A Country Falls (Greatest Thief 3)

Chapter Eleven

Slowly and steadily, the combined Ziannan and Navirian armies moved up the coast, reclaiming towns and fishing villages along the way. The knights were put on a continuously rotating schedule of leave. Acen, Joen and the twins had family in West Draulin, making it easy to visit. Mandell's family lived a day's ride from the city, and Jalor and Evrik's families were even further. Tannix spent his days floating between meetings, to private meals with Tairia and their mother, to joining the knights while they sparred or ran through exercises. Everyone was just waiting for orders from Tandrin.

The day orders finally arrived; I was with the knights. Roland had barged into the city in a rush, and Tannix and Lady West Draulin had been drawn into an immediate meeting. Mandell had been on duty and Acen was quickly sent for, leaving the rest of us to sit in the knights' private courtyard and wonder.

I sat, at least. Kor and Ender distracted themselves by sorting through their arrows, all the while talking under their breath about the navy and ship warfare. I would have tried to listen, but in their agitation, they quickly devolved to the type of Crelan jargon that was hard to follow. On the other side of the courtyard, Evrik was repeatedly slamming his biggest axe into a wooden figure. Jalor had disappeared to his room, saying something about writing letters.

When Joen joined me, he was fiddling with a loop of leather around his wrist. Eager for anything to distract me from what was happening, I watched him slip two fingers under the leather and tug on it.

"What's that?"

Joen looked at me, then followed my gaze to his wrist. He smiled. "Oh, my daughter Lylah made it for me." On closer inspection, I could see that it was actually three strips of leather, braided together. "She promised it would bring me good luck."

He was certainly not the only father heading to war, but he was the only one of our knights with children. No, I reminded myself, he wasn't even a knight. He was a blacksmith. "Are you scared?"

Joen raised an eyebrow. "Any sensible person would be. Look at them." He nodded towards the twins, and gestured towards Evrik at the same time. "They're very skilled, and they're scared."

"They don't have as much to lose as you do."

"We have different things to lose," Joen corrected. "If I die, I'll leave Catia and my girls. It's heartbreaking to think about. If one of the twins dies, they'll lose their future. Their ability to have a family, or children. To feel that kind of joy. I'm ten years older than Kor and Ender. Did you know that?"

I knew he was older than all the knights, just not by how much. At twenty-two, the twins were the youngest of the knights. Jalor was much closer to Joen's age. "You're not old."

Joen chuckled. "I know. I just mean that everyone going into the war has something to lose, and something we're trying to protect. Even the Deorans."

I was spared having to think too deeply about his words by Tannix and Acen walking into the courtyard, trailed by Mandell carrying a wooden box. The twins stopped bickering, Evrik stopped killing the target, and Jalor stepped out of his room. In nearly perfect silence, we waited for Tannix to say something.

"Latest reports estimate that the army will reach East Draulin in a week," Tannix said. "Once they're in position, we'll take the navy to meet them. Ideally, taking East Draulin back will go smoothly. Then we'll have to discuss what happens next. Kor, Ender, bring over that other table."

They quietly picked up the table and brought it over to where Joen and I were sitting. With some direction from Tannix, the tables were pressed together to create a larger, square table that would fit all of us. We settled around on the benches, still quiet, and watched Mandell put down the box he was carrying. Tannix reached into it and pulled out two bottles of ale, which he tossed to the twins. As he continued to pass out bottles, it dawned on me what was happening. It was like Tannix sending Acen and Joen to be with their wives, like Acen telling Tannix to celebrate his birthday with his mother and sister, like the knights getting so much time off to travel to their families. This was just another family, another attempt to hold loved ones close for possibly the last time.