The sway woke him up slowly. He felt the way his body was slightly swinging left and right, and his senses came back one after the others. He first tasted an unpleasant flavor on his dry tongue as he licked his teeth. Next came the soreness from his uncomfortable position, as he felt the roughness of the wood under his clothes. He breathed in, and for once, an agreeable fragrance welcomed him. It was the scent of flowers, wheat, and nature.
Where am I?
“Mahon? You’re finally awake?”
Mahon opened his eyes, thinking he’d see Zac in their First Green residence, but his mind cleared quickly enough as he saw Jorik’s face instead. He wasn’t even living in a First Green residence now.
“How are you?”
“Where am I?” He grumbled back while chasing the last remnants of slumber from his mind.
“We’re going to the frontline today, remember?” Jorik patiently explained. “You had a rough night, but I took care of things while you rested. I’ll explain on the way if you want.”
Mahon didn’t answer, his brain still cloudy from yesterday’s events. He could feel the headache coming as memories flashed. Zac died. He didn’t want to think about it and all its implications. For now. He pushed the thought aside and focused on the present.
Keep moving forward.
He sat and checked his surroundings. His moving surroundings. He was on a cart pulled by a donkey, along with multiple pieces of furniture. He could see tents, weapons, food, and water before he looked around him.
Far ahead, there was a column of students walking at a rapid pace. They were following a well-maintained route while discussing happily between each other. Mahon was at the rear of the convoy, with other carts. There were a dozen of them, but he was the only person sitting on a cart.
He turned around and saw nothing but the same flat road. Even Ratho couldn’t be seen behind him, a proof of how far they had moved already.
The landscape wasn’t unlike a giant meadow. There were beautiful, golden wheat fields as far as he could see, with the occasional small tree sprouting out of nowhere. The road meandering forward was the only sign of human activity. Wild flowers bordered its two sides, giving it a magical feeling.
Is this really the path to war?
He finally looked at his side, and Jorik was still here, observing him with attention. The First Black was walking beside the cart, his sword at his hip. The noble had a stern but concerned look. Mahon thought back to what he had said, realizing how sluggish his mind was.
“You wanted to explain… things?” He asked Jorik.
Jorik nodded. “Yes. I don’t know in what state you are right now, but there are things we need to discuss.” He paused and glanced at him.
Mahon then realized the noble expected some kind of answer. He took a bit of time to order his thoughts, as he forced himself to plunge back into his memories of the night before with a grimace.
There were indeed plenty of things to discuss.
He had killed the backer and his bodyguard, and they had escaped from the counselor’s clutch. But she knew him, and she knew Jorik. How were they still free to go today? Did she get arrested?
The school must also have heard about them, and Rym had explicitly forbid them to do anything against the backer. He had used the Flow in a way nobody probably was even aware of. He had teleported. In front of many people. They would question this. And Zac…
“I’m a mess.” He finally answered. “Physically, I will need more rest. I’m feeling… drained.”
“And mentally?”
“Zac died, Jorik.” He said more calmly than he really felt. “How am I supposed to feel?”
“I’m sorry.” The noble said. Mahon was surprised to see in the noble’s eyes that he was speaking sincerely. “We… hmm… We could talk about it more if you like, and…”
“Not now.” Mahon interrupted. “Not with you.”
The noble didn’t seem to mind too much, and he simply nodded.
“I’m here anyway… And about the less… the more… practical questions…” He started before looking straight ahead. “The Blue counselor wasn’t responsible for the Fada cult. At least, no evidence was found. She said we saved her from the last of them, and that we did good by killing them. Probably saved her ass and destroyed any evidence remaining, but I can’t do anything about it.”
Mahon nodded absentmindedly. As always, people with power would find a way to conceal the truth.
“I was forced to tell the school about everything since Zac… Anyway, I’ve informed them of what happened, and given the counselor’s speech, there is nothing we’ve to fear from Ratho. As far as everyone is concerned, we did the city a favor. Rym, however, will probably punish us once we’re back from the trip. And probably during the trip with chores and stuff.”
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Jorik sighed and continued.
“I’ve not said a thing about the… ability you displayed last night. Strangely, the counselor or her guards didn’t say anything either. Now is not the time, but I admit I’m quite curious about it myself. Your secret hasn’t spilled, though.”
Mahon acquiesced as he assimilated the news. It was strange that the counselor had ordered her men not to say anything about his thirteenth Step. Was she protecting him or playing yet another scheme? He did not have the strength to think about it. Nor the will. Not today.
Jorik had hid his ability too, and Mahon didn’t know what to think of it. The noble had been too nice since he woke up. Mahon wasn’t feeling at ease with this new behavior. He chased his thoughts away and focused back on the present. There were still things to discuss.
“What about… Zac?” He said, and his voice almost broke down.
“There is no official statement yet.” Jorik answered. “The school seized the case since it was related to the Fada cultist, but nobody knows for now. They’ll probably announce it today or tomorrow to the family.”
“Today? Tomorrow?” Mahon repeated while looking behind him. “Why am I even here, then? I should be with them.”
“I’m sorry.” Jorik said. “You’re still a student right now. Although you were in no condition to move for almost a day now, Rym ordered you to be put in the cart. We’re almost at the front line now.”
“I just…” His voice died down on his own. He was too weak to think straight, and sorrow tightened his chest with inhuman strength.
“Rest while you’re in the cart. There are a lot of people who want to talk to you, and you’ll not have an easy week. We still have a day before we arrive at our destination. Take it easy, rest, and sort your thoughts. You’ll need it.”
Mahon didn’t need to be told twice, and his eyes were already closing themselves. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this exhausted. A single tear rolled on his cheek as fatigue brought him down again.
----------------------------------------
The journey wasn’t really relaxing for Mahon, and he woke up multiple times during the day. They stopped to camp once at night, but he stayed in the cart and didn’t even eat. He never really woke up for almost two days, oscillating at the limit between consciousness and slumber.
Sometimes, he managed to fall fully asleep, but he never woke up back in Nightmare. Instead, his mind was stuck in a dark place where his thoughts twirled until he was too exhausted to even sleep.
All in all, he still spent more time unconscious than not, and on the second day, he managed to reach back to Nightmare. When he arrived in the dreamy land, his mind strangely eased itself, and Mahon found the strength to walk to his usual spot and meditate.
When he woke up in Ratho after that, he was back to his former self. In control. The first thing he did was to leave the uncomfortable cart and assuage his physical needs behind a tree.
He realized the scenery had changed from a beautiful meadow to a welcoming forest while he had slept. He walked a bit after that, and it helped to get rid of the soreness left in his limbs.
Then Jorik brought him a meal, two simple sandwiches and a bit of water, and Mahon devoured it all under a minute. When all that was done, he finally felt whole again. Almost whole. A part of his heart was still crying its loss, but at least Mahon was now able to think straight.
A clamor reached him before he even tried to decipher what he would do in the near future. A student pointed forward, and they could see their destination emerge behind the trees. A gigantic structure flattened the horizon, flags of colors flying in the gentle wind at its top.
They were hundreds of meters away, and yet they could already see the impressive doors cutting the wall in two. The two immense panels were open, inciting the students to come forward. On each side of the door, a huge 12 had been engraved in the stone.
Each minute was noisier than the previous one as they approached the fortifications and discovered new details, each one starting another wave of gossip and awe within the group of students.
The size was what stood out the most, as the wall was twenty meters high and at least six meters deep. The door was an unbelievable mix of wood and steel, towering fifteen meters high and that seemed so sturdy and heavy, Mahon wondered how it was even possible to open it.
A few warriors were patrolling the wall and waved at the students once they were close enough. The students waved back happily while gaping at the structure. They instinctively slowed down as they moved through the door and raised their head to look at the defensive mechanism.
Two harrows were tucked inside the roof, ready to fall in an instant to block the way. Opening at the sides showed machicolation mechanisms to release boiling water or oil at anyone stupid enough to try to force his passage.
The students weren’t at the end of their surprise, however. As soon as they passed the twelfth wall, another wall blocked their sight, the eleventh one given the carved number. Through its open door, they could see a part of the tenth wall far ahead. The immensity of the fortifications finally hit them.
There was seemingly no end to the walls, but given the high mountains standing out on the horizon on both sides, everyone could guess the walls continued up to it. Hundreds of meters separated the twelfth and eleventh wall, and dozens of trench had been dug in between to slow down any assailants.
The students walked on wooden drawbridges to pass them while they moved toward the eleventh wall. It was very similar to the previous one, but the students couldn’t stop themselves from staring at the fortifications again.
They continued to move forward, and with the tenth wall onward, the disposition changed. The distance between the walls increased from hundreds of meters to almost a thousand. The walls showed signs of use, whereas the last three walls hadn’t seemed to have ever been used.
It wasn’t much, as the walls were in perfect condition, but here and there, they could see the marks of swords or claws on the walls. There were small indents breaking the otherwise perfect structure.
On the eighth wall, the marks could be seen on the two sides of the wall, and more and more soldiers patrolled the area. It had already started between the eighth and ninth wall, but it became even more obvious in the next section. The field between the walls was full of tents and installations.
Thousands of soldiers swarmed around in armor. Some trained, some ate, some slept and others patrolled or played games. The camp was full of activity, and people stopped to look at the students with a smile.
The convoy turned to the right, and the students followed eagerly as they navigated through the camp. Soldiers flashed them happy smiles or waved at them as they passed. They finally arrived at a zone cleared of any tents or people.
The students grouped themselves as everyone arrived at the emplacement, and Rym climbed on a cart to address the whole group.
“Welcome to the Walls!”