46

Reinhardt was not in great shape. He was lying on the ground, wrapped in a blanket with a bundled up coat tucked under his head as a pillow, and even in the cold, I could see sweat dotting his forehead. His skin looked pale in the twilight, but he smiled when he saw Gaea and I approaching.

"Well, look who it is," he said in a tired voice. "Back from the dead, I see. When Mirisa said that you were here, I thought she was playing some cruel joke on me."

"Nope," I said, kneeling down beside him. "I'm here, in the flesh. It takes more than a few clumsy fools with swords to stop me."

"How in the world did you get away? You never returned to Raven Rock."

I gave Reinhardt and Gaea a quick summary of the events since I had been taken prisoner. Meeting Falx, escaping into the snowstorm, finding shelter and spending the night in the wilderness, and then my trip to Thirsk. I left out my encounter with the spriggan, as I had done with Skjoldr. Some parts of the story were just too strange to believe.

"That's incredible," Gaea said, looking at me with something approaching awe.

"I was lucky," I admitted. "Very lucky."

"You know, I told Gaea something of your personal history," Reinhardt said.

"Yes, she told me."

"But don't worry," he added with an exaggerated wink. "I didn't give her all the details. You can fill in the rest by yourself."

"Well, thanks for that," I said with a lopsided smile.

Just then, Mirisa and one of the other female Cult members came over, and Mirisa lit up when she saw me, and ran over to embrace me. "Sasha, they told me that you –"

"I know, I know," I said. "It was all a big misunderstanding, I'm afraid. How are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm doing okay. I'm still pretty weak, but there are a lot of people worse off than me. I've been taking care of the other wounded, like Reinhardt. The wounded soldiers are being cared for by others right now. We're going to start a bunch of campfires all around here to keep everyone warm. It's going to be a very long night."

"Yes, it certainly will be."

Off to our left, the fort was still ablaze. A few people looked up at the inferno mournfully, but for the most part, everyone ignored it and focused on the matter at hand. Without shelter, they would have to stay out here all night, and that meant starting up some fires and finding whatever food was still available. They would have to wait for the fire to burn out completely before they could even begin sorting through the wreckage for any supplies they could salvage. It was not just going to be a long night, it was going to be a long couple of days until they got temporary shelters built. It was anyone's guess how long it would take to rebuild the fort, so those temporary shelters might have to do for a very long time.

We could hear Cavorian shouting in the distance, and Gaea said, "Looks like it's time to go."

"You're going after them?" Reinhardt asked.

"Yes, we're leaving soon."

"I wish I could come with you."

"Is that so?" I chuckled. "If I remember correctly, last time you were very much against going anywhere with me."

"Perhaps I've had a change of heart."

I laughed and bent over to touch the side of his face. "You take care of yourself, Reinhardt. I'll be back before you know it."

"I bet you will. It would take an army to stop you, I think."

"You got that right."

Gaea and I ran over to Cavorian as he barked more orders. Half of the men carried torches to light the way, and Gaea accepted one herself. Oil lamps would have been more practical, but they were all inside the burning buildings.

"Are you coming, sir?" she asked.

"Damn right I am," Cavorian snarled. "We have things under control here, for now. We have to move quickly. I think that they won't be heading all the way back to their hideout, they'll probably go for Raven Rock now that the place is abandoned."

"What did the prisoners tell you?"

"Nothing of value. I would execute them all for treason right now if I had the authority. For now they'll sit in chains until we get word from the mainland."

All around me, the Legion soldiers slid swords into scabbards and fit their helmets onto their heads. I could see the light of vengeance in their eyes. I could recognize the feeling in myself. They were angry and eager to head off to avenge their fallen comrades, regardless of the dangers. Skjoldr and his men were already halfway to the treeline by the shore, going on ahead to locate tracks of the retreating mercenaries.

For my own part, I was absolutely exhausted. My legs felt weak from trudging through the snow all day, and I had only had one small meal in Thirsk before coming here. I needed some food and some long rest. The very last thing I wanted to do was go marching through the woods again in search of another battle. Pretty soon, I was going to be too tired to be much use in a fight anyway.

Cavorian glared at me. "You're coming too, I suppose."

"Of course I am," I said immediately.