Wayward Soldiers (13 page)

“One match,” I said.

“Great,” said Sered. “Me and Gad want to have a go.”

I turned to Gad. The man wore a thin, knowing smile. He had about a foot in height and reach over Sered. Like Liam, he too once worked for Jareb and was not a stranger to a fight. He and Sered had been jawing at each other all day and I knew right away if I let them go at it, things would get ugly quick. Gad would frustrate Sered with his reach. I expected the blacksmith would start hammering blows to take advantage of his strength. It would no longer be sparring then.

I leaned into Ava and whispered. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been doing better.”

“Good enough to put a couple of people in their place?”

She sized up Gad and Sered. “So long as I don’t have to drag it out.”

“No. Normal rules. First to three scores. The quicker the better. That way I can emphasize my points from earlier.”

“No problem.”

She started loosening up.

“What’s going on?” asked Sered.

“I’ve got a better idea. If you both can beat Ava, then I’ll let you have an extra match with each other. If not, then you won’t bring up sparring again until I decide you’re ready.”

“I’m not fighting a woman,” said Gad in his baritone.

“Why not?” asked Ava. She picked up one of the practice weapons I had rigged up, essentially long dowels of wood cut to sword length. “Scared because this one will fight back?” She sneered. “Yeah, I’ve heard the stories about how you used to slap the whores around when you spent your coin. Let’s see if you can slap me around.”

Crap.

I eyed my sister and saw the cold hate in her eyes, the same look she had given soldiers whose abuse of camp followers had gotten back to her. If I had known that about Gad, I wouldn’t have set up the match. I should have been suspicious of how easily she agreed to my suggestion.

Then Lasha came to mind, and I found myself wanting to take Ava’s place so I could give Gad the payback I’d likely never inflict on the man who killed my wife. Maybe it made better sense to give Ava a crack at Gad. With Lasha in my thoughts, I didn’t know if I would be able to hold myself back.

“You think I’m scared of some has-been mage who can’t cast a spell?” Gad retorted. “Let’s see how good you are without all your tricks.”

“Yes. Let’s.”

“Ava,” I said. “Just make your point and move on.”

She got in her stance, but said nothing.

“Rules first,” I said. “No head shots. Only body. A strike to any part of the torso is a point. Three points win. You’ll break after each point. If you don’t break when I say to break, then I’ll take a head shot. Understand?”

“I understand,” said Gad, boring holes in my sister.

If I wasn’t aware of the hurt he was about to be in, I’d punch him for giving her that look.

“Ava?”

“Just say begin.”

“Begin.”

A sloppy hack by Gad. An effortless sidestep by Ava. She followed it up with a hard thrust to Gad’s gut. It was that quick.

“Point,” she said, giving Gad her back as he vomited.

“Ava.” My tone was one of warning.

She gave me a shrug while waiting for Gad to rise.

Sered swore next to me. “I’m glad he went first.”

I snorted. Sered had a wife, and from what I knew, treated her well. Ava would have tapped him to make her point. Nothing more. However, I wasn’t about to tell him as much. The older brother in me liked the idea of having men scared of my sister.

“You ready, Gad?” I called.

He nodded, spittle and a few bits of food hung from his lips.

“Begin.”

This time Ava attacked first, slapping her dowel hard against each of his arms and then his legs before kicking them out from under him. He went to the ground on his hands and knees. She slapped the dowel of wood so hard against his backside it cracked in half.

Gad cried out, hands moving to his rear.

“Point,” said Ava, walking over and picking up another dowel to replace the one she broke. She had saved them from the feed store before the place had burned. I don’t think she realized they’d be used for the purpose they held now.

“Ouch,” said Sered.

“What’s the matter with you?” Gad yelled at me. “She cheated!”

“How?” I asked.

He rose gingerly “She hit my arms and legs. You said the torso was where you scored points.”

“And she didn’t score the point until she hit your uh . . . torso. However, I never said the limbs were off limits. Just the head.”

He growled. “This is bull. I’m done.”

He started limping away.

Ava tsked. “It’s a shame a man your size is so frightened of a woman.”

He wheeled and stormed back over. “Fine. I’ll play your game. I was going easy on you before, but no longer.”

“Sure.”

I waited for each to get into position, then gave the order to begin.

Gad wasn’t going to take Ava for granted a third time. He moved in cautiously, feeling her out with a few quick pokes to her limbs, small and tight so not to leave himself open for another gut shot. Ava parried them easily. She countered with a swipe to his ribs, but Gad avoided it. She stepped back quickly, feinted to her left, leaving her flank exposed. Gad jumped on the opening. Ava moved aside and her stick came up between his legs.

“I believe that’s three,” she said while Gad curled up on the grass beside his vomit. “You let me know when you’re ready to try again. Oh, and I better not hear of you ever striking another woman, regardless of how much you’ve paid for her time.”

She walked over to me and Sered, eying the blacksmith. “You ready?”

“Nah,” he said. “If Tyrus thinks I should wait, then maybe I should listen.”

Ava handed me the dowel. “I’m going to get dinner.”

“Grab me some too, would you?” I said.

“Sure.” She walked away.

Sered and I stood staring after her while Gad groaned behind us.

“Everything I ever heard about mages said they weren’t much good for hand-to-hand fighting,” he commented.

“They usually aren’t. Zadok and Myra could probably take down a few of the High Mages I once knew.”

“Then how come she’s so good?”

“Because she’s my sister. And she was in my unit. I wouldn’t let her be a liability if something prevented her from working a spell. I was probably harder on her than anyone else.”

He grunted. “Did that ever cause problems between you two?”

“Some, but she understood. Ava was mostly a good soldier so long as she kept her temper in check. That could be an issue at times.”

Sered glanced back to Gad. “So I noticed.”

I looked over my shoulder. “Actually, that was pretty calm by her standards.”

* * *

Despite their rivalry, Sered had a change of heart and helped Gad to his feet and back to camp. I guess watching a man be humiliated, regardless of whether he deserved it or not, makes some feel a bit of sympathy.

Not me.

I took a different route than them. It had been a long day and my stomach growled with anticipation of dinner.

Stew wasn’t the only thing available to eat on the road. However, it was the most common dinner choice as it took far less effort to throw everything into one pot until something edible happened.

Some might complain about eating the same thing over and over, but I had long lost any attachment to food. A couple of lean months after the battle of Wadlow’s Hill when I was ready to gnaw on my belt put things into perspective. Nothing will make you appreciate a bowl of beef stew with a few potatoes and a hard biscuit than recalling times where a thin broth and the skinny rib from an old, stray cat seemed like a feast.

I was no more than fifty paces from the fire Ava sat by when Dinah and Abigail stepped into my path. Dinah wore a hesitant smile, hand over her daughter’s shoulder. Boaz’s wife looked tired from the day’s drills. She and her husband had put in plenty of effort with their weapons.

I returned the smile, hopefully brighter. “Can I do something for you?”

“Abigail would like to give you something.”

“Oh?” I turned my gaze to the little girl. She had her head down, staring at the ground with hands behind her back. I got down to a knee. “What is it?”

The girl looked up, cheeks flushed as she brought her hands around, revealing a string of old flowers twisted into a necklace. She raised her arms and stepped forward. I ducked my head for her.

The gesture took me off guard. “Thank you.”

“Ira helped me.”

“Ira?”

“Yes. I spent most of the day working on it.”

“It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

“I’m sorry all the flowers aren’t pretty. But those were the best we could find.”

I examined the handiwork involved in the necklace’s construction. Most of the flowers were wilted and cracking. Many, like the rest of the landscape, looked brown. Still, the way the stems twisted, the dying plants would hold. I noticed the flowers in the best condition pointed outward, purposefully resting across my chest and shoulders.

Good old Ira. The man never ceased to amaze me.

“I don’t think I could pick better flowers myself if I tried,” I said

Abigail gave me a big hug.

I returned it without thinking. Though I didn’t get a chance to talk to Abigail much, the young girl had definitely made an impression on me back when we first met. Our brief interactions since then only reinforced that impression. Boaz said she spoke of me all the time. Such adulation felt odd, but I was getting used to it, even enjoying it. Though we didn’t spend a lot of time together, some of the random things I missed when my kids were her age, like getting flower necklaces, I got to experience with Abigail.

She backed away. “I wanted to stay up tonight and watch you play cards with your friends like Myra and Zadok do, but Ma says I should go to sleep instead.”

“Your ma is right. We’ll have another long day of travel ahead of us tomorrow.”

She frowned.

“I tell you what, if you mind your parents and get some rest, I’ll let you ride up front in our wagon if it’s all right with them.”

“Can I, Ma?” she asked, looking up with hopeful eyes.

“That should be fine.” She actually looked relieved.

Abigail jumped with glee, gave me another quick hug, and ran off to her bed roll.

“Thank you,” Dinah said. “That made my job much easier for tonight.”

“No problem. We’ll be doing another training session before breakfast. You and Boaz may want to get to sleep early yourselves.”

She sighed. “I think you’re right.”

Low thunder shook the sky. Yet, I couldn’t see a rain cloud for miles. In fact, it hadn’t rained since the second eruption and I saw no indication that would change any time soon. If the land was ever going to heal, it would need water.

Of course, it was supposed to be the end of the world. Maybe nothing would ever heal.

I entered the small circle where my family and friends congregated near our campfire. Normally, a fire at this part of the year would be used mostly for cooking, light, and protection against wild animals. However, the haze from the second eruption made both the days and nights colder than usual.

That was another good reason to keep heading south. Given the cooler weather already, winter would be miserable.

Everyone at the fire had their heads over their bowls, shoveling stew with wooden spoons with such intensity no one even noticed my approach.

“Must be good stew,” I said.

“Good enough,” said Ira, without looking up.

Zadok paused and flashed me a smile that I returned. Myra sat beside him. She looked up briefly before returning to her meal. Same old story.

I saw an untouched bowl on the ground beside Ava that I took for mine and moved toward it.

She looked up. “That’s a pretty necklace you got there. It really brings out the brown in your eyes.”

There was chuckling all around.

“His eyes ain’t brown,” said Ira. “That’s just all that crap he’s talked for years finally catching up to him. Body’s almost full of it. Soon enough it will be pushing out his ears.”

More laughing then.

I nudged Ava aside, a little more forcibly than was needed, but perfectly within reason for a brother getting back at his sister.

She grinned.

“Abigail told me you helped her make the necklace, Ira. Had I known you were so good with flowers, I would have told Balak to ship you to Hol so you could serve your country by designing the queen’s floral arrangements.”

Dekar fell over at that one. I didn’t think it was that funny, but I guess you never knew what others would latch onto.

Ira chuckled and raised his bowl of stew in salute for the jibe.

I looked over and was glad to see even Myra wearing a wide smile. She looked as beautiful as her mom. Unfortunately, she caught me staring and wiped the grin away.

I took a chance and decided to bring up something I had thought of earlier in the day.

“Myra, I need you to do something for me tomorrow.”

She frowned. “What is it?”

“I’d like you to start organizing the layout of camp and each night’s watch after we stop for the day.”

She furrowed her brow. “Really? Why?”

“I thought it would be a good way for you to contribute while also taking a load off my shoulders. Do you think you can handle it?”

“If not, I can,” said Zadok.

“We’ll see.” I turned back to Myra. “Well?”

She bobbed her head. “Yeah, I think I can do that.”

“Good. I’ll check in with you tomorrow after you get your plan together.”

She nodded, her eyes already glazing over as if deep in thought.

Ava nudged me and whispered in my ear. “Smooth one, Pa.”

I wanted to give her a wink, but refrained. She saw what I was doing, using Myra’s interest in strategy for us to spend more time together.

“Time will tell,” I said low.

CHAPTER 15

The sun began to set, dropping in the west. It was one of only two times in the day where the sky looked normal. A dark orange made sense in the early morning or late evening. Any other time, it was a reminder of how things no longer were.

As if we didn’t have enough of those.

“The days seem to be getting shorter already,” said Nason as he walked beside me.

“Yeah, one more side effect of the artifact, I guess,” I said.

We had passed the time since lunch talking about the nonsense of our youth while his kids played games with others their age. It was nice to see them forget about their mother’s death for a little while and just be kids again.

Nason and I had talked some about him losing his wife, and me losing Lasha, but neither one of us was good at digging into matters, especially not on the open road. In a way, reminiscing about a time when our lives were much simpler in our youth seemed to do us both some good.

He looked to the horizon again. “We marching late tonight? Thought we’d be looking for a place to camp about now.”

“Myra’s got it under control.”

“Myra?”

“Yeah, I gave her the responsibility of making camp, and setting up watch. I’ll check over her plans when she’s got them ready. It might be odd, but it was the only thing I could think of to spend time with her that I knew she’d enjoy too.”

“Maybe a little odd, but each kid is different. You do whatever works to connect with them.”

I snorted. “Never thought it would be the things I learned in the army that might give us a chance to come back together.”

I thought about Dekar’s comment about General Urion. Maybe he had the right of it after all.

“All those questions she was asking everyone earlier makes more sense now,” said Nason.

I furrowed my brow. “What questions?”

“How well can you see? What hand do you use to swing a sword? How’s your hearing? Are you well rested? Things like that.”

My heart warmed. “My girl’s thorough.”

“Speaking of,” he said, nodding as Myra walked up. He slapped me on the shoulder. “I’m going to check on the young ones.”

He walked away just as Myra fell in beside me.

“All set for tonight?” I asked.

“I think so,” she said.

“All right, let’s hear it.”

“Sivan said there’s a nice flat spot of land a half mile up the road. There aren’t any fissures, new rock formations, or anything else that would be a hazard or obstruct the view of those on watch. There’s actually an old walnut tree nearby with some nuts still on the branches. I figured we could send up a few of the older kids to shake the branches down and pick up what we can before it gets too dark.”

I glowed with pride at her observations. “Good. What else?”

“The usual circular formation of the wagons makes the most sense and offers the best protection. It will also require the least amount of work to set up which everyone should appreciate.”

“Morale is not to be overlooked.”

“I thought we’d use the same crew as two nights ago to gather wood for the fires since they were quicker than any other crew we’ve used and they came back with more than enough.”

“That’s fine for tonight. Just remember that we don’t want to take advantage of their hard work, by making them do a greater share than others. If needed, split the crew from tonight among others in the future so the work gets more evenly distributed.”

“That makes sense.” She paused. “I’ve got the names and rotation for the watch tonight as well.”

“Let’s hear it.”

She rattled off the names and order. “Do you think that will work?” she asked when finished.

I nodded. “Pretty much. I’d switch Oberon and Qadir though. It’s probably not a good idea to ever put Oberon on anything but first watch.”

“Why is that?”

“He thinks he’s being crafty, but he’s got a small stash of whiskey hidden amongst his things. If you put him on first watch, he’ll stay sober and do his duty. However, if you put him on later, he’ll start drinking before his shift and be overtired or drunk by the time it starts.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that.”

“Oberon’s stash isn’t common knowledge.”

She then covered who would cook the night’s meal, clean up afterward, and so on. When finished, she looked up. “How’d I do?”

“I see just one error.”

She scowled. “What?”

“Who’s digging the latrine?”

She rolled her head back over her shoulders in frustration. “I knew I was forgetting something. Will Cael and Wade do?”

“Perfect. That’s it then. You did a great job. Better than me in many ways.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“No, I’m serious. The job is yours as far as I’m concerned.”

She blinked as a small grin formed on her face. “All right.” She paused. “So, now what?”

“Well, you need to tell Dekar where to stop, and then start handing out orders.”

She stopped. “Me?”

“Of course. That’s all part of making camp.”

“But no one’s going to listen to me,” she hissed.

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t even turn fifteen for another month. And I’m a girl.”

“Why should that stop you?”

“But—”

“Remember what I said, a good commander knows the people under them. They know who they can trust and who they can rely on. Think about that.”

She frowned for a moment as we resumed walking. Then a small grin returned. “Nevermind. I’ll handle it.”

She walked toward Ira.

It was my turn to show my pleasure. No one would dare question what she said with Ira at her side. A small part of me was upset she had parted without saying good-bye, but another part of me was too proud of her to really dwell on it.

“That’s my girl,” I whispered.

* * *

“Let’s try it one more time,” I said to Zadok.

Dinner had ended nearly an hour ago and since then, he and I had been practicing a few holds and defenses I thought he might be able to use.

“Shouldn’t we practice some more with the dagger instead?”

“We can do that another time. It’s important you know how to defend yourself without having to always rely on a weapon. Ready?”

Zadok shook out his arms. “Ready.”

My hand snaked out, locking around his wrist. I pulled him toward me, spinning him so his back was against my chest, and brought my other hand around to trap him against me. He ducked under my other arm just before I had secured him. He spun and twisted while driving his trapped arm down. Throwing all his weight into the move, he managed to break my grip as intended. He followed it up with what would have been a strike to the crotch if he’d followed through with it.

His face lit up. “How was that?”

“Much better,” I said. “Just keep in mind that a stomp to the heel before driving and twisting your arm might be something to consider as your attacker’s grip will lessen while dealing with the added pain.”

“I’ll remember that. What else?” he asked, unable to mask his excitement at succeeding.

“That’s it for tonight. It’s getting late. We’ll work on some other moves tomorrow.”

He looked disappointed, but obeyed. The two of us parted after a round of “good nights.”

I went off looking for Ava.

Nason pointed me in the right direction, having seen her leave camp more than half an hour earlier.

Past the sentries, I found her hidden behind a large rock formation sprung from land still warm from the lava flowing beneath it. It wasn’t a situation I’d call safe by any means, but it was secluded.

I was silent in my approach, curious as to what she’d be doing out on her own so late at night. I rounded the side of the rock formation as she stood still on open ground. Her eyes were closed as were her hands at her sides. She opened her hands, raised them out at her sides to shoulder height, palms outward. A small chant passed her lips.

The chanting grew in volume and speed as the tension on her face increased. Pain seemed to spread across her body as her posture faltered while trying to remain composed. After a moment, she broke off from the chanting, and her arms dropped. She took a deep breath, began cursing with the same fervor she had chanted with, took two steps, and kicked a rock with the tip of her boot. It sailed twenty feet.

The cursing increased as she stormed around the space, kicking several other loose rocks. Eventually, her tirade lessened and she sat on a small boulder, placing her head in her hands.

I stepped forward. “You all right?” I asked.

She looked up, eyes red from where tears had begun to fall. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough. I didn’t want to disturb you since it looked like you were working a spell.”

“I was trying to. Not even the slightest sensation of the feeling I’d get when tapping into the power from Ao.”

“Sorry. I had hoped your abilities would start coming back by now.”

“Me too. Gods, Tyrus, what if I’m done. What if I can’t ever regain my abilities?”

“Just remember, sorcery might have been a large part of your life, but it wasn’t everything that made you who you were.”

“No. But it was my favorite part.”

“Really? Not being my sister?”

She chuckled. “No offense, but being your sister never allowed me to control fire, call on shadow, or—”

“I get it,” I said, joining her in the joke. “Hard to compete with that.”

“Yeah. But you do a pretty good job of it most of the time.”

“Thanks.” I gestured upward to the orange sky. “I had thought this might have faded and begun to look more normal by now since we’re moving away from Hol. I know you’re struggling to perform sorcery, but do you feel anything different about the power brought on by the artifact.”

“Some. It is weaker than what it was in Denu Creek, if that’s what you mean.”

“So the plan to move away from it still gives us our best chance of survival. That’s good.”

“I think so, but it still is far from a guarantee. It isn’t weaker by a large amount and we don’t have any idea if that will always be the case, especially since I feel these occasional pulses of stronger energy.”

I frowned. “How often? I don’t need you keeping information like that to yourself.”

“Not often. Every few days. But, you’re right. I didn’t say anything before since the change was pretty small.”

“Even still.”

“I get it. I’ll tell you next time.”

“Good.” I studied the sky and shook my head.

She patted me on the shoulder. “C’mon. There’s nothing we can do about it now for sure. Let’s get back to camp. I’m done here and could use some sleep.”