by J E Mueller
“Report,” Jameson ordered the second they were in sight.
Conner gave him full details about the half of the camp he had surveyed before turning it over to Clover who filled him in on her half and added the detail of where Zarek was. Together they described the way there and back. There were more guards in the forest than within the actual camp. They seemed certain that no one would get past them. We already had twice. There and back. I saw the edge and was glad I knew how to be silent in the woods.
Jameson started to give out orders and hear out any suggestions before turning to Lee and me, not wanting us to actually join. While I could respect him wanting to keep us safe, there was zero chance they could hold me back.
“We’ve been through this in a way before,” Lee explained as he paced our small makeshift camp. “There was a night in the woods we had to get back home undetected. With my sight, it's completely possible to sneak around.”
I noticed all the details he left out of that night but chose to keep my mouth shut.
Jameson nodded, taking the time to think it out while continuing to lay down the plans he felt were best for his troops before turning back to us.
“You’ve no training. I’ve no ideas what you can do to help,” He admitted, not upset at all. “What ideas do you have? If you’re going to join us, I’d rather it be with a plan.”
“We’ll be the escape plan.” Lee smiled wickedly, already having thought ahead. “Your plan is solid, and while the future can twist in many ways, yours has the highest chance of working. If your plan works, we’ll set the tents aflame, giving us an escape route in the chaos. If your plan doesn’t work, we’ll be the chaos they aren’t expecting while everyone does their damndest to make plan B work.”
Jameson nodded. “Good plan. Not going to lie, staying low will help the most.”
“Can you really light tents on fire?” Jason asked curiously, looking at me.
I shrugged and pointed to Lee. “He’s got some basic elemental gifts.”
“I haven’t been allowed to play with fire like this.” He smiled slyly once more. “It’ll be a fun way to get back at those who destroyed my village.”
“I can burn someone from the inside out if the time calls for it though,” I added. “They’ll show no mercy to us. I can’t afford to show it to them.”
Jameson looked thoughtfully at me. “When I’ve seen you practicing, you’ve used Lee as a balance to your own magic. If Lee were to use his cooling powers on Zarek, would you be able to destroy a group that was surrounding him? Assuming no one else on our side is present.”
I looked at Lee, trying to guess his thoughts on it and he nodded. “I don’t see why not,” he responded. “But, there’s zero way to safely test the theory. My magic might not respond well going through another person, or he may be one of those few who’s magic doesn’t affect and it’ll do no good. Cursed magic will always win out in those cases.” I didn’t like the sound of those scenarios, and I was feeling more than anxious enough.
“A few weeks ago, I had such a dream,” Jameson said slowly, eager ears all around. “I’d prefer not to test it, but if worse comes to worst, maybe my dream was right and that is the winning option.”
Lee nodded. “It must be an incredible gift to see so far ahead.”
Did that mean Jameson dreamt of Zarek being captured and me rescuing him with my fire? I didn’t want to unleash my magic again in such a way. There was no knowing if it would save him or kill. These options were terrible, but if push came to shove and that would save him…
It wouldn’t be right to hold back.
“Better yet that you can call yours at will while awake.” Jameson raised an invisible toast towards Lee.
“While I cannot deny my magic’s convenience in these moments, your words from that dream may be the key we need tonight,” came Lee’s honest reply. While he did like to pretend to show off, Lee was actually modest about his own gifts, and I sensed much the same in Jameson.
“We’ll find out soon enough.” Jameson watched the sky. “Count your blessings and pray for luck, troops. We’re about to stage a rescue.”
24
As dusk started to wrap around us we began our silent journey. Owls started to wake from their slumber, crickets happily chirped, and within moments I did not know where a soul aside from Lee was. They melted away into the night so quickly as we traveled. Their training with camouflage and silence I could only hope to learn. If, no not if, when we got Zarek back, I would have to ask him how they did this. It amazed me the life my brother now led. We’d be meeting together much sooner than originally planned, and it would be a good reunion.
As a team, Lee and I fell behind, but it mattered not. We were the backup plan, and after our last discussion, I felt we were more plan B than anything else. Falling behind to stay undetected was for the best. We couldn’t afford a stir by being found in any version of this plan.
Twice I almost tripped, and once Lee was almost found. Carefully, we succeeded in making our way to where Clover had said the tent with Zarek was. When we finally made it, I saw everyone easing into the loosely guarded camp. Their steps silent, but with the lack of tents, and the circle of fires, it would only be a moment and someone would be seen.
And so it was.
A shout rang out. They were seen, but our group already had the tent surrounded. Jameson and Jason went inside while Mara and Kaden blocked the entrance. The guards rushed to form a semicircle in front of them. The few within the camp tried to clash swords with the rest of our team and were quickly pushed back without fail or much effort.
Jameson emerged with Zarek over his back, his body hanging limply. I wondered if they were keeping him poisoned, it was the best guess I had. Jason was at his side, but the alarm was sounded and they needed an escape.
I nodded to Lee, and he set the farthest tents aflame, causing confusion, and overall mayhem for the kidnappers.
With the distraction started, our men were able to gain ground away from the tent, but more enemies were returning to defend their prize. I’m sure there was a reason they needed him, but there was zero chance we were giving up.
Pushing myself out from hiding, I decided on starting plan B. If Jameson saw something like this in a dream, and if Lee believed it’d work, there was nothing to lose. I didn’t want to waste time in second guessing everything.
Darting, zig-zagging, and full out running through the slowly spreading combat, I reached Jameson. “We need a path. I’ll protect my brother.” I hoped Lee was close behind me because I had no time to warn him about my intentions.
Without a word, Jameson set Zarek on the ground, safely away from the firey tents, and pulled out his sword. He took command of his men in an instant, leaving me to defend my brother.
From my position, I saw Lee jump out and surprise one of the returning attackers. He had him knocked out quickly and ducked back into the shadows. Our troops worked well together, but there were just so many enemies. They started falling back into a circle, the ground around them slowly becoming smaller and smaller. I cursed to myself. There had to be a way to make this work.
Inside me, I felt the magic burn. I felt it build strongly. There was no stopping it. There was no denying that it wanted to come crashing out and latch on to all it could reach.
But I could control it. I had to.
“Everyone get down!” I shouted and to my surprise, the entire team dropped to their stomachs. I stood in front of my brother and shot my magic in an arch over those in front of me. It couldn’t go for a long-distance, but it had strength. My fire landed several blows. Those it hit dropped to their knees and screamed, faces distorted in pain.
Wonder and awe struck me at how well it had worked. It was just a sudden idea I wasn’t expecting much from, but it had worked exactly as I had envisioned it. In my mind's eye, I had directed it as if it were an arrow at the enemy. Maybe Lee wasn’t far off on his fireball idea if I could do something like this with some precision.
>
Jameson saw that I was done and jumped back into command. The ground was gained back in our favor. Lee, no longer able to use his knockout and hide trick, found his way to my side.
“Our back isn’t guarded. They’re about to realize it,” Lee informed me, pointing out more figures emerging from the forest.
“Curses,” I muttered.
“Exactly,” Lee smirked. “We’ll hold this spot. We’ve got this.”
Jameson’s vision came to mind. “Oh,” I replied as understanding came, “Jameson, get back from me!” I hoped he heard my call.
His troops were gaining ground and pushing forward wasn’t a problem anymore. It was as if they already knew they were going to try to hit us from behind. Then again, this was their life. It was what they practiced and trained so hard for.
Lee kneeled next to Zarek, hands touching his face. His eyes closed as he concentrated, and I could see the slowly advancing attackers. We would be outnumbered again when they reached us, and even with our skill set, numbers could make a difference. We would lose if nothing changed in our favor.
Taking a deep breath I honed in on my magic. There was no telling what Jameson saw, if he saw me attempting this and winning, or just the attempt. There would be no other way for me to protect him without my magic, and without me trying we’d certainly lose. My curse was slowly turning into a much needed blessing. For once I was grateful for it.
With slow and deliberate breaths, I called up my magic. I let the flames build, felt them grow and snap within me until they reached a crescendo. When I heard the sounds of a surprise attack I let them flare up, out, and surround me. I closed my eyes and pictured my fire becoming solid, swirling around me like it had once before and pushed it out slowly, and then all at once toward the group attempting their sneak attack. The screams reached my ears but I didn’t open my eyes, instead concentrated on my magic. I let the fire I had sent outward return into my circular shield and kept the three of us carefully encased within the flames and held it there, steady as I could keep it.
It was only when I heard Jameson’s voice requesting everyone to put their shields down that I opened my eyes. Flames danced for a moment before my eyes before I let my magic go, returning it to my core. Exhausted, I dropped to the ground. My vision blurred and I felt someone try and help me up. Sounds were all around me, but none reached my ears. Hoping for victory, I let the void of sleep claim me.
25
When I awoke I found myself alone in a tent. The sun was shining brightly through the open flaps. My head ached but aside from that, I felt all right. Relief flooded through me for a moment and then I remembered what had happened. Zarek. Where was he? Did we get him out unharmed?
Pushing myself upright I felt a small twinge of pain and dizziness. Nothing bad enough to stop me. As I made my way out of the tent I saw Clover, Mara, and Lee around the remains of a campfire. They were chatting with one another fairly quietly but stopped as soon as they saw me approach.
“You’re finally awake!” Mara cheered.
“How long was I out?” I was surprised by her enthusiasm.
“Two days.” Lee held up the matching number of fingers for emphasis. “You exhausted your magic.”
“What’s been going on?” I asked, sitting down with the group. I was still dizzy.
Clover nodded towards the two remaining tents. “We had our victory and had to defend the camp here the next morning while you and Zarek were down. It wasn’t much of a fight since Lee knew where they were coming from.”
Lee shrugged it off. “I do what I can.”
“Where is everyone else?” I really wanted to know what had happened to my brother.
“Zarek was taken to Kinsfield once he was conscious. Jameson, Kilee, and Kaden are with him. Jason and Conner are checking snares right now,” Mara replied. “Lee tried to convince us to leave with them, but a smaller party can travel faster than a large one and we didn’t want anyone sneaking up on you guys.”
“They’re a very stubborn bunch.” Lee sighed. “Zarek didn’t even ask them. They split the teams without much discussion and no complaint.”
“Zarek’s all about playing up your strengths and working on your next strengths. He doesn’t call them weaknesses, just something that needs more time and honing,” Mara explained. “We rarely debate who is the best. If there’s a question about it, we test it or discuss it.” That sounds like a great team.
Clover laughed. “When Zarek took over they thought it was going to be terrible. All the changes he wanted… Some thought he’d be as bad as the Ramulus. Instead, he’s the opposite. No bloodlust, no land gain, just reasonable goals, and well worked out plans.”
“Not only that,” Jason added, coming into sight with Kaden. “But he actually promotes people based on skill and competence. No bribes. In fact, the last one trying to bribe him had thirty lashes and a week in the cells. Zarek warned everyone that would be the case and for those who tried bribery, and he kept his word.”
“A few hated it, but the overall response from the people was favorable,” Kaden dropped his game bag down as he joined us. “That’s why we actually have such a diverse army. Zarek opened it to everyone. His only rule for admission is that you must submit background history to him. It must include if you have magic ability, but the information is not released. It’s up to you what you want to tell everyone; he just wants to properly assess everyone and have no secrets through the ranks.”
Jason sat down beside me. “Actually, he said you were his inspiration. He tells every round of new recruits the same story. How growing up his family had toxic secrets. We all knew the stories of the mad king, but hearing of the secretive mother surprised us. None of us knew about how your youngest brother died or why the young princess's death was left without details. He filled us in, saying that the only way to succeed as a team was the same way to win as a family. Know each other, and don’t keep secrets.”
“Glad I turned out to be a positive inspiration.” It felt odd having so many know our history, but it had seemed to play out well.
“It’ll be interesting to see what he changes about the family torn away bit,” Mara mused. “No one thought you’d be back. Lucky for us you’re here.”
“It’s actually really nice to hear that I’ve been good luck for a change. Usually, it’s just screams and death.” I laughed weakly. It was a terrible joke.
“By the way, that was pretty badass.” Conner cheered, ignoring my lame attempt at a joke. “You took down at least twenty on your own. And that flame shield? Fantastic.”
“Wait, my shield was visible?” I said with surprise.
“Like I said.” Lee nodded at me. “You exhausted your magic. Not only did you get a shield up with magical energy, but you also managed to bring your fire out onto it. You’ll need to practice that once we figure out our next move.”
“Oh, we did sort of drop all our plans didn’t we?” I recalled.
“We will gladly escort you whichever direction you want to go,” Clover said. “But you won’t get out of being escorted.”
“What do you think?” I asked Lee. Being escorted sounded weird, but with all the recent activity I wouldn’t argue against receiving help.
He thought for a moment. “We’re half a day's ride from Faraden. I’d love to stop there and then head towards Kinsfield and your brother. That way we can get my mother back to town safely. I don’t want her traveling through all this madness on her own.”
“Agreed.” Zarek would be fine in the village without me, and it was only another half day.
“If we break camp now we can make it before nightfall,” Clover glanced at the sky. “If we leave at first light we shouldn’t have trouble making it to Kinsfield by evening.”
“Fair plan. Are you well enough to travel?” Jason asked me.
“I just have a headache. That won’t be a problem at all.” I hoped I was right.
I didn’t want to waste too much time resting. Quickly and quietly camp
was broken down and we were off.
Just as Clover predicted, we reached Faraden by nightfall. Celia was thrilled to see us alive and well, and quickly set about making a stew with the game that the guards had hunted earlier. Thanks to her visions she was ready for us, or this large of a surprise may have upset her.
I still felt awful for surprising her.
Lee apologized to his mother and explained everything in as great of detail as he could. While Juni was upset he had gone off to a battle he was not prepared for, she was proud he had done the right thing.
“I do beg your pardon,” Celia cleared her throat. “But we do not have enough beds for everyone.”
Jason shook off her concern. “First off, fantastic stew.” He finished another bite before continuing. “If you don’t mind us taking up your living room floor, we’ll be more than fine. A night away from the wind and bugs is all we could ask for.”
“Of course.” Celia agreed instantly. “It’s the least we can do for our kingdom's forces.”
The living room was snug and cozy. It was fun hanging around with everyone for the night, but as the time for everyone to sleep approached I felt a sense of unease.
“Take the sofa,” Mara told me. It sounded like a command.
“It wouldn’t be fair with how hard everyone’s been working if I took it,” There was no arguing that truth. I had already been out for two days.
Kaden shook his head. “Take it. We all know you’ve got your concerns with your magic, and rightfully so. You are learning. We don’t want you in a position you aren’t ready for. It wouldn’t be fair to you. While you’re not enlisted in the Castle’s Core, you’re still considered one of us for as long as you’re helping us.”
“And we always do what’s best for the team,” Mara finished.
I was more than glad they understood. “Thank you.”
It warmed my heart a bit that they considered me part of the team. It also amused me greatly.