Sábria grabbed Falla and threw her to the side just as Maida drew her knife and slashed forward, barely missing stabbing Sábria in the gut.

  Xyda lunged in and grappled with Maida over the knife while Shirin, who’d only seen Maida lunge towards Sábria, tackled them both, falling on top of Xyda, who held Maida’s knife hand clenched between two fists. On the way down, Xyda rapped Maida’s knuckles against the hard ground, loosening her hold enough that the knife fell out of Maida’s grip.

  Sábria pointed at Falla and shouted to Geller. “Get Falla out of here!” In the middle of her orders, she had to grab Harda, who’d leapt across the fire, intending to skewer Falla on the bone-handled knife she held in a white-knuckled grip. “Get her to Jenx and Ailith. Tell them to bind her hands and feet and then get back in here!”

  Using pure brute force, she threw Harda to the back of the tent before catching Cladine, who was on her way to kill the woman who’d betrayed them. She twisted the knife out of Cladine’s hand and tossed it into the fire before throwing her to the ground and immediately lunging at Harda to bring her down a second time.

  The only saving grace in the free-for-all was that none of the Hunters intended Sábria harm. No one fought her. They only tried to get away so they could get at the traitor in their midst.

  Geller grabbed Falla, who swung at her as though she intended to fight. Realizing the urgency of the situation, Geller punched her in the brachial nerve, immediately rendering her unconscious. She grabbed her by her collar and sword belt and dragged her from the tent.

  Ailith and Jenx had heard Sábria shout for Shirin and had sprinted over to help.

  Geller threw the unconscious Falla at their feet. “Tie her up and stay with her.” She disappeared back into the tent without noticing the astonished look on the two women’s faces. Their shock didn’t keep them from following orders, though, and Ailith had her thongs out even faster than Jenx. They bound Falla’s wrists and ankles, and after hearing the angry curses and shouts inside the tent, Jenx pointed to the forest. “Let’s drag her out there. We don’t want anyone running out and stabbing her to death on our watch.”

  As they were dragging her, Jenx gave her shiv further orders. “If one of the Hunters comes out looking for her, I’ll fight them. You stay with Falla and only fight if there’s no other option. She’s bound, so it’s now our duty to protect her. Do you understand? You’re not to fight the Hunters unless there’s no other option.”

  Ailith knew enough not to argue. “Aye, Jenx.”

  Jenx noticed Ty running for the tent. She dropped Falla’s feet and pointed at her. “Hey! Stay over there, Ty. Do you hear me? Ailith, tell her.”

  At Jenx’s shout, Ty stopped and looked at Ailith, who translated, “Me handler says to get over by the fire and stay. Go now, Ty. Ye’ll just make more problems if ya rush into th’ tent.”

  Even though she was reluctant to stay back, Ty obediently turned and jogged back to the fire.

  Jenx gathered up Falla’s feet again and motioned with her chin for Ailith to move toward the forest. They carried her through underbrush and scrubs, up a small game trail, and accidentally set her down in the middle of an outcropping of mushrooms and other fungi. Recognizing that the ones near the Hunter’s face were poisonous, Ailith kicked them this way and that, clearing a small area of the furry, green-spotted devils.

  Jenx watched her work with a puzzled look on her face. “What are you doing?”

  When she was satisfied she’d sufficiently cleared away the mushrooms, Ailith dragged Falla to where there was no possibility of her accidentally ingesting any when she came around. “Them’s Bushy Beards.” When the puzzled look intensified, Ailith said, “Bushy Beards. If she gets even a chigger bit on her tongue, she’ll carp.”

  “Carp?”

  “Die.”

  As the two stared down at her, Falla moaned and began to come around. When she realized she was bound hand and foot, her bellows were probably heard all the way to Sarlogne. Her wrists turned white as she struggled to free herself. With all the squirming she was doing, Ailith was glad she’d had the forethought to remove all the Bushy Beards from the immediate vicinity.

  Ailith knelt beside her and put a calming hand on her arm. “Yer hogtied, that’s fer sure certain, but yer all right, ya ken? Me and Jenx are right here with ya, and we’ll let nothin’ happen to ya.”

  “Happen to me? Get your fucking hands off of me, you filthy dung-faced Dreyuthan bootlicker. I’m a noblewoman of the realm. My family’s one of the highest-ranking families in Cibía, and you dare lay your grimy disgusting hands on me? You’re nothing but a filthy shiv, and I’m a Hunter. I’m the elite of the elite.” Her screams had ratcheted up to shrieks now, and spittle flew from her lips as she continued to curse Ailith’s family line.

  With a comically confused look, Ailith studied her hands before holding them out to Jenx. “Onliest dirt on ‘em came from her.” Then she wiped her face on her sleeve. “Do I got dung on me cheeks?”

  Jenx walked over and jammed her fists onto her hips. She glared down on Falla and snarled. “You do realize if more than one of them comes for you, this shiv is the only thing standing between you and death, right? And that’s not even counting the fact that she cleared a space so you aren’t lying in a pile of poisonous mushrooms.”

  Falla’s struggling rose to new heights as she twisted around and swung her feet behind Jenx’s knees. With a brutal jerk accompanied by a loud, howling scream of rage, she brought Jenx down onto her back with a thud.

  Ailith pursed her lips, trying hard not to laugh. She knew this was a serious situation, and laughing would be a very bad thing to do. But when Jenx jumped up with a bunch of leaves and pieces of a fern bush sticking to the back of her head, laughter bubbled from deep inside Ailith’s belly and spilled out all on its own. She covered her mouth and turned away, but not before Jenx’s eyes opened wide with fury, ready to unleash her pent-up frustration on her shiv.

  Jenx’s hands fisted as she pulled in a breath before controlling her anger and speaking in a calm, low tone most people recognized as her way of not biting her victim’s head off. “I’m so glad you find this funny, Ailith. We have the Arch Priestess fighting a bunch of Hunters in an enclosed tent, and you’re here laughing.”

  Ailith got herself under control before she turned to face her handler. “I’m sorry, Jenx. It’s just that ya look like ya got a little too cozy with yer salad, that’s all.”

  Behind her, Falla slid her bound hands over her butt, intending to force them down and around her feet so she could bring her hands in front of her waist.

  Ailith saw the movement and grabbed the hands as they reached the back of Falla’s knees. “Oh, no ya don’t.” She pulled them back up to where they were supposed to be and then took another thong from her belt pouch. This she attached to the cord binding Falla’s wrists, ran it around her neck, and brought it back down and tied it to the original cord circling her wrists.

  Falla continued cursing her at the top of her lungs, and they almost missed Maida’s angry shout. “I hear you, you skut-brained excuse for a Hunter. Where the fuck did they take you? Ailith, where are you?” Maida burst through the trees, running straight for them.

  Jenx tensed and planted herself between Falla and the oncoming Hunter. Maida tried to sidestep, but Jenx was too fast. Wrapping her arms around Maida’s chest, Jenx fell to the ground and wrapped her legs around her knees, using every means possible to control the raging, raving woman whose twisted features in no way resembled the friendly Hunter Ailith had eaten with earlier that day.

  They rolled over and over in the leaves as Maida tried to get the upper hand over Jenx. If the Hunter had been in her right mind, Jenks probably wouldn’t have had a chance. Fighting Blades was Maida’s specialty, after all, but something had snapped inside her, and all she could focus on was her need to get her hands wrapped around Falla’s neck.

  Ailith heard a second set of footsteps running their way, and she stepped between Falla and the oncoming Blade, ready for anything. She spread her legs shoulder width apart and bent at the knees with her arms out, ready to tackle whoever was coming just like her handler had done with Maida.

  Relief washed through her as Shirin raced around a tree, saw Jenx wrestling Maida, and jumped in to help get the Hunter under control. Ailith grimaced when Shirin took an elbow in the jaw and then squinted in sympathetic pain when the Commander brought her knee up hard between Maida’s legs. The three rolled around some more until Sábria strode through the forest. She pulled Shirin off Maida first, then Jenx, before grabbing Maida by the collar and pulling her up straight.

  Sábria threw the Hunter into a fern feather bush, strode after her, jerked her out of the bush, and shoved her further away from the three Blades. Even Falla’s muffled screams had gone silent as they watched Sábria steadily moving her Hunter deeper into the woods.

  The next time Sábria shoved, Maida managed to keep her feet, but something in Sábria’s face as she came for her again had the Hunter looking more than a little frightened and unsure of herself. The madness in her eyes had been replaced by the realization that she’d seriously pissed off the most powerful woman in the Empire. She backed up, holding a hand between them that Sábria batted aside with a growl as she moved in and shoved her back again. Maida tripped over a raised root and landed on her butt with a thud.

  Sábria’s pace was controlled and steady. She strode to where Maida lay in the leaves trying to catch her breath. Grabbing the front of the Hunter’s tunic, she neatly hauled her to her feet, took hold of her belt, and once more threw her further into the forest.

  Ailith watched with wide eyes. She’d never seen her Arch Priestess being so physical with someone who wasn’t fighting, and she wasn’t sure what to think. “Fowk.”

  Quite used to seeing a furious Arch Priestess, Shirin walked to Ailith, grabbed her by the arm, and shook her. “Since when do you just stand around watching and doing nothing when your handler is in a fight with someone as skilled at hand-to-hand combat as a Hunter?”

  After watching Sábria back Maida into the woods, when confronted by her irate Commander, all Ailith could do was stand with her mouth gaping as she frantically cast around for an answer as to why she hadn’t done what was expected in a fight. Her mind went blank, and for once, her traitorous mouth didn’t jump in with a thousand inane reasons for not helping her handler.

  Luckily, Jenx spoke up and answered in her stead. “She was doing what I ordered her to do, Commander. I told her that if someone came to hurt or kill our prisoner, I’d fight them, and she was to stand guard over Falla and only fight if she had to. With so many Hunters, I didn’t want us both fighting the first person and having another one come and kill Falla. It was our duty to guard her, and Ailith did everything exactly right.”

  Shirin made a concerted effort to relax. She released Ailith’s arm, patted her on her back, and let out a long, stress-relieving sigh. “Excellent job, then. I saw how ready you were to take me on if I’d have been another Hunter.”

  Ailith rubbed her arm, remembering the first time it had felt like Shirin’s fingers had squeezed so hard they actually touched bone. People could say what they liked, but her leaders were hard, strong women a pidge could be proud to work for. And despite everything they’d been through, she was.

  Shouting came from where Sábria had taken Maida, and Shirin stared into the darkened forest. Only one voice was raised in anger, and it definitely wasn’t Maida’s.

  There had only been one other time Ailith had heard Sábria shouting with such pent-up emotion. Her brows rose into her hairline when she looked at the Commander. “I’d hate fer her to get that fasched with me.”

  One side of Shirin’s mouth quirked in amusement. “Do you remember the first day you two met?”

  “Oh, aye. Yer right. Only it were a quiet kinda fasched. Not like that.” She indicated the shouting with a lift of her chin. It grew quiet, and they watched the forest, wondering what was going on.

  Shirin glanced toward the camp, and Ailith’s curiosity got the better of her. “Ya left Prime Geller alone with th’ Hunters, then?”

  The rustling of leaves caught everyone’s attention, and after a few moments, Sábria strode toward them with a steely glint of determination in her eyes.

  Ailith noticed the purposeful walk and stiff shoulders. She’d seen this look a lot lately, and she marveled at the strength and resilience it must take to hold the twin positions of Arch Priestess and co-ruler. Her gaze wandered to the forest behind Sábria to see if Maida was coming, too.

  Sábria, whose mind was elsewhere, intended to sweep past and talk to Shirin. Happening to notice Ailith intensely staring into the forest, she stopped and glared sideways at her. Residual anger made her words sharp and more than a bit scary to a nervous Shiv. “Problems, Ailith?”

  Wondering what had happened to her new friend, Ailith raised her brows. “Um. No?”

  “You’re not sure?”

  Falla chose that moment to come to life again. “You let that filthy, dung-faced Dreyuthan peasant put her scum-covered hands on a noblewoman of the realm! When my father hears about this, he’ll beat her senseless before he strips the skin off her back. Then he’ll come for you and your⁠—”

  Ailith wasn’t sure what to do about an angry Arch Priestess, but she knew how to handle a foul-mouthed prisoner. She squatted, pulled out her belt knife, and sliced off a strip of material from Falla’s tunic, which she wound around the Hunter’s mouth before pulling it tight. She tied a knot with the two ends and left her squirming and squealing on the ground. After checking to ensure the gag wasn’t too tight, she glanced into the forest again, expecting Maida to come any moment. Still squatting, she swiveled around and came face to face with Sábria’s thighs.

  Sábria had moved forward and was standing over Ailith with her hands on her hips. “You seem very interested in something out there, Ailith. I’ll ask you again. Problems?”

  Having Sábria looming over her after what she’d just seen with Maida ramped Ailith’s mouth into a full-blown, panicked gallop. “Well, two of ya went, and only one come back, so I’m wonderin’ if I should go look fer a body or somethin’ ‘cuz I know when yer chuffed, alls well and good but when ya get yer dander up, yer like a cat what had some nob step in yer milk an’ spill it on yer paws and ya get all puffed up an’ spittin’ like and⁠—”

  Sábria bent and, with a closed fist, chucked Ailith beneath the chin to shut her up.

  Ailith, who knew her mouth went off at the worst of times, blinked up at her. “I thank ya, Milady.”

  Removing her fist from beneath Ailith’s chin, Sábria narrowed those icy blue eyes and asked. “Any more problems?”

  Ailith shook her head. “No. No problems. One Hunter trussed up like a snowmeere goose, one Hunter missin’ and me here not havin’ a single problem in th’ world. All’s good here.” She nodded, “Just fine, Milady.” She glanced into the forest again and spoke more to herself this time. “Not even a chigger bit of problems here.”

  Sábria straightened. “Good to know.” She turned to Jenx. “The two of you stay here with her. Falla’s your responsibility to guard and to protect from harm.” She pointed a stiff finger at Ailith. “Do not go looking for Maida.”

  Ailith stood and nodded, “Nope. Wouldn’t dream of it. Me’n Jenx, we’re stayin’ right here and—” This time, it was Jenx’s sharp elbow to her arm that shut her up.

  With a final nod at the handler, Sábria turned and motioned for Shirin to join her. She gave instructions as they walked back to camp. “I sent Maida back to get Ada, five of their warriors, and a wagon. They’ll act as extra guards because I’ve changed my mind, and we’re leaving for the Temple tonight. I don’t trust any of the Hunters not to kill Falla in the middle of the night. Strike camp and be ready to ride when Ada arrives.”

  “Understood.” Shirin looked at Sábria out of the corner of her eye but refrained from asking the question uppermost on her mind.

  As usual, Sábria knew what she was thinking. “Ailith was partially right. I…” she chose her words carefully, “painfully reminded Maida that no matter the circumstances, she’s to listen when I give an order. And yes, I trust her to return with Ada. As I said, though, I don’t trust her not to kill Falla, which absolutely cannot happen while she’s in my custody. We’ll stop and wake up Magistrate Fiyori on our way into town. I need Falla put into protective custody in Magistrate’s Court while we’re away.”

  “When do we leave?”

  “We’ll go as soon as Falla is safely tucked away in a cell and I get all the administrative details in order. I’m going to send a rider for Rúsola tonight, so she should be in Sarlogne the day after tomorrow. In the meantime, I’m putting Osstendler in temporary charge of operations until Rúsola arrives.”

  “We’ll be looking for the other Hunters, right?”

  That reminded Sábria of the piece of parchment Harda had given her. She pulled it out, read it, and handed it to Shirin.

  Shirin read it aloud. “It’s time. Meet at Wakona Beck. Two sevendays.” She looked at Sábria. “What does that mean? Where did this come from?”

  “It’s a note that some of the Hunters received. Xyda didn’t get one, so it’s possible they weren’t sent to everyone. The Hunters seem to think it’s from one of them telling them to meet up so they can run. Lord Ashden saw four Hunters heading south while riding from his estates to Sarlogne.”

  Sábria sighed and ran her hand up into her hair. “I don’t think it’s from a Hunter, Shirin. From what Falla just told us, some of the noblemen, Lords Renly, Bathton, her father, Lord Chilton and possibly Aloric, although I have no proof he’s involved, have been working to destabilize the Blades. Possibly for the last ten turns. I think this note is either luring the Hunters into a trap or is baiting them to leave Sarlogne altogether.”

  They emerged into the open area where Geller had the Hunters seated in a circle around the fire. The Prime stood over them with her arms crossed and her feet wide, ready for anything. Out of a newly formed habit, Sábria looked for and found Ty near the horses and mentally put her in the “safe” category.