Ranhold City is a ring around the castle, and from my vantage point on the overlooking hill, I can pick out the shops, the tenements, the larger estates.
I tried to sleep for a while, but I gave up. I’ve been staring at Ranhold ever since. I stand with my back to the camp as I look down at the city, my eyes skimming over the burning lights in homes and on lantern-lit streets.
“What are you doing up here alone, Gildy?” Judd approaches with his usual swagger, his yellow hair nearly glowing.
“Couldn’t sleep,” I reply, turning back to face the palace.
Midas is somewhere in that castle. I wonder what he’s doing, who he’s with. I wonder if he knows I’m here.
Right now, he could be looking out the window of the castle, watching Fourth’s army where we’ve set up camp on the edge of Ranhold’s border. Maybe he’s looking at me.
Judd makes a noise beside me, a grunt that wordlessly says he sees all of Ranhold and he’s not impressed.
“Come on. I have a job for you.”
He turns to start striding away, and I have to hurry to catch up. “What kind of job?”
Judd glances at me from the corner of his eye. “You’ll see.”
Instantly curious, I let him lead me through the camp. He doesn’t strike up any conversation, so I focus on following him as he squeezes us between tents and passes by campfires.
The soldiers we see nod at Judd and raise a hand or tip their heads in greeting. It seems most of them decided to give up on sleep too. Dawn is fast approaching, and with it, maybe war.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I finally ask when it feels like we’ve been walking for ages.
“Shh,” he hisses back at me.
I open my mouth to ask him what the hell is going on, but like he can sense it, he gives me a pointed look.
I huff out a breath but keep quiet.
After another few minutes of walking, my ears perk with the sound of women’s voices. I snap my gaze around, and sure enough, there are women soldiers gathered around a campfire—and Lu is one of them.
I open my mouth and raise my arm to call to her, but Judd yanks me behind a tent and obnoxiously presses his finger to his mouth. “Shh! Are you trying to get me caught?”
Blinking at him in surprise, I raise my hands in a silent question, which he doesn’t answer. Instead, he starts walking again, motioning me to follow. We duck behind a tent, putting distance between us and the fire.
When we pass a small collection of horses, Judd halts in front of me so fast I nearly collide with his back. When I peer around him, I see why.
“What are you doing here?” the woman soldier asks with clear distrust in her tone. She has an unlit wooden pipe tucked behind her ear, nearly obscured by the frizz of short brown curls around her face.
“Inga, always a pleasure to see you,” Judd says.
She narrows her eyes on him before sucking her teeth, like she’s trying to get a wayward crumb out. “Is it? Shouldn’t you be off with the left flank? I heard they’re stroking each other’s egos like they do their pricks. In need of a little pep talk so they don’t wet their pants on the eve of battle?” she says with a mocking tip of her lips.
Judd rolls his eyes. “Please. We all know that it’s the right flank who piss their pants before a fight.” His eyes drop to her waist. “Speaking of, new trousers?” he grins.
She glowers at him.
“Anyway, I’m just bringing Auren to find Lu.” Judd raises a hand and presses it against the edge of his mouth to highlight a fake whisper. “She’s in need. Having her women troubles, if you catch my drift.”
My mouth drops open, and embarrassed heat floods my cheeks.
Inga glances over at me. “Oh,” she says, “the red flag is flying, hmm?”
Completely mortified, I start to say no, but Judd steps on my toes. Hard.
“Nn...yep,” I say with a wince.