Wielding the ambience was surprisingly similar to practicing his sword forms. The more he practiced something, the easier it became. It became almost automatic as his mind became accustomed to the task. The things he practiced the most, he could create almost instantly with the slightest of thoughts.
He finally stopped practicing whispering on the wind and headed down to the dining hall for lunch. He smiled at the progress he had made. At first he thought he wouldn’t be able to control the words as they got further away, but he had found all he had to do was concentrate a little more. He was sure that he could send the messages even further if he could only see further. It was too bad his ambience enhanced sight could only penetrate so far into the distance.
15
The horses’ hooves made sucking noises as they plodded onward through the mud. It had been raining for almost two entire days. It was more of a drizzle now than rain, but it was still miserable. Kalista felt especially bad for the foot soldiers. Marching in the mud had without doubt slowed the army’s progress. It would take longer for them to reach Candus than they had hoped.
They had left Kavar two days ago but hadn’t made nearly the progress they had wanted to. Oh how Kalista longed to be back in the city. She had enjoyed the comforts of the lavish inn that she had been put up in. Her only regret was that she had only been able to stay there for one short night. She had almost felt as if she were back in the palace.
She had enjoyed a delicious dinner, a hot bath, and an extremely comfortable bed. Breakfast had been just as good the next morning, and she had been tempted to send the army on without her. Of course, that would have meant parting with Gavin, and she couldn’t do that. Being with him for practically the whole day, every day for the last three weeks made the thought of being apart even harder to bear.
After two days of slogging through the rain, however, she was beginning to second guess her decision to not stay at the inn in Kavar. At least the march for the day was almost over. It was hard to judge the time without any sign of the sun, but the growing darkness was evidence enough that night was fast approaching.
Soon the signal was given, and the soldiers stopped. Kalista made her way off the road as the soldiers hurried to set up camp and get out of the rain. She sat on her horse, next to Gavin’s, holding her cloak tight against the cold dampness as her servants quickly set up her tent. Gavin’s tent was being set up nearby with the command tent next to it.
As soon as her tent was up, she slipped off her mount and hurried inside. She shook the water off of her cloak at the entrance and moved to the middle of the tent. Soon a fire was going, and she let her cloak fall as she walked over next to it to warm up. Water fell through the small opening at the top of the tent, sizzling as it hit the flames. She waited contentedly by the fire while her servants finished setting up the inside of her tent. They brought in several chairs for the front part that she was currently in, and brought in her chest of clothes and her bed for the back, private section of the tent.
She focused on the warm flames of the fire as her servants finished making everything ready for her. She knew they would lay out a nice dress for her to change into for dinner and would warm some water for her to freshen up in. Her tent soon contained all of the necessities, but it was still a far cry from even a room at a modest inn. The walls of the tent were tightly stretched against the ground, and she knew that the damp grass in the back section of her tent had been covered with a dry rug, but neither gave the illusion that she was in a solid room instead of a flimsy tent in the middle of nowhere.
She sighed as she left the fire and parted the dividing flaps to enter her room. As a servant helped her change out of her riding clothes and get prepared for dinner, she wondered how much more she could take. Once again she questioned whether or not it had been a good idea to come along. She had never thought of herself as necessarily soft, but after another rainy day of marching she was almost ready to stop.
Of course the idea was ridiculous. They were in the middle of nowhere. They really wouldn’t come upon another city until they reached Candus. She realized it was probably good that the rain had not begun until yesterday or she would have been even more tempted to stay put in Kavar. Now, she really didn’t have a choice but to continue on to Candus.
When she finished getting ready, she took a long look at herself in her mirror. She supposed she was holding up fine, and when she smiled at herself, she could almost imagine that she was back in the palace getting ready to attend dinner with her father. However, she did determine that on the way back to Calyn she would be riding in a plush carriage and not traveling on horseback with the Royal Army. She would then have the liberty to travel at her own pace and choose where she wanted to stop and rest and for how long.
She tried to smooth out her hair, and then headed into the front room of her tent. Gavin was already there, quietly waiting in one of the chairs for her. He rose as soon as she entered and gave her a small bow.
“You look lovely as always,” he said with a smile. “Would you care to accompany me to dinner?”
“Yes I would,” Kalista said as she took her fiancé’s arm. “Having dinner with you is about the only thing that I have to look forward to these days.”
They ducked out of her tent and quickly made their way through the misting rain and into the command tent. It was larger than her tent with several different partitioned rooms. The front room had a large table in the middle of it surrounded by chairs. It would be used for planning once dinner was over, but for now the room was empty except for Gavin, her, and a few servants.
Gavin pulled out a chair for her and carefully pushed it in as she sat down at the table. He then sat down next to her and clapped his hands. Two servants immediately appeared with plates of food that they set on the table.
“Doesn’t this look delicious?” Gavin said with a charming smile. “We’ll have to send our compliments to the chef.”
Kalista shook her head as she looked at the plate of food. It wasn’t much different than what they ate every night. Gavin must have sensed her mood and was trying his best to cheer her up. She really didn’t feel like playing along tonight. She picked up her spoon and took a taste. She then covered her mouth with the back of her hand and coughed as if the food was making her choke.
“You must be eating something different than I am,” she said with a scowl. “I think we ate this a few days ago. Is it the leftovers?”
“Well, I . . .” Gavin began to say before he started laughing. He quickly got himself under control. “Okay, it’s not that great. But I’m hungry enough that most anything looks good.”
“I wish I were as hungry as you,” she replied. “Then perhaps I could make myself finish this.” She pushed the plate away from her. “I hope the chefs in Candus are better than the army cooks.”
“The chefs in Candus are some of the best in the world,” Gavin said as he put down his fork. “I guarantee that there will be no complaints once you have tasted the delicious creations of our palace chef. You will most likely think your first meal in Candus is the best you have ever eaten.” He paused, trying to keep a straight face. “I can guarantee this because after eating this for another two weeks almost anything will taste gourmet.”
“I guess I will have to eat my dinner so as to dull my taste buds enough to not make you a liar when we arrive in Candus,” Kalista said.
She finally gave in and smiled. The food they had was not that bad. They definitely ate better than the soldiers. She pulled the plate back towards her and finished her dinner. Despite what she had said, she was hungry after such a long day. They both finished their meals in silence. When they were done eating, Gavin turned to her and held her hand.
“I am sorry about the rough traveling conditions,” he said. “Perhaps I should have insisted that you ride in a coach.”
“It’s not your fault,” Kalista replied. “I am the one that insisted on riding by your side. Most days aren’t bad. I just hope this rain clears up by tomorrow.”
“I am sure it will. These spring storms never last more than a day or two. We’ll be in Candus in another twelve days and then you can relax, comfortably as the High Princess of Kalia deserves. Did you know they are planning an engagement celebration for when we arrive?”
“What?” she responded with surprise. She hadn’t heard anything about an engagement celebration. “They’re planning a celebration with a hostile army at their doorstep?”
“Of course,” Gavin replied. “They are not going to let our arrival pass by without celebrating the union of the baron’s son to the Princess of Kalia. Besides, after such a long march it will boost the troops’ morale. It will remind them of what they are fighting to preserve.”
Kalista supposed it made sense. The celebration would not only be an opportunity for the city of Candus to pay its respects to the crown but also be an opportunity to lift the soldiers’ spirits and prepare them to defend their homeland. And now she had something to look forward to as well.
“That is good news,” she said with a smile. The only bad part was that there would be another twelve or so days of marching before they even reached Candus.
The servants cleared away the dinner plates and brought in some candied fruit for dessert. Kalista smiled in surprise at the variety and the sweet smell. They had only eaten desserts when they had stopped in the cities. She wondered where it had come from. She was almost certain that the army cooks didn’t normally have such delicacies with them.
“I had some picked up when we were in Kavar,” Gavin said nonchalantly. “I had planned on waiting a few more days before having it served, but after such a long day of riding in the rain I thought you might appreciate it.”
“I do appreciate it,” she said with a smile that was continuing to grow larger. “You think of everything, don’t you?”
“I wouldn’t say that I think of everything,” Gavin replied. “Then again, I didn’t say it. You did. I don’t want to argue with someone as intelligent and beautiful as you, so I will concede that you are right and I think of everything.”
She grinned and shook her head as she popped a piece of candied plum into her mouth. She closed her eyes and savored its sweetness. It was delicious. She felt Gavin leaning in towards her, and her eyes slowly opened. His face was only a few inches away from hers.
“In all honesty,” he said softly. “I really do not think of everything. Most of the time, I am only thinking of you.”
Her fiancé then gently touched her chin and lifted it towards him. He finished closing the distance between them and softly kissed her lips. Butterflies flitted through her stomach.
“Things will work out just fine my Princess,” he said as he settled back in his chair. “Soon this march and the skirmish at the borders will all be distant memories. We’ll reminisce on our little adventure when we are older and think of the fun time we had together.”
“Perhaps I’ll reminisce on our time spent together as fun,” Kalista replied as she turned back to her dessert. “But I will definitely never think of riding through the cold rain and mud as fun.”
They chuckled as they continued savoring the candied fruits. Kalista was thankful for Gavin’s optimism and thoughtfulness. He would make a great husband and king. As soon as they had finished dessert, the two generals and some of the captains began to arrive at the command tent. Kalista stood up and allowed Gavin to help her into her cloak.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” he asked.
“Of course,” she replied with a smile. “I do not want this night’s happy memory tarnished by talk of war.”
“As you wish,” he said.
They both ducked out of the command tent, and Gavin escorted her the short distance back to her own tent. She was happy to notice that it was no longer raining. Perhaps tomorrow they would even be greeted by the sun.
“Thank you for a wonderful dinner date,” she said with a grin. “Please give my compliments to the chef.” Gavin smiled back at her warmly.
“Sweet dreams my Princess,” he said as he gently squeezed her hands. “I shall try to survive the night away from your presence.” Kalista reached up and brushed his lips with a kiss.
“Hopefully that will make your night easier,” she said teasingly.
With that, she turned and entered her tent. She sighed as she let her servant remove her cloak. The day had not turned out to be as bad as she thought it would. She would follow Gavin’s last suggestion and have sweet dreams, dreams of an early summer wedding.
16
“Screeing is something that has fascinated me ever since I first read about it,” Eldridge said with excitement. “I think it will be incredibly useful to you. Screeing is the ability to see things that are far away, things that would be impossible to see even with ambience enhanced vision like yours.”
“How far?” Traven asked, full of curiosity.
“As far as you want,” the keeper replied. “I suppose you can imagine why this fascinates me so much. I love being the keeper of Faldor’s Keep, but I haven’t been outside the keep for over six years. And even then it was only to bring the new human guardians to the keep from their small village at the base of the Parched Mountains.
“I often wonder what is going on in the world outside. What changes have occurred? What is the same? To be able to actually see the outside world while safely in the keep, doing my duty, well that would just be, it would just be . . .” Eldridge paused. “Incredible,” he finished. “Enough of that, I’m sure you are anxious to learn how to do it.”
Traven was indeed anxious to learn how to scree. It did sound fascinating. Looking around the dark room, he wondered how it would be possible. They were back in the same tower they had been in earlier in the day. However, instead of out on the balcony, they were in the center of the tower room with all of the windows and doors shuttered. He wasn’t sure how they would be able to see much of anything in the dimly lit room.