Chapter 19

Fever dreams haunted Flint’s slumber. He slipped between them and wakefulness full of shivers. Every time the nightmares or pain snapped him awake, Maya was there with her chin on his neck keeping him warm. Her body soft fur and body heat reminded him of the winter months in the orphanage when they’d all pile into one bed with their blankets to stay warm. If it weren’t for the tightness in his shoulder, Flint would’ve embraced Maya to get the most out of her body heat but had to settle for embracing her with one arm. The cuddling would help lull him back into sleep again.

The nightmares featured Flint standing atop the Slumbering Fort’s walls while a titanic army charged towards them. The troops didn’t just feature war beasts, brownies, and pucks, but iron clad humans too. A man with golden wings floated above and the Iron Council’s flag few below. Then balls of fire rained on from the heavens, shattering the gate and the structures running up the slope.

Another showed Flint facing off against several moon mages. The crossbow lay by his feet in pieces next to Bjorn lying in a pool of blood. Wyld arrows peppered his side and Maya was nowhere in sight. Flint shouted her name desperately but got no answer. His empathic sense didn’t reassure him either. Then he’d wake up, shaking and drenched in sweat.

The bad dreams eventually ended, though, and Flint found himself in bed with the scholar he once courted. She was good to him and they enjoyed each other physically. However, when Flint realised, she was interested more in his social struggles than him, the relationship ended. The good times still made for good dreams, though.

When Flint finally woke up, Maya was no longer next to him. However, Bjorn had taken her place. The big lug of grey and white fur lay next to him, with his massive snout tucked into his chest and a paw on his shoulder. The wound on his side had closed leaving dark scarring in its place. Clumps of fur were missing too but he guessed it was Twylip’s work.

As he lay still with Bjorn leaning against him, Flint took a moment to take account of himself. His leg fell as good as ever, however an uncomfortable tugged on his left shoulder as he tried to move. It was a stroke of luck the spear didn’t rip all the way through him. The moon mage had overestimated her reach. It had still hurt more than anything Flint had felt before. If not for the adrenaline coursing through his veins, it would have ended his life. Now, it still hurt but the pain had dulled considerably. Some of his nightmares had featured his left arm hanging limp at his side, shrivelled and useless. When Flint wiggled his fingers, they worked.

Bjorn raised his head when Flint tried prying the arm free. The snowdog’s deep blue eyes met his before he leaned forward and licked Flint’s face. Smiles spread across both of their faces not long after. He’d been waiting for the kiss for several days, and now that he got it, all the pain and discomfort disappeared. Flint reached out for a hug and Bjorn crawled into his arms. The snowdog rested his head against Flint’s shoulder and their empathic lit up with warming colours. Flint felt thankfulness, affection, and friendship.

“You’re a good boy, Bjorn,” he said. “Thank you for saving me back there.”

A soft whining sound escaped Bjorn as he shifted, making himself comfortable. It was a good a time as any, so Flint scratched his newest friend behind the ears. Bjorn leaned into Flint’s hand as he channelled [Guide Growth].

Unlike Maya’s rolling green hills, Bjorn’s node compass sat in snow-filled plains. Flint spotted glaciers and frozen rivers in the distance and assumed it was the northern wastes from where Bjorn hailed. It didn’t look like a wasteland, though. He approached the ominous pedestal after taking a moment to take in his surroundings.

The node compass differed from Maya’s too. The shape and colours were identical, but the sand distribution wasn’t. Bjorn’s [Mind Section] barely had a couple of grains in it. Meanwhile red sand almost touched the first groove in the [Power Section]. Bjorn’s strength and girth made sense. The [Aura Section] wasn’t far behind and the [Control Section] left much to be desired. The pitcher of sand sitting at the compass’s heart was more than twice as big as Maya’s.

Flint poured sand into the [Power Section] and watched as a quarter and then a third of the pitcher empties without the red sand moving. He was almost at the halfway point when the sand touched the groove. Much to his disappointment, nothing happened. Nothing lit up and there were no ominous chimes. Flint wanted to dump the rest in the [Aura Section] but he wanted Bjorn capable of dodging attacks too, so he divided the remaining sand between it and the [Control Section]. The pitcher disappeared and the white sand changed colour to match [Control Sector]’s green or [Aura Sector’s] purple. Then [Guide Growth] ended and he found himself cuddling with Bjorn again.

The empathic link felt stronger than before. When Flint looked into Bjorn’s eyes, he saw intelligence and understanding looking back at him. After a couple of more minute with more scratching, Flint rose out of his bedroll. Clean bandages covered his wound, and he could feel a mass underneath it. He guessed Twylip had applied a poultice to it.

While the injured shoulder was still sore and tight, the rest of Flint’s body felt like it was ready for a day of work. His stomach rumbled and Bjorn sat up next to him, tail wagging and tongue hanging out. Flint needed to check on Maya and the prisoner, so he got dressed and exited the shelter.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Twylip said, waving to him from the outside campfire. Large flat stones surrounded it and a metal pot sat on top. Flint smelled venison and root vegetables in the air. “How do you feel?”

“Surprisingly not at all like someone that got skewered,” Flint answered.

“Don’t be dramatic.” She laughed. “It might’ve felt deep due to the cold, but the wound didn’t get far past the surface. Bjorn on the other hand had a close call.”

“He’s a good boy.” Flint smiled scratching the snowdog’s head as he stuck close to his heel. “Thank you. If not for you—”

“Don’t mention it. It’s why I’m here. Besides, I only cleaned you up and ensured nothing got infected. That magic light on the stone did most of the work.”

The vines covering the shelter were just as bright as the night before. In fact, the foliage looked more alive than before. The leaves appeared to be peeling away from the skin and reaching towards the sky. However, when Flint ran his fingers over the stone, it felt flat. The surface carried a comforting warmth, though.

A soft bark got Flint’s attention. Maya looked at him from across the clearing he had created while turning ruins into stone blocks. She smiled, her tail swishing from side to side violently. Adam waved at him, holding a hammer in his hand, and smiling from ear to ear. The moon mage sat between them with iron bands around her wrists and ankles. She glared at Flint as he wandered over.

“Thank you for watching over her, May,” he said when the sheepdog approached him for affection. A head scratch was enough to satiate her before she returned to guard duties. “You too, Adam.” The big man nodded. “I think the manacles and chains are enough to secure her. You don’t have to stand guard any longer.”

Adam nodded, relaxing his soldiers. He glanced at the fae-woman on the floor before joining Twylip by the fire. Flint kneeled in front of her, as she stared daggers at him. “Things didn’t have to turn out this way,” he said. “Cumula killed my mule and attacked me without provocation. It was her bear that killed her not me.”

“I can smell the Iron Army’s stink on you,” the moon mage replied. “Why should I believe a single word out of your mouth.”

Flint shrugged. “You have no reason to but look around you. Does this look an army camp? I’m a builder not a soldier. When you appeared, bearing weapons did I attack or try to talk?”

The woman didn’t answer. For a moment Flint thought she was going to spit at him, but she didn’t. Tears marked her pale cheeks. She fidgeted for a moment and flint noticed the burns around the manacles. He returned to Twylip and after a short disagreement returned with the key, bandages, and soothing salve.

When Flint touched the moon mage, she recoiled, slapping at him but froze when Maya growled, baring her teeth. Flint approached her with a gentler touch and carefully applied the salve. Once done, he wrapped it with the bandage and applied the band over it.

“That should keep your skin from burning,” he said, before starting on the next one. By the time he got to her ankles, the woman didn’t resist as much.

She finally spoke when he finished. “Why?”

“We aren’t whatever you think we are,” he answered, glancing at the overcast sky above. “I’d like to know why you’re here, and why you attacked me.

“I’m not going to betray the Wyld!”

“I’m not asking you to.” Flint sighed. “No one here is your enemy. We didn’t go out of our way to attack you, you attacked us.” Flint pointed at the fort above. “The village beyond is a peaceful one. I left the army to find a new purpose in life and I’m here to fix this place up since the Iron Council chose to abandon it. Your presence is disturbing is all. I didn’t think the Wyld and fae attacks innocents.”

The woman had no answer for him. Flint double-checked her manacles and sent Maya off to play. When he tried to get her to stand up, she resisted. A sharp jerk set her straight. Flint led her to the stone pillar which was previously a [Totem of Healing] and used [Shape] to open a gap in the stone. He slot the manacles’ chains into it before moulding the stone to close around it.

“I’ve given you enough slack to be comfortable,” Flint said. “If you change your mind, let me know.”

“I won’t you know,” she said. “You killed my friends.”

“I don’t think they were your friends.” He shaped an old stone into a bowl, washed it in the pool and ladled stew into it. The moon mage didn’t take the dish from his hands but didn’t push it away either. “You were their leader and probably outranked them. They were your subordinates.”

“What makes you say that?” She asked, glaring at him.

Flint knelt in front of her and placed the stew between them with a chunk of bread. “They pursued me all at once while you stayed behind. It was only after I took the puck—”

“Sumra.”

“It was only after I took Sumra down did you get involved. That suggests your relationship wasn’t that of a traditional party.” The woman didn’t bat an eye or refute his statement. “I’ve never heard of a fae shaping moonlight into weapons and projectiles either. Chances are you’re one of the high fae. That means you’re in on whatever is going on here. I’m not going to kill you, but I can’t exactly let you go free without finding out what’s going on either.”

“Does that mean you’d let me go if I told you my reason for being here?”

“I’m not sure,” Flint answered honestly. “There is no guarantee regarding whether you’d tell me the truth or not. I can’t have you leading more forces here either until I’ve restored the walls and the defences.”

“Why are you building defences if you don’t have any intention of getting involved in the war?” The woman asked, looking between Flint and the food.

“Because when the people of these villagers refused to leave their homes and serve the Iron Council, they were abandoned. They no longer have the army’s protection. I’m not a warrior and incapable of protecting them myself, but perhaps decent fortifications will give us a chance.”

The moon mage smirked. “If the Wyld truly attacks, you have no chances of survival with just three humans and two hounds. It doesn’t matter how good your fortifications are.”

After a moment’s hesitation, the woman accepted the bowl and dug into his meal. Flint joined Twylip and Adam by the fire before indulging in some stew as well. He was too sore to work on the wall, but he still had smaller projects for expending his energy.