Chapter 2
The large troop marched off at day break and Will found himself stumbling on in the wake of a large wagon together with Piotry. The two of them had decided to walk since Will had proven incompatible with horses due to Ashiná. Piotry had been happy enough though, claiming he hated the dumb beasts and was just as happy using his own two feet.
Will hid a big yawn behind the back of a hand and trudged on best he could, his feet seemed determined to stumble when ever he wasn't paying enough attention.
"You okay there, Will?" Piotry asked and tossed him a crooked smile.
"Yes, just didn't sleep much last night."
"Ah, that happens to the best of us the night before marching," Piotry comforted.
"Except for you, then. You were snoring like a bear." Will couldn't help he grumbled.
But Piotry only laughed and gave him a smile full of innocence. "Me? I'm quiet as a mouse."
Will rolled his eyes and smiled back.
The day wore on and there was a brief stop around noon to water the animals and give the men a chance to eat and rest. Will was glad for a chance to sit for a while. He was used to walking long distances, but not at this speed and not while inhaling the dust of nearly three thousand men and half as many horses and that was only counting the men and animals in front of him, the supply-train was thankfully trudging on behind them.
Piotry returned from the cook's wagon with dried, stringy meat, bread and cheese for the both of them. He reported that Aron and Sernan had been riding in the front all day discussing tactics with the commanders and they wouldn't be able to join Will and Piotry until they stopped for the night. Will chased down the food with water from his flask and corked it before putting it back in his knapsack among the other scant belongings he had taken with him from main camp.
A group of riders came trotting down the road, preceded by the jangling of armor and bridles, and soldiers stepped out of the way when the first of the riders signaled to halt.
"Sorcerer!" a voice called with authority and Piotry and Will both turned to the four men on horseback.
Will recognized the young man immediately and realized he was staring again.
"There you are." The young blond smiled and beckoned them both closer. Will stopped at a safe distance as not to scare the horses again, Ashiná was a silent presence in his mind and he realized she was watching. Piotry stepped closer and bowed his head to the men.
"I'll see you both in the front with your fellows. We need your advice as well. Fetch your horses and come with me."
"Um," Piotry began a bit uncertain. "I'm afraid we don't have any horses," he mumbled.
"You don't?" The blond seemed surprised. Then his eyes transferred from Piotry to Will. A recognizing smile crossed his beautiful face and Will's breath hitched in his throat.
"Ah, I see why. Is your guardian still causing you trouble?"
"Um, yes, sir," Will mumbled and lowered his eyes.
He nodded with an intrigued expression. "I'll see if we can make room in the back of a wagon for you when we march off again."
"No, my prince," Piotry blurted out then. "Don't go through any trouble because of us. Our feet will do just fine, I assure you."
Will stopped breathing for real then and his mouth fell open. Prince? That was the prince?
Ashiná laughed in his head but still managed to gasp out a warning for him to remember to blink.
"Very well, then. Bring your belongings and Beyn here will show you the way. See you in a bit." The prince and the other two grimfaced men in his company urged their horses on and trotted back down the road to the front of the line.
The lieutenant named Beyn stayed behind and waited patiently for the two sorcerers to pick up their knapsacks and get up on the road by his side. His horse shied when Will got too close and he decided to ride a few feet ahead of them. Will hardly noticed.
The prince. Gods of earth and air! Had he said anything improper last night? He was fairly certain he hadn't, but he hadn't really paid that much attention to his words just then. He berated himself for not recognizing the highest ranking commander – and prince! – in the camp and for not addressing him properly.
Piotry put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you listening to me?"
"What?" Will looked blankly at him.
"Thought so. You met him before? The prince, I mean. What was that talk about your guardian?"
"Yes, last night. We… I… couldn't sleep so I went to the horses to sense their calm, but my guardian scares them and… um, he… I mean the prince" – The prince! – "was there and that's it." He cut off his babbling, snapping his mouth shut and Ashiná murmured thanks for the silence.
~Shut up!~ Will growled at her and she laughed deeply again. She seemed to find this whole situation very amusing. Will just thought it to be very embarrassing.
"You didn't tell him anything about your guardian, did you?"
"Of course not! Piotry, I'm not daft."
"Alright. Just checking, no need to get all feisty," Piotry said calmly.
"Sorry." Will felt the fool for snapping at his friend.
"It's okay. The prince made me all shaky too, when I first met him. Quite inspiring, don't you think?" Piotry said with a crooked smile and nudged Will in the side with his pointy elbow.
"Inspiring…" Will mumbled and had to swallow.
Aron and Sernan greeted them when they finally walked up to them by the small folding table where all the commanders had gathered. A map of the region was spread over the top and held down by a stone in each corner.
Aron put a hand on Will's shoulder and pulled him with him when they once again joined the commanders around the table. Will discretely looked around at the grim faces of soldiers of profession and saw the prince's young features among them. He was debating something with one of the captains and Will took an unsteady breath, glad the prince hadn't met his eyes.
"See here, boy," Aron's voice demanded Will's attention and even Piotry looked down at the map over Will's shoulder. "This is where we'll set up our defenses and wait for the enemy to arrive." He placed a dry fingertip on the river's east shore. "They'll be trying to cross the river when we attack down the hill." Aron's finger traced up the battlefield and the enemy's route from the west.
"There's one problem, though." His hand squeezed around Will's shoulder. "If they come in the afternoon, which according to our scouts' reports we believe they will, we'll have the sun in our eyes and that's a great disadvantage."
"I see where this is going," Piotry broke in. "You're pulling us off medical duty."
"Yes, I am. We need at least one of you to dampen the sunlight when we attack or we'll be sure to run blindly into the enemy."
Will bit his lip. He had gotten used to the idea of spending his first day healing the wounded, out of the immediate battle. But now he would be right in the middle of it. He and Piotry would be vital to their victory, dampening the sunlight, as Aron had put it.
Ashiná murmured encouragements to him.
He had an idea then. "Excuse me," he said carefully and both Aron and Piotry looked at him. "I believe we can do more than just dampen the light."
Voices fell quiet around the table and several pairs of eyes turned expectantly to him. Feeling uncomfortable with the attention focused intently on him, Will pulled a deep breath and let calm wash over him. He stubbornly resisted the urge to look up and meet the prince's eyes.
"We could reflect the light back at them to put the sunlight to our advantage. They wouldn't see a thing other than bright light if we tilted the reflectors at the right angle."
Someone murmured but Will couldn't see who or make out if it was approval or disapproval. He glanced up at the men around him, they were all contemplating his words, but the prince's face was cleaved in a large smile and the deep, blue gaze fixed at him. Will quickly lowered his eyes.
"You can do that?" one of the commanders asked in amazed curiosity.
Aron snorted. "Of course we can. Do you really doubt us, captain?"
The man quickly shook his head. "No. Um… no."
Aron turned to Will. "You know how to handle it?"
"Well, I suppose airkin and waterkin spells would be the best and water wouldn't be a problem with the river that nearby."
"Of course, water." Piotry slapped a hand down on Will's other shoulder. "A naturally reflecting surface."
Will cleared his throat. "Yes. But airkin and earthkin would do just as well if we hardened and polished the earth enough."
Aron pursed his lips in deep thought. "Are you up for it?" His eyes demanded to hear only honesty.
"Yes. Earthkin is one of my strongest and airkin is only for support. I'll manage."
Aron looked over to Piotry and got a thoughtful but agreeing nod. "It's settled then. You two will be our defense line and our trump card." He turned to the officers and the discussion broke loose anew to decide where to put this new weapon to its best use.
Will found himself squeezed out of the circle of men and gladly stepped away from the crowding, armored bodies to sit down in the grass and breathe in fresh air. Gods! What had he done?
~You can do it, Will.~
~I know I can, Ashiná, and I will. It's just…~ he shook his head.
~He was looking at you.~
~Who?~
Ashiná just smiled.
"I must say that is a good plan, sorcerer." The unexpected, sudden voice from behind startled Will to no ends where he sat trying to pull his scattered nerves together. He shot up to his feet and spun around only to stare into the face of the prince.
"Sir – um, my prince." The prince was only an inch or two taller than Will, but right then it felt like he towered over him. The edge of the chain mail was visible under the thigh length, black and gold colored carry coat; a leather wrapped thumb was casually hooked in the belt next to the hilt of the heavy sword at his hip. A few strands of the golden hair in that intricate braid had come loose to frame his face, inevitably drawing the gaze to his eyes.
Gods, the eyes.
"How did you come up with the idea to reflect the light?"
"I, well… My sister and I used to drive our father mad with pieces of mirrors when we were young and since he's a carpenter it was particularly funny when he missed the nail and hit his thumb instead," Will blurted the explanation rather quickly and then shut his mouth with a snap.
The prince's smile widened. "I imagine it was."
Will blinked and lowered his eyes.
"Still. I'm grateful you remembered that little child's play. It will save many lives."
Will looked up again at the prince's suddenly mellow and serious voice. The smile was gone now and the eyes intent on Will's face.
"I'm only trying to do my best," Will mumbled and completely forgot the prince's title. So very blue.
The prince smiled again, faintly, and nodded before he turned and headed back to the commanders who were rolling up the map and getting the men ready to resume the march.
* * * * * * * *
Will and Piotry walked somewhat to the side of the road to avoid most of the dust the horses kicked up and for Will to avoid spooking the animals. Will kept his eyes on the road in front of him and listened to Piotry talking about this spell or that and how he was thinking about how to best make a reflective surface of earthkin and airkin spells with his own abilities. He wasn't as strong as Will with these particular spells, but he was determined to make an effort. Will offered comment or advice from time to time, but let the major thinking to the older sorcerer, his own thoughts were too scattered to be of much use at the moment.
~I hope you can pull yourself together soon, Will. Your rampant thoughts are giving me a headache.~
~I'm sorry, Ashiná.~
~It's okay. Just calm down.~
~I will. I just need to meditate once we make camp.~
~Good idea. Wouldn't want you this distracted in battle.~
~I'm not distracted.~
~Oh, really? Just look over to your right for a moment.~
As usual Will did as his guardian said without further thought and then he immediately wished he hadn't. The prince rode only yards away and he was looking in Will's direction just then. Ashiná broke into a laughing fit at Will's internal squeal.
~You sound like a woman,~ she choked out once she had gathered enough eloquence for speech.
~I DO NOT!~ Will snapped at her, indignant.
~By the way, he is still looking.~ And with that amused observation Ashiná fluttered to the back of Will's mind.
The sound of horse hooves neared and Will dared a glance to see who it was. He was more than a little relieved to see it was Aron riding up to them on his brown mare.
"We'll make camp in another hour. Are you okay with walking?"
"Yes," Piotry answered when Will seemed unable because of his still slowing heartbeat. "Thought my feet are beginning to complain."
"I see. Well, the prince has offered to clear out the back end of a wagon for you if you should need it."
Will and Piotry shared a brief glance and then answered in unison.
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
* * * * * * * *
It was a relief to make camp that evening. The dust from the road seemed to have found its way into every crevice of the body as well as lungs and hair, and Will gratefully scrubbed it all off in the brook that flowed past camp. Supper was also welcome, the pace had not slowed after the noon break and hours of marching had worked up an appetite.
Dark fell soon despite the fairly light summer nights and every man in camp settled in to rest. Except Will. He couldn't sleep despite his tired boy and it didn't help that Piotry was snoring in his blankets. Will sighed and slipped out of the tent. The small fire was still glowing and Aron sat watching it, chewing absently on a wiry root of some sort.
"Will De'Noa," he greeted quietly and looked up at the young sorcerer. "Can't sleep?"
"No. I thought I'd go somewhere quiet and meditate." He made a meaningful gesture towards the tent and Piotry's snoring.
Aron grinned. "You do that. Just make sure you either hide well or put up wards. We don't know if the enemy has sent out scouts and we wouldn't want them stumbling over you in deep meditation."
Will nodded. "I suppose so."
Aron gave him a look.
"I'll be careful, Aron. I promise."
"Be off then. But if you're not safely back by sunrise I'll send out a search party."
Will smiled and headed out into the dark forest. It felt good as always to set out among the trees and leave the crowded camp behind. In the silent, sheltering forest Will could truly relax and he found it was calming just to walk alone in the dark.
* * * * * * * *
It was a relief to make camp that evening, the dust from the road seemed to have fused itself to every part of the skin that wasn't hidden by layers of cloth and armor, and what was hidden was instead covered in sweat.
Kell stretched his back and sighed pleased after Janu helped divesting him of the heavy chain mail and the sword. Janu filled the small bathing tub for Kell to wash off the dust and grime and that was just as much of a relief as getting rid of the armor. Sometimes he wondered what weighed the most; metal, or the sweat you accumulated wearing it.
Rión entered his tent an hour later as Janu left to fetch Kell's supper and the high commander reported with his usual confident voice that all was in order for the night and that the first inspection of the battlefield had been promising. Kell would take a look at the area the next morning in daylight and, he suspected, under a full bodyguard.
Rión reported that the captains had already seen to guard rotation and distribution of supplies, and all that was left for Kell to do this evening was to listen to Rión make a few comments about Iloron soldiers and their frail minds. Kell smiled and agreed. They discussed a few loose details and when Rión seemed satisfied with the decisions made, he left for the night.
Kell sat alone in his tent, absently sipping his wine, letting his thoughts roam as they may. One of them led back to the council earlier that day and the young sorcerer that had come up with the brilliant idea to reflect the sunlight instead of just dampening it. He found himself smiling at the thought of the young man. Well, not that young, only three years Kell's junior, but still, he looked a lot younger than twenty-one. And the short conversation they had had been pleasing, Kell had sensed courage in the young sorcerer, and spunk.
Intriguing. And not too bad looking either. That last thought startled Kell and he lingered by it to investigate it further. In the end he couldn't come up with reason enough to dismiss it. Why shouldn't he think the sorcerer good looking when it was true? Deep, brown eyes, a straight nose and a full lower lip. Thick, dark hair and long bangs that seemed to fall into the eyes with every movement, it had made Kell want to reach out and stroke it back.
And the voice, rich and mature, deep in a way that made the hairs on his arms stand on end.
If it hadn't been for the grey sorcerer's coat and breeches Kell would've mistaken him for a pleasure boy; he almost had in the dark that night when they first met after the sorcerer had startled the horses. Only when Kell had gotten closer had he realized the clothes had been grey. Lucky that he hadn't said anything before he had made sure; he had no wish to offend the young man.
Kell got out of his chair to pull a tunic over his cotton shirt and wrap the sword belt around his waist. He had a sudden need to see the young sorcerer.
It wasn't hard to find their camp. It seemed the soldiers always gave the sorcerers wide berth, as if the added expanse of land between the tents would keep them safe from powers beyond mortal understanding.
Only old Aron was still up and he greeted Kell with a polite nod.
"What sends you to our camp this late, my prince?" he asked.
"I'm looking for your young fellow, Aron. Is he here?"
The old man chewed for a moment on a root. "No, my prince. You just missed him. He went into the forest to meditate."
"You let him go alone?"
Aron smiled softly, knowingly. "I hardly believe the boy will come to any harm."
Kell frowned all the same. "Probably not. Do you know when he'll be back?"
"It could be hours, my prince. He has a lot on his mind."
Kell sighed disappointed and angling the sword out of the way, he crouched down across from Aron. "I wanted to speak with him," he murmured, staring into the flames. "He seems to have a few ideas that could work well for us in battle."
"Yes, the reflecting one wasn't half bad," Aron agreed.
"It wasn't bad at all," Kell found himself snapping at the old man before he realized Aron was grinning. Kell glared back for a moment, not appreciating made looking like a fool.
"I'll tell him you came by, my prince. I'm sure he'll be glad to hear you wanted to see him."
"Thank you, Aron." Kell rose to his feet and stood for a moment staring out into the dark forest.
"You won't find him, my prince. He's well hidden by now."
Kell looked down and met Aron's grey, knowing eyes. "Just tell him I was here."
"I'll do that."
He turned to leave but stopped just out of the firelight. "What's his name, Aron?"
There was a brief silence before the sorcerer answered. "Will De'Noa. Sharican was his master," he said in a flat tone.
Kell couldn't stop a smile spreading when he heard the old sorcerer's name. "Sharican?" He laughed even. "That explains a lot. Thank you, Aron." Then he turned and left, unknowing of the look Aron sent after him.
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