Page 187 of The Infernal Battalion

“Of course. Good luck.”

He walked off after Viera, whose Hamveltai-​accented Vordanai was just as loud as her mentor’s. They’re well matched, I suppose.

Raesinia found him after another hour, back down among the Girls’ Own trenches, inspecting the newly raised breastworks. The piles of earth in front of the trenches had been topped with logs, producing a makeshift fortification that would block a musket shot, if not a cannonball. Many of the soldiers hadn’t stopped there, but had hacked gaps in the logs wide enough to lay a musket in, like the arrow slits of an ancient castle.

“General,” Raesinia said, as Marcus bent to examine another trench. He heard the soldiers around him go quiet. “It’s late. Don’t you think you should get some rest?”

There were a few quiet chuckles. I suppose everyone in the army knows about us now.

“As you command, Your Highness.” He straightened and looked out across the plain.

Tomorrow. The darkness of the fields was broken by tiny points of light, like a swarm of fireflies. The campfires of Janus’ army, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Part 5

Interlude

Janus

He had almost begun to feel normal again when the touch of the Beast dragged him back into the whirlwind.

The campaign, Janus thought, was proceeding satisfactorily. His men had cleared the Illifen passes, diligently reducing the fortresses and accepting the surrenders of their garrisons. The tactics were sound and, more important, it took time. Time was what was needed, for all the moving pieces to fall into place. For Marcus to reach Vordan City, and for Winter to join him.

He’d sent them a final message when the Beast’s core arrived. From then on, he’d guessed it would be too dangerous to communicate. The Beast’s primary focus was no longer distracted by the pursuit of Winter. It watched his every move.

For a while, though, it had been content to observe, letting him inhabit his own body. He issued orders, studied maps, and received reports. He still let his mind slip free from time to time, of course, to look through the perspectives of other red-​eyes. It was such a joy to be able to see what his scouts saw and not have to wait for a few hastily scrawled words.

Marcus’ approach was not unexpected, though his dispositions showed more imagination than Janus had thought him capable of. Perhaps I didn’t give him enough credit. Or maybe it’s the pressure of command that reveals new depths. Either way, his old subordinate had set him an interesting problem to solve, and he had just been sitting down to figure it out when he felt the cold winds of the Beast at the back of his metaphorical neck. In an instant he found himself lifted from the realm of the physical, back to the mindscape of the Beast, where the dark, brutal winds of the core whistled terrifyingly close.

“What are you doing?” the Beast said, its voice like thunder.

“Planning for tomorrow’s battle.” Janus was unable to gesture, but he invited the Beast to survey the silver threads that led to its many bodies. “We will crush the Vordanai army, I guarantee. Losses will be minimal.”

“Losses are irrelevant. Armies are irrelevant. I want the city, and I want the Thousand Names.” The Beast drew even closer. “You have grown comfortable indeed in your... role.”

“I wish only to serve as you have directed,” Janus said. “Since, of course, you could dash me to pieces at once.”

“Perhaps I should,” the Beast said. “I have never seen a mind maintain itself so long. It is... unnatural.”

“But useful,” Janus said. “It allowed the campaign to proceed while you were busy hunting for Winter.”

“Yes. But that hunt is on hold for the moment. So what further use are you?”

“When the Names are taken, Winter will be the only remaining threat to you,” Janus said. “But sooner or later, your existence will become widely known. Hamvelt, Borel, and the other nations will come against you. I imagine you will want me close at hand to repel them while you pursue your primary purpose.”

The Beast made a thunderous sound that might have been a chuckle. “You are very skilled at arguing for your continued existence, little figment of my imagination.”

“As I said, I wish only to serve.”

“Very well. But for now”—winds snatched at Janus, lifting him away from the silver threads that connected to the real world—“you will observe. I do not need you to fight my battles.”

“Of course,” Janus murmured.

30

Winter

“Well,” Winter said, doing up the last buttons of her coat. “I suppose it’s time to go and save the world.”