Satan's Gambit (The Barrier War Book 3)
Page 20
Kala nodded. Garnet reached up one hand to his temple again as the throbbing in his head continued.
“Here,” Kala said, flowing to her feet. She moved behind Garnet and put her hands on either side of his head. Slowly but firmly, she massaged his scalp in a way that made his entire head tingle. He grew slightly lightheaded after only a few seconds of her ministrations, but the pain faded away entirely.
“Brican said you not only command, but you fight well,” Kala said hesitantly.
“I started as just another warrior,” Garnet replied. “Gerard taught me most of what I know about true sword mastery as well.”
“May I spar against you some time?” she asked. Before Garnet could reply, she rushed on. “I have barely lifted my blade since joining your expedition, and I … I need to test my skills against others.”
“I don’t have a problem with it,” Garnet said. The tingling in his head had spread down to his shoulders, and Garnet’s body felt very relaxed. “If I’m not available, I recommend you check with Danner or Michael.”
Her hands stopped.
“Perhaps I shall,” she said, then was silent a long moment. “How’s your headache?”
“Gone for now,” Garnet said gratefully. He twisted around so he could see her and suddenly found himself staring straight at her bosom. He turned a bright crimson color and stood up, looking down at her, but this brought him face-to-face and uncomfortably close to Kala. Still, he didn’t step back right away. He found himself looking at her pale eyes until she broke the look and turned away.
“Make sure you rest, or the headaches will come back,” Kala said over her shoulder as she walked quickly away.
Chapter 15
Truth is more than just reality.
- Paulus jo’Veredrin,
“Everything Worth Knowing” (769 AM)
- 1 -
The joint expedition wound slowly through the mountains, making progress despite the occasional symptoms of altitude sickness. Racial tensions were somewhat strained at one point when a human paladin made an ill-advised joke within earshot of an elf from Siran’s company. The two quarreled and even came to blows, but Flasch had denarae from Shadow Company on the scene within minutes and they broke up the fight before it became a full-fledged brawl. Several elves and humans gave the denarae dour looks, but by then Garet, Garnet, and Siran were all on the scene, and no one was willing to risk a confrontation with the three commanders looking on.
After that, the races were even more wrapped up in their isolation. Even the four elven paladins were greeted somewhat frostily when they were among their human companions. The six dwarven paladins in their group had little difficulty, but they were among the most vocal in their comments about their “pointy-eared” companions.
Kala talked with Michael and Danner, who both agreed to spar against her. Michael was the better swordsman of the two – and in unarmed combat, he was reported to be second to none, even Garnet – but Danner was unbelievably fast, and what he lacked in skill and style he more than made up with reflexes that bordered on inhuman. Given the rumors and hints she’d heard about his heritage, she wondered if he hadn’t actually crossed that boundary. Since the end of the war, the officers of Shadow Company had spent time almost every day improving their swordsmanship in addition to training and coordinating their individual platoons, so they’d each progressed notably since their days as trainees, or so Kala had gathered from conversations with Brican.
She had not, as yet, sparred against Garnet, and while she told herself many reasons why she hadn’t sought him out yet, there really didn’t seem to be anything keeping her from doing so.
By the end of the next Sabbatha, with enough practice and attention to style, Kala had managed to defeat Danner despite his speed, and she could now best Michael in the majority of their matches. Several of the denarae in the Yellow paladin’s platoon hooted and jeered good-naturedly the first time he’d been defeated, but Michael took it in stride and challenged any of them to do better. The comments ceased abruptly after Kala sent a dozen of them back to the sidelines nursing bleeding knuckles – they used only the wooden bowkurs used by both Shadow Company and the paladins during their training, so bruises and battered hands were the worst of their injuries.
Both men told her she would have a much harder time trying to defeat their commander, though, a boast Kala could hardly credit. Each was of master-caliber in their own right, and she had defeated them only after considerable hardship and study of their fighting techniques. How could any man be so much better than both of them?
Privately, Kala admitted to herself that she didn’t want them to be wrong. Garnet had somehow gained a place in her mind as a towering figure of respect, skill, and strength – and not just the physical sort – and she felt that if she did defeat him, he would somehow be lessened. It came as a great shock to her when she realized that she didn’t want him lessened at all; she wanted him to maintain the larger-than-life status that had somehow been imparted to her just by being around the men in his company.
On the following Duday, after Mikal announced they were within a day or two of the Binding, Kala decided she’d had enough of her own evasions. She went in search of Garnet.
As the expedition ground to a halt for its midday rest, the Shadow Company commander left with a group of denarae from Red and Yellow platoons. Kala saw Siran, Hoil, Birch, and even the angel Mikal break off to accompany the group, and she followed in their wake as well.
On her way out of the camp, she made sure Trames was in good company. Her charge was sitting with Flasch and a dejected-looking Danner, and apparently the old man was trying to cheer up the Blue paladin and having very little success. Even Flasch looked a little subdued, which Kala found interesting. The little man had such a vibrant personality, she wondered what could bring him so low.
Her curiosity was nothing compared to her determination, however, so she left the day-camp and set off in search Garnet and the others.
- 2 -
Danner sighed.
Flasch sighed.
Trames laughed.
“Isn’t this a lovely day?” he asked gaily.
“Trames,” Flasch said in a pained voice, “the sky is overcast gray, the air is getting downright chilly, and my nose is telling me in no uncertain terms that there’s some sort of pollen in the air that doesn’t agree with me.” Flasch sneezed. “How is this possibly a lovely day?”
Trames looked slightly downcast for a moment, then he smiled.
“The hidden sun creates a soft glow of light that’s quite pleasant, really,” he said, “the pollen means that the wildlife here is healthy and vibrant, and the chilly air reminds me of winter, one of my favorite seasons.”
Flasch grunted, but couldn’t help smiling.
“What are your other favorite seasons, out of curiosity?” he asked.
“Spring, summer, and autumn,” Trames answered.
Even Danner laughed slightly.
“I even found another waterfall to bathe in tonight,” Trames added happily.
“A waterfall?” The Blue paladin shuddered. “Trames, at this altitude, it’s got to feel like ice water. How do you stand that?”
“It’s only cold for the first few seconds,” he replied with a shrug. “After that, it’s quite invigorating.”
“Is there anything you don’t enjoy, Trames?” Danner asked, looking up at the grim sky.
“Ugly things,” the old man said with a shrug.
“Like spiders and things?” Flasch asked.
Trames shook his head. “Physical things are always beautiful, if you know how to look at them, but some ideas and feelings are just ugly, no way around it.”
Flasch sighed again.
“Always beautiful, eh?” he said. “So if everything’s beautiful, the physical beauty of one thing over another doesn’t really mean much to you, does it?”
Trames shook his head.
“So what am I missing?” the Violet paladin ask
ed of no one in particular. “What’s the point of physical beauty? Why dress yourself up and wear makeup and jewels? How is it someone so much more plain won’t leave my thoughts?”
Danner was fairly certain his friend wasn’t really aware of what he was saying. He was convinced he knew the source of Flasch’s dilemma, if not the actual struggle he was going through.
Trames studied Flasch with a cocked head, and he reminded Danner of a curious puppy he’d once seen hanging around the Prism’s chapterhouse in Nocka. The young canine tilted its head every time it saw someone new, as if considering the best way to approach them asking for food.
Finally, Trames straightened his head and broke into one of his little sing-song ditties for which he’d become quite famous around the company.
What once was pretty now is dull,
now that I’ve seen beauty full.
What once was nice now seems uncouth,
now that I have seen a truth.
“Thanks for that, Trames,” Flasch said with a touch of sarcasm. “I’m sure if I ever have a life crisis, you’ll have a song to help me out that makes absolutely no sense.”
“You know,” Trames replied without so much as a droop in his pleasant smile, “if you go through life assuming every cat you meet is actually a dog, sooner or later you won’t know when you’re right.”
With that, Trames stood and wandered off, leaving the two men staring after him with twin expressions of perplexity.
Before either of them could say anything however, Marc approached them and squatted down in the space Trames had so recently vacated.
“Flasch, can I talk to Danner alone for a minute,” he asked.
“Sure thing,” Flasch replied. He stood and brushed off his trousers, then walked off in the same direction Trames had gone. Deeta appeared at his side, and he absently acknowledged her presence as she linked her arm with his.
“What’s up, Marc?” Danner asked. He had a sinking feeling he already knew what his friend wanted to talk about, and he was certain Marc wouldn’t like the answer.
“We’ve been friends for what, better part of a year now?” Marc asked. “And you’ve been seeing my sister for most of that.”
Danner nodded.
“And now she’s… um… she’s pregnant,” Marc said in a rush, “and I don’t mean to put this indelicately, but she’s not married, and neither are you. I mean, I know I’m not exactly living in what some would call a pure situation myself, but… well, it’s different with Alicia. She’s my sister.”
Marc looked earnestly at Danner.
“Do you see where I’m going with this?” he asked.
“I think so,” Danner replied.
“So what’s the deal here?” Marc asked. “I hope to God the two of you have talked about this by now. I’ve held my peace since we all found out, waiting for the two of you to work it out and make some sort of announcement, but we’re getting close to the Binding now, and we’ll be leaving all the women and our support crew behind. I don’t mean to sound like an over-protective brother, but…”
“But you’re going to anyway,” Danner said with a smile.
“Damn it, I’m serious,” Marc said, scowling. “I think I know how you feel about her, and I honestly couldn’t ask for anyone better for my sister. But you wouldn’t be the first good man to back out of a situation like this and leave a woman with her honor smeared and a fatherless child on her hands. I have to know what your intentions are, Danner. It’s not that I doubt you, it’s just… well, she’s my sister,” he repeated.
Danner sighed and reached out a hand. Marc clasped it firmly, and the two men locked eyes.
“Marc, I love Alicia like I’ve never dreamed possible, and as soon as I heard about her condition, I rushed to her side and asked her to be my wife,” Danner said. “Not because I felt I had to because it was the right thing, but because I knew I wanted to, and this felt maybe like God’s way of telling me to get a move on.”
“And?” Marc said, his voice excited.
“She turned me down flat.”
“She what?!?” Marc shouted. Their hands separated as he shot to his feet. Marc flushed as they both felt dozens of eyes turn their way, and he sat back down sheepishly.
“She said no,” Danner said with a chuckle. “Believe me, my reaction was pretty much the same as yours.”
“But why?” Marc asked. “I know she feels the same way you do.”
“So do I, which was the only thing that got me through her initial refusal,” Danner said ruefully. “I think she’s been around Moreen too much.”
“What’s your uncle got to do with this?” Marc asked, immediately seeing to the heart of Danner’s statement.
“Moreen and Birch had been in love for years, well, decades, really, but they’ve never gotten married because of Birch’s conflicting loyalty and devotion to the Prism,” Danner explained. “He’s never been able to commit his entire heart to Moreen, and apparently he’s not willing to give her anything less. Moreen, in turn, has stood by and watched him wrestle with his love and faith, and Alicia said it has torn Moreen apart watching the man she loves go through that.”
“And she’s worried you’ll have the same conflict,” Marc said, frowning.
Danner nodded. “Honestly, I can’t tell her she’s wrong, either, at least not where this war is concerned. I personally don’t feel there’s any conflict at all, but then I’m not the one who turned down my proposal. She told me that when this war is over – assuming we win, of course – she’ll marry me the first day I come home, but not until the life and future of our child is secure.”
Marc stared at Danner.
“How does that make sense?” he asked.
“I guess it makes sense if you’re a woman,” Danner said with a shrug. “They use an entirely different method of logic than men do.”
“Logic is logic, Danner,” Marc disagreed.
“To you and me, yes,” Danner replied, smiling, “but we’re both men. Women think in terms far more complicated and involve emotions and intuition, whereas we simple, rock-hearted men rely on cold-hard facts and reasoning. I’m not entirely sure how, but they both seem to work just as well.”
“That’s heresy,” Marc said, and they both laughed heartily.
Their laughter fell silent and Danner stared seriously at his friend.
“Are we good?” he asked.
Marc nodded. “Yeah, we’re good.”
They clasped hands again and used their shared grip to help each other to their feet.
“Let’s go get drunk or something,” Marc said. “Do you realize I’m going to be an uncle?”
“No less scary than me being a father, or my dad being a grandpa,” Danner said with a laugh.
As they went in search of a drink, Marc looked over at Danner.
“Have you ever told a woman that theory of yours about their type of logic?”
“Are you insane?”
- 3 -
Birch watched with a critical eye as Garnet drilled his denarae through a complicated game of follow-the-leader. The Shadow Company commander led a line of a hundred or so denarae as he wound through trees, up and down rocky inclines, and occasionally across level ground. All the while, the denarae passed three heavy medicine balls to each other by tossing them over their heads to the man waiting behind them. When a ball reached the end of the line, the last man ran to the front and inserted himself behind Garnet, then started the ball-throwing process over again.
The Gray paladin recognized the exercise as one he and Gerard had undergone during their training days, which the Red paladin had apparently passed on to Garnet and his generation of paladins. The added complication of terrain imposed a new dynamic on the exercise, and Birch watched with interest as the denarae worked perfectly together as though a single mind guided their actions.
“They’re very well-coordinated,” Mikal commented. The Seraph was standing next to Birch with his arms crossed, staring intently at the denar
ae.
Birch nodded.
“Amazing to think that a simple experiment created long ago would one day lead to this,” Mikal said. “I have heard stories of their success, and from what I’ve observed first-hand, I believe they will play a critical role in the days to come. How ironic if a controversial and forbidden experiment ends up as a key player in our salvation.”
Birch remained silent. He was glad Hoil and Siran had already left, or else they might have asked uncomfortable questions.
Kaelus’s memories lent him knowledge of what Mikal was talking about, but he didn’t trust himself to speak. Birch felt there was such a thing as having too much knowledge, and that some things were better left unearthed, at least until the right time. He didn’t know if that brought him further away from the Orange Facet or closer to its heart. Birch had never been exactly sure how some of his beliefs measured up against the virtues of the Prism, he just knew that he had his beliefs, and that they felt right to him.
Mikal shifted to look behind them, and murmured, “Now what have we here?”
Birch followed his gaze and saw a very determined-looking Kala striding toward the clearing where the denarae had just stopped. Garnet was gesturing for them to break off in sparring groups, but he turned when Kala approached him. Without speaking, Birch and Mikal moved closer together so they could better hear the conversation.
“You once agreed to spar against me for training,” Kala was saying.
“I did,” Garnet said, nodding slowly. “You never asked again, but I understand you’ve proved rather formidable against Danner and Michael.”
“And now I wish to take you up on your offer.”
“Now?” Garnet asked, glancing around.
“Is there a problem?”
Birch frowned. Kala seemed almost too defiant, as though she was daring herself to pursue this task. He wondered for a moment until suddenly he remembered how he’d first learned to dance. A particularly lovely young woman named Moreen gave private lessons after-hours in the inn where she worked, and Birch had been rather asinine in his approach to asking her for lessons. Not because he was against the idea of dancing – which is what he told Moreen – but rather because he wanted more than anything to learn from her and didn’t want her to realize his reason.