Quill

635. Warning Signs

Sleeping alone in the small, former armoury was weird. The walls blocked sound quite well, so he did not have the familiarity of an army camp and its noise helping him fall asleep in lieu of another person's breathing or the pendulum swing of a clock.

The days were easier. Azar no longer restricted him to his room, but had granted him free leave to roam the camp, as long as he did not leave it unaccompanied. Whether he no longer feared Martel to be a spy, or figured for one reason or an...

634. Parting Ways

The next day, soon after they received breakfast, the door to their little dwelling opened again. Shadi stood outside, and she stepped back to let them join her in the sunlight. "I have been allowed to say goodbye." She had a cloak around her shoulders.

"You're leaving already?" Martel could not hide the disappointment in his voice.

"My task was brief, and it is done. I have to return." She gave a smile tinged with sadness.

"Did the commander tell you his thoughts?" Eleanor ...

633. Threads Bound Together

"You can speak, you know. That is the whole reason you and I are here." Shadi laughed a little, and in that moment, he recognised his old friend.

"It feels like I last saw you a lifetime ago, and yet you've hardly changed." He stared at her in disbelief.

"You have. A little." She extended a finger to run over his stubbled cheek. "I don't remember any of that last I saw you."

"If I had known you were coming, I would have shaved." They both laughed, and some of the tension tha...

632. Native Asterians

Days passed where the two Asterians neither saw nor heard from Azar. His adjutant, the one who spoke their language, appeared each day and accompanied them out of camp, giving them the opportunity to take in sunlight and fresh air. He made polite conversation but refused to answer any questions regarding what the commander was doing or might do.

Their humble abode was a former storage room for weapons, they realised, when Eleanor found a musket ball in the corner. Martel enchanted it to...

631. Supper with the Enemy

When Martel woke, he found himself in complete darkness, which immediately made his heartbeat double in pacing. Only Eleanor's rhythmic breathing made him feel calm again, and he recalled where they were. She was still asleep, he surmised, so he avoided igniting any flames. Instead, he fumbled about in the dark until he found the jar of water, taking a sip from it. Nearly empty. They would need more, but he doubted they would be allowed to go and refill it.

He looked around, although th...

630. Azar

The sun had about an hour left before it would sink behind the horizon. Already, the sky was growing red in colour as the small band of eight Khivans and two Asterians walked towards a fortified position. From afar, it resembled what an Asterian legion might build. Ditches complicated any approach while adding height to the earthworks behind, further reinforced by palisades. The main difference would be, Martel noticed as they got closer, that a cannon stood mounted upon the ramparts near the...

629. No Fighting

A band of eight Khivans moved through the forest. Half of them carried muskets, the other half had swords. They talked among themselves in casual manner with the occasional laugh. Despite the proximity of enemies only a river's crossing away, they seemed at ease, and perhaps they had good reason for this; so far, they had come across no signs of Asterians on their side of the water.

A voice called out to them, shattering their complacency. "Soldiers, we seek to parley with your commande...

628. Beset on All Sides

Martel woke as the first, which was unusual. He looked at Eleanor's sleeping form and saw no reason to disturb her; if she could get more sleep than him, all the better for her. He chewed on a few of their rations for his breakfast and left the thicket to collect water. After slaking his thirst in the stream, he filled both of their flasks and returned. By the time he came back, Eleanor was up, sitting outside. She accepted her water and took a sip while he sat down opposite her.

"Yeste...

627. Between a River and a Hard Place

Martel did not know Eleanor could track. Not to this extent, at least. He could spot a footprint and see where it led, of course, and if he saw another, he knew to follow it as well. Eleanor read broken branches and disturbed grass, which to Martel simply looked like any other part of the undergrowth. "Where did you learn this?"

"My father took me hunting when I was a child. He had no sons to teach, after all. And in my first year as an acolyte, we went on a trip out of Morcaster to be ...

626. Living Free

Martel woke, feeling refreshed. While he had spent half the night keeping watch as usual, there had been no need to wake up early this morning to continue a hurried flight. Eleanor had let him sleep, and the sun had long since risen. As he looked around until he saw her, she smiled back at him. "Good morning."

"It is." Martel remembered the few times he and Eleanor had travelled on their own between Esmouth and the outpost. This felt the same, except it was not a temporary reprieve. Nob...

625. Walking on Water

They went as far into the marshes as they could before nightfall and slept a third, miserable night among the cold and damp. Keeping watch, Martel had time to consider their new strategy. At a glance, going to Khiva seemed ridiculous; they had barely been able to flee their last incursion, and this time, they would be going alone with no route to safety if discovered.

But they would only be two people, not two cohorts. The Khivans would not expect Asterians this far north of Esmouth. Th...

624. Swimming in Lakes

They walked for a full day, going deeper into the marshes while keeping to a north-western direction. Although they cast many anxious glances behind them, they saw no sign of pursuers. Either the legion had not guessed their route, or they had yet to catch up to the fugitives. They spent a second night in the wetlands, mostly scratching themselves; spring brought not only melting waters and blossoms, but also countless insects.

With the sun rising to their right, they continued on their...

623. Familiar Lands

In desperate flight, the pair of deserters galloped away. In the distance, the walls of Esmouth manned by archers faded from sight, but one of their arrows had struck Martel's steed; they did not get far before it began to fall behind Eleanor's. Glancing backwards, she halted her own mount and waited for Martel to catch up. "What is wrong?" she asked with an anxious look at the road behind them before her eyes fell on the arrow sticking out of his horse.

"They will catch up to us soon e...

622. Return of Red

Martel found little rest, waking through the night. He was accustomed to rough sleeping, but his chains left him in an uncomfortable position that kept him awake. Each time he drifted away, his discomfort woke him up again soon after. When first bell rang, he barely felt he had slept at all.

Wulfstan appeared; despite the lack of light, Martel recognised his shifty movements coming up the stairs. "Have you considered my proposal?"

Speaking the words left a bitter taste in Martel's...

621. Left in the Dark

Martel sat in disbelief. He was alone again, left in darkness except for the faint illumination that could struggle its way up the stairs. Despair and anger wrestled against each other for control of him, and the latter won. He tore at his chains, like an animal desperate to escape. He tried to pull at them, break them, move just an inch beyond what they allowed, all in vain.

Falling back against the wall, he finally punched it with his hand. It did nothing but break the skin on his knu...

620. A Solitary Sunray

Esmouth had no prison as such, but an abandoned house had been repaired sufficiently to serve as one. Martel sat on the top floor with hay strewn to serve as a bed, his chains locked to a ring on the wall. In the room beneath, a guard sat inside the door.

Martel watched a thin strip of light on the floorboards. The only window in the wall had shutters, but they did not close completely, allowing some illumination to pass through. It gave Martel an idea of time passing as he saw it lengt...

619. Bound by Action

A warm bath, a hot meal, and a proper night's sleep did wonders for Martel's well-being. Life in the camp was simple, but all these things felt like a luxury is compared to the last month. He considered dressing in his broken armour for the meeting at the legate's house, just to make a statement on its own, but that felt a tad dramatic. It also fit him poorly due to its many missing rings and broken bits, and part of him just felt comfortable returning to the red robes of a firemage.

El...

618. A Warrior's Fame

The walls of Esmouth were a welcome sight to what remained of the fifth and sixth cohort of the Tenth Legion. Martel shared the sentiment; he had more than once feared that he would never make it back. It had been a month since they set out, but it felt like a lifetime had passed.

The town and camp knew of their return; a patrol had met them yesterday and brought word back. As they marched in through the gate, the soldiers on the walls clamoured and clashed their spears against shields....

617. A Memory Burnt

Martel felt like his body was on fire. A strange and unfamiliar sensation to him; these days, his skill with the element meant he would have to stick his hand into the furnace of a foundry if he wanted to burn his skin. He felt nauseated and yet completely dry, as if his tongue had not tasted water in years. A sharp pain in his shoulder drew his attention until he remembered the bullet that had torn into him. Reminded of the battle, a flood of memories followed. Their desperate defence of the...

616. The Firebrand

For three days, the Khivans hounded the fleeing Asterians. Martel felt himself exhausted by each day's end; the long marches drained him of strength, the repeated skirmishes required all of his spellpower, and limited sleep did not allow him to regain either in full.

At last, they reached the river Savena. The waters promised salvation yet spelled death. Beyond it, the Khivans were unlikely to dare follow, but to cross it would cost valuable time, and the enemy drew ever closer.

A...

615. At the Heel

Martel stood pressed up against the trunk of a tree, trying to keep out of sight. Several paces to the right, Eleanor did the same. Behind him, although he could not see, his magic told him that four Khivans approached. They moved slowly, clearly vigilant or perhaps realising they had all but caught up to the Asterians.

Martel raised his right hand and held up two fingers for Eleanor to see. He closed his hand to a fist and held up two fingers again on his left side.

She nodded to...

614. What One Hand Does

That same night, two mages snuck through the dark to approach the Khivan camp from the southern side. The enemy had pulled back their men from the advanced position just outside the Asterian encampment, though it seemed certain they would return by the morrow, rebuilding their structures and further fortifying it all in preparation for their next assault.

As for their main camp, it possessed some rudimentary defences as well, though not on the same scale as the Asterian camp. Either fro...

613. Boiling Over

The charge and the sacrifice of thirteen legionaries had bought the Asterians time. More Khivans had arrived from their camp, but they did not advance beyond their initial position; they had extinguished the fire and begun to repair their defences.

"How is he?" Martel asked as Eleanor joined him. He had not moved since they came back into the camp, staying in the open area by the gate; he had taken a seat on a crate, and a soldier had fetched water for him.

"Alive," she replied. V...

612. A Hundred Stings

This time, an attack seemed guaranteed, and although it felt agonisingly slow to do so, Martel and Eleanor took the time to don their armour. Only once ready for battle did they run westwards, in the direction of the sound. They had to sometimes push through the legionaries that also scrambled in every direction, some running towards the walls like the mages, others seeking the banner of their centuria.

Reaching the ramparts, they looked down towards the Khivan positions. Smoke rose fro...

611. Firmly in Place

By next day, the situation became apparent; the Khivan column was marching straight towards them. The mood in the camp became alarmed, though the prefects and junior officers did their best to suppress such emotions. Their position was well chosen on the hill, and because of all the slaughtered horses, they had more than enough meat to last them many days. Furthermore, several trips to the river were quickly organised, filling every possible container in the camp with water.

Towards the...

610. A Tableau of Spells

Morning light revealed a gruesome sight. Martel had seen plenty of corpses after battles, and much greater slaughter than this; yet somehow seeing the dead horses felt worse. Maybe because the animals had done nothing to deserve this, or because they had not stood a chance to flee. Either way, the scene made him more uncomfortable than Martel would have expected.

Seeing the reaction of the mounted cohort did not help either. Their two centuriae had already suffered great losses in the l...

609. Like Lambs to the Slaughter

The sentinels spied the returning legionaries from afar. Even from a distance, it could be seen that they had reduced numbers, which drew many to the walls, watching and speculating loudly what had happened. Sharp commands from Avery sent them scurrying back to their tents or duties; as the mageknight descended from the ramparts, she exchanged a look with Martel and Eleanor, but said nothing.

***

Marching back into the camp, the legionaries had the weary, subdued mood of soldiers ...

608. The Building Storm

Returning to camp in the first hours of night, the two mages found everything quiet. Likewise, the distant sound of cannon fire had long since ceased. The guards on the watchtower by the gate hailed them and opened up. When questioned, they had nothing to report; as far as the fifth and sixth cohort of the Tenth Legion could tell, all was calm.

Crossing the camp, Martel and Eleanor went to Avery's tent. They found it empty. Snores told them that the other mageknights occupied theirs. 2024-03-19 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post

607. Reading the Signs

Still rubbing his eyes, Martel walked alongside Eleanor through the camp. The sun had just begun to rise, slowly dispelling the twilight that lay over their surroundings. Around them, everything breathed of calm, like any other morning. Yet Avery had called them out of their beds for an immediate council.

Entering her tent, Martel nodded to a yawning Valerius. "Finally!" Dominic exclaimed. "They are here! Now tell us why we must meet at this hour. From the absence of cannon fire, I assu...

606. The Embrace of the Forest

After their training, Martel went to the river again. Besides washing himself, he also spent a while looking for herbs along the riverbed. Although he had done plenty of this in the marshes north of Esmouth, winter had yielded little, and he would not mind having more of certain ingredients. Given that battle was inevitable, he could imagine he would need it sooner or later.

As he walked back to camp, the soldiers at the gate saluted seeing a prefect walked by. He gave a brief nod in re...