Page 191 of War Queen
And the colors of the flag of the kingdom that had fallen to Lucien in the vision.
Her heart jumped to her throat, and she ripped open the parchment to find the words she feared.
“I thought the Aleon messenger brought word that Rael was marching to attack Eilor,” she said to Bhastian, her voice shaking.
He nodded. “That’s right. And your Northmen are headed there now.”
She shook her head. “King Tagasi says that Rael just marched a path of destruction through Osan. Osan has fallen. Now Rael is headed toward Bahoul and will attack from the west.” The opposite direction of Aleon.
She clutched the letter tightly in her hand, a horror washing over her. “Lucien’s marching on Bahoul. And Mikael’s all alone.”
Bhastian shifted. “Salar only has a quarter of the Kharavian army in Bahoul. Katya holds the rest in the Canyonlands, waiting.”
Her heart jumped to her throat. They’d been tricked.She swallowed as sickness filled her stomach. “Lucienisattacking Kharav first. And tricked us into leaving Mikael vulnerable.”
“Bahoul is a fortress,” Bhastian tried to assure her. “Salar can hold against a much larger army.”
“Against the entire army of Rael?” For months escaped slaves from all kingdoms had been flocking to Rael. It was now the largest army in the world. Larger than Phillip’s legendary hundred thousand.
He didn’t need to say it. She saw her answer in his eyes.
“We need to get you to Mercia,” Titus said.
Her eyes blazed. “I’m not going to Mercia. I’m going to get my army. Then I’m going get my husband.”
Soren drew his brows together as he stood beside Phillip and Adrian and looked out across the waiting ranks of Japheth and Rael. “A fake army?”
“At least Rael’s,” Adrian said. “We haven’t seen the same on the Japheth side.”
Cohen stepped up beside him.Something’s not right about Rael, he said.
Soren pulled down his wrap so the boy could read his mouth. “That’s what we’re talking about.”
Adrian chuckled. “He’s good. Took me two days before I noticed it.”
Soren turned his eyes back to the horizon. A fake army? How was that possible? Adrian was a clever man—perhaps the cleverest he’d ever known. He wanted to trust him, but it just sounded like madness, like…witchcraft.
Soren stilled. “He has a witch.”
Phillip’s brows creased. “What?”
“The Blood King. He has a witch. That has to be how he’s doing it.”
Phillip stared back out at the armies. “Why would Rael show up with a fake army?”
“It would explain why they haven’t attacked yet,” Adrian said.
A worrisome thought came to Soren. “I’d show up with a fake army if I wanted to create a diversion.” His worry pitted itself deeper. A diversion that would take him away from Mikael. His pulse quickened.
Phillip frowned. “Gregor’s army seems real enough, though. And he’d never show up on his own against me with a fake ally.”
“Unless he doesn’t know,” Adrian said. “Maybe that’s why they’re separate. Easier to keep the ruse.”
Phillip lifted a brow and tipped his head to the side in agreement with the possibility.
Soren’s heart beat faster. “If this is a diversion, I need to knownow. It would mean Rael isn’t here, and I’d need to get the Northern army back to Salar as quickly as I can.”
“We could attack,” Adrian said. “If it’s witchery, and not real, it will only be Gregor. We could take Japheth. That could leave Rael to stand alone and us with more of an advantage.”
