Belen gave me a questioning look, but I ignored it. Guessing Noak’s army waited in the foothills below the Milligreen Pass of the Nine Mountains, I calculated it would take fifteen days for his army to return to HQ. Plus the time it took to send a message via horseback, adding seven days. Twenty-two total.

Could I last that long? Would Tohon wait that long? He had to know our location. If he attacked, we could hunker down in the mines until Noak arrived. Military strategy was not my thing. Maybe Belen had a few ideas.

“Recalling Noak’s army could ruin Prince Ryne’s plans,” Belen said.

“Too bad. So sad. Ryne’s just as bad as Tohon.”

“Now, don’t go jumping to conclusions. There’s more going on than you think. We need to trust Prince Ryne.”

“Easy for you to say. You haven’t been used as bait when he promised he wouldn’t.”

“Did he know about your dreams?”

“Yes, but—”

“Did Noak tell him about the bond?”

“Maybe, but—”

“Did you consider he might be feeding Tohon false information through you?”

“Uh...”

“Thought so.” Belen lifted his chin, giving me a smug smile.

And then I remembered Ryne’s four Ds he’d learned in boarding school for future realm leaders—diplomacy, defense, deception, and disinformation. He’d certainly mastered the deception and disinformation part.

The monkeys returned with Private Red Hair. The private fiddled with the hem of her shirt. I braced for bad news.

“Go on, tell her,” Loren prompted the private.

“Private Beau has disappeared. I can’t find him anywhere.”

“Is he out on patrol?” I asked.

“No. The rest of his squad is inside.”

“Do they know where he is?”

“He doesn’t hang out with them during down time,” Red Hair said. “They had no idea he was missing.”

“Lost in the mines?” Loren asked. “Or absent without leave?”

Frustration boiled. “I’d send search parties, but no one can read the maps.”

Quain and Loren flipped through the stack.

Out of ideas, I said, “We’ll wait for Kerrick and Flea to—”

“It’s a symhextric cipher,” Quain cried.

“A what?” Loren asked.

“The maps. It’s been driving me crazy, trying to remember where I’d seen this before. Prince Ryne used this symhextric code to send messages to his scouts. It uses symbols, numbers, and hexagons.”

“How do you know all this?” Loren asked.

“Back when we were camped in Zabin with Estrid’s army, he showed it to me.”

“Can you decipher these?” I asked.

Quain picked up another map. “I can try.”

“What do you need?”

“Uh...a few sheets of blank parchment, a ruler, and a piece of charcoal.”

I scrambled to assemble the supplies while Loren helped him organize the maps.

After I finished, he shooed me away. “No need to hover. I’ll let you know if this works.”