14
Endric met Listain near the stables, as the Raen had requested. It had been two days since his father decided that he and Listain would search for answers in the south, and in those two days, he had found no further sign of Senda. If she had been in the city, she no longer was. And now it was time for him to depart, leaving her behind while he left the city for the south, without any way of getting word to her.
He had to trust that she was well, despite the note he’d discovered that seemed to claim otherwise.
Listain glanced at Endric, the irritated sneer on his face that he so often wore once more present. His gaze flicked past Endric and settled on Pendin. He had only slightly more warmth for Pendin than he did for Dendril’s son. Endric thought it interesting that Listain showed so much disdain for Endric and his friends, and yet he clearly respected working with Senda. How could he have such a relationship with her?
“It seems that we are ready to depart,” Listain said.
“We are ready,” Endric answered. “How many have you requested accompany us?”
Listain glanced past Endric and toward the back of the stables. “Seeing as how your father intends to remove both of us from Vasha, I thought it prudent to bring a whole regiment with us.”
The comment made it seem as if Listain was actually irritated with Endric's father. Then again, Listain had suffered nearly as much as Endric, but for different reasons. Endric’s suffering came from the fact that he lost his brother, while Listain had been tormented. Endric still didn't know the extent of his torture, nor did he know the effects—whatever they were—of sitting on the teralin throne for as long as he had. There must've been some consequences to that torture.
Yet Endric hadn't expected him to request an entire regiment come with them. That was nearly fifty men, and he thought it interesting they were bringing the same number of men south as Andril had. Wouldn't it benefit them to bring more, especially considering how many were slaughtered by the Deshmahne before?
Listain watched Endric as if expecting him to say something, practically daring him to speak up with a challenge. Endric was tempted—he couldn't deny that he was—but Listain did outrank him. He wasn't about to cause problems from the very beginning. No, he would make this work.
“Strangely silent,” Listain said. “Perhaps you have changed more than I acknowledged.”
Endric only shook his head. “If it were up to me, I would remain in Vasha.”
That wasn't entirely true. If it were up to him, he would have gone to Thealon, force his way into the temple there, and force the priests to reveal what they knew about Urik. No, if it were up to him, he would do things much differently than Listain.
“I think your father recognizes that the two of us with knowledge of Urik’s location poses difficulty to him. He doubts your ability to remain patient”—Endric noted how Listain chose the same term as his father, and wondered briefly how much of the education his father had been providing to him that Dendril shared with Listain—”but I would think that after our years working together, he would have understood and recognized how I can be impartial.”
“You don't think he simply wants you to gain greater assets in the south?”
“Your father makes a compelling argument. It makes it difficult to challenge him on this. We do lack for resources in the south. Those assets I once possessed have changed, and have weakened over time. I think your father recognizes that I need to be more proactive about increasing my network. But there is another reason I have reluctance.”
“The raider attacks?” His father seemed dismissive of them. What did his father know of those attacks that Endric didn’t? What did Dendril know that Listain didn’t?
“You’ve been listening. That’s good.” It was rare praise. “They call themselves Ravers. And that is what concerns me.”
“They have no organization.”
“Not yet, but that doesn’t mean they will not.”
“The patrols can manage raiders—Ravers,” Endric quickly corrected. When Listain didn’t answer, Endric frowned. “What is it?”
“There is an unusual amount of silence about the Ravers. This… troubles me.”
This was the most that Listain had ever shared with Endric. Was this a sign of things to come, a change in how Listain viewed him and would be more open to working with him? Or did this represent his frustration at the need for taking this journey?
“Come on. It’s time for us to depart. I have an asset that I intend to meet once we reach the base of the mountain.”
Endric nodded. Even though he was a ranking officer, he still wasn't allowed to his own command. The times he’d tried had not gone well. The most he could claim was the direction he'd offered to Pendin, and that was more based on their friendship than any real ranking.
They saddled the horses quickly. Endric did so with practiced hands, with Pendin joining him. They led the horses out of the stables and gathered with the line of Denraen. Of the fifty men, Endric knew most of their names. Many were men who had shown him a certain disregard when he had been foolish and young—all of a year ago. Now, he held the rank and authority, but he wondered what it would take for them to follow him, what his father wanted him to learn about leadership. It was one thing to be given a title, and to be given authority, but it was another to command respect.
Endric wasn't certain that he deserved that respect, certainly not yet. The more he worked and served, the more he was determined to prove himself. He only hoped he didn't have to prove too much on this journey.
They led the horses down the ramp from the second terrace to the first, making their way into the main part of the city. As they did, men and women moved to the side to avoid them. Merchants with carts hurried out of their way. Listain kept them dismounted, not wanting them riding, though doing so was not forbidden in the city. It was simply that tradition held that Denraen would not ride through Vasha.
They reached the massive city wall. It towered overhead, nearly twenty feet high and surrounding the entirety of the first terrace, stretching from the base of the mountain out and around, closing it off with the massive gate made of teralin, no different than the gate at the university.
The men guarding the gates held them open for the Denraen, allowing them to make their way out of the city, where they marched down the sloping road. When they had disappeared around one of the switchbacks leading away from the city, Listain motioned for them to mount and began guiding them down from the city. As they went, Endric hazarded a glance back.
“What is it?” Pendin asked.
“Only that the last time I departed the city, I did so unconsciously. My return was through the mountain itself. It's been a while since I've seen the city from this angle.”
Pendin chuckled. “How do you think your father got you out of the city?”
Endric hadn't given it much thought. He'd been dumped on the plains far outside of the city, left injured, dying—or so he thought—with the dangerous laca prowling nearby. Had it not been for the Antrilii and their merahl, he would have been attacked.
Yet his father had known the Antrilii were coming. He had planned for Dentoun and for Endric's rescue. That meant that whoever had carried him from Vasha had been either Listain—with word of Dentoun—or it had been Dendril himself.
Endric hadn’t asked that question. Now that Pendin brought it up, he was curious.
Endric nudged his horse forward. “What do you know of the Antrilii?” he asked Listain.
The spymaster glanced back at him. “I think your father is better equipped to answer such questions, don't you?”
“I know what I've seen and what I've experienced. Did you know my father was Antrilii?”
Listain laughed, and it came out more like a grunt. “Only your father? I believe you share the same heritage?”
“He didn't tell me that we were Antrilii.”
“There are reasons for your delay in understanding,” Listain said.
Endric frow
ned. Did it have anything to do with what Tresten had shared with him, the reason the Antrilii were gifted in such a way that they could face the Deshmahne?
Listain turned his attention back in front of them, ignoring Endric. He had a unique ability to focus, yet Endric had little doubt that the spymaster knew everything that was taking place around them.
A different tact was needed. “Where were you chosen from?” He asked Listain.
He could practically feel Pendin riding nearby, could feel him attempting to ride closer, as if he wanted to hear the answer as well. After their time wandering through the university, discovering how Senda and other spies were brought to the Denraen, he wondered if Listain would share.
“Once a man is Denraen, it no longer matters where he was chosen,” Listain said.
Endric nodded. “That's true enough.”
Yet despite that, most men in the Denraen still had a certain soft spot for their homeland. He thought of Fennah and the fact that she served in the south, and thought that she would have enjoyed returning to the south. It was nothing like Endric, who felt more at home in Vasha itself. The idea that he would leave the city—the only one he really knew—for a patrol in the south of an unknown duration left him slightly unsettled, were he honest with himself.
Yet there really was no other choice. He was assigned by his general, and he couldn't deny the need. The task that Dendril had assigned them was important. It was exactly the thing that Endric had suggested they begin doing when he feared the city would be attacked the first time. Were it not for the fact that they had word about Urik, he might have gladly taken this assignment. Now… he was less certain of it.
“You have to have some homeland,” Endric said. “Some place where family still lives. Perhaps a place where you would one day choose to retire.” Listain had been stationed in the city Endric’s entire life. There had to be some other place he called home.
Listain looked over at him, an unreadable expression in his dark eyes. “There are many years remaining before I see need to retire, Endric. You would do well to remember that, just as you would do well recognizing my value to the Denraen.”
“I don't intend to devalue your role to the Denraen. I'm just trying to understand you better. Especially if we are to travel together to the southern lands.”
It would be a long journey. They would go all the way through Gom Aaldia and beyond, catching a merchant or trader ship across the sea. They would likely dock in Liispal, though there were other places where they could go into port as well. It was a long time for them to travel together, and it seemed prudent for him to know Listain better, but admittedly, there were other reasons he questioned the man.
“Focus on paying attention to your command. I will allow you to lead the men. You will organize the drills, and you will be responsible for our regiment,” Listain said. “Consider me an observer. If all goes well, we can return from our journey in a few months, and you can go on to tormenting your father.”
Endric could only nod. There was nothing more for him to say, nothing more that he really wanted to say. It would be an uncomfortable few months. Were it not for Pendin's presence, it would be a miserable few months.
Maybe that was another lesson his father wanted him to learn. With Dendril, he’d come to suspect that pretty much everything was a lesson to him. Not only did he want Endric to learn how to lead, and learn how to command his troops, but he expected him to know the what it truly was like to leave the city on patrols. It would be nothing like when he had been younger, when he had left the city as part of smaller patrols, where he was simply one of the men. Now he was their officer. The camaraderie would change. It already had, even with Pendin.
If nothing else, he would focus on using Listain for another reason. Elizabeth had suggested that he wouldn’t be equipped to face Urik until he could outthink him. He would need to learn to plan for different possibilities. He could use Listain for that. He would use what he knew and try to learn more about how Listain plotted and planned. Then he would be ready if given the opportunity to stop Urik.
15
They reached the base of the mountain late on the first day of travels. Endric hadn't spoken much more to Listain, leaving the spymaster to his thoughts. Pendin was generally quiet as well, though Endric wasn't certain how much of that came from their journey south versus how much that came from his concern for Endric’s need for some silence. Pendin had been increasingly somber in the days since they had gone through the tunnels within Vasha and met his mother. Eventually, Endric would need to discuss it with his friend, but for now, there didn't seem much to share.
They rode quickly south, and the regiment made good time. Listain had ceded command of the men, but Endric barely had to command them. He was thankful to Listain for allowing him the opportunity to lead, though he didn’t have to do much. It helped ease him into this new role. The spymaster was right in the fact that Endric did need the opportunity—and the experience—leading men other than his closest friends.
They camped off the road for the night. Endric made quick arrangements with the men for taking watch and then went about setting up tents, preparing the cook fire, and beginning requirements for a night camped.
“That's one advantage of this role,” he told Pendin.
“And that is?”
“Not taking watch. I'm not going to miss sitting up all night, staring out into the darkness.”
“Only because you were never very good at it.”
Endric smiled. “I seem to recall that you are the one who fell asleep on watch one evening.”
Pendin shook his head. “I think you remember wrong. I didn't fall asleep. I took your watch when you neglected it, running off with one of the waitresses we met.”
Endric smiled. “Where was that again?”
“Someplace to the south. Maybe Bardot.”
Endric snorted. That was a tiny village far to the east. “Maybe.”
They helped set the horse line and tied up their horses, pulling the saddles off and working together to brush them. Neither man spoke much during this process. Endric's mind went toward the things they would need to do during their march south. Likely, Listain had already prepared their transport across the sea, making arrangements for both soldier and steed to travel. From what he had gleaned from Listain, it seemed as if the plan was to take a ship from Gomald and come into port in Coamdon City. He wondered why Coamdon City instead of one of the closer ports, but Listain didn't share, and Endric didn't press.
“Well?” Pendin said.
Endric arched brow at him. “Well, what?”
“You’ve patrolled outside of the city before. You know the tradition.”
Endric had to search his mind for the tradition Pendin referred to. It took a moment, but then he remembered that the senior officer typically used the evening hours to work with those deployed with him. “I think Listain has the honor.”
“When have you known Listain to practice with others?”
Endric shrugged. He'd never seen Listain practicing, though to reach his position, he had to be more than his father’s spymaster. He also had to have significant skill with his weapon of choice. Listain carried a short sword with him, though Endric had never seen him use it. He’d worked with him on hand-to-hand combat, training his father had felt essential for him to learn, but never the sword.
“It might be interesting to see what Listain can do,” Endric said.
“Listain has no intention of showing you what he can do.”
Endric spun and saw Listain standing behind him. He had a sour expression on his bearded face, and his lips were pinched together in something of a frown. Endric hadn't even heard him approaching. The man moved stealthily, though that was unsurprising, given his role as spymaster.
“Someone should work with the men,” Endric said.
Listain tipped his head in a slight nod. “Be my guest.”
Listain left them, making his way to the small tent that he'd set up
for himself. He disappeared within it, and Endric glanced over at Pendin, frowning. “So much for getting to know him better on this journey.”
Pendin smirk. “You already tried.”
“And he was equally silent.”
“Did you really expect to get to know Listain any better? Part of his charm is the mystery surrounding him.”
Endric shrugged. “I’d like a little of that mystery for myself.”
“There’s nothing mysterious about you, and the men all know it.”
He grunted. “Fine. It seems I have the honor.”
“So it seems.”
“Care to challenge me?” he asked Pendin.
Pendin laughed. “I think I'll do more than challenge you.”
“Careful. If you beat me, they may make you serve as en’raen.”
“I doubt Listain would. That's a special sort of torment reserved for you.”
They made their way off to the side of the erected tents, carrying with them two slender practice staves. They were little more than well-balanced planks of wood that gave some of the feel and heft of a sword. It was similar, but not the same as holding a real sword. But it was less painful using a practice stave. The only man he'd known to use his blade when practicing had been his father.
Endric often wondered why that was. He never discovered why his father chose to risk himself like that. Unless he didn't feel it was a risk. The only person Endric had witnessed Dendril practicing with was himself. It was possible that Dendril didn't see Endric as enough of a challenge so didn't see him needing to use a practice stave for that reason.
They stepped into ready stances. As they did, Endric smiled. It had been quite a while since he had practiced with Pendin, a long time since he had faced off against his friend. There had been a time long ago when he and Pendin challenged each other daily. It had been the reason both of them had gained skill.
Pendin was muscular, and often his strength was enough to overwhelm most opponents; he could batter a man back. Endric had seen it time and again with others he faced.
Soldier Sword (The Teralin Sword Book 2) Page 13