Ryne noticed me and gestured for me to join them.

“What’s up?” he asked.

I glanced at Noak. No icy chill raced over my skin. A first. Was it a good sign or bad? Ryne misinterpreted my silence and asked Noak to give us a few minutes.

Noak nodded and headed toward the main fire. Danny sat with the monkeys and a number of other soldiers. They held bowls of stew, and Quain demonstrated an attack move with his spoon. Laughter echoed until Noak arrived. Then quiet descended in a heartbeat.

“No one is quite sure what to make of him,” Ryne said.

“The logical part of our minds knows he’s here to help us, but, let’s face it, he’s the monster under the bed.”

Ryne laughed. “That he is!”

I stared at Noak’s broad back. If he was the monster under the bed, who was Cellina? The ghoul in the closet? The jack-in-the-box?

“What’s wrong?” Ryne asked.

“Do you know what Cellina’s planning?”

“No.”

“How about theories? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

Ryne tapped his finger on the table. “What brought this up? Another dream?”

It irked me that he’d guessed right. “That and experience, Ryne. You’ve a tendency to keep information from me and disappear. I’d just like a little warning this time.”

“I’ve a theory about Cellina’s plan and I think she’s sending her troops farther north to loop in behind us. I’m going to send half my troops to intercept her. You should be safe here.”

“Should?”

“We’re at war. My theories are just that—theories. I can only control the actions of my army.”

“She’s not going to catch you by surprise?”

“I hope not. That’s why you saved me. Right?” He grinned.

“So you could save us.”

“That’s the plan.”

“And you’re not going to use me as bait?”

“Avry, I won’t knowingly use you as bait. I promise.”

“Knowingly?”

“We’re at war. Things change in a heartbeat.” He glanced over to the fire. “I’m leaving for HQ tomorrow, taking Noak and the lady warriors with me. They’ll be part of that northern force. Lieutenant Macon and his men plus the odd squad, Loren, and Quain will stay with you, guarding the infirmary. I suspect Danny will want to remain, as well. And...” He peered at me as if trying to read my mood. “When Kerrick and Flea return, I’d like them both to join me at HQ. Their help is vital.”

I clamped down on my instinctive reply of no way. Instead, I said, “Flea has refused to use his power.”

“I know. But he’s had enough time to adjust. He can’t keep avoiding it. His powers can make a difference in the outcome of this fight.”

“I’ll relay your message.” And let them decide.

“Thank you.”

I nodded and then joined the others at the fire. My stomach growled as soon as I smelled the stew. Ladling a bowlful, I listened as Quain asked Noak questions about the wildlands. Danny answered a couple. He talked with confidence about the tribespeople as if he’d been born one of them. I hid a smile. The boy had been in a horrible situation and he’d managed to turn it around, creating allies from enemies. Perhaps Flea would also come to terms with his unique situation. One could hope.

* * *

After Ryne and the others left, we settled into a routine. Quain groused about babysitting duty, but the others seemed happy with the arrangement. And Odd planned to take his squad out on patrols, sweeping the surrounding area in wider and wider loops in case the enemy attempted to sneak up on us.

As we neared the first day of winter, my worry increased. First, Kerrick and Flea hadn’t returned as expected. Granted they were only two days late, but my imagination kicked in and created terrible reasons for the delay. Second, more victims of the plague arrived at the infirmary. And not just a handful, but a steady stream of sick patients.

The small cavern I’d been using to keep them quarantined overflowed. I commandeered two more caverns. By the first morning of winter, I counted a total of twenty-four. Jannes had died.

By the end of the day, I had thirty. Danny helped me. We grouped them by their stages. Those experiencing stage one stayed together while those in the throes of stage two filled another. Stage three remained in their original location; moving them would cause them too much pain.

After helping to carry a woman into the stage-two area, Danny paused and looked at me with a slightly horrified grimace. “King Tohon did the same thing with the kids he injected the toxin into.” He gestured. “Divided us by how sick we were.”

“It makes sense for the caregivers and I think it’s a kindness,” I said.

“Yeah. They’re scared enough. Seeing your friends die and knowing that’s your fate...” He shuddered. “It would be cruel. At least when they reach that stage, they’re too sick to be aware of their surroundings.”

The voice of experience. Tohon had taken Danny’s childhood, and I wished I could send Danny to Alga Realm where he’d be safe and wouldn’t have to deal with the horrors of war. Where he could be a kid. And while I was wishing, I’d send Flea along, too.

A soldier sat up suddenly and flung his blanket to the ground. He yanked his sweat-stained shirt off and fanned his face. I poured him a glass of cool water and added a pinch of fever powder before hurrying over to him.