Battlefields: Veil Walkers Book Three

Chapter Two

Denmark, 1387 CE - Deza

The portal collapsed moments after the women emerged. So did Ming Yue. Namid caught her and guided her fall while Keegan knelt on her other side, waiting while she caught her breath.

Deza rushed to Danika, pulling her aside while the others dealt with the matriarch. She turned Danika toward her. "Things are about to get really messy, and I don't mean mud. You're going straight into the bear cage."

"The bear cage?" Danika asked, frowning as she glanced toward the illumination from the camp that outlined the rise near them.

"The queen's tent. You'll have Keegan and Nanami with you, and that's where it gets interesting."

Danika glanced over as Keegan helped Ming Yue rise. "I can handle Queen Margarete. I grew up with her, remember?"

"Yes, but have you dealt with her as an adult? I haven't known you, the real you, for very long now, but I worry that being in the same room with her will trigger some memory that you're not ready to deal with. You can't let it trip you up."

Deza felt something against her hand and looked down to find Nanami holding it.

Danika smiled at the child, and Deza could only hope that Nanami was brave enough to go along with someone she didn't know.

"If such a thing happens, I will deal with it accordingly," Danika replied. "We were taught basic acting skills and often used as spies in conference rooms. I can bluff my way through. I saw many girls presented to the queen and I'll just copy what they did."

Nanami tugged on Deza's hand, so she looked down at the child. "What is it, Nani?"

"Do I speak to the queen, or do I wait until she speaks to me?"

Danika bent to Nanami's level. "You'll wait until I introduce you. Then you treat the queen like you treat your mother. Do you know how to curtsy?"

Nanami shook her head, let go of Deza's hand, and went with Danika, who took the child several steps away. "It's easy. You take the edge of your skirt in each hand and lower yourself a bit."

That left Deza standing alone in the crowd. Always alone, she thought as she tied up her hickory ringlets into a ponytail with a knotted cloth. Others went out of their way to include Cahya, but she was damaged in a different way, an invisible way. Useless in all aspects. Who needed a negotiator when fighting demons? What good was a warrior who was likely to collapse into a seizure mid-battle? The depression tugged at her mind as it always did when she was alone in the crowd.

But then some other emotion crept in. It wasn't her own, not even something she considered. Worry. Intense, nagging worry. How strange. She turned, watching the little groups they split into as they discussed strategy, trying to identify the source.

Sumiko had joined Danika and Nanami, giving both a pep talk. Astrid spoke with Namid and Keegan, worrying over their energy expenditure. Ming Yue knelt with one hand on the ground, searching for the nodes in the area, while Irem stood over her, scanning the horizon with her visor.

She wanted to be useful somehow. She was here, at least. She could wield a weapon, and so long as she was with Galen, she should be able to put up a decent fight. Turning toward the embankment, she found Galen standing a few feet away, tilting his head at her.

"You're uncertain." He whispered.

Suddenly, she recognized the emotion she felt. "And you're worried."

He closed the distance and took her hands in his. "Don't fret so. We will be fine." He tucked an errant ringlet behind her ear. "We are as one, remember that."