“How long were we stuck in there?” Ilyas whispered to me.
I shrugged. The timing did seem odd, we entered at barely dusk and now the moon was high in the sky. It definitely didn’t feel like we had spent hours in the woods, though it was apparent that the rumors weren’t just rumors and magic lived in abundance in the Elyrian forests.
Our group finally exited the woods and it felt like we all took a collective breath. We broke out of our single file line, choosing to ride next to each other, many Mages checking on their Vessels and vice versa.
While we had escaped untouched, there was definitely a pervasive feeling of foreboding in the group that continued even as we trudged onwards away from the forest.
I motioned for Ilyas and Sasori to ride beside me as I urged my horse faster. Now that we were through the forest, I wanted to discuss our next steps with the General. Although I wasn’t a commander in name, General d’Alvey always treated me as one when we were out on field missions, even if those were few and far between now.
“Lex,” the General said, hearing the approach of my horse.
“What gave me away?”
“This is what we’ve always done, is it not?” His speech was tight and clipped, and I instantly changed tactics. Ilyas and Sasori dropped back a few paces at my gesture, allowing the General and I to speak to each other freely.
“You’re agitated.” He grunted at my observation, the grip on his reigns tightening. “From the runes?”
“In part.” I waited, knowing that the General would supply more information when he wanted to. After a few minutes of silence, I prodded again.
“Shouldn’t we be closer to the village?”
Rohak sighed. “Yes, we should be. The road must have diverted at some point, but we missed it. Or the runes have the road ending in a completely different location.”
“So where are we?” I gazed about, only seeing flat, dry land ahead, and the forest behind us, dipping to the west.
The Borderlands rarely got rain, but this spring seemed to be even drier than most.
“You see that point of the forest over there?” Rohak pointed toward the west, and I had to squint against the darkness to see where he was indicating.
“Yes, barely,” I mumbled.
Rohak dropped his hand back onto the reins. “That’swhere we were supposed to exit, at the southernmost tip of the forest. From there, there’s a few foothills that will provide us enough cover until we’re ready to launch our counter invasion.”
I grunted in reply. The forest point was a few miles off, maybe a half hour of riding if we were quick.
“We should hug the tree line as much as possible. It will provide us even more coverage as we ride,” I suggested.
General d’Alvey nodded in response. “I think that’s the best course of action, yes. We’ll camp once we reach that point and discuss reconnaissance missions and groupings. Set your bedroll near mine tonight.”
“Yes, General.”
“And please, noextracurricularstonight,” he added as I dropped back with Ilyas and Sasori. I barked a laugh and quickly fell back into line.
Chapter 36
Lex
We rode hard and fast, hugging the tree line as we approached the tip of the forest. By the time we dismounted and made camp, I was exhausted and more than ready to turn in, especially with the mounting anticipation.
But General d’Alvey insisted on Mages refilling their reserves and pairing off based on their affinities in preparation for tomorrow. I was the only Pain or Pleasure Mage asked to come on this mission, which I found added another layer of pressure. I mentally checked my reserves in both Ilyas and Sasori, content that they were full enough to manage a few hours of use tomorrow.
“Lex,” General d’Alvey barked as I went to lay down on my bedroll. I groaned and rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands.
“General,” I replied from my position on my back.
“Scouting. I want you and an Air Mage to get as close as you can to Isrun without being seen. There are a few farms on the outskirts of the village, a few miles from where I expect their main hub of operation to be. See if that area is cleared out and safe. If you can isolate one of the rebels to bring back for questioning, great. But I don’t want you using too much of your reserves.” I nodded once before pushing myself up from my bedroll.
“Sasori, Ilyas, on me.” My Vessels instantly sprang into action, Ilyasbuckled his sword to his belt and Sasori slipped a few knives in her boots. I might be a Mage, but I couldn’t always protect my Vessels. And an easy way to eliminate a Mage was to kill their Vessel first. No Vessel, no power. I made sure mine were armed and knew how to defend themselves, and not just because it was good for me.
