Wordlessly, Tarana began sawing through her thick hair with the small knife. When she had finished, her hair hung scraggly and uneven above her shoulders. She dropped the pile of hair to the ground, where it lay looking like a slaughtered animal. Folding the knife back up, she slipped it into her pocket.
Her shoulders falling as she relaxed, Roxanne shook her head and turned toward the campfire, where everyone had gathered to eat. They ate a thick soup for dinner and it was the first real meal Tarana had had in months. She couldn’t help but burn her mouth as she hastily ate it. That night, she slept under a blanket with Roxanne and all the subsequent nights after that, as there were no extra blankets to go around.
As the days passed, she felt it increasingly easier to keep up with the rest of the group. Although she kept her distance from the rest of the soldiers, especially Prisca, she often noticed her walking nearby. However, the only person Tarana talked to was Roxanne and rarely at that. At night, when the other soldiers gathered around the campfire after dinner and talked late into the night, she went to bed and turned her back to them as she tried to sleep. There were no more training sessions, although Roxanne warned her occasionally that that would change as soon as they reached the stronghold.
On the sixth day of traveling, Tarana glanced up to see the foliage above was thinner than it had been in days. She saw the gray, overcast sky above, sporadically visible through the leaves as they blew in the wind. They climbed up a steep hill, holding onto the damp rocks and roots for support and found themselves out of the forest and under the dreary sky.
The clouds were smudged downward in the distance, where it appeared to be raining heavily. It was windier now that they were out of the forest and her hair whipped around as they paused to regain their sense of direction. Surrounded by grass and small, relentless hills, it took Roxanne a moment to pick a direction as she consulted her map. After that, they headed in one direction as it rained more often than not. Several weeks since she left the Citizens’ Army, Tarana reached the stronghold.
Chapter 8
The group cheered as they crested one of the hills and finally saw a sign of civilization. Below them was a shallow gray valley shaped like a bowl, devoid of grass or any other vegetation. In the center of the bowl, a squat town sprawled out around a huge stone building. As they walked through the mud and entered the town, Tarana saw that the houses were little more than tarps precariously propped up and sagging from the rainwater. “Welcome to Ralinos,” Roxanne said to Tarana, smirking.
None of the people they passed gave them a second glance. Most didn’t even give them a first. As the huge building in the center of the town loomed up higher in front of them, the condition of the town improved significantly. The mud turned to stone beneath them and the houses grew larger and sturdier around them.
“So what do you think?” Roxanne asked, leading the group up a slight incline to the tall wall surrounding the stone building.
Tarana shrugged.
“Come on, you’ve got to be thinking something,” Roxanne insisted.
“It’s a town,” she said shortly. “There’s not much to say.”
Looking slightly irritated, Roxanne walked ahead and through the open stone archway. Following, Tarana found herself in a large courtyard enclosed on all sides by the thick stone wall that housed the main building in the center. A large group of soldiers dressed in identical armor stood to the side, all yelling and slicing their swords through the air in unison. One man stood before them shouting orders. Another smaller group of soldiers were jogging along the edge of the wall. Turning her attention to the building, she saw that it stood even taller than the wall and was the same dull, stone gray. There were surprisingly few windows lining the face of the building and the high roof was steep and stood out darkly against the gray sky.
Her fellow soldiers chatting more than she had ever heard before, Tarana walked silently amongst them as they headed into the shadowed building. Before her eyes could adjust to the sudden lack of light inside, they were already heading up a wide staircase, the edges of the steps well-worn and smooth. With their steps and voices echoing off the slightly damp stone walls lit intermittently with small lamps, the soldiers stopped suddenly, halfway up the staircase. Peering between the people in front of her, Tarana saw a sturdy gray-haired man descending toward them. At the front of the group, Roxanne nodded toward him, respectfully.
As he drew closer and stepped into the pale, flickering light of one of the lamps, Tarana saw the man more clearly. His face was deeply lined. There were not many wrinkles, but the ones he did have were deep and even more emphasized in the dim light. His gray hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and his thick body was obvious, even under his spotless, highly decorated silver armor. The group went silent as he approached and shuffled to the side to allow him to pass, but he paused before them.
“Welcome!” his voice boomed around them. “I heard you were arriving today. Roxanne, yes?”
Roxanne nodded. “Yes, that’s me.”
“I heard quite a bit about your group,” he replied. “Tried to raise some griffins, did you?”
“Yes,” Roxanne said again, “I’m sorry it turned out to be a waste of time.”
The man clapped a thick hand down on Roxanne’s shoulder. “Not a waste of time, a learning experience. Showed initiative.” He turned to the rest of the group. “I came down to meet you. You’ll be staying here for the next few months, while we regroup and prepare for the big one.” He grinned for the first time in the conversation, just barely showing his teeth between his thin lips. “I want to see you all in training tomorrow morning. Today, relax. Settle in. Two to a room, except Officer Roxanne, of course. From now on, if you want to go into town, you must ask your commanding officer. There will be absolutely no fighting, weapons, or even arguments with anyone in town. Citizen or soldier. You are part of the Wizard’s Army and you will act as such.” Apparently done speaking, he clomped heavily down the stairs, but paused as he passed Prisca, just in front of Tarana. “Prisca, yes?”
Prisca nodded, wordlessly.
“You are probably aware that the annual Young Soldier’s Award Ceremony will be taking place soon. Your name has come up quite a few times in relation to it. Nice work.” He nodded and continued down the stairs as everyone watched.
“Who was that?” Tarana asked before he was quite out of sight. Several of her fellow soldiers turned toward her, looking horrified. Roxanne grabbed her wrist and pulled her along, up the stairs.
“That was the leader of our army, General Kendall” she said through gritted teeth. “Probably the most important, influential man you will ever meet.”
“Didn’t seem that great to me,” Tarana muttered as they continued up the stairs and into the upper landing. A single window hung high on the wall, lighting up the dust that drifted and swirled through the air. The group wound through the hallways and corridors until they reached a slightly wider hallway with open wood doors spaced evenly on either side.
“You heard the man,” Roxanne called out. “Two to a room, go for it.” The soldiers shuffled into the rooms, talking and shouting across the hall to each other. Looking to Roxanne, she saw that Roxanne was already looking back at her, eyes raised. “What are you waiting for?”
Tarana shrugged. “Can’t I share a room with you?”
“No way,” Roxanne laughed. “I get my own room. I’m not about to give that up. Why don’t you move in with Prisca?”
“Prisca?” Tarana glowered.
“Yeah?” Prisca asked from behind Tarana.
Roxanne nodded. “This is perfect. Prisca, Tarana, you two are sharing a room.”
“Alright.” Prisca shrugged and walked into one of the rooms, tossing her backpack on one of the beds. Continuing to glower at Roxanne for a moment longer, Tarana finally turned and trudged into the room, leaving Roxanne’s laughter behind her. The room was lit by a single paned window against the far wall. There was little furniture in the small room
. The two beds were neatly made, each against one of the side walls. A small set of drawers sat at the foot of each bed and a small end table was tucked next to the door. “So I’ve heard rumors that you’re Roxanne’s kid,” Prisca remarked as Tarana entered the room.
Lying down on the other bed and staring up at the dusty rafters, Tarana shook her head. “You heard wrong,” she said flatly. “I’m no one’s kid.”
Prisca snickered. “Do you think you sound mysterious or something?” she asked. “Because you don’t. You sound ridiculous and idiotic. If you’re not the captain’s kid, then what are you doing with the army? You don’t exactly look like the typical Wizard’s Soldier.”
“Oh, and you do?”
Groaning, Prisca began unpacking her bag, stuffing most of her things into her drawers. “Would you stop being so dramatic? Have you even ever killed a person before?”
Tarana glared over at her. “Yes, I have.”
“Really?” Prisca suddenly sounded much more interested, although she didn’t look over at Tarana. “Tell me about it.”
“No.”
Prisca slammed a drawer shut. “Why not? At least tell me how you did it.”
“I said no.”
“I don’t believe you,” Prisca snapped. “You heard what General Kendall said, right? The big battle is coming. The one that decides everything. There will probably be more killing in that battle than in anything this world has ever seen.” She grinned, looking excited. “And if you’re not ready for that, then you don’t deserve to be a part of this army.”
Tarana rolled her eyes. “You’re the dramatic one. What is this big battle about, anyway?”
Finally glaring over in Tarana’s direction, Prisca shook her head in disgust. “You really don't belong here. This battle is what we're all here for, why we joined. The entire forces of the Wizard's Army and the Citizens’ Army will meet on the battlefield and the wizard will be delivered to the victors.”
“Says who?”
“Everyone!” Prisca said with a groan. “Even General Kendall himself. Just wait and see. The wizard will show up.”
Shrugging, Tarana rolled off the bed, onto her feet. “Sounds great. I’m going to town.”
“Fine,” Prisca grumbled. “But you’d better get Roxanne’s permission first.”
Without answering, Tarana walked out of the room and glanced up and down the hallway. The dusky hall was much quieter and only a couple soldiers were standing against the wall farther down, talking to each other. Not seeing Roxanne in the immediate vicinity, she yawned and headed in the direction they had come from, meandering through the maze of hallways until she eventually found the stairs to the ground floor.
Walking out the main door, she walked through the much emptier courtyard and into town, squinting at the setting sun before her. Feeling restless, she followed the outer side of the great wall that encircled the stronghold. It took her longer than she expected and by the time she circled back to the entrance, it was dark out. She plodded back up the gravel path to the stronghold. Wandering back to her room, she was immediately met with a smirking Prisca.
“You are so screwed,” Prisca said, sounding amused. Their room was lit by a few flickering candles.
Standing in the doorway, Tarana glanced at Prisca, then looked across the hall at the empty room directly across from them. Grabbing a candle, she walked across the hall, into the empty room. Careful not to spill hot wax on herself, she set the wildly flickering candle down on the dresser and flopped down on one of the beds, kicking off her boots.
“What are you doing…?” Prisca asked, peering at her from the doorway of the room.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Tarana grumbled quietly to herself.
“You really are screwed,” Prisca said again. When Tarana didn’t answer, she continued, “Roxanne came by while you were gone and asked where you were. Of course I couldn’t lie to our commander.”
“Ah no, of course not.” Tarana rolled her eyes.
“What?” Prisca waited for a response, which she didn’t receive. “Anyway, she was really pissed when she found out you left without asking her for permission,” she explained, sounding pleased. “She’ll probably be back in a little bit and she’ll really throw a fit if she finds you moving in over there.” Tarana heard her duck back into her own room suddenly and heard someone else clear their throat. Raising her head, she saw it was Roxanne, the light from the candle glimmering off her armor in dozens of tiny pinpoints.
Roxanne stepped into the room and firmly closed the door behind her. “What are you doing?” she asked tiredly as Tarana slipped off the bed to face her. “No wait, don’t answer that. I can see what you’re doing. You’re trying to ruin me. It’s only the first day back at the stronghold and you’ve already disobeyed pretty much everything I’ve told you. Why?”
“Why?” Tarana cocked her head. “It didn’t seem important. What’s the point of spending all that time trying to find you, just to tell you I’m going out for a bit. It’s stupid. And why should I share a room with some idiot when there are plenty of other rooms open? If other people start arriving, I’ll move back in with her.”
Running a hand through her short auburn hair, Roxanne sighed loudly. “Because I am your superior and those are the rules,” she said, sounding exasperated. “Look, I’ve given you a lot of breaks that I wouldn’t have given anyone else, but if you keep this up, you’re going to get both of us in trouble. I’m supposed to be in charge of you here and every time you get out of line, it reflects badly on me. I’m not going to let that happen. Understand?”
“Yeah, whatever.” Tarana gestured at the room. “But I’m not moving out of here until there’s a reason to. Who’s going to care?”
Roxanne put her head in her hands and took a deep breath. “Fine,” she said, her voice slightly muffled. “I don’t care. But the moment more of the army starts arriving, you’re moving back in with Prisca.” She uncovered her face. “Oh, and you’re expected to be at breakfast downstairs by dawn tomorrow and training immediately after that. I’ll come wake you up for the next couple days until you adjust to the schedule, but you had better get to sleep soon.”
“Sure,” Tarana replied, turning back toward her dresser. “Close the door on the way out, will you?”
With another sigh, Roxanne left the room, closing the door firmly behind her. Blowing out the candle, Tarana shuffled across the floor until her shins bumped into her bed. Climbing back in, she pulled the thin sheets over her head and curled up to keep warm in the drafty room. She fell asleep listening to other people talking in the rooms next to hers.
In what seemed like only moments later, she woke up to a loud knock on her door. As she squinted out from underneath the blankets, she saw the room was lit in a dull gray glow, illuminating Roxanne’s body as she opened the bedroom door. Already dressed in armor and looking wide awake, Roxanne threw something heavy and cold onto Tarana’s bed which clunked against her legs.
“Your armor,” Roxanne said simply, “and sword. Get dressed and get downstairs for breakfast. Hurry up or you won’t get anything to eat.”
Irritated, Tarana threw off the sheets, shivering violently as she fastened on the armor. It was heavier than she expected and the metal felt icy through her clothes. Running a hand several times through her hair, she stormed out of the room, clenching her teeth to stop them from chattering. There were several other people in the hallway all heading in the same direction, several looking as if they had just stumbled out of bed.
Following the others, Tarana trudged through the dark hallways, down the stairs, and into one of the side doors at the foot of the stairs. She found herself in a large dining hall, lined with tables and chairs. The smells of dozens of meals lingered in the air, mixing into something both grotesque and appetizing.
Tarana fell into line behind several others and slowly shuffled forward with them until she found herself standing in front of a pot almost as large as the man standing behind
it. Noticing the empty bowls piled up beside her, she grabbed one and held it out to the man, whose face was twisted into a scowl. He dug a spoon into the pot and scooped out a pile of something gray and mushy. Holding it over Tarana’s bowl, the food clung for a moment to the spoon before it finally fell into the bowl with a wet plop. Looking at it suspiciously, she sighed and picked up a nearby spoon and turned toward the tables.
She noticed all the tables seemed to center around one especially large table in the center of the room with a gracious amount of space around it on all sides. Seeing that both Roxanne and the general sat at the table, she headed toward it and sat down next to Roxanne and across from Kendall. With a smile toward Kendall, Tarana saw several people around the room eyeing her curiously. Taking a bite of the lumpy meal, she saw Roxanne’s eyes open wide as she noticed Tarana. “Hey, Roxi,” she said brightly.
“Tarana, this table is for officers only,” Roxanne hissed, the expression on her face a strange mix of anger and apprehension.
“Who’s this?” Kendall asked curiously.
Roxanne stood, dragging Tarana up with a hand on the back of her neck. “I’m so sorry, general,” she apologized.
“No, no,” Kendall waved them back down. “Let her sit here. Maybe she can actually carry along a decent conversation,” he said, raising a bushy eyebrow at the rest of the group at the table.
Squirming out of Roxanne’s grasp, Tarana sat back down and smiled again. “My name’s Tarana,” she said to Kendall. “Roxanne and I have known each other for a long time, but I just recently joined the Wizard’s Army.”
Kendall nodded approvingly. “Roxanne is your commander, then?” He turned to Roxanne, who had sat down reluctantly, face red.
She looked down at her bowl. “General, I-“
“Another promising recruit,” he cut her off. “Most would turn away someone so young,” he glanced around, “but this girl has promise. Have you been in battle yet?”
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