Steel and Sorrow (34 page)

“Commander, Bronn’s turned his army around. They’re marching back toward us,” said Rygar, fighting for air.

“How much time?” asked Kaz.

“An hour. Maybe less.”

“How do they look?”

“Tired, but determined.”

Kaz scanned the terrain. It wasn’t ideal by any means, but they had little time to ride ahead or backtrack in order to scout for better land.

No flat place to set up the catapults.

He’d have to rethink how to use the engineers.

He went down the line and gave orders as quickly as he could. Kaz saw the fatigue in the faces of his men. Still, their training kicked in and he watched proudly as they moved at a frantic pace to fulfill his orders.

With his captains taking over, he began his own silent rituals.

* * *

The sun beat down on Drake as he wiped the sweat from his brow. A long march followed by a short battle was not how he had planned to spend the day.

Though who am I to complain? I wasn’t in the front lines.

Two men ran past him carrying a stretcher with an injured man crying out for help. They hurried toward the makeshift hospital tent. Other runners carrying empty stretchers pushed and pulled bodies around as they searched for the moans of the wounded among the dead. Drake breathed a guilty sigh of relief, thankful he wasn’t one of them.

He had fought hand-to-hand before, but never at the front where men trampled the fallen in front of them.

“Do you ever get used to this?” asked Janik. The green-robed mage seemed to mature rapidly in the short time since his friend Yorn died. Out of the younger mages Krytien whisked away from Estul Island, Janik was becoming someone Drake considered a friend.

“I don’t think so.” He watched another group of men stripping the dead of their armor as they moved the bodies away from camp. “For some, it might.” He sighed. “For me, this only gets harder. It’s hard to forget that I’ll never again see some of the men I just ate breakfast with this morning.”

Janik grunted. “You’re talking about the people on our side.”

“Well, yeah,” said Drake.

“These people aren’t just friends or acquaintances, they’re my countrymen. Regardless of whether I’m on the winning side or not, it hurts to know that we were responsible for killing so many Cadonians.”

I hadn’t considered that.

“I guess it could have been worse though,” said Drake, not sure what else to add to the conversation.

“Yeah. Kaz’s idea to shoot netting with the ballista seemed crazy at the time, but by capturing their officers early, it caused the rest of Bronn’s army to turn and run.”

“It wouldn’t have worked without your help and the others Kaz put with us.”

Janik shrugged. “We did work well together.” He paused. “I wonder why Kaz didn’t pursue the remnants of Bronn’s forces though. It seemed like the best time to do so.”

“We made out alright, but the left wing got hit pretty hard by their mages. Besides, we caught Bronn. Knowing Kaz, he’ll want more information before pushing farther.”

Footsteps sounded behind them and the voice that followed caused Drake to cringe.

“What are you two just standing around for?” asked Lufflin.

Drake noticed that Janik’s shoulders bunched at the sound of the mage’s voice too. Since Yorn’s death, Janik hadn’t really associated with Lufflin or Nora, spending more time under the tutelage of more experienced black robe mages.

“We were just talking about the atrocities of war,” said Janik without turning around.

Lufflin stopped next to him. “Well, all I see is more work. Can you believe Krytien wants me to help them strip the bodies as if I’m some kind of common soldier? I swear he gets some special joy out of riding me.”

Janik responded in a low, even tone. “These common soldiers fight a much harder battle.”

Lufflin snorted.

Janik wheeled on Lufflin. “You ever thought that Krytien is on you so much because you still don’t understand what’s going on? We’re aren’t playing some stupid game on Estul Island anymore. We already lost Yorn. One Above, look around. Who else needs to die for you to take this seriously?”

Lufflin opened his mouth, ready to respond, but was cut off as Yanasi rode up on horseback. Tears streamed down her face and Drake’s stomach sank.

Did something happen to Rygar?

“What happened?” asked Drake as she came to a halt.

“It’s Raker,” she answered in a shaky tone. “He’s hurt bad and lost part of his left arm.”

Drake felt bile creep into his throat. “How?” he asked in a hoarse whisper.

“He was upset that Kaz told him to stay behind, but he was drunk, as usual, and didn’t listen. He went off on his own, and somehow worked his way into the lines. It was pure luck that I noticed him fall. I barely got him to Wiqua in time to stop the bleeding.”

Drake swore he heard something like a laugh. A loud grunt followed and he turned. Lufflin lay on the ground holding his gut and Janik stood over him.

“If I ever hear you say anything like that again, you better be prepared to defend yourself,” said Janik. His hands glowed in blue light.

Janik stepped over Lufflin and walked toward a group of men searching for wounded.

“Come on,” said Yanasi.

Drake grabbed her hand and mounted behind her. He took one last look at Lufflin who lay on the ground staring at the sky.

* * *

Activity bustled around the hospital tent. Drake saw a steady line of runners move with empty buckets down to a nearby creek in order to fetch more water.

Yanasi handed off the reins to one of her men with barely an acknowledgment as she barreled through the crowd and into an open flap. A yellow-robed mage stood near the entrance casting a spell to keep away the flies and other insects eager to feast on fresh blood.

Drake hated the infirmary and had done his best to avoid the injured since the war began. The wounded reminded him, more so than the lifeless forms littering the battlefield, that war was not the game he once thought it would be.

Yanasi led the way past rows of cots and half-dressed soldiers. Some sobbed in pain, others cried out for water or a loved one leagues away. Drake watched Hag move between the wounded, directing others to do what they could to help each soldier.

Yanasi pushed through another flap. Nora worked alongside Wiqua, helping the tired Byzernian stabilize a man’s condition. The girl had a knack for healing spells and according to Krytien she had been a blessing to Wiqua.

Wiqua breathed heavily as his eyes opened. Nora did the same and Wiqua dismissed her. “That is all we can do for now. Thank you.” He turned his gaze toward Drake and Yanasi. Despite the grim surroundings, he gave a warm smile that Drake needed to see more than he realized.

“How is he?” asked Yanasi.

“He’s still out,” said Wiqua. “He’s lost a tremendous amount of blood. Nora helped me protect the wound from any potential infection. Kaz told me not to do anymore for him right now since I have too many other soldiers to tend to. At this point, it’s up to him to get better.” He looked down at the cot.

Yanasi took a knee and it was only then that Drake recognized the man as Raker. The lower third of his left arm had been severed, halfway between wrist and elbow. The stump rested on the bone white skin of his bare chest. Small scratches ran across his face and neck. A purple bruise colored his chest.

Yanasi placed a hand on Drake’s shoulder and he jumped. She had tears in her eyes again. “I know,” she said.

Drake looked at Raker once more as he took a step back. He brushed away Yanasi’s hand without saying a word and ran out of the tent, across the camp, over the small creek, and into the woods. He stopped only when he was sure he was alone. Then he cried.

* * *

Krytien slapped the back of his neck with an open hand. He pulled it away and flicked off the red remains of the bug that had attached itself to him. He used his clean hand to wipe the sweat from his top lip.

Ridiculous. Winter lasts forever and now Summer comes early.

He clomped through the small creek, doing his best to avoid slipping on protruding stones. After weaving his way around a hundred yards of trees he finally found what he sought.

Drake looked up at him with red eyes only to put his head back down again. Krytien came up and took a seat on an old stump near the boy. He pulled out a skin of water, took a drink, and passed it to Drake.

“Thanks,” said Drake after a swallow.

Silence hung in the air and Krytien waited for the boy to ask a question or say anything, but the boy kept his mouth closed, drawing random shapes in the dirt at his feet with a stick.

“So, do you want to talk about it?” asked Krytien.

“Talk about what?”

“You know what. Wiqua told me you ran out of the infirmary. It took a little while to track you down out here. A lot of people are looking for you. I know Kaz is worried.”

Drake threw his stick down. “I don’t know why he would be worried. It’s partially his fault.”

“You mean what happened to Raker? You can’t blame him for that.”

“Yes, I can. He should have seen it coming.”

“Did you ever tell him how bad Raker had gotten?”

“Not specifically, but he’s in charge and I know he saw the trebuchet mishap. Besides, I told a lot of people how bad Raker was getting, including you. No one did anything to help him.”

“I tried to talk to Raker and I know several others did too. I’ve known him for more than fifteen years so don’t think him turning to the bottle hasn’t torn me up—or that it isn’t tearing me up to see him in such bad shape now.”

“Still, there should have been something we could have done, especially Kaz.”

“Kaz did do something. He took him off engineering duty and ordered him to sit out the battle so he didn’t get hurt.” Krytien sighed. “But I guess that just made things worse.”

“He lost half an arm today. And then Wiqua told me that Kaz restricted how much he could heal Raker. He’s Hell Patrol, Krytien! Why would Kaz say that? I didn’t know Jonrell as well as you did, but I bet he wouldn’t have given Wiqua those orders.”

“You’re right. You didn’t know Jonrell as well as I did. He knew how to reach just about everyone, including Raker. More than likely, he would have been able to reach the man long before now and prevented this mess. Though, we both know Jonrell’s death is the cause of Raker’s issues so the point is moot.” He paused. “As far as Kaz’s orders are concerned, Jonrell would have agreed with them. Kaz didn’t deny medical attention to Raker, he just told Wiqua not to treat him differently than any other soldier. Given the circumstances, I agree with Kaz. Maybe it would have been different if Raker had been his old self and fighting with a level head on his shoulder. But he ran off half-cocked and drunk, endangering the lives of the men around him. One Above, Yanasi put herself and her unit at risk to get him out of there.”

“So, you’re saying Raker deserved what happened to him?”

Krytien shook his head. “No, of course not. But Kaz doesn’t deserve the blame for acting as a responsible commander given the situation and pressure he’s under. I used to have my doubts about him, but you of all people should know how much he weighs every decision.”

Drake let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the sides of his face with his hands. “I’m assuming Kaz will leave the injured behind again while we continue the march.”

“No. I’ve already talked to him. We’re going to stay put for a couple weeks while we rest and let the wounded we left behind earlier catch up. He wants us as close to full strength as possible before we press on.”

“So then what can I do for Raker?”

“Spend as much time with him as you can. I know Yanasi’s with him now and I’m sure she could use a break. Wiqua and Hag aren’t going to let him go anywhere for awhile. Or let him near a bottle. Maybe he’ll realize it’s time to move on with his life.” He paused. “Why don’t we go back to camp?”

They got up and started walking in that direction.

“You know, maybe you can use your time with Raker to catch up on your reading. Senald told me you really haven’t done much lately,” said Krytien trying to change the conversation to a lighter subject.

“That’s true. I’ve just been too busy and tired for it.”

“So, have you learned anything useful out of what little you have looked at?” asked Krytien.

Drake brightened. “Actually, yes. Unfortunately, I need to do a lot more studying before I can figure out if we can use any of it. I’ll talk to Janik. I think it’s something he can help with.”

Krytien raised an eyebrow. “Interesting. I’m glad you and he are talking more. I know he took Yorn’s death hard and it seems he’s distancing himself from his other friends.”

“Not all of them. Just Lufflin, which I can’t blame him for. I think the only one who still talks to that idiot is Nora and that’s because she’s too busy making eyes at him to see how self-absorbed he is.”

Krytien blew out a big breath. “Yeah, I need to figure out a way to reach him before he does something really stupid.”

Drake grunted. “Oh, hey. Since you brought up reading. I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“I’m listening.”

“Remember when I told you I found some of those books High Mage Amcaro wrote when we were on Estul Island?”

“Yes.”

“And remember when you told me to leave them behind?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I took those and a few others. I haven’t spent much time with them, but they seem full of information that you might find useful. Of course, I don’t know sorcery so I could be way off. I was planning on telling you eventually after I studied them, but honestly, I just don’t have the time right now. So, if I give the books to you, will you look at them?”

Krytien wanted to kiss Drake. Though he learned a great deal about Amcaro from his personal journal, including just how much the High Mage even doubted his own abilities, little other than his personal life crept into the book. He had just been thinking the other day that he wished he knew a better way to reach the young mages.

This could be my chance.

Krytien did his best to hide his excitement. “Bring them by my tent tonight and I’ll give them a look when I have a chance.”