to get me killed," he spat. "You're going to get us both killed."

"You don't have to come with me. I'll do this on my own if I have to."

"And if you do find them by yourself? What then?"

I held up my sword again. "Then I'll give them what they deserve."

"They'll slaughter you."

"They can try. At least I'll go out in a blaze of glory."

"You're insane."

I shrugged. "Maybe a little bit. I do take after my father, after all."

"Why are you doing this?" he asked desperately. "Are you really that determined to get killed in battle? Is revenge really the only thing that matters to you?"

I shrugged and casually swung my sword back and forth in my hand. "Revenge. Justice. They're the same thing, aren't they?"