Recruited Mage (12 page)

Once we had finished unloading all the carts we were taken back to the front of the compound. We put all our small bags
that we had used for training in a pile and then all the other new boys and I were told to go and get our other bags. We obeyed and fetched them, packing everything into them.

Once we had our bags we lined up again and marched along the road. We marched over the
hill towards the city into the Engineer’s camp. Then we turned down a side road that ran along the side of the camp. We stopped by a large circle of tents with a small ditch running around the outside, which I assumed was where everyone, and now me, as part of the Three Hundred and Seventy Second Junior Assault Group, sleep. When we were gathered around, the Engineer addressed us almost shouting so all one hundred and fifty could hear.

“For doing well, you get to go to sleep early. I would take this opportunity if I was you as we have something
big planned for tomorrow” the Engineer said and turned to walk away. Everyone started walking off in groups, talking loudly. Detarian walked up and half-heartedly gestured for me to follow him. As I walked after Detarian into the circle of tents I caught sight of the Commander who I had guessed by now must be the Assault Group Captain, looking back at everyone with what looked like a smile of content on his face.
I think he is proud of us.

Detarian pulling my arm interrupted me
. “Hurry up,” he said. “I have friends to talk to and other stuff to do.” So I followed him once more through the circle to a tent. It was quite small and I was surprised to see that Donal was already in it and I was to share the small tent with him.

The tent was made of a thin fabric that rippled slightly in the wind. The entrance was a small flap that you have to squeeze through to get in. Sitting in the tent was cramped with Donal.
We each had to sit against the walls so we were far enough away from each other to unpack our bags. The tent had no bottom so we were just going to sleep on a waterproof sheet and a blanket. After I had got all my stuff ready for bed I awkwardly climbed past Donal and out of the tent flap. My knees clicked painfully as I stood and it was already a relief to get out.

As I stood outside the tent I looked out across the
camp, which seemed to stretch as far as I could see until a hill at the far end.

If this is just the Engineers, this is a big army.

The sun was sinking slowly toward the horizon and I guessed it would be another hour until it would be dark. There were many fires around the camp including one in the centre of or tent circle, cooking over it were some large birds that I assumed to be geese.
There is probably no need to light anymore fires all night, as there are so many alight already.
Whilst I was looking around Donal climbed out of the tent and stood next to me.

“The training in the wo
ods went better than I expected,” he said slowly. “I thought I would be smashed up and breeding by the end of it, however no one was badly hurt except them.” Donal suddenly lowered his voice. “I have to admit that I was quite scared.” Donal raised his voice again. “Everyone is very good, don’t you think?” I nodded a silent approval. “The way they fought was amazing and very efficient.” Donal suddenly lowered his voice again. “I can’t believe it is only one week! I can’t stand fighting. Back home I would always run rather than fight.” Donal turned away for a few seconds and when he turned back to face me his eyes were brimmed with tears. “I’m just not ready,” he sobbed. “I am just not ready.”

After that Donal went and stayed in the tent. He only came out for
supper of goose that I had seen cooking. No one came to talk to me and I could not pluck up courage to go up to anyone and talk to them.

After picking at grass around my feet where I sat for half an hour after having supper
, I climbed into our tent. For at least two hours I practiced magic secretly in the tent, curled up just In case that Donal woke from his early sleep. Despite being distracted many, many times by the sounds of people talking and moving about, the crackling of fires and the sounds of the monsters in the cages that with each howl or roar chilled my blood, I managed to raise up my needle and spin it around. All of this I did without the help of Diryn Kust who ignored my many silent callings to him. I was very proud when I tried really hard and managed to conjure a blue spark for a whole second.

11
Practicee assault

I could see nothing of the approaching lakeside past the twenty other members of the Assault Group that were in my particular boat. All I felt was fear as I cowered in the back of the boat, no excitement and no adrenalin rush, just fear. To each side however I could see the seven other boats that carried the remainder of the Assault Group. They all were braced and ready for the creatures that we were to face on reaching our section of the two mile long bank, the two mile section that was about to be the battle ground of “the largest single training exercise ever.”

It is not really a
battle; we are fighting creatures, not an army. I suppose we can’t even call it a training exercise; danger of death they said. Not for us though apparently, all the monsters are meant to be “Down the other end” of the beach.

The boats seemed to speed up in anticipation as the
ten or so men strained harder at the oars. The shore sped closer and closer. I bowed my head and took a deep breath.

I touched the handle of the frighteningly real and sharp dagger that was strapped by my side, others just like mine had been handed to every
one of us.

And yet they said no fighting?

Up in front on the shore were huge mounds of earth leading into a small but thick wood which apparently blocked from my view from a small palisade purposely built for us to blow up as had been explained while we walk for a whole hour to get to this huge lake.

And guess who was chosen to place the explosives? Me!
Everyone else just had their small bags whilst I, one of the smallest, had to carry the small bag
and
a few kilograms of fireshot powder in another bag. Whatever the fireshot powder was contained in was not soft and it rubbed painfully on my back whenever I moved.

It should all be over shortly, but
the monsters! What if one of them came down our end of the beach? What if it attacked us? What if it was worse than a large wolf? It could kill us all. What if…

“Ready!” shouted a C
ommander and we all got to our feet. I struggled up and almost fell back down as the fire shot powder weighed me down. A mix of dread and exited mutters ran out among us.

Well here we go.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
Everything is going to be fine.

Closing my eyes was a mistake and I did not see everyone brace so when we hit the bank I was flung forward. My eyes flashed open quick enough for me to grab my bench to stop m
e falling. I jogged the few metres forward to the front of the boat and jumped out like everyone else into the shallow water.

“Go, Go, Go!” t
he man shouted. The water was freezing cold and the mud and weeds clung to my boots as the weight of the fire shot powder pulled me downward. I pulled my legs free and struggled out of the water. Everyone was fanning out on the shore, some with shields and daggers others with crossbows. There was a gap in the middle, which was my place to go. I ran up through the heaps of dirt with an escort of five in front of me and to either side, staying in time with my opposites from the other boats until I could no longer see them.

In between the mounds it was like I was miles away from the shore I had just left. They towered over us bleak and plain as we wove between them. Everyone else followed on behind us, staying low between the mounds like we would have to when we have rocks, arrows and other things aimed at us.

Far away there was a loud, blood-curdling howl that seemed to echo around to our left. Then I realised that is was not echoes but tens of wolfs howling almost in unison. I would have been running back to the ships in terror then if it hadn’t been for the escort confidently going onwards. As I ran the fireshot powder jiggled on my back, threatening to send me off balance at any moment. Suddenly there was a searing unearthly shriek that made everyone stop dead still. I could barely suppress a whimper and I wiped my shaking hands on my waistcoat to remove the sweat that was pooling on them.

“We need to keep going,” s
aid one of the boys in front and we continued but a lot slower.

I can’t take much more of this.

We weaved between two large mounds and there were the woods. The woods were dark and shadowy; very little sunlight pierced the gloomy canopy that creepily rustled in the wind above our heads. The dark shadows looked like they could conceal anything just inside the tree line.

I can’t go in there, I can’t.

The rest of the escort stopped. This was where they would wait until the explosives go off. I took a step towards the wood, trying to ignore the sound of my blood roaring through my head that seemed to be overwhelming everything else, echoing to the beat of my heart.

I could not take another step. I was just too terrified. The escort impatiently waited for me to go as seconds drew by.

“You to go with him” said a boy behind me and I turned to see a tall boy gesturing to two others who nodded and walked forward, past me. I hesitated then followed, every sense straining for any sign of danger and every muscle tensed ready to flee. The two boys walked forward confidently but they still held their daggers ready in anticipation. I crept after them, jumping every time one of us stood on a twig that avoided our adrenalin pumped gaze.

The branches of the oaks and pines of the wood seemed to leer in on me as I stepped into their shadows. I quivered as silently as possible, whimpering as I walked forward.

They can’t see me like this. I won’t let them.
I took a few deep breaths and walked on. The boys in front of me had not noticed or they had not reacted. I stopped before entering the woods but remembered the eighteen boys behind me and the fuse I was meant to light in synchronization with the others who had explosives when an explosion down the beach goes off.

Wait, it must soon be time! I have stopped so many times!
I ran forward, my fears momentarily forgotten in a mad dash through the woods, straight past the boys in front of me. I ran forward as fast as I could, dodging around trees and tripping over roots.

By the end of the few mad seconds that brought me to a large palisade, I stood out of breath as I clutched my painful knees that had been bruised each time I had tripped
. The Palisade ran in both directions and I couldn’t see the ends. Quickly I pulled the bag of my back, pausing to sigh in relief as the weight left my shoulders.

The moment I placed the bag on the ground I started
unravelling the real of fuse that was connected to it. I started running back to the safety of the mounds, letting the real ravel its self as I trailed it behind me whilst attempting to light a fire and block I had been given, the exact type as the one we had used in Risina.

I tripped and fell flat on my front and pain shot through my body. The stick of the fire and block flared up suddenly having lit itself during the fall. I looked forward, and I could have sworn that my heart stopped for a few seconds.

Stalking along the side of the mound that everyone was standing in front was one of the giant wolves. Standing over two metres tall it seemed to fill everything. I wanted to scream, to yell, and to warn the others.

No! Don’t shout it will get you.
I lay as still as I could on the ground, watching the wolf slink closer and closer to the boys.
I have to do something! If I move it will kill me. But I must help!

The wolf crept closer, almost in sight of the boys

B
ut it is preparing to pounce and they would not react in time!

Don’t do anything stay perfectly still…

I threw the lit stick. I watched it fly through the air, spinning end on end.

What have I done? What have I done?
I closed my eyes at the last second.

There was the most frightening roar I had ever heard followed by shouts of terror from the boys. I opened my eyes expecting to see the wolf pouncing on to the boys but instead I
was met with the cold hard stare of the wolf looking straight at me, a large burn mark on its back.

Run!

At that moment I screamed loud and clear, I couldn’t help myself. I was up on my feet and running in a flash, running the hardest I had in my life. I sprinted, pumping my arms, my legs pounding.

In five huge bounds it caught up with me and in a heartbeat it turned its head horizontal and grabbed me in its massive jaws. The razor sharp teeth ripped through my
flesh and I heard screaming, before I realised it was me, screaming in pain and terror as the wolf whipped it’s head back and forth, starting a fountain of blood from the bite marks.

Suddenly I
was falling, falling to the ground where everything started fading. Hitting the ground jerked my wounds and I screamed again. I started spasming in pain, my legs clawing pitifully against the dirt. I coughed up a mouthful of blood and looked up at the wolf above me. It suddenly spun around and started thrashing wildly than suddenly dropped to the ground in front of me. Standing with his arms holding tightly to his dagger that was planted firmly into the neck of the wolf, was Donal.

He killed it!

But Donal was not celebrating; he was looking straight at me and ran towards me the moment the wolf stopped moving. He was shouting something but I couldn’t make it out. I tried to fix my gaze on him but everything went blur and I could barely see. A coolness had started seeping through my body and I relaxed.

No get up!
The soothing coolness was so nice
. No get up!

Vaguely I could see shadows standing over me, all of them shouting and waving their hands.

Suddenly a sharp pain shot through my face. My vision cleared and my hearing returned. Donal was holding my head up and judging by his stare had I guessed he had just slapped me. Everyone was shouting and crowding around. Donal was saying “you’re gonna be ok, you’re gonna be ok.” Then everyone pulled me to a sitting position, which made me cough blood all down my front.

I
look down at where crimson blood was seeping from my front.

I’m injured, I’m dying?

The words ‘you’re gonna be ok’ echoed around my head as everything began to fade again. I was lowered back down on to my back. Someone pushed through the ring of people around me and I recognised the white stripe of the Medic as he looked at me franticly.

Then I passed out.