Page 81 of A Tempest of Intrigue
“We’re not there yet, but I have a feeling war is coming sooner than we would like,” I said. “Hopefully, we can gather more amsirah and weapons before then. I’ve discovered my father’s weapons room, which could be helpful to us if we can get in and out quickly, but I can’t steal from him now; his guards would notice.”
“Breaking into his weapons room could end your existence,” Ianto said.
“I’ve survived too much for that to be what ends me.”
“Oh, you’re right; arrogance has never gotten anyone killed.”
I shot him a look, but the giant wasn’t grinning like he normally did. Instead, he remained troubled and far less joyful than usual.
“We have five different swordsmiths making weapons now,” Tucker said. “We couldn’t order any more without drawing attention to ourselves, but they’re each in different towns. We’ve sent different amsirah to place each order, but those orders still only equal thirty swords.”
“That’s more than we have,” I said.
“But if the rumors are true, those swordsmiths might be at the palace now, which means our orders are on hold.”
“Has anyone gone back to check on them?”
“No. We were told it would be at least a month for some orders and longer for others; there’s no reason for us to return yet.”
I rubbed my stubble-lined jaw as I pondered this. “Are they still making bows and arrows in the camp?”
“Yes, and staffs,” Ianto answered.
“We need mail and armor.”
“That’s beyond our expertise here, but we can create makeshift protection from trees and other things we gather in the forest. It’s not perfect, but it will help,” Tucker said.
“Good. How are the coffers looking?” I asked.
“After this new round of purses, we’re down to about a third of what we stole.”
I pondered this as I considered my father’s immense weapons room. It was empty, and no one was around when I first discovered it, which meant there were times when I could open a portal inside.
Even if I could take some weapons without anyone noticing, they wouldn’t be enough. A big robbery was what we needed for that room, but I’d have to spend a lot of time hiding in my father’s castle and learning when the guards came and went.
It would also have to be when I was ready to reveal I’d been plotting against my father. Only two amsirah could open a portal into that room; once I did so and stole his weapons, my father would know it was me.
Until then, we could have more weapons made and gather more amsirah for our cause. “How many more encampments is Farley taking us to?” I inquired.
“He said the other day that he keeps finding new ones. Some of them only house one or two amsirah, but there are three big ones left,” Tucker answered.
After we finished going to those campsites, I’d have more time to learn about the weapons rooms. “Okay, we’ll keep working on weapons and soldiers. It’s been slow going, but we’re moving forward.”
“Does your father plan to kill any more children?” Ianto asked.
“He may not have plans for it right now, but I’m sure he will,” I answered honestly.
Ianto scowled as he shifted his attention to the woods. There was little left to see out there as night had descended on the forest.
“He’s a dick,” Ianto muttered.
“You’ll never hear me argue that.”
“Come on, we should get some dinner,” Tucker said tiredly.
I glanced at the sky again. Work at the manor was still taking up a lot of Ellery’s time, but she was usually here by now.
Normally, I wouldn’t worry; she sometimes arrived later, but Gaius might have returned. I wasn’t going to leave her alone with that monster.
