Chapter 44: Cenric

Chapter

Forty-Four

CENRIC

The wind whips at my cloak as I leave Everly's tent and head across the camp.

How could she? After everything we've been through. After I trusted her, protected her.

I've been a fool, letting her get so close, letting myself feel.

No. I can't think about that now. I need to focus on damage control.

I reach my command tent and throw open the flap, startling Praxis, who's bent over the map on the table.

He straightens and frowns at me. "Brother, what—"

"—we need to prepare for war."

His eyes widen. "Is it that bad?"

"Yes. We will attack the rebels before they can attack us."

"Do you know where they are at?"

"I will soon," I say as I move to stare down at the map of Karra and her surrounding villages. "I'm going to send Luc to find them."

"Good idea. He's the best scout." Praxis pauses, studying my face for several beats. "What has happened, Cen?"

The urge to tell him everything about Everly burns in my chest, but I can't bring myself to speak the words. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

Instead, I meet his concerned gaze. "We need to root out all the spies the rebels have placed here."

"How many are there?"

"I don't know," I admit. "But we are going to find out."

Praxis nods, his expression hardening. "What do you need me to do?"

I turn back to the map, tracing the outline of Karra with my finger. "Double the guards on all shifts. No one enters or leaves the camp without being thoroughly questioned."

"Understood," Praxis says. "What about the people already here?"

"We need to question everyone working in the camp first," I say. "Start with the newest arrivals and work backwards. Be discreet, but thorough."

Praxis nods again. "And you? What will you do?"

I straighten, squaring my shoulders. "I'll handle the interrogations personally."

My brother's eyebrows shoot up. "All of them?"

"Yes. I need to look each person in the eye. Then, I'll know if they're lying."

Praxis turns toward the tent flap, then he pauses and looks back at me. "Are you sure you're all right?"

I force a tight smile. "I'm fine. We just need to focus on keeping our people safe."

I spend the rest of the day questioning everyone hired to help run the camp. One by one, they file into my command tent, their eyes wide and nervous as they take in my serious expression and the armed guards flanking the entrance.

First, I start with Morwen's assistants, Brennah, Ava, and Feyona. They sit across from me, fidgeting in their seats as I ask them about their backgrounds, their families, and their reasons for coming to work at the camp.

Brennah answers readily, her voice steady as she describes her life in a village on the outskirts of Karra. Feyona is more reserved, but she meets my stare directly as she explains that she wanted to be close to her husband, who is one of my warriors.

When I turn to Ava next, something about her demeanor makes me pause. She looks past my shoulder as she speaks. Her story is simple enough—a widow looking for a way to make coin—but I can't shake the feeling that she's holding something back.

I keep my expression neutral as I ask a few more pointed questions. Ava's answers are satisfactory, if a bit vague, and I eventually dismiss all three women with a nod.

Next, I question the stable hands, the laundresses, and the armor smiths. They all seem honest enough, their stories checking out as I cross-reference them with the information Praxis has gathered.

As the day wears on, the tension in my shoulders grows. The dull throb behind my eyes intensifies. But I push through, determined to root out every threat to my people.

By the time the last worker leaves my tent, the sun is setting, casting long shadows across the camp. I lean back in my chair, rubbing a hand over my face as I try to make sense of everything I've learned.

No one stands out as an obvious spy, but I know better than to let my guard down. The rebels are clever, and they've managed to infiltrate my camp.

I won't let it happen again.