“How many people can you or she read at a stretch before you tire?”
“Six, maybe seven. Then we need to rest.”
“Anyone here could be guilty. There are roughly forty soldiers and over two hundred people in the mining camp. Since only the soldiers are transforming, you can peg the next victim more quickly by reading only them. Once you give me a name, I have a few ideas.” He was beginning to sound more like himself now. “Besides, the men are on edge, and you’re much better at easing that, and you have just as much chance of hitting on something important while reading a future as Amelie does a past.”
Céline hoped Jaromir was not trying to avoid working with Amelie. She glanced down at Keegan’s sleeping form. “The captain may have been right about one thing. If I name a soldier, I’ll be putting him in danger from the others. We’ll have to keep it very quiet.”
Shaking his head, Jaromir said. “No, as soon as you read the next victim, I want you to speak up—loud enough that everybody knows who it is.”
She wavered, wondering what he had in mind. “But do you promise that you won’t use anyone I name as bait . . . like you did the last time?”
“Trust me.”
Chapter Eleven
Although Céline knew Jaromir would act quickly, she couldn’t help feeling rushed when he almost immediately began gathering men inside one of the larger tents.
She wanted someone to sit with Keegan, so she hurried back to the tent she shared with Amelie. Thankfully, her sister was there, but less fortunately, she was sitting on the bed, her eyes bleak. Céline decided not to broach a discussion of whatever had happened with Jaromir. They didn’t have time, and it might do Amelie good to focus on the larger tasks at hand.
“Jaromir has taken command, and he’s given me permission to read the soldiers,” she said. “I’ll be starting right away.”
Amelie stood up. “Oh . . . that’s good. What about me?”
“We’ll need you soon enough, but he wants me to begin by reading futures. I hate to ask this, but Keegan is alone right now, and I need someone to sit with him. He can barely feed himself water. Can you do it?”
Grimacing, Amelie nodded. “All right.”
News that Céline had been turned loose to use her ability did seem to have a somewhat healing effect on Amelie, and she pointed toward the end of the bed.
“If you have time to change, those were delivered a little while ago.”
Walking closer, Céline saw her lavender wool dress laid out at the end of the bed, along with Amelie’s dark green one. Both appeared spotless.
“Oh, thank the gods,” Céline breathed.
“Thank Mercedes. She’s the one who washed them.”
“Come help me out of this ridiculous silk gown and into something sensible.”
Pulling off her cloak, Céline turned so Amelie could unlace her, and not long after, she felt more like herself. She liked the lavender wool. It was warm, and it fit her perfectly, snug at the waist with a skirt that hung straight and was not too full.
Leaving her cloak behind, she headed back out of the tent with Amelie following.
“I’ll come to you with any news as soon as I’m done,” Céline said when they parted.
Amelie walked toward Keegan’s tent, and Céline headed for the large tent where Jaromir had gathered some of the soldiers. Dusk was upon them, and she knew they’d be needing lanterns soon.
Entering the tent, she was somewhat taken aback to see at least twenty soldiers inside. Jaromir was standing near the rear, and he must know she couldn’t read all of them. Perhaps he just wanted an audience for what was about to take place. Guardsman Rurik was standing beside him. All heads turned to look at her, and the tent fell silent.
Her first instinct was to cover her nose with her hand. In their current unwashed state, and with so many of them in an enclosed space, they produced quite a stench. They were also frightened—both of one another and of being the next man to transform.
Forcing her hands to remain at her sides, she smiled. She had to help them relax, to trust her. That part came easily to her. It always had.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” she said, still smiling. “I know this must seem an odd request, but I do assure you that the lieutenant and I are trying to help, to solve this and keep everyone safe. That is our only goal.”
The tension inside the tent eased slightly, and she looked left to see that two sturdy chairs—from Keegan’s tent—had been brought in. With her back straight and her head high, she walked over and sat down.
“Lieutenant?” she asked, deciding it was best to appear as if she was deferring to his authority, which she was.
Jaromir motioned to a lean, middle-aged man near the front, and then gestured toward the empty chair. “Guardsman,” he said.
This was clearly an order and not a “request,” as Céline had delicately put it, but she noticed how quickly the man moved, and that the men here did not seem to mind being organized or ordered by Jaromir.
“Yes, sir,” the man said.
They’re glad he’s taken over, she thought. They wanted someone like him in charge.
However, as the man sat in front of Céline, he suddenly grew anxious again, wiping his dirty hands on his breeches. “Sorry, my lady. I didn’t know that . . .”
“It’s all right,” she assured him. “I just need to touch your hand.”
Reaching out, she gripped two of his fingers and closed her eyes. Then she counted her blessings that she didn’t have to hide what she was really doing here or pretend to be providing entertainment—as she had sometimes done in the past for Jaromir.
“What are your duties tonight?” she asked with her eyes still closed.
“Tonight? I’ll be on watch on the south-side perimeter until the mid of night, and then I’ll be relieved.”
Céline used her mind to feel for the spark of his spirit, to focus on him in his duties among the night watch and move forward from there. She connected with his spirit right away, but no jolt hit her.
“What about tomorrow?” she asked. “What will your daily duties be?”
“I don’t know, my lady. The lieutenant said he was going to go over the roster and reassign some of us. Normally, I’d be helping take care of the horses.”
Céline let her focus flow forward, trying to see the future of this soldier tomorrow and beyond, but again, nothing came to her.
Opening her eyes, she let go of his fingers and patted his hand. “I see nothing dangerous in your near future.”
He exhaled, as if he’d been holding his breath. “Is that all you need from me, then?”
She nodded, and he stood up. She was about to choose the next soldier herself when Corporal Quinn strode through the open tent flap, looking semialarmed.
“What is this . . . ? I stopped to check on the captain, and Lady Amelie told me—”
“Corporal!” Jaromir barked. “May I speak to you outside?”
Quinn fell silent, but he didn’t look happy. Céline assumed that although he was well aware that Jaromir had assumed command, Quinn had probably not realized this would entail Jaromir openly countermanding Keegan’s previous orders.
As Jaromir stepped past her, he asked quietly, “Can you handle this?”
“Yes.”
Both men stepped outside the tent, and some of the soldiers began whispering among themselves. Céline noted a round-faced young man only a few paces away from her. This one had less fear in his eyes, and he was watching her with more curiosity than anything else.
Smiling at him, she motioned to the now empty chair.