The Autumn Republic

Nila hunkered down next to Bo, her knees wet from the grass. From the way Bo was facing, she guessed that the spy was traveling in the gully between two hills. She couldn’t see a thing, however, and waited for Bo to make his move.

She didn’t have to wait long. His arms suddenly came up, two shadows in the night, and she thought she saw a spark when his fingers danced. There was a cry in the gully beneath them that was cut dramatically short, and Bo leapt to his feet. “Come on!” They stumbled down the hill and Bo threw himself forward. “Hold still, damn it. You’re not going anywhere.” Several muffled grunts followed and then the area was suddenly lit by the beam of a dull light not unlike a bull’s-eye lantern. It originated from Bo’s shoulder and revealed Bo struggling with a small figure.

“It’s only a boy!” Nila said before she could stop herself. Could they have caught the wrong person? Just some innocent messenger, or maybe even a drummer boy who’d decided to run away from the camp?

Bo gave her a dirty look and flipped the boy onto his back. Hands and legs bound by invisible sorcery, the boy thrashed on the ground like an earthbound fish. He couldn’t have been more than twelve, with a narrow nose and long brown hair tied back behind his head. He wore a plain black uniform with matching kneesocks, boots, and jacket.

Bo stood up, one finger pointed at the boy as if he were pinning a fly to the ground beneath him, and seemed content to let the boy tire himself out for several minutes.

Nila stepped up beside Bo. “He’s just a boy,” she whispered in his ear.

“I know that.”

“Are you going to torture him?”

“If I must.”

“You were a boy once too.”

“And I had to learn when to grow up.”

The coldness in his words shocked her. “Let me at him first.”

He blinked at her several times before gesturing to the boy magnanimously. “Be my guest.”

“Give me an extra pair of gloves.”

Pulling on the gloves, she knelt next to the boy and held them up to Bo’s light. “Do you know what these are?”

The boy nodded fearfully.

“You’ve the unfortunate luck to fall into the hands of two Privileged. Answer our questions truthfully and we’ll let you go. Lie to us, and we’ll take turns scouring the flesh from your bones so that there is nothing left of you but a charred shell come morning. I can make certain that no one will hear your screams.” She leaned in close to his face. “And no one will help you. Do you understand?”

The boy’s mouth worked, but no sound came forth.

Nila glanced over her shoulder at Bo. “Sorry,” Bo muttered. One finger twitched.

“Let’s try that again,” Nila said. “Do you understand?”

“Yes!” the boy gasped. “I do!”

“Good. What is your name?”

“Folkrot.”

“Unfortunate name,” Bo muttered just loud enough for Nila to hear.

She compressed her lips in a hard line to stifle a laugh. “What are you doing out here?”

“I’ve run off from my unit.” The words had barely left his mouth when Bo’s fingers twitched and Folkrot gave a terrified squeal. “I’m sorry! I mean, I’m delivering a message.”

Nila tried to keep her composure. Could Bo really sense if he was lying? Or was he testing the boy? “For whom?” she asked.

“General Hilanska.”

“Where were you taking it?”

“To the Kez lines. I’m meant to be there by morning.”

“And what kind of message are you delivering?”

“I don’t know! It’s a sealed letter. I’m not allowed to open it.” Another squeal, and Folkrot writhed from some unseen twisting of sorcery. “I swear to you it’s true!”

Nila slapped Bo’s leg and the boy instantly stopped moving. “Where is the letter?”

“Under my shirt.”

Nila bent forward and undid the front of the boy’s jacket, then lifted his shirt. Strapped to his white belly just below his ribs was a leather satchel. She removed it and handed it to Bo.

Bo stepped away from her and the boy and opened the letter. He stared at it for several minutes before beckoning Nila over.

“It’s coded,” Bo said. “Damn it. It doesn’t help us.” He walked around in a circle for a moment before stopping. “The Wings of Adom employ several code breakers. They’ve fought in just about every country in the world. Their camp isn’t far. We can get there by late morning if we walk all night.”

Nila didn’t like the idea at all. She was already wet, tired, dirty, and she’d twisted her ankle. A seven-mile walk in the dark sounded horrible. “And the boy?”

“I have to kill him,” Bo said.

“No!”

“We have no choice. We can’t let him go. He’ll run back to Hilanska and tell him the letter was taken. I’ll make it quick.”

“You bloody animal! I will not let you do that.”

“And how will you stop me?” There was a challenge in Bo’s voice.

Nila felt her hands stiffen and thought of the blue flame that had danced over her fingers. Who was she kidding? She couldn’t use sorcery against Bo. He would toss her aside like garbage. “He’s an innocent. I’ll make you kill me first.”

A sour look crossed Bo’s face and he looked from her to the boy as if considering how best to move her out of the way.