To Pax’s great relief, he discovered the crates they’d snatched were truly worth their effort and risk, full of dangerous weapons the rebellion leaders were still debating how best to use. Pax was just glad they hadn’t made it to the empire troops attacking the rebel cities. It made him cringe to imagine the explosives used against small town walls, or the ammunition being launched from powerful enchanted siege weapons.

  Now, the rebellion had spent the last two weeks racing to craft equipment to capitalize on the valuable find Pax’s squad had liberated. Even better, that success made every hit-and-run operation against empire supply lines felt a little sweeter. They were striking where it hurt the most: the empire’s previously unchallenged superiority in troops and supplies.

  But Brightgate hadn’t taken the loss without retaliating. They struck a devastating blow by completely wiping out one of their better teams with a deceptively juicy-looking caravan that hid a counter-ambush force just waiting for them.

  That’s when Pax had become even more grateful for the idiots in the Empire who thought alienating the Windhelm family was a good idea. Together with Solani 2-nine and Magesecond Fenix, she’d tackled the logistics of supplies of real goods as well as critical information.

  The two ancient mages had helped Mistress Victoria Windhelm leverage her network of informants and her family’s logistical expertise into an invaluable resource for the rebels. The three had become the brains behind helping the rebel teams hit weaknesses and disappear before the empire could retaliate. Avoiding tempting caravans with hidden ambushes and creating their own traps had created an ever-increasing frustration on the empire’s side and a boost of confidence and morale on the rebel’s.

  Pax had grinned imagining the empire’s frustration as wagons crammed with fighters never got the chance to destroy a single rebel. Mistress Windhelm was teaching him the true value of good intelligence. It was worth its weight in lives.

  As for his squad, they, along with an increasing number of rebel units, had continued to harry the empire’s traffic to and from Brightgate. They harassed troops and snatched valuable supplies, though another find as good as Pax’s had yet to be intercepted. Still, each ambush brought chaos to the carefully regimented schedules the empire relied on to move troops and supplies and weakened Brightgate.

  It wasn’t long before the city’s leaders let even more of their frustration show. Their forces tried to respond, summoning reinforcements to crush what they likely perceived as minor pests. But the rebels never stayed to fight. They melted into the Wilds before the empire’s troops could close the net, leaving only smoldering wagons, scattered supplies, and a deepening sense of humiliation in their wake.

  The hidden rebel base where Pax’s squad resupplied and recovered had become a hive of activity. Squads came and went, carrying news and reports of their latest raids. Whenever Pax’s squad returned, they took a few hours to catch their breath and share updates. He’d even managed to carve out a few hours on the walls at night to feel out the abilities of his new Horde’s Will evolution of his Tamer skill.

  For the first time in a long time, Pax found himself struggling with something magic related. Even with Talpa and Whisk doing their best to coach him through what he was attempting, the act of taking control of wild beasts didn’t come easily. He was so well trained in how to use light mana to start the Taming process, that he found his skill traveling down that path, practically Taming the beasts before he could pull back and try to force the skill toward a different result.

  It now gave a lot more credence to the warning he’d received that by skipping the first two evolutions of the skill, he’d missed out on some of the skill’s foundational abilities. At least the companions of his crew had pitched in to help him with the other aspect of the evolved skill: the ability to strengthen and coordinate groups of willing Tamed beasts.

  They’d all taken great glee with the protections offered by the physical and magical resistance buffs. And the speed and strength buffs had turned their group of companions into a powerful strike force on their own. Talpa, with Whisk assisting, had quickly settled into a commanding role, training the companions to work together as a unit with a proud glee.

  Pax could almost sit back and let the lot of them defend and clear an entire section of the wall themselves. The sight of Tamed beasts fighting together with skill and coordination had gotten more than a few dropped jaws by nearby rebels when they glimpsed the show.

  It just made Pax even more happy to know the friends he cares so much about had another way to be stronger, which would help keep them alive and safe. He’d also enjoyed the chance to check in with Mistress Windhelm whenever they resupplied back at camp.

  Their moments of respite together gave them both a change of pace and break from the constant struggle. He also felt an unexpected sense of camaraderie. Her insight into the capital’s politics and the empire’s inner workings were invaluable. And while he appreciated the actionable intelligence, he couldn’t deny he enjoyed the clever wit and sharp tongue of the formidable businesswoman.

  And somehow, she’d managed to do everything while playing the part of an unwilling prisoner of the rebels, doing all she could to shield Master Windhelm and his daughter from retaliation.

  Grateful for everything she’d accomplished in two short weeks, especially the intelligence about troop and supply movements she’d brought them, the rebel leaders promised their help if and when the rebellion finally took on the empire’s capital.

  They agreed to assign a rebel specialist squad specifically to help all of the Windhelm extensive family network. In addition, all attacking rebels would be given a description of Master Windhelm’s daughter with instruction to get her to safety if at all possible.

  But for every moment of triumph, there was an undercurrent of worry. Pax’s thoughts often drifted to the evacuees from Quarrybrook. While he and his fellow rebels near Brightgate focused on disrupting empire operations and critically weakening the critical city, the other half of their troops were miles away ensuring those fleeing from their besieged rebel cities found safety.

  The empire’s forces had been relentless, shifting from Quarrybrook to Dunhaven and the other rebel cities. Those cities were full of the rebellion’s most vulnerable people, civilians who lacked the ability to use the hit and run tactics Pax and the rebels near Brightgate were perfecting.

  Stolen story; please report.

  The latest news was full of grim reports of every rebel city evacuating, people abandoning their homes to play a deadly cat and mouse game across the Wilds. At the same time, waves of empire troops attempted to crush the rebellion’s people and reclaim lost territory. The rebel squads risked their lives daily drawing the empire’s deadly attention away from their fleeing civilians and using every opportunity to whittle down the empire’s strength.

  A deadly race had now ensured. Instead of returning to reinforce Brightgate, the main rebel forces worked to gut the rebellion’s numbers before the rebel forces could break Brightgate’s power and gut the city itself, leaving them nowhere to return to.

  Pax was determined to win the race, while desperately hoping they didn’t lose too many of their people. He held his breath every time a new messenger arrived at the base, fearing bad news. His brother Titus’s squad had been operating dangerously close to Quarrybrook, while Tomis’ crew had taken on the hazardous task of escorting some of the slower-moving evacuees.

  And then there was the major rebel supply caravan, a valuable rebel lifeline and a source of constant anxiety for Pax. His mother was with them, working with Mistress Harkness to ensure supplies reached those who needed them most. The caravan’s progress was slow and dangerous, and Pax’s worry for her safety never truly abated.

  Now, two weeks into the campaign, Pax found himself back at the hidden camp. His body ached from the constant skirmishes, but the routine of battle had settled into something almost predictable. He sat on a low wooden bench near the central fire pit, idly sharpening one of his knives. Around him, other rebels moved with quiet efficiency, tending to weapons, repairing damaged armor, or simply resting. The mood was subdued but not grim. Their successes against Brightgate had given them a cautious optimism.

  Pax’s thoughts were interrupted by the sudden arrival of a messenger. The young man, barely more than a boy, was breathless and wide-eyed as he stumbled into the camp. Pax’s stomach clenched. He rose to his feet, his knife forgotten on the bench.

  “Who do you have news for?” Pax asked, his voice steady despite the knot of dread forming in his chest.

  The messenger nodded, gulping down air. “Are you Mage Vipersworn?”

  Pax nodded before he felt the brush of an Identify move over him.

  The boy gave him a quick nod, still catching his breath. “This message is also for Mage Incedis, Mage Eldan and Captain Langley.” The boy looked around at the others eating around the fire, brows raised in question.

  Pax pointed an impatient finger toward each of the other three who had stopped eating, now paying close attention to the messenger. “That’s them. You can go ahead.”

  The boy took another few seconds, his gaze out of focus, likely Identifying them too. A moment later he gave them a quick nod. “Would you like the message in private? He cast a glance at the rest of their squad who were all now focused on him.

  Pax shook his head, giving Incedis a pointed look. When he felt the sudden formation of Incedis’ air barrier, he turned back to the boy. “Our squadmates can hear this, and we’ve got a barrier to block anyone else from eavesdropping.

  The boy gave Incedis an impressed look before turning back to Pax. “It’s your brother, Warrior Titus Trueviper,” the boy said, and Pax’s heart dropped. “His latest assignment was to lead the troops escorting and protecting our main supply caravan. But empire scouts located them, gathered more troops and set an ambush on their route just a day’s travel past Dunhaven and about a day from here.

  “They’ve managed to get the civilians away to a base they’ve built and hidden in a hillside. Their mages built defensive and shielding walls to disguise their locations, but they’re barely keeping ahead of the empire mages and warriors trying to tear them down. Mistress Inadi’s aerial scouts brought us the news pretty fast. It’s an unstable and dangerous situation. The camp council here is deciding on what the next move is. They’d like you, Captain Langley and the mages Incedis and Eldan to join the war council.”

  “Trying to decide what to do?” Amil’s objection burst out as soon as the messenger finished. “They need to send reinforcements, of course.”

  The boy shrugged, taking an unconscious step back at Amil’s reaction.

  “Amil, he’s just the messenger.” Langley made a calming motion toward him. “Obviously, we’ll need to send help, but things here have just reached a critical phase. Another coordinated push, and we could finally take Brightgate.”

  Amil rounded on Langley. “There’s no way we’re leaving Pax’s brother and mother hanging to be slaughtered in the Wilds.” He turned back toward Pax, face red and fists clenched. “Right, Pax?”

  Pax clenched his jaw, his mind full of implication he didn’t need his Strategist skill to understand. He’d just been thinking of their current dilemma as a race. And if the empire could pull the rebel troops away from Brightgate in time to keep it from falling, they’d have won what could be a critical tipping point in the entire war.

  “Pax?” Now Amil looked uncertain.

  “What do you think Titus would tell us to do, especially if a major push right now would win us Brightgate?”

  Realization dawned on Amil’s expression and he suddenly looked as sick as Pax felt inside.

  Rin stepped up and placed a supportive hand on Pax’s shoulder. “How about we join the war planning and see what options there are. Surely, together we can come up with more than the two opposite choices between sending reinforcements to Titus or launching a final attack on Brightgate.”

  Pax gave her a grateful nod before looking toward the other leaders. They gave him encouraging nods that fanned the faint hope inside him back to life. The possibility of losing his brother and mother after finally finding them was just as horrible as wasting all of their sacrifices when they finally had Brightgate weak enough to fall.

  “Are you ready?” The tentative voice of the messenger broke into Pax’s thoughts. When he saw he had Pax’s attention, he gave a hesitant wave. “I’ll take you to the council right away. They already started a few minutes before I left to summon you.”

  Talpa, can you stay with Havoc and the others? Pax gave his worried companion what he hoped was a reassuring look. I’ll have Whisk keep you updated. Already moving, he shot a glance at Rin. “I’ll keep you updated over the Echoes, so you can tell everyone else what’s happening.”

  “Good luck.” She gave him an encouraging clap on the back.

  Pax gave her a grateful look, suddenly struck by the urgency to get to the council. This was a decision he had to have a say in. Together with the other three, he followed the fleet-footed messenger’s winding path through the camp.

  Around him, he noticed a higher level of agitation and worried expressions. He shook his head, knowing that it wouldn’t have taken long for word to spread about the dire straits of their main supply caravan and its escort versus the chance they finally had to topple Brightgate and seize everything inside for the rebellion.

  The set of guards outside the council’s tent recognized the messenger, but still took the extra seconds to Identify Pax and the others. A moment later, the leftmost one waved them through while the other made a note on her clipboard.

  “Good luck in there, Mage Vipersworn,” The first guard said in a quiet voice as Pax passed. “We’ll need your special brand of magic no matter what happens. Just remember we’re all ready to follow you.”

  Pax’s step stuttered and he took an extra moment to turn back and meet the man’s eyes. “Thank you for that. It means a lot.”

  The guard straightened and gave Pax a grim smile of approval.

  When Pax stepped up to the tent door and pushed his way inside, he felt himself move through the outer shell of a privacy spell. A sudden barrage of angry voices and multiple people arguing filled the air and it took all of his control to keep his expression calm as he walked toward a handful of empty chairs at the long tables set up in the center of the large central space.

  For the briefest of moments, Pax wished he could be out fighting a life-or-death battle instead of facing the just as dangerous political confrontation ahead of him.

  And then he saw Mistress Windhelm seated on the right, her gaze turning to see who had entered. The look of relief, followed by confidence, when she recognized him and his fellow squad leaders was enough to give him a new boost.

  He was no longer a first-year student facing powerful enemies on his own. He had allies just as powerful on his side now.