Stalking

Riley grunted softly in frustration as he ate the same rationed breakfast he'd been eating for... well, he'd completely lost count of how long he'd been out with the military, if he were honest. It was simultaneously arduous and monotonous.

Always on edge that something could happen at any moment, with most days passing uneventfully.

The patrolling had been changed since the death of the recruits. Instead of only guards patrolling the perimeter openly, others were stationed in hiding to look out from a single place. The idea was that they were not so easily spotted, so if the mobile sentries were disabled by someone, these hidden guards would be able to sound the alarm.

It was tedious work. He'd rather be training. But, since he was the recruit least in need of sparring practice, and had been promoted to corporal after the wolf attack, he was often delegated to this peaceful, yet solitary duty. Sometimes he climbed high into a tree, but today he was positioned in a low shrub that concealed him while providing visibility into the surrounding forest.

He wasn't terribly optimistic that anything would happen today. Things so rarely happened. He let his mind wander for a moment back to Klain. He wondered how his sister and Finn were doing and frowned. Finn had been so heartbroken when he brought the news of Roland's death. It was an incredibly difficult thing, especially after the man had saved his life when he was frozen, floundering in the water.

He hadn't tried to write to Finn at all since then. It felt wrong somehow, like trying to steal from a dead man. Logically, he'd known and loved Finn far longer, but the depth of the grief on her face when she heard the news had been startling to him.

The patrolling sentry turned to the far side of his route, and Riley brought his full concentration back to the area immediately around him. If anything slipped by due to his distraction, he'd never forgive himself.

When he heard a twig snap, he did not react sharply, lest he draw attention to himself. Only his eyes shot toward the sound. It was likely an animal, but here, as he well knew, animals could be just as dangerous as soldiers.

He caught view of what might have been a deer. It was fawn-colored... or maybe sandy-colored. He tensed and moved silently from his hiding place after it.

Swiftly advancing through the brush, he was able to catch sight of a Rhone soldier sneaking toward the camp. The man had avoided being seen by the mobile sentry, but apparently their intelligence had not been updated since Klain began having the hidden guards as well.

Sounding the alarm would likely allow the Rhone to disappear as they had so many times before without a trace. It was infuriating, and Riley was done with this cat and mouse game they liked to play.

He snuck up silently behind the creeping scout, inching closer until the man was within his reach. He drew a short dagger from his belt, which was better for close encounters than his lengthy sword.

Like a striking snake, Riley suddenly shot forward to grab the man from behind in a choke hold with one arm to keep the man from crying for help, the other hand holding Riley's dagger just under the man's ribs. A short thrust upward would immediately end his life.

The other man froze, his hands having reflexively come up to pull the arm away from his neck.

"Don't make a sound," Riley whispered into his ear through the fabric that covered the man's head.

The man stiffened at Riley's voice. He nodded slightly, then tapped two of his fingers on Riley's arm. Having drawn his attention, the man lifted one to point at the fabric covering his face.

"You want to take your mask off?" Riley asked in mild confusion. What kind of trick was this? The man nodded slightly again. "Slowly, then."

With the same hand he'd used to point, the man slowly lifted his arm to push away the scarf-like fabric that covered his head and face. Having come from behind him, Riley had not even tried to see the man's face before this moment.

_______

Roland ran lightly through the woods, following his father. A party of four other Rhone spread behind them in the forest kept pace. They crouched as they ran, with their heads covered in the same sandy-colored fabric as their tunics. If anyone caught a glimpse of them, they would likely appear as a group of deer loping quickly amongst the trees.

As they neared the soldiers, they split up further. The plan was to surround them and observe, bringing back intelligence about their habits to plan a future attack. Rhone had not brazenly attacked the soldiers again since they lost half a dozen wolves in the last attempt. Although the wolves weren't soldiers, they were assets to be used carefully. Losing them was not a small thing.

There would be no fighting today, which is likely why Roland was allowed to tag along. He wound his way through the trees and stopped to scan the surroundings. The sentry passed by, vigilant but not quite enough to spot Roland.

After the man passed to the far end of his route, Roland exhaled and moved forward quietly. He stayed low and crept forward, closer to where the camp should be. The Rhone would observe from their places for one hour before retreating back to their rendezvous point, unless there was danger of them being spotted sooner. A whistle similar to a blue jay's call would be the signal to fall back.

Ready to move forward again after a short pause, Roland found himself suddenly restrained in a headlock with a blade at his stomach. He'd been so engrossed in his own sneaking that he'd completely missed someone else's!

Was this Titania's plan? Send someone to kill him here so that Klain would be to blame? It seemed too secret for her purposes, but then, he didn't think he fully understood her purposes yet. Regardless, his life was very suddenly at serious risk.

"Don't make a sound," Came a quiet voice in his ear. Roland nodded as his mind raced. What? Could it be??

He tapped twice on the arm that held his neck and pointed to his head cloth. This could change everything.

"You want to take your mask off?" Roland was even more sure now of who grasped him, and nodded. "Slowly, then."

Reaching up with his fingers, he pulled at the fabric until it slipped from his face and head. Not sure exactly how to let his face be seen while he was in a headlock, he slowly angled his neck until he could see his captor from the corner of his eye.

The arms immediately dropped, and Riley stared at him in the face for several silent seconds before grabbing him again, tightly in a hug.

It knocked the wind out of Roland and he gasped. Riley pulled them both into some thick shrubbery to shield them from any eyes.

"How? How are you alive??" Riley had... tears in his eyes?

"It's a very long story. I'm here with Rhone. It's only spying today, there will be no attack." Roland said quickly.

"Come back with us. You were captured, but you're here now. We can save you." Riley grasped Roland's arm, "You have no idea... I had to tell your family you were dead. I had to tell all of them."

Roland grimaced, imagining their reactions. It had occurred to him that he was likely assumed to be dead, since he himself had briefly thought he might be, but to hear it confirmed that his family, and Finn, were mourning him? It was incredibly painful.

"I can't leave." Roland said reluctantly.

"What? Why can't you? Just come now." Riley's eyes were wild with confusion and hints of suspicion.

"Your mother and brothers are safe. I'm trying to get them out, but it's taking time. I've gained the Rhone's trust. They're planning to annihilate Klain entirely, wipe it off the map. They think the cure to a curse they're under is underneath the city. Here, I was able to collect some paper. I wrote down as much as I could fit on the off chance I would be able to hide it somewhere one of you could find after we finished this scouting trip." Roland crammed the precious paper into Riley's hand.

It had taken him a long time to gather any without arousing suspicion. He'd even used a burnt stick from the fire for a pen instead of asking for one.

"How did you get their trust?" Riley asked, looking down at what was in his hands.

"Remember I'm an orphan?" Roland winced as Riley nodded. "It turns out I was kidnapped. I'm the only son of the crown prince of Rhone."

Riley's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "That's ridiculous."

"Your mother and father helped kidnap me soon after my birth. Your mother told me so herself. She can explain it all to you once I'm able to get them out." Roland urged.

"How do you plan to do that?" Riley was skeptical. If Rhone was planning on genocide, why would they release captives instead of slaughtering them?

"Queen Titania rules, and is a merciless woman, but my father Duncan... I'm hoping I can persuade him to back off from this war. Or at least slow it down. Please get Klain prepared. The Provider is a spy for my father, and it's to him that Ashley is engaged. You have to help her get away, and you have to bolster the city's defenses. I don't know what the attack plan is, but I know it's coming sooner or later."