Half of them said no right away and the other half shot her looks that clearly meant the same thing. She set the bowl in her lap, daring to meet the eye of anyone who offered theirs. “We don’t even know the layout of Kessoku’s main base. We have a tiny amount of information that Tempest learned before Wendy brought her back to us, but that only tells us about the outside of the base. We need intel on the inside before we can attempt to rescue the prisoners. Where else can we get that information but from someone in the city?”
Rio and Wendy’s mouths hung open as if unable to think of a retort. That wouldn’t last. Tempest actually nodded with the ghost of a grin forming, but she always like plans that involved action. Fyra had found her seat and stared deep into her soup bowl, perhaps waiting to see what everyone else would say.
One member of the group was not quieted by her words. Claye rested one hand on his knee and leaned forward. “Kessoku has had that base for decades. I think we can safely assume every person in town is on Kessoku’s side.”
“Not every person.” Talise shoved a spoonful of the tasteless soup into her mouth to give off the illusion of casual confidence. Something told her Claye wouldn’t fall for it. “Just because they’ve been there a long time, doesn’t mean they have complete control. There have to be at least a few people who don’t want to get involved in the war.”
He narrowed his eyes, seeming to accept her words like a challenge. After a completely unnecessary—but definitely charming—hair toss, he said, “Fine. Maybe some people aren’t loyal to Kessoku. But you need someone who knows the layout of Kessoku’s base. I’m pretty sure anyone who knows the layout is going to be loyal to Kessoku.”
“He does have a point.” Tempest stretched her legs out in front of her, crossing them at the ankle. Her words may have sounded like she agreed with Claye, but the look on her face said she fully expected Talise to have a good rebuttal.
Unfortunately, she didn’t.
“I have family members who live by the Ember Gate.” Wendy dipped a spoon into her soup, moving the liquid around slowly. “Although, I guess they could be loyal to Kessoku. I only see them once every year or two. They’ve never seemed like extremists.” She shrugged. “But I guess you never know.”
“Do you think they’d help us?” Tempest used a surprisingly gentle voice to ask.
Another shrug lifted one of Wendy’s shoulders. She looked up with a face more serious than usual. “I know they’d help me. And I’m sure they’d help Cyrus, but…” Her shoulders rolled back while a determined purse overtook her lips. “My Uncle Wade and Aunt Avery have four children. Young children. The youngest is just a baby. I’d rather not involve them if we can avoid it.”
Rio glanced up from his bowl, which he had long since emptied. “What if we can’t avoid it?”
“What if we can?” Tempest asked right back while wearing a glare.
“Of course we can avoid it,” Talise said, gripping her bowl tight. Memories of the past ricocheted through her, forcing her to relive the deaths of nearly all her family members. It took everything in her to not shudder. “Young children should never be involved in a war.”
Based on the way everyone suddenly seemed more interested in their bowls of soup, the subtle reference to her own past had not gone unnoticed.
Talise gripped her spoon tighter, ready now to make this happen. “I have a good plan. We’ll leave the army here in the mountains with instructions to keep training. In the morning, the six of us are going to enter the city.”
They still seemed hesitant, but her next words would change that. “The Kessoku showed their hand by attacking our camp, now we need to show ours. We have to show them they don’t have ultimate power.”
* * * * *
THE HOOD OF Talise’s fur-lined cloak brushed against her cheeks as Eben’s horse carried her into the city. It seemed fitting that the horse had a dappled gray coat, especially since its owner, Eben, had a name which meant stone.
Her friends insisted she take on a false identity in the city. Unfortunately for them, she never explicitly agreed to that part of the plan. And she had no intention of keeping it.
The horse’s hooves clopped against a cobblestone street. Houses built with fresh wooden slats and shiny apricot tiled roofs lined the streets. Every citizen they passed wore leather shoes and clothes that fit perfectly.
Talise may have been ignorant of a lot of things about this city, but one thing became clear immediately. These people had more abundance than any other city in the Gate.
Would that make the citizens more likely to side with Kessoku? Most likely. Would that make it impossible to gain their loyalty? Hopefully not.
She and her friends dismounted their horses near a stable. After tying them up and buying a fresh mound of hay, they moved deeper into the city.
The cobblestone street opened up to a large market square. A decorative garden sat in the center of the square with manicured evergreen bushes and little stone sculptures depicting the four elements. During the spring and summer, flowers probably grew in the center garden, but none remained now.
A little pond sat next to the garden, bright white granite forming a wall around it. The clear water sparkled with the barest traces of ice along the surface. Good. The water would make her plan much easier.
Along the edge of the large market square, several vendors had set up shops and carts for selling their wares. At this morning hour, many people filled the streets. They purchased food and other items needed for their breakfasts.
Luckily, a crowd was exactly what she needed. Talise marched up to the pond and stood on top of the granite wall surrounding it. Her shoulders rolled back, and she prepared to speak in her most regal voice. “I am Princess Talise Ruemon, and I have come to battle with Kessoku.”
The square fell silent but for the sound of her friends rushing to jump in front of her. Every citizen in the square, however, had been rendered speechless. Several jaws had dropped and more than a few reached for pockets that probably held hidden weapons. But the people mostly remained frozen, no one willing to attack the princess herself.
That wouldn’t do.
Despite her friends’ obvious terror at her actions, Talise had been counting on someone from the crowd trying to kill her.
But then she saw it. A twitch from someone to her right. Just as the man drew a hidden dagger from the folds of his tunic, she shaped a deadly sharp icicle out of the pond behind her. Before the man could release his weapon, she had speared through his clothing with the icicle. His dagger clattered to the ground while his arm stayed pinned to the wall behind him thanks to the icicle.
The crowd froze again, their eyes even wider than before.
Standing taller, she addressed them again. “In a few days, the emperor will send his army to battle with Kessoku. The battle will be dangerous. With such close proximity to your town, it might affect you.”
People in the crowd were moving again, but this time they shot nervous glances at each other and pulled their shawls close. Good. They were scared.
Now for the most important part. “I don’t care whose side you’re on. A war shouldn’t affect innocent citizens. So, I’ve come to teach you how to defend yourselves. By the end of today, you’ll have the skills you need to stay safe when the battle comes.”