Meta Gods War 3 by B. Miles (the ebook reader txt) 📕

twisted, lengthened again. “I’m thinking about what happens when all of this is over. If we beat the wolves, what then? People won’t go back to the old way of living. They’re afraid of godlings, Cam, and I can’t blame them. They’re afraid of people like me simply because of what I am.”

“It’s war, Fel,” he said. “War brings out the worst.”

“And I’m making sure that the worst doesn’t destroy what we’re trying to build.”

“Brice came to me about you.”

Felin stopped pacing. “And?”

“She asked me to stop what you’re doing. She said… she thinks you’re making things worse.”

Felin snorted. “Of course she does. I took a few of her men a couple of days back. Haven’t returned them since.”

“Why, Fel?”

“Rumors, lies.” She shook her head. Her eyes looked wild. “This whole place is going to fracture and split. And I’m afraid when it does, they’ll come hunting for people just like me.”

Cam stared at Felin. He’d never seen her like this before, agitated and half-crazed. He believed that there were plenty of people within the army that hated the godlings, and the Elves in particular, but she couldn’t really think there was any way of stopping it.

“Felin, please, listen to me,” he said.

She crossed her arms. “What? Don’t tell me I’m wrong.”

“You’re not wrong,” he said. His voice was gentle. “But you’re going too far.”

“Too far—” she started.

Cam interrupted. “No more torture. No more taking men from their platoons.”

“If I don’t separate the worst of them—”

“No more, Felin.”

She gaped at him. “I can’t believe this.”

“You can’t torture members of this army,” he said and flipped a hand at the table of instruments to his right. “You can’t carve them up to make them talk.”

“It works,” she said.

“I’m sure you think it does. But we aren’t doing that anymore.”

“What will you have me do then? You wanted me to root out your enemies.”

“I wanted you to find those still loyal to Remorn. I wanted you to find anyone that might try and usurp my authority.”

“I’ve found some of those,” she said. “Tortured them, too.”

“I believe in what you’re doing,” Cam said. “But I don’t believe in your methods. No more torturing. No more disappearing. Watch, listen, question, learn. Bring me what you find.”

“Cam,” she said, and her voice was a snarl. “You’re cutting off my hands. How am I supposed to do my job?”

“You’re going to have to find some other way,” he said. “If I hear you’re still torturing people, I’m going to—”

“What?” Felin asked. “Throw me out?”

Cam opened his mouth then shut it again. He let out a breath and shook his head. “Of course not.”

“Then what?”

“I’ll take away your command. Assign someone else.”

She laughed. “Nobody will do it. You think anyone cares about you like I do?”

Cam took a few steps toward her, hands extended. She didn’t move.

“I know you care,” he said. “That’s why I want you to keep going. But please, no more torturing. I can’t have that, not right now.”

She glared at him before throwing her hands in the air.

“Fine,” she said.

“Thank you.”

She let out a breath. Her expression dripped frustration.

“I don’t know how you plan on keeping all this together,” she said.

“I don’t either,” Cam said. “But I intend on trying the best I can.”

“And when it all goes wrong?”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

She just shook her head. “I have work to do,” she said. “I’ll make sure Iorrim is tended to. I’ll ask him some questions and release him tomorrow.”

“Without hurting him.”

“Without hurting him,” she echoed.

She strode to the back flap, threw it aside, and disappeared.

Cam watched the flap flutter back into position and leaned his head back, his eyes squeezed shut.

He didn’t think Felin would ever go this far. But clearly, he had underestimated her zeal. He didn’t know if he should be angry or if he should appreciate how much she cared.

A little bit of both, he decided.

He turned and left her tent behind. The guards nodded to him as he strode back toward the main camp.

20

Birds chirped sparingly. Boots crunched over freshly fallen pine needles. Brice kept her helmet tucked under an arm.

Cam’s eyes skimmed the forest ahead as Brice’s armored column continued its march along a dry streambed. Cam guessed the stream would fill once the summer thaws hit the mountain.

“Reports said the wolves should be near here,” Cam said.

“I’m surprised your guard let you come on this mission,” Brice said.

“Arter wasn’t happy about it. But I told him you’d take good care of me.”

She gave him a look. “We both know why you’re out here with me.”

Cam said nothing. Ahead, the stream hooked right through a dense copse of tall pines. There were fifty men and women in heavy plate with spear and shield at the ready. Cam’s scouts found evidence of a mid-sized wolf force camping in the area, but they hadn’t come across them yet.

Most missions went like this. The wolves were beginning to learn. They couldn’t engage them every single time Cam sent his people out, otherwise they’d get stretched too thin. They began to set traps and pick the ground on which they fought.

Which meant Cam was losing more often than he won.

“There’s something off about this,” Brice said.

“You feel it too?”

“They’ve been getting smarter.”

“I think they’ve always been smart.”

Her gloved hand patted against the bronze plate skirt around her thighs. It made a soft clinking sound. “But they didn’t fight smart,” she said. “They were a rabble before.”

“Conflicting tribes and packs,” Cam said. “We exploited that to break the army free.”

“Right,” Brice said. “But they’ve been working together these last few days. Drawing Key into traps, fighting with the high ground. Before they’d throw themselves at our walls and hope their numbers overwhelmed us.”

“They don’t have numbers anymore.”

Brice let out a small grunt. “They don’t,” she agreed. “But at the rate we’re going, I’m not sure how long that’ll last.”

“What do you propose, then?” Cam asked.

“Confrontation,” she said. “Force a battle.”

“I’m not sure we can win.”

“Nothing’s ever sure in war.”

“That’s