The Veil of Trust

by S. Usher Evans

  "You win," she said, holding her hands up in surrender. "Feel free to take me wherever you deem necessary."

  "Your Majesty?" Jorad asked, panting a little. "What is your command?"

  I didn't like the smile that had grown on Celia's face. She had given up entirely too easily, and something told me she'd just out-maneuvered me. But how, I had no idea.

  "There's a small hut in the back of camp," I said to two of the soldiers behind me. "Take her there and make sure she doesn't leave."

  "I wouldn't dream of leaving camp," she said as they moved to restrain her. "Why would I, when there will be so much entertainment?"

  And with that, she allowed herself to be restrained and led through the gates.

  "Is that…" Jorad looked between her and me several times. "I'm confused. Did she just surrender?"

  "Yes." I reached down and picked up the knife, finding it much heavier than I'd anticipated. It felt much like the gold circlet when I'd first put it on—a symbol I'd seen my whole life, but I'd never once thought I'd wear. "The camp is ours."

  He offered a nervous smile. "I can't believe she gave up that easily."

  "The numbers scared her," I lied. "She made a calculation, same as me. She always said to value your own life first. And against a hundred soldiers, she would've lost."

  "A…hundred soldiers?" Jorad rubbed the back of his head. "Did you lie to her or…?"

  "The scouts at the border said there were soldiers coming," I said with a frown. "I thought the camp soldiers had made double time and reached here."

  "No, I haven't seen them," Jorad said. "And our numbers are closer to eighty, not a hundred."

  "You're welcome," Jax said, walking out from behind the Forcadelians. "Amazing what kids'll believe these days. So did it work?"

  "Thank you," I said, avoiding his gaze. "Go ring the bell and call everyone to attention. We've got a few announcements to make."

  "You ring the bell," Jax said, waving me off. "I'm going to make sure nobody touched my stuff."

  "We really have to work on his subordination," Jorad said, watching him walk away.

  "He just tricked Celia into giving up her camp," I said, walking toward the bell in the center of camp. "I'd say he's earned his keep."

  Word spread quick as wildfire that Celia had been frog-marched into her cabin by a pair of soldiers and was missing her knife. By the time I rang the bell, everyone in camp had most assuredly heard the gist of what I was about to say. Unlike my soldiers, they clumped in haphazard groups and leaned over fences. Some of the older trainers seemed disinterested—angry, even—but the younger crowd sat cross-legged with wide eyes, pointing at the bejeweled knife at my hip. None of us had ever seen anyone but Celia hold it.

  "Evening." This was my second speech in a day, but this crowd was more familiar. "As you probably heard, Celia's no longer in charge of the camp. She has surrendered herself and this place to me and my soldiers."

  "A hundred of 'em, right?"

  "Where are they?"

  "On their way," I said, holding up my hand. "I—"

  "Why should we listen to you? Celia's in charge!"

  "Can I go home?"

  "Yeah, can I?"

  "I want to go home, too!"

  "Silence!" Jorad bellowed, but it did little good. The crowd was now inching closer to me, all of them asking questions and talking over one another. Some of the older thieves had their hands on their weapons, grumbling and looking at me as if they meant to take the camp for themselves.

  "Enough."

  Jax's bellow echoed through the space, silencing the conversation. He walked in front of me, his dark eyes stormy.

  "You shut your mouths. Celia's gone. Larissa's in charge. That's all you need to know. Any one else makes a peep, and you'll have to answer to me." When no one did, he turned to me and nodded, walking back to where he'd been standing.

  "I understand you have questions," I said. "As Jax said, some of you may know me as Larissa," I said, nodding to Locke and a few others I'd known since my first stint in the camp. "But my real name is Brynna-Larissa Archer Rhodes Lonsdale. The rightful queen of Forcadel."

  Nobody looked impressed, but I hadn't expected them to.

  "In the coming hours, the rest of my soldiers will be arriving. We'll be using this as a home base for our operations as I try to retake the kingdom." I paused, offering a smile. "We'll need manpower—spies, thieves, and people to help around the camp. If you choose to stay, you'll officially be part of the Forcadelian royal army. Once we retake the kingdom, we'll help you get back to your homes and families."

  I turned to my left, where Nicolasa had appeared through her doorway. The Nestori healer wore a soft smile as she wiped her hands on her apron.

  "I know I'm asking a lot of you," I said, turning back to the crowd. "And if any of you wish to go now, you are free to do so."

  I waited for them to get up, but no one did. I still wasn't used to this much respect, especially from these kids.

  "Very well," I said. "If you wish to claim your bedrolls, I would do it now. By sunup, we'll have more people than beds. I'll give you your new assignments in the morning."

  The kids rose to their feet, talking amongst themselves. I had no qualms that they'd be able to make themselves useful—after all, it was what we did. But I did have some trepidation about including them in a war they had no business being involved in.

  "You're getting better at giving speeches," Jorad said. "At least to this crowd."

  "I watched Celia give a million of them." I put my hands on my hips, watching the camp disperse. "It's going to be weird for a few days as the soldiers mesh with the thieves."

  "Do you think they'll stay?" Jorad asked, eyeing a pair of kids who were lingering in the open area. When he nodded toward them, they dashed away.

  "I have no idea," I said. "We'll lose the newest, I'm sure, and those who have families who're paying their ransom. Probably the older thieves with the means to make new lives." Jax ducked into one of the sleeping huts. Would he be one of them? "But those who stay will be useful."

  "They're so young, though," Jorad said.

  "Some would say the same about you, Lieutenant," I said. "Come, I'll give you the tour."

  Chapter 24

  My soldiers arrived in waves just after midnight, their Forcadelian flags held high as they came through the front gates. They craned their necks in amazement, seeing the famed thief camp for the first time. Most of them were similarly surprised by the children who gathered around the houses to watch the soldiers come in—and who'd ignored all my orders to go to bed. Soon, the camp was abuzz with new and old faces, each too wary of the other to speak.

  "How long are we planning on staying here?" Jorad asked as we patrolled the camp. "Surely not indefinitely."

  I shook my head. "No, not indefinitely, but… At least until the ond shows up."

  "Once we have that, will we march on Neveri?" he pressed. "Or will we begin preparations to move into Forcadel?"

  "We're not ready for Ilara yet," I said. "And as for Ammon, I'm still trying to decide how I want to handle him. We still don't know if Ilara's allied herself with him, and I can't make any decisions until I know whose side he's on."

  "And you don't think it's smart to take a group of soldiers into the city?" Jorad asked. "I know you and Captain Mark had your differences, but I think he might've had a point. We can't let Ammon get away with betraying you like this."

  "We won't," I said with a thin smile.

  "I'm not just saying it for pleasantries. Some of us lost loved ones in Neveri." Jorad said. "Finding out that Ammon had gone back on his word…it almost feels like those soldiers died for nothing. And with the hasty dismissal of Captain Mark, not to mention your decision to allow Celia to remain in camp…"

  I cleared my throat, hoping I sounded surer of myself than I felt. "If I let Celia go, she could go straight to Ilara and we'd be in serious trouble."

  "Then kill her," Jorad said. "With as much tr
ouble as she's caused over the years—"

  "We're not killing anyone in cold blood," I said.

  "It wouldn't be…" Jorad exhaled. "Whatever you think is best, Your Majesty. I just worry about what the soldiers might think."

  I stopped, putting my hands on my hips. "I know that I made a mistake letting Mark go, but I can't bring myself to just…kill Celia. Besides that, she could be useful in some capacity. She might know when the ond is coming, or she could provide some strategic advice."

  "I suppose I can understand that," Jorad said slowly.

  "But I can't lose the respect of the soldiers—but I don't have any good answers for them right now. I need your help keeping morale high." I offered him a half-smile. "They seem to respect you. Maybe you can help provide me some cover with them."

  My honesty seemed to have worked, because he nodded solemnly. "We'll fill their days with training, and they'll be too exhausted to question you. I'll have them make weapons, too. There's more raw material here than we had before."

  The surety in his voice lessened my anxiety. "That sounds like a good plan. And whatever thieves remain can join in."

  "Well, with all due respect," Jorad said with a grimace. "I'm not sure that's the best plan. Many of these thieves are barely past their fourteenth year."

  "So?"

  "So it would be bad for our soldiers to train directly with them," he said. "Can you imagine the sight of children being beaten in sparring matches by fully grown adults?"

  "I think it might be the opposite," I said. "These children aren't weak. Some of them have been in this camp since early childhood."

  "They can wield weapons, but they are certainly not trained, not in a way that can be useful to us." He placed his hand on his pommel. "I also lack confidence in their loyalty to the cause. Many of them are here because they have nowhere else to go."

  "Yes, and that makes them loyal."

  He shook his head. "With your approval, I'd like to implement a training program similar to the one Captain Llobrega led in Forcadel. Teach them the ways of the royal guard."

  I quirked a brow. "I don't think we have the time or energy for that, Jorad."

  "We need to make time for it." He fidgeted a little. "Captain Mark drilled the importance of structure and unity. Soldiers who train together stay together on the battlefield. We've just doubled our numbers. It could get unwieldy quickly. And training your new recruits under the same flag…it sends a message. It would help your older soldiers see you're taking their contributions seriously."

  "By training Celia's thieves to march and salute?" I shook my head. "If you're worried about the resolve of these thieves, I promise you they're up to the task. Here, everybody earned their keep, or their keep was taken out of their hide."

  "I don't propose we put them into a six-year program, but a few weeks of training could do wonders for them. It would help some of the soldiers see measurable progress while we're waiting for news on our next steps." He gave me a half-smile. "It's a rather elegant solution to the problem, in my opinion."

  I chewed my lip. The thieves were already highly trained, but they did lack the discipline that Jorad spoke of. And if he thought putting them in formation would be enough to keep the other soldiers on my side, I would have to trust that he knew what he was talking about.

  In the distance, the bell clanged, signaling that breakfast was ready. The thieves stared at one another curiously, as they'd never gotten a second meal before.

  "Go on," I said to a pair of nearby kids. "I'm sure Beata's been at it all night long."

  They whispered to their friends, who whispered to another set of friends. Soon, the young thieves were coming out of the woodwork, cautiously approaching the mess hall as if they weren't sure it wasn't a trap. They gave the soldiers a wide berth, too.

  "See what I mean?" Jorad said. "Once they know we're all under the same flag, there will be more unity. And it won't hurt to have half the camp learning how to salute you."

  "Very well," I said with a sigh. "Make it happen."

  Jorad left me to make arrangements, and I continued on into the mess hall. There, Beata was serving gruel out of a large vat and a queue of soldiers was waiting for it. Bleary-eyed children sat at the tables watching the food get ladled into wooden bowls. I watched them for a minute before realizing why none of them had queued up behind the soldiers.

  "It's okay to eat," I told them. "Just get in—"

  My words were drowned out by the sound of little feet scrambling over themselves as they crowded behind the last soldier. Beata shared a look with me as she nodded to the second ladle behind her, and I jumped in to help. With the two of us, we got through both the soldiers and the children in about half an hour, and there was a happy rumbling from the crowd.

  "Eating together should help," Beata said, wiping her forehead with a towel. "These kids are really young, though. What will you have them do?"

  "Jorad thought he might train them. The rest will be put to work."

  She made a noise, looking at a smallish kid, perhaps seven or eight years old. "But Brynna…"

  "Things are already better than they were," I said. "Two meals a day is unheard of."

  "We have the food for it, but I'm not sure how long it will last," she said. "I can stretch it a bit, but we'll need to find a more regular source of fresh food. Surely, Celia has some gold lying around we can use to buy it."

  I shook my head. "Whatever she did with her spoils, I have no idea. But I do know she had regular deliveries of food from farmers nearby. I think they were threatened and bullied into contributing."

  "Then perhaps we continue what she started," Beata said. "They're bringing it anyway. They won't know the difference if it comes to your soldiers or to Celia."

  "I can't just do that," I said. "It's stealing."

  "Jax said Celia keeps tabs on everyone who owes her, and what they owe her. Once you get back on the throne, you can pay them all back."

  I didn't like Jax discussing things with Beata—or that she agreed with him."It doesn't feel right, though."

  "Would you prefer your soldiers defect because they haven't eaten?"

  "No."

  "Then you'll have to learn to like it," she said. "It's not my preference, but your army is growing, and you have no gold. At least you know you can pay it all back."

  Jorad walked into the mess hall, with Jax following. Jax, at least, looked annoyed to be there, whereas the younger man seemed ready to take on the world.

  "Former thieves," Jorad bellowed. "My name is Lieutenant Llobrega. I am your new trainer. You will go outside and wait for me so we can begin your regimen."

  Nobody moved.

  Jax crossed his arms over his chest. "Get off your asses and follow him."

  Slowly, the children rose from the tables, leaving their bowls and spoons as they filed outside, casting Jorad a curious look. Once they were all outside, Jorad pressed something into Jax's hand—a gold coin.

  "Clever," I said to Jorad as he walked up.

  "It's clear that Jax doesn't do anything for free, and that these kids believe him," Jorad said, handing me a list. "I took a headcount as they came in for their meal."

  "So we're close to two hundred," I said, scanning the numbers. "Are you sure they didn't just stay to get fed and will be on their way?"

  He smirked and nodded to Beata. "As much as I love Lady Beata's cooking, I don't think so."

  "Let's hope not," I said, looking through the names, ages, and cities of origin. At the bottom were two I recognized, Jax and Locke, but none of the other trainers. While I couldn't argue with a hundred new bodies, most of them were under the age of fifteen. It seemed to be more mouths to feed without a whole lot of benefit to me—especially if Jorad wasn't going to let me use them.

  "If you'll excuse me." He saluted and bowed deeply. "I'm off to our first day."

  "He looks happy," Beata said, as he walked out of the mess hall. "What kind of training is he implementing?"

  "H
e seems to think they would be better used learning how to fight with swords."

  "And what do you think?" Beata asked, putting her hand on her hip.

  "I think he's got a point about unity," I said, averting my gaze. "And I think until we get some action on either front, it's good to keep everyone occupied."

  She gave me a sideways glance and shook her head. "Well, I was hoping some of those kids would help me do the dishes…"

  Chapter 25

  It took Beata and me several hours to work through all the dishes, but eventually, we managed to get everything cleaned. She shooed me away when I offered to help her begin preparations for dinner that night, claiming that I was hiding from my own troops.

  "They need to see you out and about," she said. "Go on."

  It would've been useless to argue, so I let her be, intent on finding her some help for the evening. But I wasn't two steps out of the mess hall when a group of twenty young teenagers came jogging around the corner. Red-faced and panting, they kept pace with Enos barking behind them.

  "Halt," he said when they saw me. "Salute!"

  They spun in no particular hurry, some of them pressing their left hands to their breast, and some of them pressing their right. A few kids just stared blankly ahead then jumped to attention when they found their compatriots saluting.

  "We can do better," Enos said, casting the kids a scathing look. "We have done better."

  "It's fine for a first day," I said, offering the kids a reassuring smile. "You don't want to scare them away."

  "Turning and saluting is the least of their problems," Enos said. "Turn! And march!"

  To my surprise, some of them actually fell in lockstep with him, although the rest certainly needed more work. But they seemed eager to please him, which, I supposed, was a good thing.

  "Pfft."

  I turned to the sound. Jax was seated against the weapons hut, peeling an apple with a knife.

  "What?"

  "These kids, trading one master for another," he said, plucking a slice from the apple with the knife and popping it into his mouth. "Sheep."