Chris Evans - A Darkness Forged in Fire

"…best news I've heard all day," Meri managed before another coughing fit.

Konowa leaned over him and whispered to Visyna, "Can you help him?"

Visyna shook her head.

"But you healed me. Surely there is something you can do?" he asked. In battle, he could always fight harder, but now, in its aftermath, he felt helpless. He had no weapon, no skill to combat this. Soldiers were dying again and there was nothing he could do.

Visyna rose from beside Meri and walked several yards away, motioning for Konowa to follow her. When they were out of earshot of the soldiers around the dying man, she whispered to him.

"Do you know nothing of the arts? In healing you, I tapped your own strength and that of the land around us." She looked over at Meri and her face softened. "He hasn't the strength to begin to repair the wound, and this land," she said, kicking her boot in the dust, "has little to offer. Surely you feel it? The natural order is poisoned here. Something is changing the land. Faeraugs have not been seen in years, and even then they were never that big. All I can do is ease his suffering."

A cold stabbing pain flared in Konowa's chest and he reached reflexively for it, his hand closing around the shape of the acorn. He took his hand away and looked at Visyna.

"No!" Visyna shouted, causing several soldiers to look over at them. She lowered her voice as she continued. "Would you pour water on a drowning man? Can you not feel what it is?"

"My father wouldn't have given this to me if it was that dangerous. Surely you can use it somehow to help Meri?" he asked, pulling the pouch out of his jacket and holding it out to her. "I'm not asking you to destroy anything this time, but to help."

She stared at the small leather pouch in his hand for a long time, then looked back at him with regret and something close to fear in her eyes. "I cannot do this."

"You don't need to," Lorian said from behind, startling both of them. "He's dead."

D on't blame her, Major-there's nothing anyone could have done for him," Lorian said.

Konowa continued to look straight ahead as the two of them walked through the camp. Troops milled about in groups, some laughing and passing around bottles he chose not to notice, others staring out into the dark, their muskets clutched tightly in trembling hands.

"I want the men kept busy," he said. "Don't give them a chance to think about this. I don't care if you have them digging latrines from now until sunrise, just don't let them think."

"I'll see to it, Major, but they're going to wonder what's going on, and if it's connected to what we're doing out here…"

Konowa nodded. "You don't think this was a coincidence, then?"

Lorian shook his head.

"Good. If you did, I'd think the Duke had pawned a slow wit off on me."

A series of honks answered by low, rumbling bellows signaled the return of the brindos and muraphants. At least the regiment still has a food source, Konowa thought viciously.

A soldier marched up holding a lantern and handed Lorian a piece of parchment. Lorian gave it a quick look and grimaced.

"Three dead in A Company, five in B, and one in C, along with twenty-two wounded, three serious," Lorian said.

"How many faeraugs did we kill?" Konowa asked, but he already knew the number would never be high enough.

"Five, maybe six hundred," Lorian replied. "It's not much compensation, but once the lads got over their shock, they performed well."

Konowa nodded, stepping around an overturned kettle and a shredded haversack, its contents spilled on the ground and trampled in the dirt. "I'd like several soldiers written up for commendations. Private Arkhorn for one." He paused before saying the next bit. "And there was a group who used swords. They saved me when I fell."

Lorian looked puzzled. "You were right about the dwarf, sir, he's one hell of a fighter. But I don't know what other soldiers you mean. The men have their muskets, bayonets, and small daggers. I've no doubt a couple of them have a few other weapons stashed away, but other than Arkhorn with his drukar, and me and the other sergeants with our halberds, only officers carry swords, sir."

Konowa laid his right hand across his chest, then quickly removed it when he saw Lorian watching him. "It must have been muskets, then. Very well, check with the other sergeants and have the list for me by dawn."

A commotion up beyond the next patch of vines halted further conversation. Konowa drew his saber and Sergeant Lorian brought his halberd to the ready. Sharing a silent look, they stepped around a mass of leafy stems expecting another attack. Instead, they found a cloaked figure holding a lantern, kicking dead faeraugs into a pile.

"Rallie?" Konowa said.

"Ah, Major, Sergeant Major," she said, looking up from her exertions to give them a friendly smile. "Pardon the mess, and mind your step-a few still have a bit of life left in them." She laughed and gave a still-twitching faeraug a swift kick, sending its body tumbling into the growing pile.

"I could have some soldiers take care of this," Konowa said, noticing the wagon behind her appeared to have suffered no ill effects from the attack.

"Not at all," she said, "you two will be fine. Major, you can start over there, Sergeant Major, that group to your left, if you please. Tear off their legs, but leave them alive, would you?"

Lorian appeared ready to object, but Konowa shook his head and began helping her move the bodies. Lorian looked around as if still expecting an attack, then joined in, spearing the dead bodies on the end of his halberd and adding them to the one pile, ripping off the legs of those still with life in them and adding them to another.

"The Prince was most upset," Rallie said as she dragged two more bodies forward from under the wagon. "He was hoping his first battle would be against two-legged enemies."

"We'll have that soon enough," Konowa replied, looking over at Lorian, who nodded in agreement. Konowa moved closer to Rallie and lowered his voice. "I thought the little nit was upset because the faeraugs ruined his tent."

Rallie stood up straight, holding her back and walking over to lean against the wagon. She pulled a cigar from beneath her cloak and had it lit in an instant, the glowing orange dot illuminating her face with devilish hues. "He's soft, self-centered, and scared-a dangerous combination out here. First blood has been spilled, and he was buried under a tent with me when it happened. His ego is rather fragile at the moment."

"His ego? I don't give two shakes of a gryphon's tail how fragile his ego is." Was Rallie actually defending him? "This was only the first of what we're going to face. Nine men have already paid the price, and more will surely follow."

Rallie took the cigar out of her mouth and pointed to a spot behind Konowa. He turned and hacked at a faeraug crawling toward him from out of the pile. Its carapace cracked and split open on the second blow. Lorian walked over and speared it back on top of the other bodies.

"The Prince will learn, and you two will be the ones to teach him, with a little help from me," Rallie said, chuckling as she stuck the cigar back in her mouth. "In fact, his lessons have already begun." She reached into her cloak and drew forth a rolled piece of parchment. "My interview with His Highness where he expresses his personal condolences to the families of those slain."

"He actually expressed feeling for the lives of common soldiers?" Konowa asked. Lorian stopped spearing bodies and walked over to stand beside Konowa.

"He will once the news criers start repeating it," Rallie said, her face breaking out into a huge grin from behind a cloud of dense smoke. She reached down to grab a body and then jumped back when it started to wriggle. She motioned to Lorian. "Be a dear…"