The Mercenary's Valkyrie: Book One

We Three Liars

The day wore on with us carefully trailing the treasury troop. As I predicted, they waited to make camp until the sun started to hide beneath the trees. But they did so outside of the forest where the area was more open and where enemies would be easily spied. 

The commander of this party had more sense than I had given him or her credit for...

"Still think getting our hands on those disguises will be an easy task?" John asked smugly as he surveyed the open grounds from our hidden spot within the tree line. The horses were kept a few metres back and our supplies with them. If we were going to do this, we had to look entirely the part.

"Let me think." I state, ignoring his tone.

Night was almost upon us and stars were beginning to dot the sky. The breeze was light and only the distant firelight and sounds of camp being made by near to 50 soldiers could be heard.

"There." I pointed where a small handful of scouts were wandering a wide perimeter with torches and blow horns for alarm.

"Scouts?" Kaden huffed incredulous. "How will we stroll into the heart of that camp as mere scouts?"

"I have to agree with the human pine tree." John said, "There's no way we can bluff our way anywhere near that gold with those uniforms."

Kaden scowled at the insult before turning back to me in disbelief. I merely held a hand up to stop both of them from continuing.

"You remember how we started out?" I asked both of them looking closely into the brown and grey eyes of both. They gave me confused looks before nodding carefully. "Then you will remember that when I found you–" I flicked a gloved hand at John, "–you were down to your last sack of coppers and gambling it all on a fixed jousting match that went badly wrong." He opened his mouth, only to snap it when I went on. "And you–" I flicked my eyes over to Kaden. "–were surrounded by the captain of the guard and his men in Harsely with a broken hand and a bent sword." I chuckled darkly at the memories.

They traded silent smirks thinking of it too.

"How did both of those circumstances end for us?" I asked.

"Favourably." Kaden said cracking his knuckles.

"Profitably." John shrugged, straightening his tunic.

I grinned at their responses. "We turn impossible outcomes in our favour." I stated in complete certainty. "Ever since I have known the pair of you, we manipulated the outcome because we lie, we cheat and we break the very rules of the games we play." They started to nod as I went on. "Damn the odds and damn the rules. We do this with more deception and risk than the devil himself would dare."

"Here, here!" John voiced as loud as the situation would allow.

"I'm with you, Tayah and you, John." Kaden vowed as he pressed a giant fist to his heart. "You are my family–"

"Oh gods can you stop? I'd like to keep what little remains in my stomach." I deadpanned at him.

They both shoved hands over their mouths to contain the laughter that racked through them. I tried and failed to conceal my own chuckle. But soon I was snapping my fingers for their attention.

"We take one scout each at different times to minimise the suspicion of missing men. So, when you are in position, you move quickly and silently. If you even waste a second, their horn will sound and we will be deader than Kaden's love life." I stated holding a serious expression in place.

John was physically shaking from the efforts to contain his laugh and Kaden looked ready to behead us both on the spot.

"I will go first." He growled. "Show you children how it is done." He muttered.