A Soldier's Life

Chapter 204: Shocking Zyna

I followed the Hounds back to Gnoll Garden Tower. The Hounds moved off to serve as a screen, and Cornelius joined them intermittently but circled back to walk with me a number of times.

He was curious to learn more about me, and I wanted to learn about the Hounds. As we walked, I realized this was an informal interview, as we exchanged questions.

I asked of the dead Hounds at one point. “The men who were killed? Were they Hounds?”

“Hound trainers. The Hound trainers lack a spell form that is useful for assignments. However, they are exceptionally skilled, and their absence will be felt. All three men were expert trackers.” Despite his clinical response, there was a hint of sorrow in his voice. It was reassuring to know he wasn’t entirely heartless. Cornelius was responsible for all the Hounds in the Eastern Empire.

“Tell me your thought process during the fight.” He asked after rejoining me after checking on the right flank.

It was a broad question; he already knew I had an air shield, dimensional space, and I could heal. Castile had downplayed my healing ability considerably to Antonia and Zyna. I considered my response carefully. “I couldn’t defend Renna, so I told her to flee.”

He stopped me, holding up his hand. “How did you spot them?” He wanted the story from the beginning.

“The birds were silent. I didn’t know it was orcs. I just knew there was a likely threat in the area.” I pretended to reflect on the encounter. “The muddy pond water seemed the most suspicious, so I asked Renna to freeze it, thinking there was a threat in it. As she was freezing it, the Orc Pathfinders attacked.”

“Huh,” he grunted. We then got into me explaining the fight itself. I was never asked about my weapon, and I think he assumed I only used Orc’s Torment for the fight. I wondered if he could tell the difference in weapons when examining the wounds on the bodies. Thinking on it, only the first orc I killed by slicing open his leather armor could have been suspicious, as the fine cut through his chest armor would have been nearly an impossible feat with the sword.

Cornelius asked his questions, circled out, and then came back for more questions over the six-hour walk back. He was getting three questions to my one. I was mainly asking about what to look forward to in training to become a Hound. His answers were extremely brief, but I learned a little of the Hounds.

The Hounds were selected on three criteria and needed to be sponsored. The three criteria were their combat ability, having a useful spell form, and a modicum of intelligence. He grumbled that the sponsor sometimes overlooked the third criterion. Each class of Hounds started with twenty and typically graduated with three functional groups of five or six, called Packs. Those not in a group either didn’t graduate or became independent operatives.

The independent operators were usually assigned as messengers or served as sentries on the empire’s border. Cornelius said some individuals just did not work well in a group. As he finished the explanation, he stated, “That is what you are destined for, legionnaire. You will serve as a sentry for a year or two before we make certain efforts to make sure you are moved to the archives.”

“Two or three years? Isn’t there a war brewing?” I asked before he could move away again. I didn’t think this whole process was going to take years.

“There is always a war brewing. The Empire will come out of this. Maybe a little scarred, but it will come out of it.” Cornelius said confidently before moving off. I had my doubts.

When we finally reached the tower, I followed Cornelius inside and found the accommodations sparse. A haggard Zyna was talking with the two mages who escorted my group. They looked exhausted, which surprised me, as I had done all the fighting.

Zyna only looked up briefly, her tone harsh. I guessed the mage instructors looked weary from Zyna berating them. Zyna barked at Cornelius. “The young mages had already been shipped on the barge back to the capital.” She paused, stunned to see me enter behind him. “He lived?” The breath left her.

I turned around, pretending to look for someone behind me. “Who, me?” I asked innocently, facing her. A smile creased her face, and there was immense relief.

“You can handle six trained Pathfinders by yourself?” Zyna stated with a smirk. “Impressive.”

“It was nine. A full squad, all dead by your man,” Cornelius interrupted. “We have the heads of the Pathfinders and will have a necromancer question them in the capital.”

Zyna waved her hand dismissively, “They will find nothing. For the last two hundred years, the Caliphate Pathfinders have been warded against the commune with dead spell. We are better off questioning your dead Hounds. How many are lost?”

Cornelius pursed his lips. “Three dead. Still, we will try with the orcs. Others are retrieving the Hound’s bodies to be brought back to the Capital.” Zyna nodded approvingly.

“I wish to talk with my sentinel alone now,” Zyna said pointedly at Cornelius and the two mages. The mages hastily exited, happy to get away from their admonishment. I guessed they had received dressing-down for the incident and allowing the group to separate. Hopefully Cashius got the same treatment.

I surveyed the room. Wooden stairs led to the tower’s second level, and this room seemed to be a functional kitchen and dining room with worn oak tables. Dirty dishes and half-eaten food were scattered on the tables. I guessed the Pathfinder ambush had surprised those in the middle of a meal. I wondered how many Hounds and trainers were stationed here as I counted twenty-eight chairs.

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Zyna had sat at a clean table, and I joined her. The act of sitting after the long walk was welcome, and I sighed as the chair supported my weight. I shifted to get my leather skirt comfortable. The arrow I had taken from behind had damaged a few leather flaps.

I summoned a canteen to my hand and drank as Zyna had not asked a question yet and just studied me. When I finished the entire canteen, it disappeared. “Is Renna okay?” I asked, letting out a silent belch as my stomach settled.

Zyna ignored my question, leaned forward and asked seriously. “Do you think the orcs were targeting her?”

“No, why?” I replied, confused.

“Now that she has learned to cast true spells, she is the most promising mage of her generation. Eliminating her before she comes into her power would be a strategic move by the orcs.” Zyna stated tiredly.

I shook my head. “She took an arrow, but they didn’t focus on her when they revealed themselves. They probably could have killed her if they tried.”

Zyna heaved a tired sigh. Her tone was annoyed. “She is not all right. The foolish girl attacked Cashius.”

“I thought you stopped the attack,” I said, concerned.

“I did. The attack was not even close, but it did singe the hair of everyone within twenty feet and was clearly directed at First Citizen Cashius. I am sure he is already in the capital whining to anyone who will listen to how reckless Mage Renna is and how she is a traitor to the Empire.”

I clenched my hands. “We should head back to Telha immediately, then.”

Zyna laughed, finding my concern touching. “Don’t worry, Renna will be fine. It is not the first time a mage has attacked another at the College. You, on the other hand, might not be after she sees you alive. She is quite angry with you for yelling at her to leave you behind. Her guilt was eating her alive and probably why she attacked Cashius.”

“She would be dead if I didn’t,” I stated flatly.

“I agree, but that is not how the young woman will see it. Be on guard when you see her next. The barge should be back to collect us soon. Are you hungry?” She gestured at the open kitchen.

“Are you?” I asked, thinking she wanted me to cook for her.

“No. I am fine.” She turned over a heavy coin in her hand as she needed something to focus on. We sat in silence for a while. “Do you still want lessons from the Gladiator Champion? I inquired, and he was not inexpensive. You have earned a reward for keeping Renna alive.”

“Yes. I have been practicing with the Imperial Legionnaires, but time with one of the best fighters in the Capital would be welcome. Time in the library as well.” I added hastily.

“I will not have time to chaperon you,” she noted sadly. “With the Pathfinders this far south, it means the fire is lit. There will be a reprisal.” She seemed to consider and smiled, amused as something came to her. “Maybe I can swing Renna’s punishment to be your shadow while you read in the library.”

We were waiting for word that the barge had returned, but another mage entered and whispered something to Zyna that made her frown deeply. As the mage retreated, Zyna informed me, “These were not the only Pathfinders taking action in the Empire. The Displacement Mage in Varvao was attacked last night as well.”

I was extremely confused. “Varvao? That is in the Western Empire. Over a thousand miles from here.”

Zyna was distracted thinking and didn’t respond immediately. She stood and walked around the room while she thought about the implications. “The orcs have settlements on the western coast beyond the Agorian swamps. We have been pulling troops from the forts along the swamps to reinforce the east. Varvao has the only Displacement mage in five hundred miles—it would be the perfect time to invade if the orcs were not planning to be players for the Atlantium ruins.”

She was thinking aloud, and I pictured the Empire in my mind. The Western Empire had little value and served more as a buffer to the Central Empire, where most of the population lived. If the orcs attacked the west, the Esenhem elves came from the north, and the Bartiradians came from the east, it would mean the Empire would be fighting on three fronts. Zyna was just as concerned as she had assumed that everyone would be focused on the giant city.

“The Supreme Cleric is an opportunistic goblin’s bastard.” Zyna spat. She stormed out of the tower, and I could hear her asking angrily if the barge had returned yet. It was another hour before the barge arrived. It came with over fifty soldiers from the regular army that reinforced the tower. As I passed the soldiers, I saw that they were mostly untested teenage boys. Their youthful eyes were wide in awe and trepidation as the furious Chancellor stormed past them to board the barge. A few tripped over themselves to get out of the way.

The trip downriver to return to the capital had the four mages on board conversing with Zyna and using sending spells to communicate with other mages across the Empire. Zyna was too busy and stressed to keep me updated. When the barge approached the docks, the mage controlling the water couldn’t slow our momentum, and we crashed hard into the pier. Loud cracks along the pier pylons sounded, and the activity on the docks paused as the Hounds and mages stumbled to the deck. I managed to keep my feet, one of the few on board.

I helped an aggravated Zyna to her feet, and we were soon racing to the upper city surrounded by Cornelius and the Hounds that had accompanied us. When we reached the gates to the Imperial Grounds, Zyna released me. She was off to a war council with the Emperor, and I was told to wait for her in her apartment.

I walked the Imperial Grounds under escort back to the Mage College. The tension in the air was thick as men in robes raced about as if every second counted. I realized Castile’s company was in the Western Empire, escorting the magistrate to evaluate youth for magic potential. If the orcs were invading, it seemed like Castile was a magnet for conflict wherever she went.

I contentedly stripped off my armor, examining all the marks from combat on the hard red resin-hide surfaces. You learn to trust your armor to take certain parries and angled strikes when you fight. I was shocked by how many marks had been left on my armor by the orcs. It would be amusing to ask Ignis to repair the armor again and see her reaction. The hole in the cuirass above the heart was a chilling reminder that death was ever only a few inches away.

I showered and filled the recessed pool. Then, using my thermal stone, I heated the water to a comfortable temperature before settling in. My future and the future of the Empire were uncertain, but I could only live in the moment.

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