Loyalty and War

by Devon Vesper

  “Valis, you have to!”

  Instead of stopping the drain, Valis focused on converting it to holy gold as it streamed into him. If he could manage that, maybe it would refuel his strength. But as he tried, something blocked him. He tried again and grunted with the strain. His focus was too thin, his mind too weak from beating back the darkness that always came with an influx of dark magic. He had been fighting it off subconsciously, and now it took a toll on Valis’s mind and energy.

  He had to do better, be better. But it was almost like he was stuck in time, unable to do anything but what he had been doing all along. No matter what he did, it wasn’t enough. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t try hard enough for it to matter. All he could do was suck magic and pray that Tavros could use what he took in to keep them both safe.

  Then everything came rushing back in. Valis surveyed the battle before him and his stomach pitted. This time, it felt precognitive, a sensation of something tugging at his mind at the same time his stomach gave him the “We’re fucked” signal.

  Bodies were strewn everywhere. The laymen forces had been forced back for their own safety since this was a battle waged mostly with magic. The Aesriphos all looked fatigued while most of the Qos adherents still looked mostly fresh.

  Valis couldn’t tell who on the ground was dead, and who was in stasis. Blood drenched everything. The Kalutakeni horses still screamed, still bashing against shields and creating valuable distractions, but they couldn’t afford to lose any horses this trip, even if they did bring most of the herd with them. Shit, they couldn’t afford to lose any people, either. But still, he saw several bodies on the ground wearing silver armor, and it made Valis’s heart clench.

  Rubbing the sweat from his eyes, Valis made the hardest decision he had available. Raising his voice and augmenting it magically, he shouted above the noise of battle, “Retreat! Aesriphos, retreat!”

  Chapter Five

  “Fall back!”

  The cries echoed around the square and off into the far corners of Setira City. Valis phased his group out, scaring their herd of horses. As soon as he arrived, Vodis started calling the Kalutakeni horses back, clanging his giant hammers together. The collective screams of the entire herd bounced off buildings, sounding like a midnight banshee caught in the afternoon light.

  Valis’s only comfort was that only Aesriphos could remove the stasis from those who had fallen, and Valis could easily remove stasis from any of his own men and women who might have suffered the same fate.

  He spared a thought to make sure the city’s shield still held the parameter that any non-humanoids and any without black magic could exit the shield over the city so their horses could escape. Then he started pacing, waiting for the rest of his army to get to safety.

  “You made the right call,” Tavros said from beside him. “You need a moment to regroup. What happened in there?”

  “Some woman had invaded my mind and was causing me confusion,” Valis admitted. “Once I realized it, I shielded both our minds and dispatched her and her protector. I think she was causing me fatigue, as well, as I feel almost fine now.”

  Tavros grimaced. “Shit. Think they have more with that ability?”

  “I don’t know,” Valis muttered, “but I want to shield everyone’s mind before we go back in.”

  Then he sighed and glanced back toward the city. “I’m going back in to start translocating people out. Send word to the rest here as they get back that anyone with the translocation trait needs to phase in, grab people, and phase back here. Keep a spot open over there just for a translocation point.” He motioned to a bare spot of grass. “Keep it clear and get everyone out the moment they phase in.”

  “Got it. Be careful.” Tavros leaned in for a kiss, and once their lips parted, Valis phased back into the fray. After twenty minutes, he and the few others with the translocation trait had not only gotten his men and women safe, but he managed to get a good chunk of their dead, a good many of those in stasis from both sides, and a few stray horses out. By the time he was finished, Valis had sweat and gore everywhere.

  Once he calmed down from his frantic pace, Valis erected an invisibility shield around them so they could observe the city without the Qos adherents observing them.

  Now, he looked around. It helped to have a clearer battlefield when they went back in because this battle was far from over. He just hoped it would get finished before the day was out. He needed to get the civilians out before the Qos adherents started using them against Valis’s army.

  “Valis, are you okay?” Tavros jogged over and cupped Valis’s face in both hands. “You look like shit.”

  “The blood isn’t mine. I was just neck-deep in dead bodies and the blood’s not drying fast enough because I’m sweating rivers.”

  Tavros chuckled and shook his head. “You look like you bathed in their blood. But there’s nothing we can do about it now. Let’s get some food in us all, regroup, and get back in there.”

  “I agree.” Sighing, Valis stretched and headed for where others had already started erecting cooking fires. They already had the cast-iron pots off the wagons and had started making stew for lunch with the last of their meat and vegetable supplies. It was a good thing they were just outside of Setira. Hopefully, the city’s food stores were left intact by the end of the battle so Valis’s army could restock before heading to Ges for Braywar’s estate.

  Soon, Valis’s friends surrounded him. Something in his chest loosened when he saw that Maphias and Jedai were still alive and relatively unharmed. Out of all his friends, they worried him the most because of their lack of magic. Valis hoped he remembered to throw shields on them when they went back for the final battle. Losing any of his friends would make him lose his mind.

  “Well, aren’t you just a gory mess?” Seza said as she sat down across from him. “You bathe in their blood, or did you just ask them nicely to decorate you?”

  Valis laughed and shook his head. “Neither. Tav asked almost the same thing. I was just neck-deep in bodies while phasing people out of the city.”

  “Hm.” She picked a bit of sticky, puckered flesh off her pauldron and flicked it into the fire. “I approve.”

  The leaders all congregated around Valis, as well once the cooking fires were roaring and the smell of food permeated the entire shielded area. Valis spared a thought to make the shield filter out the smoke, so the fires wouldn’t give away their location, and broke the shield off from himself again. He’d have to remember to start doing that every time he erected a shield over their camps each night now that they were starting to find enemies along their route.

  Truthfully, he should have been doing it from the beginning, but he couldn’t change the past. The only way was forward.

  “What are our plans?” Shyvus asked. “We were making very little progress. It looked like you were struggling. What was wrong?”

  Valis grimaced but told him and the others who now sat around him about the woman who had tried controlling his mind. While it embarrassed him to no end, it was vital information. “I would like to shield everyone’s mind before we go back in there, just in case.”

  “That won’t tax you too much?” Phalin asked.

  Giving him a thankful smile, Valis shook his head. “No. Now that I’m not under her control, I’m feeling less drained. I’ll cast the shield around your mind and break it off from myself like I’ve been doing with the camp and other shields. That way it won’t continue to drain me during the fight. So, spread the word that every man and woman is to see me immediately after they finish eating.”

  “Will do,” Phalin and Shyvus said in unison. Then Shyvus went on, “We’ll start a queue once everyone has eaten.”

  “Good.” Valis accepted a bowl of stew as a layman handed them out and glanced back toward the city. “And when we go back in, I don’t want another clusterfuck. I want us all to spread out, and come into the city from every side so that they’re surrounded.”

  He took a
bite of stew, and when he swallowed, he pointed his spoon at the city’s edge. “We were badly clogged, and that was why we made little headway. We need to come at them from all angles. So, before we attack, we’re going to station soldiers at each entry point into the city, wait for my signal, then go in as a unit. I want this battle finished and won today.”

  Shyvus bowed over his stew. “It will be as you say, Grand Master.”

  And the way he said the title, with reverence and deference, Valis knew he wasn’t being a smartass like he usually was when he referred to Valis by his new title. He was actually showing his loyalty, and it warmed Valis’s heart, even as it made his skin crawl.

  “Thank you. Eat up. We don’t have much time. I want to get back in there as soon as possible.”

  Silence ensued as everyone tucked into their stew while the meal was passed around to the others in the army. After a few minutes, Jedai cleared his throat and raised a brow at Valis. “So, what was that look for earlier? You looked like you didn’t expect Maph and I to still be alive.”

  Ducking his head, Valis took another hasty bite of stew and chewed longer than necessary to give himself some time to think. After a few moments, he swallowed and sighed. “Truthfully, I was just relieved. I worried about you two and seeing you both well made something in me ease. I’d like to cast shields around you and the other laymen to protect you all so I can focus more on the battle, and less on losing friends.”

  “We’ll allow that,” Maphias said. He gave Valis a fond smile. “Thank you.”

  Valis shrugged. “I love you guys. You’re not allowed to die on this trip. Got it?”

  They both chuckled, and Jedai smirked. “Yes, Grand Master.”

  “I’ll ensure the laymen are in a separate queue,” Shyvus said. “The more orderly we make this, the faster it will go, and the faster we can get our asses back into battle.”

  “Agreed.” Valis stared down into his stew and smiled. “Thank you all for your support. It means a great deal to me.”

  Phalin chuckled. “Even Isophel and Ephala needed support and help when they first became Grand Masters. You two are no different, just younger.”

  “And with a lot less experience,” Valis added. “Let’s not forget that. If I order something that goes against your better judgment, I expect you to bring it to my attention so we can discuss it. I don’t want to be a liability in the coming battles. This battle alone showed me just how shortsighted I can be. I don’t want my actions costing us unnecessary lives.”

  “And that right there,” Shyvus said as he pointed at him, tapping his finger in the air to make each point, “that right there is why you’re so respected at such a young age. You’re willing to listen to those who are older and wiser, while still keeping a level head, open mind, and keeping your ego in check. You also have a good head for war. You are brave, strong, resilient, focused, adaptive, and flexible. Add to those points the fact that what you don’t know, you learn on the fly? That makes you a great leader, no matter your age.”

  Then Shyvus turned a paternal smile on him. “And you care about everyone under your command like they were your true family. That makes you worthy of being our leader.”

  Valis ducked his head again and sighed. “You all are my true family.”

  His father’s ghost in his head, Roba, cleared his ghostly throat and Valis laughed. “Yes, Dad. You’re still my true family, too. Quit being a shit.”

  “Roba’s still with you?” Seza asked. “You haven’t spoken about him for a long time.”

  Valis nodded as he finished his last bite of stew. “He’s been keeping me company on the journey when I start feeling like I’m going to nod off from the boredom, but mostly he’s been silent so I can stay vigilant. But I’m learning Noldworian so I can understand the mercenaries better, and Gessian so I can speak the language at least passably once we make it to that country. Dad’s been very useful in that regard.”

  I am useful in every regard, Roba said with a huff.

  Love you, too, dad.

  Yes… well… I do love you. But I am still much more useful than just teaching languages.

  Yes, you are. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise, Valis said with a soft chuckle. You’ve got your work cut out for you ahead, especially once we get closer to the enemy’s stronghold.

  I will endeavor to help in any way I can, my son. You know this.

  I do. Thanks, dad.

  You are always welcome, Valis.

  “He berating you again?” Jedai asked, grinning like a fool.

  Valis snickered. “No. I think I hurt his feelings. But we’re good now.”

  “Since you’re finished eating,” Shyvus said, “let me go ahead and get the queues started. That way, as people finish eating, they can get in line.”

  “Sounds good,” Valis said. “Thank you.”

  “Give me your dirties,” Seza said. “Zhasina and I are on dish duty today.”

  “Before you go, come here, both of you.” Valis handed off his bowl to her, and when Zhasina and Seza both stood before him, Valis placed his hands on their heads and cast the shield around their minds, breaking it off from himself as soon as he felt it click into place with the parameters he desired.

  “Okay. You’re good. Now to do that for about six-hundred more people in under twenty minutes. Think I can do it?”

  Jedai snorted. “Have you ever failed at anything?”

  “Well… yes.” Valis shrugged. “It took me ages to get a handle on how to actually use my magic. I failed a lot back then. Just ask Tav.”

  Tavros stood and kissed Valis’s cheek. “He really did, but it was my fault. I feared his black magic and was stunting him. Once I got myself in check and Roba took over his magic training, he blossomed.”

  Blushing, Valis smiled. “You still helped. But that’s enough reminiscing. We have work to do. Tav, your mind is already shielded. I never took it down. Everyone else, get in line.”

  As the line formed, Valis went between them, putting his hands on heads. The laymen, he shielded their minds, then their bodies. The Aesriphos, he only shielded their minds. It took half an hour, but he finally got through the last of them and headed back over to sit in the grass.

  “You okay?” Tavros asked as he came over to stand at his side. “You’re pale.”

  Valis nodded. “I’m fine. I just need a few minutes to get my head back into the battle and recharge. Apparently, repeating the same shield spells over and over for around six-hundred men and women is a bit taxing, but I’m recovering pretty fast. I should be good to go in a few moments.”

  “That will give our teams time to break down the fires,” Shyvus said. He stretched and went to sit across from Valis. “And get the wagons repacked.”

  “That sounds like a plan to me,” Valis said. “Now, any suggestions before we get back to the battle?”

  Shyvus shook his head. “No. I think going in as a unit and covering all entrances into the city is the best plan going forward. Have a few laymen with each team, and a translocator with each group of laymen, if possible. That way as we down Qos adherents, they can clean up the mess and make it easier for us to proceed.”

  “We might have enough translocators,” Valis said. “How many entrances into the city are there?”

  “Seven.”

  “Then we do have enough.” Valis stood and scanned the people that stood at attention, waiting for his orders. They all had grim faces, but they were attentive and looked ready for the battle ahead. “I approve of this plan. I won’t be on the translocator team, however. I’ll stay in case I’m needed at a moment’s notice. So, I need another translocator with my team.

  “Have them all line up separate from the rest. Start breaking them up into teams with the laymen. I want each team to have a roughly equal number of mercenaries and Kalutakeni warriors. Have the mercenaries at the front of each team, because I’m going to add invisibility to their shields so they can scout inside the buildings to get a better idea of just how man
y Qos adherents are left in reserves. And if there are any in reserves in the buildings, I want the mercenaries to flush them out so we can put as many in stasis as possible.”

  “It will be done.” Shyvus bowed and jogged off, leaving Valis alone with Tavros. All the rest of their friends were in the queues now, where they were supposed to be.

  And after a few short minutes, the seven teams were assembled. Valis went through each team, adding the invisibility parameter to the mercenaries. But after he finished with the first batch, he added that parameter to the Kalutakeni warriors, as well. The fewer who were seen, the more of an element of surprise they would have as a unit.

  Once he finished, Valis cast a blanket spell across the entire army, granting each person the ability to see through invisibility spells. “Can you all now see the mercenaries and Kalutakeni?”

  When the resounding “Yes, sir!” echoed through the army, Valis nodded. “Good.”

  Valis took a few moments to outline the plan for the entire army. “Translocators! You are to stay with the laymen no matter the cost. Your duties will be to help flush out the buildings, as well as bringing bodies and those in stasis back here to keep the battleground clear. I want four mercenaries to stay with each pack of civilians to protect them while the battle wages.”

  He waited only a moment to see if anyone had any questions. Then he raised his voice again. “Remember, laymen! Your shields are impermeable. You cannot be harmed by magic or weapon so long as the shield holds. These shields are molded to your body, and if you draw your weapons, the shield will mold to your sword, as well. Am I clear?”

  “Yes, sir!”

  “Aesriphos! Break shields and lay stasis as fast as possible. If your magic starts to flag, keep your shield up and join a layman group until your magic is refreshed enough to continue with your mission. If you know how to make yourself invisible via your shields, do so.”

  “Yes, sir!”

  “All of you! Be safe, be careful, and may Phaerith guide your hand and light your way. We can do this. This battle ends today!”