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  He found he could not.

  With his arms around his knees Cid kept a locked gaze with the paltry flame. It felt like he was staring at his own hope, wavering in the canyon wind that managed to sneak into their enclave, on the verge of dying out, saved merely by that it did not have anything better to do than just survive.

  Bennam is dead…

  The thought came gradually and it was the kingpin of insanities that plagued Cid right now. Commander Bennam had always been the face of the Lanston military and his death only fuelled Cid’s alienation with the army.

  Deemed traitor, possibly murderer in the eyes of some. We might lose the war, we might die… even should we live I will lose Elmira.

  Still Brunick was flipping through the small vellum pages, oblivious of the world around him. It was something to envy, Cid decided.

  Brunick was a born into the brotherhood of Masons. Cid had always known this, first discovering when they met as adolescents. The Masons were a small order, claiming to be descendants of some of the finest stone working families in the world. True enough the greatest buildings within Asheva were crafted and designed by Brunick’s ancestors. In general the Masons were all burly and strong like Brunick, and almost all as vocal as well. Growing up in the sanctuary woods of Orlo, it was ironic, yet not illogical, that Brunick’s choice weapon was that of a lumberjack rather than the trademark hammers of the Masons.

  The real distinction of the Masons however came by their religious teachings. It was well known that the Masons subjugated themselves under a being called the Benevolence, claiming an intimate connection with a deity concerned with all humanity’s well-being. In contrast, the people of Asheva was cautious toward it, for the Kingdom’s very existence was inspired by men fighting the Summoners who would claim themselves masters over humanity. In the far west, past the impassable Starwall, it was said to have a city where the Benevolence slept and watched over the world. But here in the east, having no contact with the west, the idea of a Benevolence was unfamiliar to anyone outside of the Mason circles.

  Cid was undecided about how he felt about it all.

  He had to admit that he was sometimes curious and jealous of Brunick’s faith. It was straightforward, yet it allowed Brunick to carry himself with such confidence. Or maybe that’s just who he is?

  ‘We are failing,’ uttered Cid before he could stop himself.

  Brunick looked up, closing his booklet, his hands swallowing it. Brunick did not meet Cid’s gaze, rather tossing another few twigs into the fire. He then stood up gingerly and sat closer to Cid.

  ‘We have people counting on us Cid. We’re in the roughs now to be sure, but we have to survive, we have to get out of this.’

  ‘I am not saying I’m giving up. ‘I’m… making a remark… I can’t believe Bennam is dead, he was…’

  ‘A great man,’ finished Brunick. ‘No matter what’s going down it doesn’t change what we need to do Cid. You know this. We still have our responsibility to the Kingdom and you still have to win Elmira’s hand.’

  ‘I wish it were that simple, that the Kingdom would so willingly give me Elmira if only I could be an inspiring Colonel,’ said Cid hopelessly.

  ‘No, it’s not that simple, they won’t divert her hand from Fredrere just for a Colonel, you know that.’

  Cid stared hard at Brunick, a flash of anger rising, not sure why the man was changing his tune after planting the idea with the Colonel in the first place.

  Brunick continued, ‘they’ll give Elmira’s hand to war hero, nothing less, and I never intended to say it otherwise.’

  Cid remained impassive for awhile, ‘and you’re certain I’ll come out as such? And in these conditions?’

  ‘I’ve never known a war in which you didn’t come out a hero Cid, my occasional wagering is not a gambler’s habit, I have faith in you because I know the man,’ he said, pointing directly at Cid.

  Cid wasn’t convinced, chewing his lip.

  ‘This here,’ said Brunick, gesturing and circling his finger to their surroundings, ‘this is the odds, and there can’t be war heroes without odds.’

  ‘Fate is working for me so I should play along?’ suggested Cid in tandem to what Brunick was hinting at, his voice ringing with cynicism.

  ‘Yeah, it’s not so long ago that you led us right out of Teritua. Everyone had thought us dead by then, but you got us out alive. They made you Colonel after that, imagine what they would give you if you saved us all from this mess?’ said Brunick.

  Cid gave half a chuckle at Brunick’s antics. ‘Do you think this is a mess, I mean the operation?’

  ‘Cid, really… we lost four hundred men, Stelinger is in charge and we have no real experience fighting in Alparack. How do think this is going to turn out if something else goes wrong? No, it’s like I said, your war hero odds have shown up and you might save much more than just your own marriage.’

  Cid nodded, in thought for a while before he asked: ‘Will you read me that bit about the angels again?’

  Brunick smiled, habitually folding open his book at the right place.

  Brunick had a great voice and flair for storytelling, whether he was elaborating a joke in a tavern or preaching from his teachings, he commanded the attention of all. Brunick read the passage resolutely, knowing just where to punctuate his sentences, Alex and Lidayel silent as well as they listened alongside Cid.

  The Mason finished and closed the book.

  Brunick laughed a bit, ‘you really like that passage, how come?’

  ‘Hmm, grand white wings, the invisible guardians, the ethereal messengers, great beauty and grace, flawless, untainted…’ said Cid, encapsulating the gist of the passage.

  ‘You are thinking about Elmira?’ asked Brunick

  Cid nodded, a bit embarrassed. ‘More than that; I’d like to think that someone is watching over her, that something is there to protect her when I cannot. That when I go to rest, thinking of how much I love her, that an angel sits at her bedside whispering to her of how much she’s cared for while she sleeps. That someone is at least witnessing our struggle if nothing else. Our upbringing is very different Brunick, but because of Elmira I sometimes find myself hoping that some kind of Benevolence is out there. Not so much for myself as for her,’ said Cid.

  Brunick nodded understandingly.

  A thought struck Cid. ‘Brunick, you are allowed to marry people right?’

  ‘In our circles, yes,’ said Brunick.

  ‘Would you, if we are allowed, if it comes to it, join my hand with Elmira’s when we return home?’ said Cid.

  Brunick’s face split into a smile. The big man knew full well that Cid was looking for something to hang onto, a possibility of a future instance that could give him hope and Brunick was glad to give it to the Colonel.

  ‘It would be an honour, my friend. I’ll do you one better, we’ll celebrate the whole thing in Pathra,’ said Brunick.

  ‘Ha! I thought outsiders are not allowed?’

  ‘It’s time for an exception, and its more the journey involved than Pathra being off-limits truth be told,’ said Brunick thoughtfully.

  ‘Thank you,’ said Cid happily, ‘Elmira would love to see Pathra.’

  They were silent for a while, listening to Alex and Lidayel’s conversation:

  ‘…and the staff?’ asked Alex.

  ‘Trees and plants have something very similar to our souls. They are not as complex, but a well-crafted staff or finely prepared herb can increase our magical capabilities when used right,’ answered Lidayel.

  ‘So all of this has got to do with how souls interact?’ asked Alex.

  ‘Oversimplified that way, but for the most part, yes. Although I would not use my staff much now in fear of losing control. I have not again yet mastered the workings of my own soul, never mind something outside of me,’ said Lidayel.

  ‘Like when you try to summon fire right? You can’t do that because…’

  ‘I might lose my hold on it and create
something much larger than I intended. A magician’s resistance to his own magic will protect him, but it won’t do any good killing everything else around him.’

  ‘Oh! So that’s why the Priests can light up their hands like candle wicks,’ said Alex.

  Lidayel smiled, putting his hands together and rubbing them fiercely. A small enraged yellow flame came to life in the fold of his palms, writhing as he rubbed, evidently not burning the Summoner’s hands.

  Alex’s mouth was agape as Lidayel ceased and the flames disappeared.

  ‘You did it! That was control right?’ asked Alex.

  Lidayel shook his head. ‘There are more types of fire than you think. It’s an easy trick for a magician to mimic and conjure the light spectrums of flames, like I now did. That was simply an illusion.’

  ‘The Priests then,’ said Alex thoughtfully, ‘do they make their flames purple because it scares better?’

  ‘No, it’s a fire on its own, those violet flames are blasted magic, banned by the conclave of Asheva,’ said Lidayel in disgust, ‘they are designed to tear and burn through any obstacle. Only a barrier of magic can stop it effectively.’

  ‘And what about…?’

  Brunick grunted, waving their conversation away and turning to Cid, ‘I was about to pray silently by myself, I don’t know, but would you like to-?’

  Cid thought about where they were and what they faced.

  ‘Why not…’ he shrugged.

  Brunick nodded. ‘Just close your eyes, listen, and take solace.’

  Cid complied, shutting out the rest of the world.

  And Brunick prayed.

  Chapter 31

  Hunted

  ‘They are tailing us again, and closing. They knew I was snooping! if I was a bit slower they would have put a shaft through my head,’ said Alex as he caught up to the camp. They had been heading up north for another day now, putting as much space between them and the Lanston army as they could. Taking heed of Harlem’s warning Cid had issued Alex to fall back now and then to monitor the hunters’ progress.

  The fact was that four exhausted men could not outmanoeuvre an elite squad of scouts and sharpshooters. Right now they were taking a breather along the border of the forest, hidden mostly by the trees.

  ‘We’ll have to do something, soon,’ said Lidayel.

  ‘You’re one to talk, how about some magic tricks?’ said Brunick.

  ‘I’m still as likely to worsen our chances as improve them,’ answered Lidayel, looking distrustfully at his own hands as they shone with faint magical light.

  ‘Any chance you could conjure up a couple of horses, or at least some ponies! I’m tired of running!’ said Brunick.

  Lidayel laughed genuinely. ‘My friend, your take on my arts is like that of fairy tales. We do not create things out of thin air, we manipulate-’

  ‘Yeah, yeah, I have heard the stories before: Things you can and can’t do!’ said Brunick mockingly.

  ‘Listen!’ interrupted Cid. ‘We should get moving again soon. Lidayel, is there any chance you can use your magic to create controlled distractions? Anything that can fool or misdirect some Fallen scouts?’

  Lidayel nodded. ‘Yes, I should not have too much trouble with that.’

  ‘Good, now listen carefully everyone…’

  ***

  Brunick and Cid were sprinting as fast as their armour allowed them. The party had split for now, Alex and Lidayel heading into the forest while Cid and Brunick descended into the canyon again.

  ‘Do you trust Lidayel?’ asked Cid as they ran.

  ‘More than I do Stelinger, Cid. I’m reckoning that the betrayal is real enough, whatever Stelinger is planning we have to stop it,’ said Brunick firmly.

  ‘We have to survive first, then discover what’s really going on,’ said Cid.

  ‘Ha! Don’t worry Colonel, we’ll make it, we just have to keep our heads above water.’

  Some hundred yards into the forest.

  ‘Bingo,’ whispered Alex, his trained eyes spotting the Fallen first. It was a small strike group on the move, their patrol clearly not on the trail of anything particular at the moment.

  Alex pointed them out to Lidayel. The Summoner acknowledged with a nod.

  ‘I can pester them with arrows, that would get their attention, but I’d think we might need something a bit more substantial to get them moving,’ whispered Alex.

  ‘Leave that to me then,’ answered Lidayel.

  Alex readied his arrow and Lidayel concentrated. The arrow flew and hit a fallen scout right in the neck, the man collapsing without much ado. His comrades halted at the sudden movement, turning as a group. Alex and Lidayel made no effort to hide themselves and instantly became the target of thirty Fallen or more.

  Lidayel stepped out from behind a tree, massaging his palms like he was crushing something, a hint of sparks and smoke squirting from his hands. An array of crossbows levelled at them. Alex knew fear then but saw nothing of it in the Summoner’s approach. Lidayel steadied, his fists clenched at his sides now, seemingly holding what appeared as flames trying desperately to escape his grasp.

  ‘Alright then Brunick, let’s make some ponies.’

  Lidayel threw his hands wide open, scattering a dozen globules of fire into the air, like tiny pebbles of flame. At their highest the globules exploded, coming down as billowing entities of flames and smoke. Alex watched with awe, his heart pounding madly.

  The Fallen had already backed away at the sight of the fire, abandoning their notion to attack. Then everyone watched in surprise as the fire took shape.

  Horses, seventeen hands tall, grew from where the fire hit the ground, the whole of their bodies comprised of blazing flames and smoke, as though every fibre of their being was burning.

  Alex walked from behind in his shelter in mute amazement as the horses charged fearsomely at the Fallen, their movements’ dependent on Lidayel’s merest whim. The Fallen turned to flee and escaped the clearing as fast as they could, the horses on their trail.

  ‘Now we follow, we’ll rout them right back to Cid,’ said Lidayel.

  ‘That isn’t real fire is it?’ asked Alex in alarm as they ran after the conjured galloping beasts.

  ‘If I could use real fire we wouldn’t have to go through this charade. No, they are illusions, merely appearing as fire,’ explained Lidayel.

  ‘But you can summon fire right?’ asked Alex.

  Lidayel nodded, a smile of confidence on his face. ‘Give it time, I can feel my control growing stronger by the day.’

  ‘So did you come up with this?’

  ‘Brunick gave me the idea, but to be more specific, the Fallen can’t fear rationally and they can’t learn new fears, most of their minds are too debilitated for that. Primordial fears however, instinctual fears in other words, like fire and charging animals, still activate the flight functions of their minds.

  ‘Great call,’ praised Alex as he saw the Fallen scatter.

  ‘Let’s hope Cid and Brunick have equal luck,’ said Lidayel, steering his horses to divide as well, accommodating the Fallen so that he could push them towards the canyon.

  Up ahead the canyon narrowed, making a bottleneck of crags, the rock formations both jagged and blunted. The last hundred yards Brunick and Cid dashed flat out to reach them, identifying them as sanctuary. Like two needles falling into a haystack they disappeared into the gullies.

  The army Cid knew would take a secondary pass that routed around this obstacle, there being no way a marching army could pass through here safely. All the same there was something to be admired in this maze, the rock here a perpetual victim of erosion, so that the depths and lines on the surface were faces of great character. In the rush however there was no sense for the men to bother with the origin of this place save that the potholes of its consequence could injure stray footing.

  They kept as low as possible, so rather than climbing or running across the rock above they stayed to the trail below. That is howev
er, until they became stuck.

  ‘Damn it, we’re gonna have to show face,’ said Brunick as they came to a dead end on the ground.

  ‘Let’s make it quick then, we should still have enough space between us and them to escape fire. They climbed up - only to realize Cid was wrong - and dead ahead stood a poised Rade’Remarian Valkyrie.

  The moment Cid cleared to the top a force hit him right in the chest, splitting his armour. He went down, almost falling from the edge, Brunick immediately hauling him back to his feet. With a leap and a bound Cid and Brunick were into the next set of gullies, both of them landing hard.

  ‘Come on Cid! I can’t carry you all of the time!’ bellowed Brunick.

  Cid found his own feet. ‘It’s okay, I’m not wounded, just winded,’ he said, tearing himself out of his broken breastplate on the run and casting it aside to be forgotten. Left in his vest he ran much easier, but another arrow now was sure to kill him.

  They tried another route. The Valkyries had clearly blindsided them and were already all over the place, their invisible footfalls on the rock tops putting a scare into the men.

  ‘Can’t believe this, we’re like cattle in a gangway!’

  ‘Keep moving Brunick, Alex should be here any moment.’

  ‘He better be,’ said Brunick, ‘I don’t want to be buried looking like a porcupine!’

  Another arrow came hurtling down on them, striking rock instead. If they had been anywhere else Cid and Brunick would have already been dead. In terms of archery, few were as effective as the Valkyrie and any deficit Cid thought they might harbour was swept from his mind.

  Up ahead, a Valkyrie jumped nimbly into the gully, a spear in her hands and already charging at Brunick. The short spear was ideal for this narrow section of pathway.

  ‘Halt!’ shouted Cid at Brunick.

  Cid wrenched the helm from his head, slipped past Brunick, and caught the charging spear on the inside, driven back uncomfortably.

  These women were no ordinary girls. Cid kept firm though and Brunick lunged, grabbing the tamed spear right out of the Valkyrie’s hands and ramming his forearm straight onto her shoulder, knocking her from her feet. With a giant stomp Brunick stepped right onto her ankle, a cry of anguish tearing from her lips.