Page 83 of The Iron Hex

“Agreed,” Sylvie said. “I’ll report back that Sanders drowned in the lake and that I lost you as a result. I’ll try to catch up later, and if I do, just know I won’t lead them right to you. We need to rely on each other.”

Hugo didn’t need to ask how she’d find them; it was clear she was more than capable of it.

“Thank you,” Eira said.

“If you do lead them to us, I’ll kill you in your sleep,” Hugo said at the same moment.

Sylvie cocked her eyebrow at him. “It wouldn’t be your first time killing a witch, Commander,” she said before turning on her heel. Asha snapped her fingers and three conjured hands, more lifelike than Beatrice ever had been, started to drag the body of Sanders into the lake.

Hugo grabbed Eira’s hand and ran back to the campsite, quickly packing up as Eira shook Evangeline awake—the princess had somehow slept through everything, which Hugo was both incredulous and a little envious of.

They had to hurry now. The Iron Empire knew that they were going to be in Luwha. They needed to get in and out, before more Soulless Knights showed up to finish what they’d started.

41

Rhona

Days flew by unchecked as Rhona worked and searched and worked. Her efforts had been completely futile; there was so much stone in the castle, and she felt overwhelmed, looking up at the top of every single archway she walked through to see if there happened to be a gilded bull atop it. Bulls had never been a sigil of the De Clare dynasty, so Rhona was beginning to question if this archway was even in the castle. The idea of having to search the entirety of Astrad was daunting.

To top it off, she still hadn’t seen Sir Jack. Under normal circumstances, she would have assumed he flamed out, that the fight with the Corisians was too much for him, and so he defected. But something was nagging at Rhona. It didn’t feel right, not for Jack.

As she headed from the barracks to the throne room to speak to the lord general, she worked through the same thoughts she’d been cycling through since she’d broken into Commander Hugo’s office with Maeve: Commander Hugo’s note about Saoirse, prisoners going missing, the same note talking about taking soldiers from the Iron Retinue for whatever theywere doing, and the Corisian talking about soldiers that were alive but not breathing. Rhona didn’t know if the three were connected, but she knew that something wasn’t right, and Sir Jack going missing amid all of it was causing the tension that had settled in the back of her neck to grow only tighter.

If he had been taken—and Rhona felt a pang of guilt for even wondering if the Iron Empire would do something like that—then it was up to Rhona to find him, and that stupid gilded-bull archway.

In the back of her mind, Rhona thought about the letter she’d received from her family that morning, telling her that they needed more coin this month. The crops on their farm had rotted and they had no income to feed her nieces and nephews. Was the Rot that the farms around Astra had been falling plague to the same Rot that Commander Hugo had mentioned in his notes?

She was missing something, and she knew it. She just didn’t know what it was.

Rhona hadn’t been summoned by the lord general, but she did wish to speak with him about his plans for Corisia, and when she needed to have her team ready. She strode into the open door to the lord general’s office and came face-to-face with...notLord General Kerrigan.

“Sir Rhona,” Commander Bartholomew said with an easy smile. “What can I assist you with?”

“Where is Lord General Kerrigan?” Rhona asked without thinking. Did she salute the commander? She was discombobulated.

“Lord General Kerrigan has had to take a brief trip to the north. He left a handful of days ago. There are some issues in the northern townships that need to be quashed. I have been placed in interim control of the Iron Empire until he returns,” the commander said, the long blond hair tied into a tight ponytail at the back of his head swaying as he strode to the map ofAstra. He was wearing his commander’s leathers, but not the lord general’s pin, so the lord generalhadgone somewhere without letting any of his reports know. Was he hiding something? Rhona hated how much she was second-guessing the man who had taken a chance on her.

“Understood, Commander Bartholomew.” Rhona nodded.

“Am I able to help you with anything?” Commander Bartholomew repeated, icy blue eyes boring into hers.

“No, Commander. I was eager to discuss a future plan with the lord general, but it can wait until he returns,” Rhona explained.

“Understood.” Commander Bartholomew nodded. “I heard you performed exceptionally well during the attack on the barracks. That’s the kind of behavior we like to see from our knights.”

“Thank you, Commander. I was merely doing my sworn duty,” Rhona answered, her heart swelling with pride—all she’d ever wanted was to be good at this, to be good at her dream.

All whilst she harbored an illegal witch.

No, whilst sheusedan illegal witch for her own benefit. She wasn’t sure if that made it any better.

“Of course. If that’s all... may the iron in your blood strengthen the iron in your sword.”

“May the iron in your blood strengthen the iron in your sword,” Rhona echoed automatically, her fist to her chest. Rhona, still discombobulated, headed toward the door before remembering that Sir Jack was in Commander Bartholomew’s regiment. Ifanyonewould know where the redheaded lad was, it would be the commander, and Rhona would be able to finally lay her nerves about Sir Jack to rest.

“Oh,” Rhona said, turning to face Commander Bartholomew at the door. “There is one thing.”

The commander nodded for her to continue.