“Go check the farmlands, Zan. Make sure no one is there, Zan. This isyourjob, Zan. Well, fuck you, Cael! The farmland is creepy and smells like death.” The Mage made a dry heaving sound to punctuate his words and Ilyas barely held in a laugh. He sounded disgruntled and slightly unhinged.
Though I guess you had to be both in order to align with the Matriarch.
As his footsteps drew nearer, I called my Pain Magic to my hand, Sasori gasping slightly at the sudden intrusion. I shot her a look and she shook her head slightly at my concern.
Sol followed suit with her Air Magic and, on the count of three, we all popped up from behind the wall, vaulting over the stone to land on our feet on the dirt road.
The Mage gasped in alarm, his pockmarked face frozen in shock before Sol wrapped him quickly in air, suspending him just above the road and silencing him with a small air gag.
I kept my Pain Magic pooled in my hand for him to see, not really wanting to use it, but needing it as an intimidation tactic.
“Hello, Zan,” I purred, stepping closer to his frozen form. His eyes widened at my approach, and he started to struggle against his restraints. “You’re going to come with us, tonight. We’ve got a date tomorrow with the rebels in Isrun, and something tells me you’re going to tell us everything we need to know.”
The Mage wet his pants as Sol’s magic pushed him up the road and back toward our camp.
I let my magic recede from my palm but was ready to draw if the situation presented itself. Tonight was going to be a long night, tomorrow even longer, but I only hoped we could extract the information General d’Alvey so desperately needed.
Chapter 37
Rohak
This is so beyond fucked up.
After the interrogation of the rebel Mage late last night I hadn’t slept a wink, instead staying up to pore over the dated maps of the area with Lex as he and his recon team filled in some of the blanks.
I was mildly surprised, but not shocked, that the rebel forces had burned the surrounding farms and killed anything that could be of value to the people of Isrun. That, coupled with the hostage situation in the main part of town, suggested that they were here for more than just hearts and minds.
But why?
The Mage refused to give a name or reason, an admirable trait in a soldier, to be sure, but frustrating for our purposes. We were still going in relatively blind, which was dangerous, but we had no other option. The people of Isrun had been held hostage within the inn for almost two weeks at this point; their food sources were nonexistent, and they were inevitably dealing with starvation and dehydration. Not to mention the wounds, both physical and mental, that were inflicted when the rebels attacked.
What a fucking shit show.
I rubbed my hands down my face, squeezing my eyes shut as I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes. I had ordered everyone still awake to getan hour of rest. It wasn’t ideal, but we still held the element of surprise, and the remaining cover of night would help to disguise our tracks. If we left any later or waited until morning, I worried about further damage to Isrun.
Not that these people had anything to return to at this point. It was increasingly clear that this mission was no longer just to rid the village of the rebellion, we would have to relocate most of the people here. They would need extensive care and treatment that this section of Elyria simply couldn’t provide; they’d have to be moved north.
I sat and gazed at the moon, contemplating the next few hours and steeling myself for the battle that was to come. Within minutes I heard the telltale rustle behind me of my Mages and their Vessels packing the horses and readying themselves for the rest of the night.
No one spoke much, each preparing for what was to come in their own way. The sound of leather straps tightening and buckles cinching radiated through the still night, the soft whicker of horses as they were loaded with our gear made for the symphony that characterized battle preparations. There was an occasional rasp of metal as various swords were sheathed and vambraces tightened around arms and chest plates around midsections. The sound of a bow string being pulled tight accompanied the rest.
We didn’t fight hand-to-hand often, our magic was our primary and best defense, but there was always the chance that a Mage would empty their Vessel before they had the opportunity to refill their power reserves. When that happened, they needed to be prepared and able to defend themselves. Metal and arrows did nothing against magical attacks, but it at least gave my Mages a chance.
Eventually I stood from my spot on the foothill, stretching lightly to shake the frozen feeling from my limbs. I checked my own tunic and gear, content to see that everything was still tight and in the proper place. I selected two daggers from the travel pouch on Balios and gave him a rough pat as I sheathed them at my waist. I checked the vambrace on my arm that held my crystals directly against my skin so I could use both hands freely as I channeled. There was only room for five crystals, not even half of what my power could draw from, but adding any more ran the risk of me drawing too much and either burning out or destroying everything—and everyone—within a ten-mile radius. I repositioned my vambrace before grabbing an extra two crystals as a precautionary measure. I shoved them into thepocket on my waistbelt, close enough to grab in an emergency, but not touching my skin.
Let’s hope I don’t need them.
The sounds of preparation died around me as the remainder of the company finished their own routines. I turned around, purposefully meeting the eyes of each of the Mages and Vessels that came with today. In each I saw the glint of determination and resolve, and, in few, even the hint of excitement for the action to come. I committed each face to memory. I was confident in our training and preparation, but if one fell in battle, it would be my responsibility. One I would carry like a weight for the rest of my life.
“Tie the horses to the trees. Give them enough slack to move around but not enough to escape.” The Vessels jumped at my command, and the horses were quickly secured to the trees at the edge of the forest. “We make this quick. I want this village secured within the next two hours and the villagers ready to move shortly after that. Be swift and sure in your decisions. Make no mistake, they will try to kill you. Aim to incapacitate first, but do not hesitate to kill. Leave the leaders for me. Vessels, stay on your Mage at all times. Magic first, weapons second. But if all hell breaks loose, you protect yourself and your Vessel at all costs. Am I clear?”
A quiet but sure, “Yes, General,” was the solid reply from the line of Mages and Vessels.
“Victory in death,” I said before turning and starting down the foothills. The Mages echoed the creed before they crept silently behind me.
We moved quickly, not bothering with stealth as much as Lex and Sol had earlier in the night. We crept along the back and sides of the scorched farmhouses, but only stalled long enough to quickly scout the next building. What took Sol and Lex nearly an hour to traverse only took our group of twenty Mages and Vessels fifteen minutes.
Soon the small wooden wall and gate that sectioned the town center off from the surrounding farmland loomed into view. There were only two Mages stationed at the outside of the gate, one had a Vessel, the other was alone.
