“So how do we talk about it?” he asked, his voice low. “How do we get back to where we were?”
I turned away from him, looking back to where Kane, Hugh, and Roxy sat in the living room. They were talking again, smiling and laughing as they'd been before. As relieved as I was to hear that Darius wanted to get back to the friendship we had before, I knew he had other friends now, new ones forged from hardship and trust.
“I think,” I told him, “we just start.”
Chapter Nine
Dante
“Should this city fall, it will crumble under divinity. But I will do my best to hold it together until then."
— From a Recently Recovered Letter Signed By Eximius of House Avus
Apparently, two weeks of training and the magical ability to heal was all it took to qualify for a scouting mission.
Valindelivered the news to me as I sat across the breakfast table from Castor that morning. He informed me the powers that be in command had declared me eligible for service. As a result, I’d been placed inValinand Castor’s own Squadron, commanded by aGeistknown as Commander Orestes.Valinwas his Captain, the highest rank one could achieve in theGeist’snoble army without being aGeistthemselves. Castor was hisFirst Lieutenant and they were lacking a second. Each unit had five squads and each squad had a Captain, A First and Second Lieutenant, and thirty soldiers. But this was a scouting mission. We weren’t taking the whole squad.
“It’s just to get a lay of the land,” Castor told me as we walked toward the edge of the city whereValinand the others would be lining up at the wall. “We walk the borders from time to time just to make sure they’re still secure, that there aren’t any enemies laying in wait nearby. It’s easy enough and good experience for a rookie like you.”
I nodded, grateful for the explanation, as rushed as it was since we were approaching the remainder of the party now.Valin stood with two other soldiers nearby, inspecting their spears. Someone handed me one when I approached and two more stepped up to secure armor around my torso.
I examined the weapon in my hands as they strapped the leather and metal plates around me. I recognized this spear. Wrought entirely in gold with faint, glowing blue runes etched across the surface, it was a difficult weapon to forget. Especially when the last time I saw it, it had been used to save my life from theZverthat was attacking me.
“The men call them lightning rods,” Castor said with a wry grin, noticing my appreciation of the weapon. “Be careful with that thing. It won’t just stab your target. It’ll send white-hot bolts of magic lightning through it and fry the thing.”
I nodded, remembering.
“One strike won’t kill aZverbut it will incapacitate them long enough for you to get away if you’re quick,” he told me, but then his gaze flicked behind me and his smile fell. “What’s he doing here?”
I turned to see a man strolling up to the group, golden armor shining in the mid-morning sun. He held his chin high, proud, and seemed to glow faintly as he walked among us, seeking out the Captain.Valinfrowned but stepped forward to meet him and the two fell to quiet discussion.
“Is that the Commander?” I asked.
It was clear the man was aGeistfrom his stature, pale, smooth skin, flowing blonde hair, and that telltale glow.
“Him?” Castor snorted. “No. That’sAigeus. He’s trying to be a Commander. He’s been training for almost three hundred years. But there are only five spots and they haven’t been available for a long time. So he spends most of his time drinking and gambling and making fun of the soldiers who actually work hard in their training. That is when he isn’t at the palace kissing the council’s ass.”
I turned to Castor, raising a brow in surprise at the blasphemous way in which he seemed to be speaking of a god. But before I could question him further,Valinwhistled and we all fell in line.
“Listen up, men,” he called over the crowd. “This is just your standard scouting mission. We’ve been assigned to scout and report back regarding the ninth perimeter. Keep your spears ready and your senses open. We have no reason to expect trouble but that doesn’t mean it won’t find us anyway. I’ll be your officer today. You’ll be at my command. Six of you will be coming with me, you know who you are, andAigeuswill be joining. Load up and move out.”
With that, most of the men who’d joined the party to bring weapons and armor peeled off and headed back to the barracks while eight of us remained. I noticed Castor turning away as well and reached out to grab his arm before he could.
“You aren’t going with us?” I asked, brow wrinkled in confusion.
He grinned at me.
“Someone’s got to stay and run training,” he replied with a shrug. “You’ll be fine, Viper. Just keep your wits about you. And steer clear ofAigeus.”
“Why?” I asked, turning to face theGeistwho was polishing a gleaming golden dagger he’d pulled from his belt as he walked. “Is he dangerous?”
“No. He’s just annoying as all hell.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle as Castor turned and walked away, heading back to the training yard where the others were already beginning their morning regimen. Squaring my shoulders and hefting the spear over one, I followed afterValinand the others.Aigeusraised a hand as we approached the glowing wall of light and an opening appeared, seeming to split the light in two wide enough for us to pass.
I followed Castor’s advice and took up a spot in the line as far away fromAigeusas I could get. That put me next to a human boy namedErki. He was barely over eighteen and practically shaking in his newly issued boots. They were too big for him, I could tell from the gaping tongue and the clumsy pattern of the prints he left in the sand behind us. But he walked as straight as everyone else, focusing a bit harder on his steps than the others. At first, he didn’t say a word, preferring to keep his eyeson the endless barren wasteland before us. But eventually, he spoke.
“I knew the desert was large,” he told me, stumbling a little as he tried to keep up with my long strides. “But this is immense. I mean, I can’t see anything but dry sand and cracked earth for miles. What about you? Can you see anything different? I know you have…”
