Glothnafar followed Jellihondor and Rethnaki to the stream outside of camp glancing back to make sure that they had not been followed. Rethnaki was more agitated than the centaur had ever seen him, clearly a sign that the young elf was quite worried about something. Rethnaki paced back and forth quickly, his brow furrowed, mouth drawn tight. He made a small noise of irritation and loosely braided his curly red hair to keep it from getting in his face and eyes.
“Wha’s this abou’ an ambush, Naki?” Jellihondor asked quietly, standing still and tall, giving the appearance of being absolutely unflappable. This worried Glothnafar even more than Rethnaki’s nervousness – he had only seen the aged elf commander stand with such formal composure when he was at his most frightened.
Rethnaki handed Jellihondor a small sheaf of papers, and Glothnafar skimmed the contents over Jellihondor’s shoulder. The Imperial Army had discovered their coordinates and were going to attack them in five days time – certainly not the best news they could have received, but certainly not the worst either. Glothnafar, perplexed, looked at the still pacing elf. “Rethnaki, the fact that the Queen’s army knows about us and is planning to attack us is indeed unsettling, but according to these documents, we have more than enough time to get through the gate to safety. What has you so worried? Is there reason to believe that these documents are suspect in some way?”
Rethnaki shook his head. “No, Glothnafar, they’re from Goldfinch and he said they’re confirmed. O’ course, there’s always a chance tha’ they’re false, so we should get t’rough ta gate as quick as we can, but I’ve no particular reason ta be mistrustful,” His voice still agitated, and his gestures betraying a deeply seated discomfort. Glothnafar could see that something had shaken the young elf deeply. The deep sense of foreboding Glothnafar had been grappling with since his dark realization a few nights before grew stronger in the face of Rethnaki’s intuitions.
“Aye, we should. Naki, I’d recommend movin’ ta troops back t’rough ta gate at dawn,” said Jellihondor evenly.
Rethnaki shook his head. “No, no, we should leave now. We shouldn’ waste time,” he said in a slightly panicked voice.
Jellihondor took Rethnaki gently by the shoulders and looked closely at him. “Lad, ye’ve not stopped since ye left, ha’e ye?” Rethnaki, slightly embarrassed, shook his head. “Not e’en ta eat an’ sleep?”
“We ate while we walked,” Rethnaki responded in a quiet voice.
“Lad, at least give yerself tonigh’ ta rest. How can ye lead us if ye keep bringin’ yerself ta ta point o’ exhaustion?” Jellihondor asked in a slightly chiding tone. Rethnaki gave Jellihondor a probing look and finally relented, agreeing to move everyone back through the strange mountain gate the next day.
Jellihondor patted Rethnaki’s cheek affectionately and turned to leave, but Glothnafar could see that the young elf’s unease had not totally faded. “Tell us everything Rethnaki,” he said in his deep, booming voice.
“No, ‘tis not importan’,” he said sheepishly.
Glothnafar gave him a dark look. “You have no right to withhold information from us, especially at so delicate a time.”
Rethanki blanched under the centaur’s powerful gaze. “Well, it seems tha’ news o’ ta prophecy has leaked somehow. Ta bards knew abou’ ‘tit, an’ I ha’e no idea how they found out. An’ one o’ them told Glodfinch, so it seems ta me like ‘tis only a matter o’ time until ta Imperial spies there catch a whiff o’ it, if they ha’en’ already.”
Jellihondor’s head whipped around wearing a wide-eyed look of fear. “How much do they know?”
“As much as me meself,” Rethnaki responded in a quavering voice.
Jellihondor fretted, mumbling to himself while he tried to determine how more widespread news of the prophecy would affect the Rebels. Glothnafar, however, remained unruffled, knowing that as long as he was destined to die that the prophecy would come to fruition.
“Rethnaki,” he said, stepping forward and laying a great, dark hand on the elf’s thin shoulder, “you should know the whole prophecy.” Jellihondor began to disagree quite vehemently, but Glothnafar waved off his protestations with his massive hand.
“No, Glothnafar, Jelli’s righ’! Don’ tell me anymore, I can’ keep me damn mouth shut an’ it’ll only lead ta trouble,” Rethnaki said in a strangled-sounding voice.
“No, it is right that you, of all of us, should know. It will take forces much larger than your inability to lie to derail it,” Glothnafar said with a warm smile, and a slight chuckle. He knew that behind him Jellihondor was making an awful face, totally convinced that the centaur was making a grave mistake, but he did not care. “Rethanki, the human leader is Jarthen.”
Rethnaki gasped, totally shocked, his mind reeling. “Our Jarthen? The boy? Tha’s what ye had ta confirm wit’ ta Oracle?” he asked in genuine disbelief.
Glothnafar nodded. “Protect him, Naki. Whatever else happens, watch over him. You are one of the very few the lad listens to,” He said with a look of wistful melancholy, as a tear welled up in the corner of his right eye.
When he reached the humble outpost, Bertronius banged vigorously on the door, which was quickly opened by Jeran, Atelon’s attaché.
"I need to see Sir Atelon," Bertronius said commandingly.
Jeran gave him a hard look, but let him in the door without a word of protest. Without waiting for the young man to lead him in, Bertronius strode straight up to Scrudton's door, and, after a brisk knock, opened the door.
Sir Atelon, who was apparently in the midst of a conversation with Ambrose Pearson, greeted Bertronius warmly nevertheless. "Ahh, Bertronius! I was just chatting with...is something the matter? You do not look well, young man." Pearson, for his part, gazed at the young spy with the detached curiosity that typified his ironic demeanor.
Bertronius paused for a moment to collect himself before answering. During the hours he had spent searching for McNab, he had had plenty of time to compose his thoughts, and knew exactly what he needed to tell his commanding officer. "Sir, I have strong reason to believe that there are rebel forces in the area," he said, and was pleasantly surprised by how confident he sounded.
Pearon smirked, but remained silent, while Scrudton's typically genial expression grew grave in an instant. "How do you know this? What have you found out?" Bertronius noticed that his moustache gave an involuntary twitch as he waited for him to respond. Bertronius retold everything that had led him to his conclusion, making sure to include every single detail: the note, the bribe, Eralus's drunken confessions, and the mysterious Starling who seemed to somehow be at the center of things.
"I'm afraid that I don't know where they are exactly, but, given that Lem and Nel apparently spotted Starling at the Blushing Loaf just a few days ago, I don't think they can be that far from the city," Bertronius said in conclusion.
Scrudton, who had been taking detailed notes as Bertronius spoke, put down his quill and took a deep breath. "Bert, this is excellent information. I fear, however, that we will have little chance of catching them without some idea of where these scoundrels are," he said delicately.
Bertronius felt his heart sink at this discouraging news, but Pearson, having remained silent during Bertronius's report, now coughed loudly to get their attention. "I think that I might be able to fill some of the gaps in young Worthis' story," Peirson said, his usual heavy Fethilian drawl conspicuously absent.
Scrudton and Bertronius turned to him in some surprise, clearly forgetting for the moment that the enigmatic man had been sitting with them for the entirety of their conversation. "What do you mean Pearson?" Scrudton asked excitedly.
"I heard word from one of my sources near the mountains east of town that there's a group of suspicious looking travelers who have been haunting the hills for the last few days."
"How do you know that they're rebels? Couldn't they just be travelers or common criminals?" Bertronius asked without thinking.
Pearson gave him a long suffering, exasperated look, before answering. "Well if you weren't so impatient, Worthis, I could get to the point. It's a little known fact, at least among the Elothninians, that there's some sort of magickal gate just east of the city – about a day's ride, if you’re quick that is," he said pointedly.
"And you are sure that these are Bert's rebels?" Scrudton asked.
"Sir, I would bet upon it," he said, a sudden intensity flaring in his eyes. “Who else would they be?”
"Well, gentlemen, I think that now is the time to act! Jeran! Send a rider to the garrison with this note," Scrudton said handing a hastily written slip of paper to his attache. "Make sure they send Pembleton and the Black Diamonds – we can't afford mistakes on this one."
There was a palpable tension in the air that night as the rebels sat around their campfire in the failing light of the late afternoon. Rethnaki’s brusque return had set a tone of uneasiness and confusion, which had only intensified when he had lead Jellihondor and Glothnafar off into the looming darkness.
Now that they had returned, Jarthen could see that all eyes were pinned to Rethnaki, who was sitting very close to the human boy and attempting to eat a quick dinner in as inconspicuous a manner as possible. The air was still and quiet, broken here and there only by the crackle of the fire, the chirping of crickets, or the clank of Rethanki’s spoon against his plate.
He finished his meal, cast a wary look at Jarthen out of the corner of his eye, and cleared his throat. Ta Witch-Queen an’ her lot know we’re here,” he said in a firm, measured voice. “I’m not sure how they found out or when, but one o’ me source ha’e given me their attack plans.” Jarthen gasped at the news and watched as several other rebels’ eyes grew wide with apprehension. “They’re set ta pounce on us in five days’ time, which gives us enough time ta go back t’rough ta gate in safety.” Rethnaki turned to Moshel, asking “Can ye get us back t’rough it, ye t’ink?” The silver elf nodded confidently.
Rethnaki sighed, and Jarthen felt his comrade’s weariness as if it were his own. “Get a good night’s sleep, friends, tomorra we venture back t’rough ta Klevarcht Mountains. Sleep, but keep one eye open, fer if we’ve learned not’in’ in ta last 200 odd years, ‘tis tha’ ta Queen is as clever an’ ruthless as they come.” Jarthen thought he saw Rethnaki give him a very strange look as he silently returned to his meal.
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