from Ursan silenced them. He had their respect, but I didn’t. Fair enough, for now.
I turned to the group. “Who called me sweetheart?” No one moved. “What? Too chicken? Come on, reveal yourself.”
A soldier in the front row stepped forward with a challenging smirk. I crossed my arms and scrutinized him for a long moment while I wrapped my fingers around the handle of one of my throwing knives.
“You’re not my father or my lover,” I said, causing a ripple of snickers. Boys.
I pulled my knife and threw it at the center of his belt, hoping I put the right amount of heat behind it. I didn’t want to hurt him.
He yelped as the tip of the blade pierced the leather far enough to keep the weapon in place. Staring at me in shock, he opened his mouth, but snapped it shut when I walked up to him.
I gripped the handle of the knife. “If you call me sweetheart again—” I yanked it out “—I’ll aim lower. Understand?”
“Yes.”
I waited.
“Yes, Sergeant.”
“Good. Return to your position, soldier.” I scanned the others. A combination of surprised, impressed and admiring expressions met my gaze.
“Does anyone else wish to call me sweetheart?” I asked.
No one said a word.
“I believe you proved your point, Sergeant,” Ursan said. “Let’s get started.”
I spent the rest of the day teaching the jumping jacks how to move in the forest. Not exactly sure if I could explain the technique in my own way, I taught it the same way Kerrick had shown me.
A few, like Ursan, caught on quick. Others struggled but eventually mastered the technique, and a couple had no sense of rhythm at all. They would have to return tomorrow for more practice.
Lieutenant Thea arrived in midafternoon to watch the session. She consulted briefly with Ursan before leaving.
The next day I worked with Ursan’s two remaining men while the others practiced their new skills. This time Major Granvil visited and asked for a demonstration.
I picked the four best students to accompany me and the major. We walked deeper into the forest until I found a suitable location.
“All right, gentlemen, I want you to take a noisy stroll away from us. Then on my command, go silent. Your goal is to return one at a time and get as close to Major Granvil as possible. He’ll signal when he hears you. Understand?”
“Yes, Sergeant,” they said in unison and with a little too much enthusiasm.
“Go.”
They tromped through the bushes as if they’d get extra points for noisiness. No doubt scaring away all wildlife. Major Granvil regarded their retreating backs before pulling his gaze to me. “I’d thought they’d give you a hard time.”
“They tried.”
“And?”
“They’re smart, Major. They quickly learned this technique can save lives.” I drew in a breath and projected my voice over the din. “Gentlemen, go silent!”
The crunching, snapping and rustling died in an instant.
“They could have just stopped moving,” Major Granvil said. He stroked his mustache.
I agreed. “That’s why I asked them to return. Listen closely, Major.”
He scanned the woods, turning in a slow circle. Although I had picked the best, they still needed practice. Small sounds, off notes and rustlings reached me. I tracked the first soldier. He had gone wide and planned to approach from our left.
When the soldier was about four feet away, the major heard him and called out his location. Major Granvil’s voice remained steady but couldn’t completely mask his surprise.
The next two soldiers were caught a few feet farther away, giving the major a sense of security. The last man looped around us. He showed more patience than the other three, moving when the major moved and stepping with care.
I examined a berry bush so I wouldn’t give the soldier away. He crept up behind the major and grabbed his shoulders. The major jerked but didn’t cry out. He turned and shook the smiling soldier’s hand.
We returned to the exit point. Lieutenant Thea and Sergeant Ursan waited for us with the rest of the jumping jacks in the field next to the woods.
“That was very impressive,” Major Granvil said. “Sergeant Ursan, I want you and your jacks to check out sector five on your next patrol.”
“Yes, sir,” Ursan said.
“No,” I said. “They’re not ready.”
“Explain, Sergeant.”
“They need more practice.”
“How much more?”
“A couple days, at least.” Although I would have been happier with a week. “And I should go along.”
The major stroked his mustache while he considered. “All right, two more days, but you’re not going, Sergeant Irina. I need you here to train my other squads.”
He cut me off when I tried to argue, and left with Lieutenant Thea.
I spent the next two days working with the jumping jacks and Thea, who’d wanted to learn the skill, as well. At the end of the second day, I gathered them around me for some last-minute advice.
“While most people won’t hear you, you still need to avoid the Death Lilys. They will sense you no matter how quiet you are. Bypass them altogether, but if you’re desperate, Peace Lilys smell like vanilla, and Death Lilys have a faint aroma of anise. Also Death Lilys hiss before they snatch you, so you have some warning.”
“I thought both types of Lilys smelled like honey and lemon?” one of the soldiers asked.
“They do, but when you get closer—”
“You’re dead,” Ursan said. “The Death Lily will spit out your bones once it eats all your flesh. Don’t go near them at all.”
I bit my lip to keep from correcting him. It only consumed those who died immediately from the toxin it injected into them. Some were spat out and died later from the poison, and a few, like me, lived through the experience. Those survivors developed healing powers.
Instead, I said, “If you encounter a squad of Tohon’s dead soldiers, the best way—”
Ursan interrupted me again. “We don’t believe the rumors about them, Sergeant Irina. It’s a scare tactic.”
“And you should be scared, Ursan. I’ve seen them. They’re real and hard to stop.”
“You’ve
