Chapter 53

Preparations Karn rose with the sun and spent all morning preparing with Lieutenant Hart and his men. By the midday, he was ready to reveal the details of his new strategy, a plan that required subterfuge, guile, and a lot of luck.

Shoulder to shoulder, in a tight circle with his men, Karn began to sketch his plan in the earth with the tip of his sword.

“We leave Kel Tora and race toward Mustaffa’s army, which by now should be marching in our direction.”

Three of the veterans in Lieutenant Hart’s squad hooted a short cheer before Karn continued.

“Here we are.” He pointed with his sword. “Here are the Kel Tora’s watchtowers. Beyond the watchtowers is a tree line that spreads far across the valley. There are many breaks in the forest, but only one large enough to fit an entire army through. To one side of that is a steep rise. I believe that Mustaffa will funnel his troops through there, instead of climbing the hill.”

Karn carved an X in the ground.

“This is where we’ll infiltrate Mustaffa’s army.” Karn looked up from the crude map. “One advantage we have is the lack of consistency in Mustaffa’s soldiers’ uniform. The ranks wear patch-worked and salvaged armor. Some wear full Weiden’s Rise mail and I assume by now they may even carry Joa’Ta’s and Maulen’s royal crest. That being said, we’ll need to blend in by wearing armor other than our own. We ride with them the remainder of the day and we attack at night, right within their ranks.”

Lieutenant Hart stepped from the circle to the dirt map. “When they camp, we’ll set fires, and cause as much damage as possible. We must act as fast as we can. Every move matters.”

“If we succeed, Kel Tora should have enough time to move its army here.” Karn pointed to a spot on the dirt map. “Our goal is to distract the enemy, break their lines, and kill as many officers as possible.”

Another holler rose from the group.

“If the enemy is unable to get the majority of their army through the forest to the plains, Duke Essex may have a chance.”

“Even with the aid of three neighboring elven tribes and farmers from two northern villages, we’re still outnumbered three to one,” Lieutenant Hart added. “So we need to get this done right.”

“Who better than this group of men to achieve the impossible?”

The soldiers cheered. Karn knew he had their respect. While he listened to the soldiers’ celebration, Karn felt a deep sense of regret. Hart’s unit is made up of good men, all of whom I could be responsible for leading straight to their deaths. Why should a fisherman believe he’s capable of leading soldiers into battle? If they knew who I was, they would no doubt have me hung.

Karn remembered what Tala had said last night: I am what my actions speak. She best be right.

“Sir, is there any way we can sneak oil into the camp? Perhaps if we brought enough oil, we might be able to create a wall of fire,” one of Hart’s soldiers suggested.

“Great idea. Each man will carry two water skins, one filled with water and the other with oil,” Lieutenant Hart ordered.

“Good then.” Karn congratulated them on their hard work and sent them on their way. He did not want to risk having any one of them see the doubt that was in his heart.

“Dismissed!” Lieutenant Hart echoed Karn’s order before he headed off into town himself.

***

Karn returned to his room in the Kel Tora castle to prepare for the formal dinner Duke Essex hosted. Sweat moistened his brow and soaked his armpits. The way his heart raced, he would have thought tonight was the battle, not a party.

Karn paced the room until a knock rattled his mind and the door. When he opened it, he found a young guard who looked as anxious as he felt. The guard delivered an armful of packages from the ever-gracious duke.

The leather bags contained formal attire from Essex’s personal collection, tailored to perfection for Karn. I guess this is what I’m going to wear to the celebration. In one bag was a new set of first-rate leather boots. In all his life, Karn could not recall ever seeing a finer pair. This a very special gift. I hope I’m worth it.

Karn dressed quickly. As he laced his boots, Tala entered, adorned in another of the duke’s presents: a gorgeous gown, no doubt made of the best fabrics. The gown was so bright white and pristine that it shimmered even in the dimly lit room.

The white dress flowed down her legs like the waves that caress the south shores, and the neckline revealed just enough of her cleavage to shock the stiff upper-class women. Karn smiled. Tala loves this. I’ve never seen her so happy. He watched her spin around on one toe. She’s showing off and she should—she looks amazing.

“So, what do you think?” Tala ran to the mirror and pulled her hair over her head. “Should I wear my hair up, like a human noble woman would?”

“Well—” Karn began.

“Or down like an elf?” Tala interrupted, in a hurry back to Karn.

“I think you should wear it up tonight, so you can show off your new necklace,” Karn said.

“What new necklace?”

“The one I bought you this afternoon.”

Tala ran back to Karn and tackled him in an embrace that was so tight it squeezed the breath out of him. He worked an arm free and slid his hand under the bedsheets where he had hidden a pearl necklace. He held it up to her so they both could admire its exquisite shine.

“Since your tradition is to give your mate a necklace, I thought you might appreciate this.”

“Pearls? Only nobles own pearl necklaces,” Tala whispered, eyes wide, clearly shocked by the gift.

“During training today, I reflected on what you said last night,” Karn explained. “The more I thought about it, the more I realized you were right. My past is either dead or full of memories I cannot trust. I refuse to dwell on it any longer. Yesterday, I believed I was only capable of hate, but that’s not true. Since we met, I have felt true love.”

Karn instructed Tala to sit upright so he could put the necklace on her. With the words just out of his mouth, she jumped to her feet, spun around, and dropped herself onto his lap.

“Where do you get all this energy?” he asked.

Once he hooked the necklace around her neck, she dashed off to the mirror to look.

“I am so beautiful!”

Karn laughed harder than he expected in that moment of high anxiety.

Tala turned serious. “Do you think Duke Essex and everyone else will accept me?”

“Of course. He sent you this beautiful gown, didn’t he?”

“Yes.” Tala’s eyes shimmered.

“Are we good?”

“We are great.”

“Good, then. We should finish readying ourselves for dinner.”