Before the last piece of debris fell, she transitioned to the next spell, opening the ground in various spots, some tiny slivers and some large enough for a man to fall into. Each opening swallowed the remaining targets as well as every last piece of debris that fell to the earth.
She resealed each opening, ceasing the spell once the last speck of wood disappeared. If one hadn’t watched the entire demonstration, there would be no way of knowing what had occurred except for the settling of dust across the recently disturbed ground and the smells of burning wood and hay commingled with the sulphuric odor of spent sorcery.
The clouds above returned to their original color.
Ava didn’t face the three men near her. Instead, she reveled in the eerie silence that hung over the training ground. She loved leaving people speechless.
Pride warmed her. She always had a talent for sorcery, but relearning it in the aftermath of the eruptions made it come much easier. With an increase in control, her talents seemed to improve daily.
Perhaps, I‘ll end this blasted war myself. She caught herself. How many idiot High Mages and Master Sorcerers met their end because of overconfidence?
An eruption of applause finally sounded. She smiled, knowing it came from the eighty Turine volunteers who watched farther back.
She wiped the expression from her face before facing them. She acknowledged the soldiers with an exaggerated bow and met the eyes of the three men behind her.
The Speaker looked especially satisfied. “Well Captain Kamau, I’d say the council made a very wise decision.”
“I’d have to agree, Speaker.”
Olabisi grunted as if unimpressed.
You piece of—
Olabisi’s arm jerked up. A small dagger stabbed at Ava’s throat. She moved quickly to the right and snatched his wrist in one fluid motion. She stepped into him, pivoted, and used her hip to toss him over her shoulder. He landed with a thud while she maintained her grip on his now bent wrist. Ava twisted it until the captain yelped and dropped the dagger.
She stared down coldly at him, taking pleasure in watching him try to compose himself.
Sudden movement from her right caught her attention, but she didn’t panic. In fact, she didn’t budge. While maintaining eye contact with Olabisi, she allowed the projectiles to slam into the invisible barrier she had instinctively erected around herself after the failed stabbing. As a habit, she kept that barrier up at low levels most of the time, strengthening its power when needed.
Her eyes flicked to the three arrows at her feet, then back to Olabisi. She couldn’t quite read what was behind his eyes, but she hoped that he understood what he saw was behind hers as silence once again filled the training ground.
Anger coursed through Ava’s veins. Once upon a time, that anger would have quickly consumed her to the point of ending Olabisi’s life without another thought. However since the first Geneshan War ended, she had learned to better control that anger. Maybe it was going so long without sorcery. Maybe it was being around people like Zadok and Myra whose influence had affected her more than she often realized. Maybe it was that her time as a leader in Tyrus’s absence had forced her not to make rash decisions.
Or maybe I know that I have enough power at my disposal to end him no matter how long I wait.
These thoughts ran through her mind in less than a breath. She opened her mouth to ask the obvious question, but the Speaker found his voice first.
“Captain Olabisi, what is the meaning of this!”
Sounds genuinely upset. Even surprised. Is it real? Or is he just good at acting?
The Speaker continued. “Please Ava, I assure you that the council and I did not know anything about Olabisi’s attacks. We would never condone such treachery. I—”
Kamau interrupted, “I apologize Speaker, but the captain and the marksmen on top of the barracks acted at my request.”
“What!” the Speaker shouted.
A good reminder not to trust anyone.
“It was part of the evaluation,” said Kamau.
“Trying to kill her was part of the evaluation? That’s ludicrous!” continued the Speaker.
Until then, Ava had only seen him act with dignity and keep his composure. However, in light of Kamau’s admission, he seemed on the verge of exploding.
He’s not the only one.
“Olabisi wouldn’t have killed her. He has enough skill with a dagger to pull the attack short. And notice the arrows have blunted tips. The impact would have hurt, but not killed her had she been unable to stop them.”
Ava’s anger rose as the words tumbled out of Kamau’s mouth. She might have been much better at controlling her anger, but there was only so much she could tolerate.
“Did I pass your tests, then?” she spat out.
Kamau was unfazed by her tone. “Yes. Though I wonder why you used a sorcerous shield to deflect the arrows, but chose to engage in hand-to-hand with Olabisi.”
“Because I don’t need sorcery to defend myself. I use it when I wish to,” she hissed.
Sorcery did not define her so much as she defined it. She never wanted to be without sorcery again. But when she looked back at what she was able to accomplish without it or with only a fraction of what she currently wielded, it made her feel all the more empowered.
She continued. “I could have killed him,” she said, glancing down then back up at Kamau. “And you . . .” She flicked her eyes to the Speaker. “And you. All without ever drawing on a single bit of power.”
“I see,” Kamau said unfazed.
His carefree attitude angered Ava further. “I don’t think you do.”
“My wrist,” said Olabisi. “Release me.”
Ava ignored him.
Kamau frowned, “Captain Olabisi gave you an order.”
Ava tightened her grip until Olabisi gasped.
“Remember, I chose to be here. And I made my choice only because of my family and friends. Not because of you or your ideals. Understand that if anyone tries to cross me again . . .” She paused, looking over to the eighty men from Turine. “. . . or them, that person will answer to me. We are more than just tools for you to do with as you please.”
“This issue you have with authority is a concern I must report to Danso,” said Kamau coldly.
“I don’t have an issue with authority. I have an issue with idiocy and being attacked by the very people I’m supposed to be fighting for.”
“You are a soldier, and a soldier obeys orders regardless of the opinion they hold of their commanding officer.”
“Don’t talk to me about being a soldier,” snapped Ava. “This is the first real war that the Southern Kingdoms have dealt with in hundreds of years. You’ve never even seen battle yourself, right? Well, I’ve seen plenty. And I know war. I know what it means to be a soldier. You’ll learn quickly that someone who obeys no matter what is nothing more than a slave or some mindless dead man. The Geneshans were like that to a degree, sacrificing themselves and their own people without a second thought.”
The Speaker was flustered. “We are not like the Geneshans in any way.”
“I hope not.” She finally let go of Olabisi and stepped away as he rose to his feet. She met each of their eyes. “Because despite their vile nature, the Geneshans at least had a cause they believed in. They believed what they did would make their god, Beel, pleased with them. That was their motivation.” She paused. “I already have mine.” Ava nodded to the eighty men. “If you hope to get the most out of them, or even your own men, make sure they have something worth fighting for too.”
“We have a cause no different than yours. Our friends. Our family. Our livelihood. Everything rests on the outcome of this war,” said the Speaker.
She heard the passion in his voice. After what Kamau had done, it almost touched her.
But not quite. I
t was hard to empathize with, and more importantly, trust someone who treated her so poorly.
What did I get myself into?
* * *
News of Ava’s demonstration sped throughout Batna. The Turine volunteers were quick to confirm that she had embarrassed the captains when they had thought to do the same to her. In her younger days, she would have reveled in such talk, encouraged it even. However, she knew they didn’t need more animosity and uncertainty directed toward them.
She grabbed those who had spoken loudest and encouraged them to stop talking, but her efforts were too little too late. The damage was done, fully evidenced the following morning.
Ava hadn’t expected a warm send off from Batna’s citizens. She hadn’t received one in Denu Creek when she and Tyrus left for the Geneshan War all those years ago.
Why would things be any better now?
Still, at the northern gate in the false dawn, the cold, silent stares from hundreds of onlookers disturbed her. It would have been one thing if they had ridiculed or cursed them, or even thrown things at her and her men. She could understand that mentality.
The disturbing difference between the smiles and cheers given to the three hundred Southern Kingdom soldiers preceding them and the silent scorn for her and the eighty Turine volunteers left her speechless.
It made her question whether she could or should risk her life for them.
But I’m not risking my life for them. I’m risking my life for Tyrus, Myra, Zadok, and my friends. Regardless of what anyone else says or does, I can’t forget that.
She wished she had the skill to open a transfer portal to speed their upcoming travel. The sooner they met with Jumla Danso, the sooner she could help fight his war and return to those she cared about. But despite her significant increase in power, her ability to cast a transfer portal was too inconsistent to offer it as a viable option. She had only managed the spell over short distances and with herself as the sole traveler. Besides, opening a portal without a clear understanding of the destination, which she didn’t have, would be a foolish risk.
And Ao knows I don’t need to take any of those already.
CHAPTER 12
Over the next two days we traveled. Even with a light rain on the second day, we stopped only to eat or rest.
I used the time as we traveled to speak with various men and women who had taken leadership roles during the war or on our journey. Given the amount of work ahead of us, we’d need people who could organize and keep others on task just as much as we’d need individuals with specific skill sets.
Since I wasn’t familiar with the Southern Kingdom citizens who accompanied us, I asked Chadar and Galya to help me reach out to them.
We walked among them our last night on the journey, formally introducing myself to each individual or family.
I held my hand out to an older man who had shaved his head bald. He seemed weak based on his thin frame, but the grip that seized my hand told me otherwise.
Though several from the Southern Kingdoms spoke the Turine language, I repeated a similar greeting to him as I had to everyone else in their native tongue. “Hello, I’m Tyrus. Thank you for coming with us to Kasala. Please be patient with those of us from Turine who still have much to learn about your land and culture as we build our homes together.”
“My name is Mosi,” said the old man, smiling. “Thank you for helping us rebuild our nation.”
His sincerity actually moved me. I bowed my head slightly as a sign of respect. “Thank you for allowing my people a new place to call home.”
He raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Your accent . . .”
“I apologize if it is rough. Over the last few months I’ve managed to familiarize myself with it again thanks to Chadar and Galya,” I said with a gesture to them at my side, “however, I know I have a long way to go.”
“No, it’s not that. I heard your wife was from the Southern Kingdoms. She must have taught you our language. I can’t place the accent though.”
“She was from Skida. That’s where we met.” I answered, trying not to sound too solemn at her mentioning.
His face brightened. “That’s it. That is the accent I was speaking of.”
His observation warmed my heart. Fond memories of us lying in bed in each other’s arms while I repeated simple words over and over until I had the correct pronunciation came to mind.
A touch of my arm startled me from my thoughts.
“Tyrus,” said Galya. “Is something wrong?”
“No. Sorry. I was just thinking of Lasha and forgot myself.”
Mosi frowned. “My apologies. I did not mean to sadden you with her memory.”
I shook my head. “No. Don’t apologize. I’m happy to hear that she left a part of herself with me.”
* * *
Kasala came into view around noon the next day.
Our group stopped a mile outside of the city for a meal while I went on ahead with several squads to scout the town’s condition. At a distance, the city appeared to be in good shape as I had hoped. No buildings were ready to collapse or roofs on the verge of caving in. Thin patches of grass and occasional outcroppings of rocks and trees dotted the mostly bare land bordering the road into the city. Though I knew that particular land had not been used for livestock before the eruptions, it had me concerned about the conditions of the fields I planned to utilize for farming to Kasala’s east.
Once inside Kasala, the poor condition of the main road first drew my attention. Rock, wood, dead brush, and dry leaves clogged much of the road with random shoots of yellow grass sprouting in spots. There were also quite a few personal belongings among nature’s clutter. Some of the belongings were damaged—a smashed pot that might have fallen from a fast moving wagon or a leaky barrel left behind for its uselessness. However, the clothes, tools rusted from exposure to the elements, and even books puzzled me. Sunlight glinted off random items of jewelry and broken glass.
Moving from the road to the mostly storefront buildings, I noticed how the doors all stood ajar. I couldn’t tell if the citizens of Kasala had left their businesses like that as they never expected to return, or if scavengers had later come along in search of supplies and valuables.
“Squad leaders, start your sweep of the town,” I finally said.
Five leaders each commanded a team of eight. The last thing I wanted to come across was a group of hostile squatters.
After the groups split, I led the remainder of the party to the river on the west side of town.
At the edge of the river’s bank, I lost track of how many things I added to the mental list I had begun of things Kasala needed. Looking down at a very low water line, I inwardly cursed the gods. If those pieces of garbage were real, I was certain they were having a good laugh once more at my expense.
The river water was muddy brown with a film of pea green spotted along its surface. It barely moved, and when it did, it came from an occasional breeze. The smell the wind stirred up from the river’s surface was not a pleasant one.
“This isn’t good,” said Galya beside me, crinkling her nose.
“Understatement of the day,” said Ira. “Gods, it stinks.”
“And you’re sure this isn’t what the river was like before?” I asked.
Galya nodded. “It flowed steadily just inches from the river’s bank. And the water was so much clearer. You would have not hesitated to cup your hand and drink from it.”
Ira grunted. “Well, I ain’t drinking this. Xank’s balls, Ty. I’ve seen latrines that look better.”
“What can we do about it?” asked Nason.
I let out a long sigh. “From here, nothing. Something’s blocking the flow upstream. We’ll need to figure out what that is and where it’s located.”
“In the meantime, what are we going to use for water?”
“Hav
e to see what Boaz and Lemuel say about the wells.”
Lemuel was one of a handful of men in our group who had a background in engineering. I suspected our engineers were going to be some of the most important people in our settlement once repairs and new construction got under way.
“And if those are spoiled too?”
I winced at Nason’s worry, but wouldn’t address it until I had more information. Out of all the things that could go wrong, a lack of water was not one I had prepared for.
“You know, if I remember correctly, there’s a small lake about half a day’s ride east of here,” said Chadar. “I could inspect its condition.”
“I’d rather you tell Ira where it is,” I said. “He can take a small squad to scout it. I want your group to leave for Sinsca in an hour. Given what I’ve already seen of Kasala and the state of the river, I think it’s more important than ever to establish a relationship with them. Since they rely so much on the river, I imagine it’s affected them too. Maybe they’re already working on the blockage. If that’s the case, offer them whatever they need, supplies or manpower, to help solve the problem.”
Chadar turned to his wife. “We better get our things together.”
Ira patted him on the shoulder, “C’mon Chad, I’ll walk with you while you tell me the lay of the land.”
I grinned at Ira’s nickname. Chadar had addressed it more than once, asking Ira to use his proper name.
Each time Ira had responded with “Sure thing, Chad.”
* * *
We reentered town using streets that had already been searched, but the eerie feeling of the abandoned city wouldn’t let me grow lax. My hand remained near the sword at my side. I had been attacked too many times while on leave in a foreign city during the war.
I paused more than once to inspect the exteriors of several buildings. Though the Southern Kingdoms had not experienced the severe earth tremors we had in Turine, there were still signs of disturbances.
After seeing one building slightly askew on its foundation and another with gaps in the siding, I said, “Nason, make sure word gets out that no one is to enter any building until structurally cleared by an engineer. The last thing we need to worry about is digging people out from a collapse.”
Forever Soldiers: The Tyrus Chronicle - Book Four Page 6
