Echoes of Betrayal Read Online Free PDF

surgeon’s care and rest and warmth,” he said. “My supply train is coming, and you’ll be taken care of.”
    “But there are so many—” the man said. “And that fire—”
    “The fire is gone,” Kieri said. “It will not return.” He hoped and trusted that the dragon would prevent that, though he would have been comforted to have the beast itself at his side, ready to flame a formation of Pargunese.
    Would you really?
    The thought in his mind bore a tang of smoke and hot iron. Kieri’s thoughts stumbled for an instant, and then he thought, with all his might,
Yes
.
    We are not tools of the lateborn. I have my work; you have yours
.
    Not hostile, not friendly: commanding.
    Kieri gave a mental shrug and turned back to his task. Dragons and elves, both uncanny, but dragons—in this war—far more useful than the other. Once more the tang of a smithy, the ghost of a chuckle, and then it was gone.
    He glanced at his Squires, their faces sober. One, in that interval, had taken off his cloak and laid it on the ranger, over the bloodstained cloak that had been ripped short to make the bandage on the man’s arm. Kieri nodded. “Indeed, that is well thought of.” Then he touched the taig and called a little warmth into the soil under the ranger. The man’s face relaxed as the warmth touched him.
    “Sir king—the taig needs—”
    “Needs all of us. You have given your life and blood to the taig; accept a gift in return.”
    Kieri stepped back, motioning the Squire who had given his cloak to stay close to the ranger. “Here is what we will do,” he said. “I believe that the main force of the Pargunese is this group—and perhaps one on the other scathefire scar. Arian said the dragon killed Pargunese soldiers there, but I don’t know if it killed all of them. More could have come across later. The smaller landings, that we heard of before the scathefire came, may have been diversions only, and may have joined with the larger groups—or not. But we must get the Royal Archers out of their camps and into action.”
    He looked at his Squires. “Which of you knows this area well?” Three hands went up. “Excellent. Each of you will partner with someone who does not—”
    “But that will leave you with only four—”
    “I’m not going to stand in front of the Pargunese army yelling insults,” Kieri said. He turned to Banner and dug into his saddlebagsfor his writing materials. “Four will be plenty for the plan I have. Now: two pair will go east of the scathefire track. One will head for the Royal Archer camps we expect between here and the border. You will give them my order to proceed to the scathefire track, with rangers you will find as guides, and parallel the Pargunese, harassing them in the flanks and rear but not joining open battle until further orders. The other will parallel the scathefire track until even with the Pargunese and stay even with them as they move. The pair to the west of the track will go directly to that Royal Archer camp this ranger mentioned, bringing any rangers or Archers found to join the harassing teams on this side.” He squatted down, bracing the writing board on his knees, and wrote the orders. “When you reach your assigned locations, one of each pair will act as courier; the other will stay with whatever forces you have found, to receive and transmit my orders. Be alert for Pargunese flank scouts and any stragglers—they’ll be desperate, trying to reach their main party, I’ve no doubt. Evade if possible; kill them all if not. We’re in no state to care for prisoners.”
    “What about steadings?” Kaelith asked.
    “Warn them,” Kieri said. “Any within a few hours’ march of the scathefire should leave—they might be discovered. If we had just a few more troops, we might set up an ambush. The Pargunese may be low on supplies, and faced with an easy source, like a steading with animals and stored grain, they might start looting—might even get drunk and