He had ignored my questions entirely, but I decided to let it go. Gods, I wished he would open up to me. But then I wondered if he even fully understood his issue with me.
“Said he needed to think about it.”
He snorted and his sneer returned. “All a formality. You won.”
“It’s not about me winning. It’s about us beating the enemy.”
“No. You’ve always got to be right. You always have to be the one with the final say.”
What was he going on about? Sure I was confident in my decisions, but it wasn’t like I didn’t listen to others. I just refused to follow bad advice.
“That’s not true at all.”
“Sure. Look at you. Within a matter of days you’ve taken control of the entire army. And yet you supposedly don’t even want it.”
“What’s gotten into you? When did this become about me? We were talking about how boneheaded it would be to split our forces right now.”
Hamath shook his head, then spat. “Xank curse you, Tyrus.”
That gave me serious pause. He and I had words many times before, but never did we say something like that to the other. Especially not Hamath. Though he seemed not to have his same faith in the gods that he once had, he never was one to just use their names so willingly, especially not the god of death.
I forced myself to remain calm. “We still haven’t finished our conversation from before. Tell me what’s going on with you. Why are you acting like this?” I played a hunch. “Regardless of what you might think, I’m not trying to take this life you want from you or push you out of your role under Balak.”
He shook his head. “I’m done right now.” He spun away. “See you tomorrow when Balak gives us our new orders.”
I could have gone after him. I should have pulled rank to make him stay, but that would have only made things worse, contradicting my last statement.
I hoped he’d be in a more forthcoming mood come morning. Having him so closed off to me stung in ways I never imagined.
CHAPTER 9
“Two squads it is,” said Balak.
Hamath stood off to the side where the general couldn’t see him. He flashed me an “I told you so” look.
Balak had called both of us into his tent at first light. He looked like he had barely slept.
“Is everything in place?” I asked, hinting at the destruction globe.
“It will be by tomorrow morning.”
Hamath scowled at how cryptic we were being.
“The units will need to leave right afterward,” Balak continued.
I nodded in agreement. That should give us more than enough time to meet the enemy. “I’ll assign someone to train the rest of the army while I’m gone.”
“You’re not going.”
I blinked. “What?”
“You’re too valuable here. And the mission is not without risk. Appoint someone else to lead the second unit.”
“But sir, that’s ridiculous.”
“That’s an order. Are you going to comply with it or do I need to call in Etan and have you in chains?”
My jaw tightened. It seemed Balak had already forgotten our previous conversation. But then again, he agreed to show me respect in private only. With Hamath here, he had reverted back to his old self. And I couldn’t challenge him without undermining his authority.
I looked over to Hamath who didn’t even try to hide his grin. What in the name of Molak had gotten into him?
“I’ll comply,” I said through a clenched jaw.
“Good. Dismissed. Go train my army and get your squad ready.” He turned to Hamath. “Hang back for a moment. I want to discuss a few more things with you in private.”
“Yes, sir.” Hamath gave me a smug look out of the corner of his eye.
I turned and left without another word. What had just happened? Had I crossed the line yesterday and now Balak was going to favor Hamath?
I shook my head while walking through camp. I had to stop thinking like that. Even if Balak put a caveat on my idea, he had still chosen it.
That’s all I cared about. The best course of action to take care of the enemy and return to my family.
It didn’t matter to me what Hamath discussed with the general.
It really didn’t.
* * *
I got to my unit’s fire and did my best to wipe the pissed-off look from my face. It was hard. Did I want to go off on a mission that might get me killed? No. But I also didn’t want my unit to do that either. At least not without me to help. If something were to happen to them. . . .
I didn’t want to think about it.
My unit looked at me. Any light-hearted expression fell when they made eye contact. Obviously, my attempt to hide my emotions wasn’t going so well.
Several started to speak. I held up a hand for silence.
“We’ve got our first mission.”
That got them interested.
Boaz asked, voice nearly cracking, “Are we ready for our first mission?”
“Of course,” I answered with confidence despite having my own share of doubts.
Lowt, a veteran from the Geneshan War I’d recently transferred over to my unit, asked, “What is it?”
He was a huge man who lumbered when he walked, but the raw strength the man possessed and the ease with which he used it made him someone I wanted around. Maybe it was the recent dreams I had of facing off against D’engiti, but I figured a man like Lowt would be an asset to have if Geneshans managed to field more of them.
“There’s a small force just southwest of us. At their current pace, they’ll be on our backs within two days. I have orders for two units to engage the enemy and end their advance.”
“Just two units?” asked Boaz. “Must be a really small force then.”
I made a face. “Depends on how you look at it.”
Ira snorted a laugh, then spat. “Which means it ain’t small in how we’ll be looking at it. How many, Ty?”
“About three hundred infantry.”
Dead silence.
“That’s crazy,” said Boaz.
“I know,” said Ira. He winked at me. “Barely seems fair for them to have so few.”
I could have kissed the man. He knew the odds sucked, but he also knew there were better times to complain about it. Not before our first mission, and not with Boaz worried out of his mind.
“You got something special planned?” asked Dekar.
“I do.”
He stood and stretched. “That’s what I figured. Good enough for me. When do we leave?”
“Early tomorrow morning after I meet with Balak.”
“Who’s leading the other squad?” asked Reuma.
“Hamath.”
“He’s back?”
“Saw him just a few minutes ago. Look, I know you all have more questions, but now isn’t the time to get into them. We really will be leaving early and had I known we had this mission coming, I’d not have pushed everyone so hard yesterday. So we’ll tuck in early and in the meantime I’ll go over more of the details with you on the march. By the way, keep this under wraps. No one is to discuss this with anyone. Understand?”
Nods followed.
“Good.”
Several men walked off to the latrines for one last emptying of their bladders. A couple just lay down and closed their eyes. I turned and left in the hopes I might be able to get to the dredges of the last batch of stew before the cooks tossed them.
Footsteps came up behind me, then Dekar was at my side.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked.
“A better question is what’s on yours?”
I blinked.
“Something’s bothering you. You saw Hamath again?” he prodded.
“Yeah.”
&nb
sp; “Finished your conversation finally?”
“Hardly. He was there when Balak issued his orders. We kind of got into it a bit last night as it related to strategy.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. But he’s definitely mad at me. It’s like he’d rather I wasn’t around, messing things up for him. He’s even taking Balak’s side now.”
“Weird.”
“I know. I even suggested he take the other squad tomorrow figuring that was what he wanted. But that only made him angrier. At least at first.”
“Why only at first?”
“Because he perked up when Balak told me I couldn’t lead the other unit.”
Dekar halted. “What?”
I stopped with him. “He said that I was too valuable to his plans and I had to find someone else.”
“Who?”
“My first choice would be you. And for Balak’s sake, you are leading the unit.”
“But?”
“But I can’t sit this one out.”
“You sure about defying Balak?”
“This is the first mission. I want to be there. I’ll find a way to smooth it out with the general later. Besides, you didn’t see Hamath. I worry that he wants me gone so he can do things his way rather than the right way.”
“Doesn’t sound like Hamath.”
“None of what he’s done has sounded like Hamath.”
His voice went flat. “If you’re worried, I can handle him.”
That was true. Hamath had been my second back when, but if I had to put my money on anyone in a straight up fight, Dekar would get the bet every time. Everyone knew that, even Ira, which I think is partly why it took so long for him to stand up to his brother.
Still, I knew Hamath well enough that anything Dekar started with him, Dekar would have to finish. A quick punch or even a beating would not be enough for Hamath to fall into line. It would only make him angrier, and he’d keep coming. Dekar would have to kill him. I shivered at the thought. I couldn’t have that happen.
“I know you can. But there’s no telling how Hamath will react or what he’ll order his unit to do. The mission won’t be successful with everyone trying to kill each other.”
“Then what do you need from me?”
“Just act normal. I’ll tell everyone the news tomorrow morning about you being in charge. I’ll sneak off a little after everyone leaves and after I set someone in charge of training while I’m gone. I should catch up after a couple hours.”
“What are you going to tell Hamath?”
“I’m still working on that part.”
CHAPTER 10
Ava hiked her weary legs up the side of the dusty hill. Her aching feet twisted and crunched in the dirt and ash, leaving large divots behind her. She winced.
Gods, am I getting a blister? That’s all I need.
She was never a healer, but once upon a time, she could have at least taken care of a blister with little trouble.
Not anymore.
Oh, she was sure she could relearn the spell and get it to work eventually. But how long would it take her? Too long when she was constantly trying to practice defense and attack spells that might help them on their journey.
The blister is going to be one more reminder that I’m not much of anything anymore.
“Ao-be-damned,” she muttered.
She reached the top of the hill and shielded her eyes, squinting. The light above was muted shades of gray, but the brightness still played havoc on her sight unless the darker clouds blocked most of the glare.
She stared south, searching. For what, she wasn’t sure. Just a sign. Something that might indicate she was on the right path. They had traveled for days, trying to follow the same course Tyrus had set them on. That had proved futile with the roads no longer passable and the land full of hazards.
Ava spat. “Just give me something,” she muttered again to herself.
She didn’t expect to see a large handwritten sign or a man jumping up and down waving his arms to urge her onward.
But maybe some vegetation. Signs of more foot traffic. A town. Something.
A cool breezed nipped at the back of her neck. It made her shiver, but it also gave her tired limbs a bit of needed life.
If that’s the sign, it’s a pretty pathetic one.
She glanced over her shoulder, looking at the people she led as they found a place to rest. Some began to pull out food or water. Others closed their eyes to sleep, tired from marching and the light drilling she had begun once back on the road. She didn’t want the people to grow lax in the lessons Tyrus had instilled in them. Trouble would find them again.
Several looked her way as if wanting to see the same sign from her that she hoped to receive from the land. She turned away. She had nothing to give them, just like the land had nothing to give her. Hope and assurance was as foreign to her as the ways of the Geneshans or Malduks.
“What I wouldn’t give for a decent scout,” she sighed under her breath.
Ava did have people scouting ahead. They just weren’t as skilled as Sivan had been.
The former tailor and the others had never returned. Ava had known they wouldn’t, but that didn’t make the truth any easier. It didn’t make it any easier to learn of the condition of their bodies once they later discovered them either.
Things grew more difficult as the people Nason sent out learned that the Malduks had found their hidden animals as well. All were taken. They had not even a pack mule to help carry supplies.
Herding a small group across miles of broken, battered, and dying land seemed infinitely more grim than it had before Tyrus left.
Especially when I’m supposed to take them to a place I’ve never been.
If we both survive this mess, Big Brother, I’m going to kill you.
Zadok might say that she should think ‘when’ instead of ‘if.’ But she hated such misleading hope. Mind tricks only made her moody. Either she’d see Tyrus again or she wouldn’t. That was it.
“What’s wrong?” asked Zadok walking up behind her.
She blinked. “Nothing.”
“Sure seems like something’s wrong.”
“Well, if you want to get technical, we have a sky with no sunlight above us, a land with little food and water beneath us. We’ve got an artifact trying to end the world behind us. And all around are people who, to put it bluntly, are practically asking to be set upon by raiders.” She paused. “Shall I keep going?”
He used a carefree tone. “If you need to.”
Her eyes narrowed. “If I need to? You little . . .” Her voice trailed off. “Fine. I’m sick of hearing complaints. I’m sick of making decisions. I’m sick of trying to figure out what path to take or how to avoid trouble with what little resources we have. I’m sick of not having scouts as accomplished as Sivan or Ira.”
Zadok stared at her, intently listening as if every word she said was important. They really weren’t though, which only made her angrier.
“And to top it all off,” she continued. “I think I’m getting a blister on my right heel.”
Zadok frowned. “Well, that’s not good. Pa said it was important for a soldier to take care of their feet.”
“It is.”
“Then you should take care of it while everyone is resting. I’ve got some grease we can use to prevent rubbing.”
She sighed. “All right.”
They started back to the others, mostly in silence.
After a moment, Ava asked, “What about all that other stuff I said?”
“What about it?”
“Aren’t you going to try and do something about that too?”
“I can’t do much about any of that.” He paused, and gave a wink. “However, I can treat the blister.”
Ava snorted. “Better th
an what anyone else is offering I guess.”
* * *
Ava slipped her boot back on and tested it. Though her foot felt nasty from the grease, it alleviated her discomfort.
“See. Things are already improving,” Zadok smiled, half joking.
She shook her head at his attitude, but still couldn’t stop herself from cracking a grin as well.
Unbelievable.
“Don’t ever stop being who you are,” she said to him.
“What do you mean?”
She was about to explain when Nason called out from the edge of camp. “Scouts are returning!”
His three kids stood around him, imitating their father pointing south. She followed his gesture. The youngest of his kids bounced up and down with excitement as two figures emerged from a dead forest.
The scouts jogged toward camp, but didn’t sprint.
Important, but not life threatening, she decided. Or they’re just too tired to run any faster.
She walked toward Nason, glancing back at Zadok. He went in the other direction. “You’re not coming?”
She didn’t necessarily need Zadok beside her, but she had grown accustomed to his presence over the last couple days. He had made it a habit of tagging along more often as Myra sulked to the point of pushing even him away. The girl carried guilt for the lives lost at the outpost. She felt her input had contributed to their deaths.
“I’ll catch up,” he said.
She frowned, curious.
Ava reached Nason before the scouts did. They stood there for a few moments watching them approach, letting the children speculate on the news.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“I’d rather not. I spend enough time hypothesizing. It’s exhausting.”
He glanced behind him. A grunt of surprise followed which Ava turned at.
Zadok came toward them with Myra at his side.
Try as Ava might, it had been difficult to coax the girl out of her depression and sullenness. Any discussion was short and usually revolved around trivial matters.
“Zadok said you needed me,” Myra stated.
Ava shot him a quick glance. Her nephew winked.
Too smart. Saw this might be a good opportunity. A little warning would have been nice though.
Resurrected Soldiers: The Tyrus Chronicle - Book Three Page 13
