A Soldiers Life - 199 - Earth Speak

Chapter 199 Earth Speak

I did my best to enjoy the barge ride on the river. One of the mage instructors kept the turbulent river flat and calm in a radius surrounding the barge. The sails on the single mast were stowed, and the mage was moving the barge by manipulating the water, pulling the barge upriver at a decent speed. The magical assistance resulted in a steady whoosh of water on the bow and a smooth glide of the barge. I didn’t even realize the white noise from the rushing water had blocked out all the conversations around me and put me to sleep.

The barge hitting the muddy banks jolted me awake. As I stood, my brief nap had garnered me disappointed stares from the other legionnaires. A passing young mage snickered, “I can see why the Chancellor pawned off her sentinel to a common mage.” I marked the eager young man in gray robes who stepped off first and stumbled when his foot got stuck in the banks, sinking a few inches. He didn’t fall, instead being held up by an invisible force. Another gray-robed mage rushed to assist, and both had muddy boots and hems of the robes when they cleared the banks.

I stretched from my nap, unconcerned at the activity around me, and picked up the massive pack of gear for Renna and me. The other legionnaire guards did likewise, some struggling with over a hundred pounds worth of gear. I watched several legionnaires sink deeply into the mud on banks and struggle to climb the worn path into the woods. Renna was on my hip, concerned. “I can carry some of the weight.”

“No need.” I stepped confidently on the muddy banks, walked to the path, and climbed to the woods. I was sure a number of legionnaires and mages were gawking. I couldn’t resist and turned on top of the bank. Another legionnaire was knee-deep in mud as he tried to follow my path through the mud, thinking it was more solid. Of course, my air shields had expired before he had the chance to walk in my wake. “Renna, are you coming?” I said as an excuse for my pause.

Renna was still in shock but crossed the muddy banks, her light frame not sinking at all as she smirked. She was using her flight spell form, but it appeared she was just walking across the mud. I caught Zyna smiling from the boat with the other mages looking on amused, and a few of the legionaries had not even made an effort to cross the muddy shore. Zyna stepped to the railings, and a wave of visible heat emanating from her caused the mud to steam and cook rapidly. Cracks formed in the rapid-drying mud, but Zyna confidently walked across the dried and hardened ground and up the banks to stand next to me.

We watched as the mage instructors and experienced legionnaires who had waited for Zyna to create a path lined up to cross. Standing next to me, Zyna remarked quietly, “You can manifest your spell form through your feet. Many mages are never able to alter their thinking to cast from anywhere but their hands. I am impressed.”

I remained quiet but realized my desire to appear awesome had just revealed one of my aces. If the other legionnaires figured out what I did, then my advantage of causing an invisible tripping hazard would spread to the Imperial legionnaires I trained with. In fact, I recognized a few of the legionnaires in our group who served as guards in the Imperial Grounds.

Renna was smiling after climbing the steep bank when she joined us, dismayed that the hem of her robes had gotten slightly muddy. I ushered her away from the scene below, and we walked together into the woods. It was just over a hundred yards to the encampment, and we were the first to arrive.

A square fortification stood in a large clearing, characterized by ten-foot stone walls and a small twenty-foot tower. It matched Zyna's description, so I wasn't surprised. The tower served as the instructors' quarters, while the new mages and their legionnaires would need to pitch tents around its base inside the wall. On top of the tower, three men armed with bows kept watch; they weren't legionnaires, but their attire was recognizable. I was fairly certain they were Hounds. It made sense that the Empire wanted to protect these new mages while still exposing them to danger.

I selected our tent site quickly and dropped the pack. “Why here?” Renna asked.

“It is as far from the privy pit as possible, and there is a ladder to scale the outer wall if the camp gets attacked,” I said as I emptied the pack. The tent was the massive cube-style Zyna had used when we hunted the hill giants. Sighing, I informed Renna, “I need to gather some poles. Set the ground tarp here, and don’t let anyone move our gear.”

Part of this expedition was to see if any of the new mages had what it took to become mage company commanders. Being in charge of twenty or more legionnaires was a privilege reserved for the competent mages. I didn’t know how mages were assigned conscripted legionnaires over the volunteers, but I guessed it partly had to do with the mage’s ability and who their parents were. The elven hand axe made quick work of the nearby trees. I caught movement deep in the woods of other Hounds patrolling.

When I returned to the camp with my tent poles an hour later, I frowned. Apparently, there had been a stack of poles on the other side of the central tower. Rather than show my irritation or acknowledge the snickers of the other legionnaires who probably did this a few times a year, I just set up the tent.

Renna was setting up a campfire to cook and talked while she happily prepared a meal. “The mages already went into the tower. They will be out after dinner to announce the teams. One team will go east, another north along the river, and the last team will head south along the river.”

I nodded and focused on preparing our campsite. No one had set up their tents within twenty feet of us, but many of the others were clustered together. Some of the other legionnaires worked in pairs, but it was clear I would be on my own. Renna used the rations in the pack to cook a hearty stew of rice, onions, and beef. As the day faded, the mages finally emerged from the tower. Two had greasy stains on their robes from dinner.

The new mages circled with their legionnaires. Zyna looked imperiously at the gathering. “Welcome to Gnoll Gardens. This tower has stood for five hundred years and has served as a watch tower to the eastern woods by the Hounds. We use it occasionally to see the mettle of new mages. We will divide you into three groups of six. Then, in the morning, each group will be assigned a zone to patrol. Your personal legionnaires will shadow your group with two of the instructors. You will be evaluated on your leadership skills, working together and finding the three markers left by the Hounds.”

Zyna smirked as murmurs rose among the young mages. “Most likely, you will not encounter gnolls on this hunt. Don’t misunderstand me. There are gnolls in these woods. In fact, the Hounds informed us at dinner that two packs were in the area. Your goal is to complete the patrol of your assigned region. If you are selected to return for a second gnoll hunt, then you will be tasked with tracking and killing a gnoll pack.”

My eyes glanced across the mages; most looked relieved, but a few looked angry. I guessed these were the bloodthirsty ones among them who wanted to hunt and use their spells to kill. Renna was not in the first group of mages announced who would be going south. She was announced in the second group. “Mage Renna, Mage Cashius, Mage Ona, Mage Elsa, Mage Avaro, and Mage Cirano. You six will be heading directly east, into the deepest part of the woods. Your markers will be found five, ten, and fifteen miles from Gnoll Gardens. Mage Cashius will have the map.”

As the last group was announced, we returned to the tent. Renna did not look happy. I had recognized a few of the names. “A few of your enemies in the grouping?”

“Everyone but Mage Cirano has caused me trouble in my first year. Cashius is the worst of the bunch. Mage Cashius and Ona are twins. Each brought along their own legionnaire as well.” I recalled her saying this when she commiserated with Flora and Livia at meals. “Did you see the way they were looking at me? And why is Zyna not traveling with any group? They are going to try something. I can feel it.” Renna talked herself into a fit, so I grabbed her shoulders.

“Calm down. Essentially, tomorrow is a thirty-mile march through an evergreen forest. A forest filled with a deadly array of creatures that are happy to kill you, but at least they will try to kill you and your enemies equally.”

“I don’t think that makes me feel any better.” She said uneasily. I rolled my eyes and produced a skillet of still-warm caramel bread.

“I’m not sharing with them,” she said sharply. She took the dessert into her tent. I studied the other tents inside the walls, and many eyes drifted to us. Since our tent was almost against the wall, I rolled a log to create a seat and settled in for a watch in good view of the others.

Renna popped her head out a few minutes later, caramel on her lips. “Are you coming?”

I shook my head as I hadn’t seen any other legionnaires enter tents, and I suspected something might be amiss tonight. “No, I will rest here.” Renna looked upset and ready to object but looked across at the other fires and tents, understanding I would guard her. She nodded, disappointed, and ducked back inside the tent.

It was going to be a long night, so I started working on the spell form for earth speak, running and tracing the complex arrays in my mind. Most of the other legionnaires set bedrolls on the ground for the evening. A few entered the tower, and a number joined the Hounds on watch atop the corners of the ten-foot wall. Neptune’s Tear was crescent-shaped tonight. It almost rippled as it traveled across the sky, and I imagined the surface was roiling waves.

I had angered a few of the mages by spoiling their plans. Mage Cashius came out to use the privy four times; each time, he looked at Renna’s tent irritated, as I still watched over her. At midnight, I took off my helm and boots to let my feet breathe a bit. My sock had a hole in the toe. That was annoying, so I pulled a new pair to my hands. As I switched socks, my bare feet rested on the ground, and I got a cold chill through my body as goose bumps raced up my legs.

Then the ground got warm underfoot. My senses turned to my core, and I focused on the earth aspect. It resonated with the ground underfoot. I tried to send my senses from my feet into the ground, but it was difficult to extend them past my body. I switched to focusing on the spell forms to create a medium to assist. Finally, it clicked after hours of focus—the familiar feeling of the spell form inscribing on my core.

I was shocked that the sky was gray, as I was unaware of time passing in my efforts. I explored my aether core and the new spell form, pushing aether through and testing its abilities. A disorienting image returned in the back of my mind. It was a spherical third-person view extending out a few yards from me. The flash of the image faded quickly.

In my next attempt, I was able to hold the image and explore it. The sphere of awareness extended up the wall and deep into the ground. A large mole burrowed a few feet down, drawing my attention. I exhaled, letting go of the image.

My third attempt was even more successful as I filtered out anything that was not alive. Hundreds of insects were buried in the soil in hibernation for the coming winter. Two snakes were in small burrows just outside the walls. The mole was moving slowly through the earth, likely looking for dinner. A Hound walked the length of the wall above me, frozen in time.

By my ninth use of the spell form, I had a decent mastery of it. The largest issue I had was my flesh needed to be in contact with the earth to use it. The spell form worked by sending out a pulse of earth aether from where I contacted the ground, returning an image of everything in range. I could sustain the pulse, investing more aether, or examine the initial feedback as a static image. It reminded me of a bat’s echolocation.

I estimated the range of the ability was about twenty-five feet. A good distance that could be improved if I raised my earth affinity higher than its current 32. It was going to take some more practice to get comfortable with the ability. I needed to find a way to make it useful in combat as it stood right now; I couldn’t divide my attention between the real world and the feedback from the spell form.

All my testing had mostly depleted my aether, so I produced the summoner’s ring and stealthily put it on under my gloves. It was the first time I had worn it, and I didn’t feel any different. The ring was supposed to improve my aether channeling, doubling its effectiveness.

I tried to channel a wisp of aether into it and gasped, holding back a surprised yelp. My aether channels flared in enhanced pain as the ring enhanced the flow of aether into my body. The ring’s effects magnified the unpleasant aether burn I had. It was not horrendous, but it would take some getting accustomed to again. The enhanced pain might also help train my aether tolerance further.

I was reluctant to wear the ring in the presence of the true mages for fear they might have a means of detecting it. I assumed even Zyna would lust after such an artifact. Noise and smoke from the central tower told me the mages were preparing breakfast. I put my boots on and stood, stretching the stiffness from sitting for so long. I stirred the coals in the fire and added some wood to prepare breakfast for Renna as I was not feeling an appetite. When the tower’s reinforced door opened an hour later, I stored the ring, my aether half recovered. It was only a Hound, but I roused Renna.

Renna came out blurry-eyed to sit by the fire as I made skillet biscuits and fried bacon and eggs for her. As she ate, she said, “Thank you for guarding my tent all night. I woke a few times but always felt safe knowing you were there.” I nodded and didn’t tell her enemy had scouted her multiple times during the night. There was no need to stir her anxiety.

I sipped on some earthy, strong, hot tea as the rest of the camp stirred. The door opened when the sun illuminated the tower, and the mage instructors exited with serious expressions. I noted the two mages who had grease stains last night on their robes were now clean. Zyna surveyed the camp, clearly unhappy, “Why are you all still here? Why have your group leaders not led you out?!”

Shocked silence as everyone froze. Like myself, everyone thought we were waiting for the mages to exit their tower. Mage Cashius was the first to bark orders. “I told my group to be ready at first light! Move out!” His command voice was both annoying and shrill. A hive of activity occurred in the next five minutes as each leader tried to get their team out of the fortification first.

Mage Cashius and his twin sister Ona led the other four mages out of the gates. Renna trailed a few steps behind, and five legionnaires and I behind her. The two mage instructors accompanying us were an old woman with stark white hair and a frail-looking mage with disinterest on his face. Both looked like they would need help keeping up with the young mages. The instructors each had a pair of legionnaire guards settle in behind them as we left the clearing and entered the woodlands. This was going to be interesting, and I started to think up a riddle. Ten legionnaires, two experienced mages, and six young mages enter the woods; who comes out alive?

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