Into the Realm

Chapter Seven: The Failed Battle at the Border

"I lied."

Snow's big brown eyes reflected the moonlight. Her face, illuminated by the brightness from above, was suddenly twisted with emotions. They were taught by Cinder to be made of stone when they visited the Leader; the idea behind this was that there were no emotions in war. It was flawed thinking, Red had to admit, but it certainly made delivering bad news easier. There were definitely emotions in war--especially in rebellion. But those emotions centered around anger, desperation; there was no place for sadness, according to Cinder, because there will always be sadness in the Realm. The Rebels could fix oppression, she would say, but despondency could never be mended.

In front of her, Snow's lip quivered and her eyes suddenly swam with tears, confirming Red's suspicions. Red knew something had happened in the battle; she knew there was something else that Snow wasn't letting Cinder know about. It was only a matter of time before Snow would spill everything to her.

Red crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, trying to appear stoic in a way that would make Cinder proud, but no amount of play acting could stop the knot of dread that was starting to form in her stomach. Cinder may be the hardened soldier, but Red still remembered how to feel. She rolled her shoulders back and expected the worst.

"About what?"

Red pulled on Snow's hand to try and move her along quickly, trying her best to shake off the fact that her voice shook more than a rickety horse-drawn cart. She marched along through the camp, passing by tents and a few early risers (or perhaps they were night owls? who knew) with the Wolf trotting along at her heels. Snow had no choice but to follow her and, with a high trill of her voice, a bird flew down from a nearby tree and situated itself on her shoulder.

The campsite, home to a few hundred or so rebels, was in a secluded part of the forest in the valley of the Albertous Mountains. Pine trees were the homes to fairies and other Animals. The rebels lived in hollowed-out oaks (for they were almost thicker than the mountains themselves and could house up to three people) and a few rebels slept in the branches in small tree houses, mostly the winged people. Yet other rebels lived in tents, just like the Leaders, though theirs were smaller and tended to blend in more. There was even a lake nearby where mermaids and other water-dwellers lived; they kept mostly to themselves and spoke Aquan, the language of water-dwellers.

The rebels made sure to keep the camp as civilized as possible. They had their own blacksmith (a strong and scarred man by the name of Alexie) and cook (the hare who lost to the tortoise, who coincidentally shared the cooking with the hare). A woman was in charge of distributing clothes. There was a man by the name of Charm who was in charge of sword training. The Magic-Users cast protective spells around the camp to try their best and keep the perimeter hidden from the Silver warriors.

Everyone had their place within this secluded society. The rebels had a well-organized camp, with people's talents being their point of action. But it was no matter if they had specific jobs that showcased their abilities, jobs that encouraged for the rebels to hone in on their crafts and excel at what they did: the camp was not their home, and every creature who lived in hiding deeply wished to return to their homes and families. Red included.

Snow sighed and gently tugged on Red's hand, stopping her from continuing through the forest. The Wolf crashed into Red and she accidentally stepped on his foot. She turned back to Snow, who took in a deep breath. A line appeared between her brows as she raised her chin a fraction of an inch. Red knew this look: it was Snow's announcement face, and her serious announcement face at that. Red's pulse quickened a few paces.

"We lost a few more people to the Silver Queen."

"What?"

This can't be. Red's heart plummeted to her stomach. There was no way that was true. That it could be true. Why would Snow say such a thing? Was this all a joke?