Boots crunched close. Nobody breathed. Bugs crawled over Lark. She ignored them.
“Do a sweep over here,” called the leader.
More crunching footsteps. A pause while the detector hummed.
“Nothing here.”
“Alright, let’s move on. That way.” The footsteps trotted away.
The team lay as still as death for a full ten minutes, ensuring no others on the hunt came this way or circled back. Lark was anxious to move—not just for comfort. She estimated less than two hours remained before dawn. Their chances of making it to their vehicles undetected in daylight were slim to none.
“Wait,” Luke whispered and crawled out from under the canopy. A few minutes later, he lifted a corner of their cover, allowing a wave of blessed fresh air. Wes stood and helped him fold it. Lark inhaled deeply.
“Stealth mode. Harlan, point,” Luke ordered in a hush. Lark stood and helped General Calder to his feet. With her goggles back on, she noticed the dark circles under his bloodshot eyes.
“They hold other prisoners,” he said.
“I’m sorry, General,” Luke replied, tone grim.
Calder bowed his head in regret and nodded. “Understood.”
Skye lined up on General Calder’s other side, and together the women assisted the weakened man through the dense undergrowth. They crept along with no further words, skirting any sign of the Iron Army, crawling through a drainpipe under a four-lane road that cut through the forest. Awareness high and steady, Lark refrained from jumping at shadows and performed her job as expected.
At the spot Wes had marked with glow paint visible through night vision, Diego and Harlan ripped the netting off their vehicles. Lark and Skye assisted the general and lieutenant into the jeep. Skye turned the key. Luke and Harlan kicked up on their bikes and sped east as fast as they could. Sixty kilometers away, the sun knifed over the horizon into their eyes, and the vehicles pulled over.
“Ten minutes,” Luke said. “I need a pit stop.” It was the first moment anyone had felt safe.
Lark passed her canteen to Calder, who sat across from her in the back of the jeep.
“Thanks.” He gulped a long swallow and came up coughing.
“Take it easy,” Skye said.
He nodded and handed the canteen to his lieutenant. Calder wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and leaned his elbows wearily on his knees. Meeting Lark’s gaze, he asked, “What’s your name, soldier?”
“Lark Sutter, sir, from Saltmarsh Reach.”
“I’m in your debt,” he said. “Your whole team. That was quite a risk.”
“Rescuing you was Queen Frost’s immediate priority,” Lark answered. The lieutenant, his reddish-blond beard growing in after nearly a week of captivity, returned the canteen. Lark finished the remaining water.
Calder’s eyes flashed with surprise at her words. “Truly?”
“Yes, General,” Diego confirmed. “We are to bring you back for a full medical exam.”
“No.” The authority returned to Calder’s voice. “You must take me straight to Stonevale. I overheard them talking, and a division is marching there now.”
Luke, who had returned from the woods, stepped up to the jeep’s open side. “Yes, General. We spotted their convoy yesterday.”
“We must beat them to Stonevale,” Calder declared. “And what became of the rest of my army?”
“We’ve been in touch with Major Williams, who reported that over half have regrouped and returned to Fort Calder. The Iron Army has a day on us, but we can move much faster, so that should be possible. You mentioned a division? What about the rest of Garcia’s forces?”
“Heading to Marchland,” Calder said.
Lark’s gut twisted. She had known her dad would be in the thick of it. Still, she’d hoped it wouldn’t be so.
“Skye,” Luke called. She had already pulled out a notepad and pencil.