Bough and bowing

"Halt!" Echoed in my ears, terrifying me to the core.

I exhaled, trying to calm my nerves. My breath was visible in the frosted air. Almost as if the Autarch upset nature with her presence, making the sun shine less brightly and the air turn cold.

I held my breath, trying not to give away my position. This could not be a long term solution, but it would work for now.

The company of the Autarch stopped in their places at the command of their ruler. The discipline of these elite warriors seemed unearthly. It felt as though they moved and breathed as one being instead of many.

The Autarch turned her horse and faced the company behind her. She pushed back her traveler's cloak to reveal metal armor with a dark green sheen. I had never seen such a metal before. At least not outside the vision of the gnomes.

"What is it, Sister?" A voice below me called out. I could not see the woman.

Her accent seemed more like she learned our tongue from someone from Ensis. She had fewer inflections in her accent than the Norads typically did, that is now that I knew what they sounded like.

Who was this mystery woman? Was she actually a sister of the Autarch or was this a common title among the Norads? Either way she seemed to be one of power.

"I do not think we are close enough to the capital to require magical assistance in hiding ourselves," the mystery woman continued.

"Agreed, my dear Nyx. I was wanting to know what our gnomish friend saw," the Autarch spoke sharply.

Nyx? I heard that name before. This was the mistress of the laundress and the maid. She was the one who wanted to make Alejo and Alina's deaths look like an accident. She certainly was crafty if she was this close to the ruler of the Norads and calling shots behind the Empress's back.

"Hymenaeus!" The Autarch's forceful tone made the gnome in the formerly yellow tunic beside her shrink away from his mistress. "Report!"

The gnome focused on the horizon. His face slowly morphed into the fleshy green color. I knew all too well what that meant. He was attempting to see into the future.

Before my eyes, a gnomish vision from my past was playing out. Instead of the hazy mist that framed the first version of this scene, I had a crystal clear image.

My engagement did nothing to stop this part of the vision from coming true. In fact, without my presence in the palace, we might not be in the woods at all for me to see this second act of the gnomes' tragedy.

My heart sank. Have my actions helped to doom my king? No. Surely not. King Caderyn is still alive and I cannot live my life second guessing uncertain futures.

"Lorcan looks like we left it, still burning with soldiers scattered, when they receive the news of our attack. This future is still hazy. It is not certain, Your Majesty." Hymenaeus cowered.

A snort of derision, or maybe confirmation that she indeed heard this foretelling escaped the Autarch. The gnome, for his part, bowed his head in respect. The Autarch moved closer to Nyx, falling out of my line of sight.

"I think we can assemble our troops and be ready to attack by morning," the Autarch said in hushed tones beneath my tree.

I caught a glimpse of my neighbors. Holden looked steeled for battle. The carefree man of the woods was gone and the cold look of duty bound honor took its place. His thoughts were a mystery to me.

Cali looked mortified as we shared a glance. Our kingdom, our families and our home was just threatened and we are the best chance they all have of surviving. At least we can hopefully make them lose the element of surprise.

"Do you think we can sneak into the city with enough troops to storm the castle? Or is our plan still to siege the city?" Nyx asked in hushed tones. If they had chosen any other place I might not have heard them.

I could see Cali lean toward the conversation, hoping to catch what the ladies said. I too leaned toward the women.

"I think we might be able to enter the city pretending to be merchants. We will need a wagon. Magic can hide the rest," The Autarch stopped her speech abruptly as if something caught her attention.

"Is there something in this tree? I thought I saw something," the Autarch spat.

Cali's eyes grew wide. Neither of us could see which tree the terrifying leader meant, but she was closer to my tree than to Cali's. I balled myself smaller, realizing that at some point I had stopped holding my breath.

My warm breath almost seemed like a smoke signal in the frosty air. I held my breath again, this time determined to hold it even if I was going to pass out.

A deeper cold seemed to pass over me. I closed my eyes wishing I was anywhere else. I could only imagine how close I was to the Autarch now. Could she see me? Dark thoughts hovered at the edge of my mind. Had I spoken my last words to my family?

Suddenly I could hear rushed footfalls. Someone was running. Did Holden try to escape? Was Cali rushing to my side? That thought gave me hope. If anyone was going to take on an entire invasion force alone, it would be Cali. A slight warmth filled my heart, fighting the frigid cold.

I peeked through my tightly balled body. The younger scout that had passed under us before was running toward the company. The man bowed and was let into the inner circle around the Autarch.

The young man bowed again on the very edge of my field of vision. He seemed to need to catch his breath. "Supreme Autarch, we have found a manor up ahead." The man reported

Alina!