Vincent looked between Sybil and Veximarl. He had left Baron Rockender’s estate and had made it back to the barracks by late morning. It was only a brief stop so that he could drop off Oyster, which he had brought back with him. Before he could continue north to Duke Sickleson’s estate to continue his mission, he had been ambushed by the members of Grimstone. They dragged him to the secret cave where they sometimes had their meetings and proceeded to tell Vincent everything.
The gods, the heart, and what had been happening with Sybil. They even filled him in on the information that Veximarl had gathered from the slavers. That the mind mage they captured was from a caravan they had ambushed last winter, the same one that had Felix in it. There was only enough blood iron to convert one of them into a slave, so they opted to take the mind mage and attempt to ransom Felix off.
Jane’s real name was Claire Lilium. She was a Grand Temple mage that had sided with the Clay Region during the war. When she realized that she was on the losing side, she opted to have a slave mark applied and blame her actions on that rather than face dishonor. Those who applied her mark chose to keep her rather than set her free and she had spent the past fifteen years working with them.
The leaders of the slave group had the misfortune of capturing Sybil last year. Both of them had met their demise and Claire chose to take command of the slaver group rather than run to freedom. She promised them all enough money for all of them to escape their lives as slavers. All they needed to do was one last mission where Sybil Twist was their sole target.
No one that Veximarl questioned knew who their benefactor was. Only Claire and the mind mage, Marcus, were the ones to have seen them. Both of them had disappeared into the wind. They didn’t know if there would be another attempt to capture Sybil or not.
Sybil grasped onto Vincent’s hand. “You've been with us since the beginning,” she explained. “Even if you and Zaniyah aren't together anymore, that doesn't change the fact that you’re still an honorary Grimstone member. You've always been our ally… Even if we’ve been terrible at being there for you during your hard times, I want you to know that it ends now. We’re going to support each other.”
“The times you have gone through have been much harsher than my own,” replied Vincent with a reassuring smile.
If anything, it bolstered his decision to step down from the position of commander. Not only was Alton informed of everything Grimstone had been going through, he had also managed to keep control of the other squads. No one had any complaints of his leadership.
And then there was Zaniyah and her position. Beat provided her with the opportunities that Vincent had always promised. The difference between them was that Beat was capable of accomplishing them. She had moved on and was better for it.
Yet he was stagnant. Vincent had lost his place at Braytons. He was a failure.
Veximarl quickly chimed in. “Regardless of everything that has happened, you have always been on point when it has come to your advice. All of us look forward to maintaining our friendship.” He then glanced over to Chickadee, who gave a very hesitant nod.
Chickadee didn’t care whether or not Vincent state. His opinion of him remained neutral.
Sybil felt that there was at least one other matter she needed to address. “Listen, Vincent. About Barcus… I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry that it happened.”
“In the end, he chose to be a murderer. Though I am pained by his fate, at least he was able to repent for his crime through your resurrection. I will forever hold the guilt of failing him as his Starsons captain, however, that is nothing compared to the pain you feel at having a hand in his death. Do not hold it against yourself.”
“... Thank you.” Sybil tilted her head forward and nervously fumbled her hands together.
Vincent folded his arms behind his back. “I regret to inform you all that there is little I can do to help you. If there is indeed a traitor among us, I do not wish to be the first to point a finger. Once I have gone north, I will keep my ears open. We will find the culprit soon.”
Sybil shook her head. “Everything is a mess. We don't expect you to do anything about it yourself. We only wanted you to know that you could be involved if you choose to be.” Sybil patted him on the shoulder.
Giving the group a nod, Vincent was internally beaming. “Of course, I would love the opportunity to discuss this when Toval and Zaniyah have returned. I will want to be open about my own plans as well. The time we have together is limited. I want to cherish the time we have left.”
“Bracer.” Chickadee pointed to Vincent’s arm. “Activate it.”
Vincent held at his hand and did what he was asked. Sybil had told him that the golem had changed in appearance, but Chickadee didn’t believe it. He had made modifications to the bracer during a time of emergency last winter, when Vincent and Zaniyah had been attacked by a tainted beast. Chickadee had not been given the opportunity to repair it afterward. It was a shock to see that it had held up.
The golem appeared to be a mix between the ones Vincent and Zaniyah could conjure, made of flowing blue and pink light. She was in militaristic full plate, with the family crest of Vincent’s grandfather across her back. Her shape was distinctly feminine, though her height was close to Vincent’s, which made her appear imposing. Rather than the tower shield the golem had before, she wielded a smaller one that had spikes along the edge.
“I asked Caitlyn to inspect it,” remarked Vincent. “She only needed to make some minor adjustments. It is safe for combat use.”
This confused Chickadee. “No wish for revert?”
“Forgive me but it calms me to have her be my partner in battle.” Vincent put away his golem with a wave of his fingers while Sybil and Veximarl tossed a look at each other.
“... Uh,” whispered Sybil.
“Yes, I understand that the statement has disturbing implications,” replied Vincent. “But this is what I have chosen. Once Zaniyah had returned from her mission, I will ask her for her permission to keep the adjustment.”
Sybil flashed a brief yet awkward smile. “That might be awhile… Alton is due to be back soon. You shouldn’t put off your trip for any longer, but he might want to talk to you. I know that it’s been a relief to be able to talk about all of this with you.”
Veximarl nodded. “If there is anything you need, you know that I will make the time to speak with you. Whether there is a worry upon your mind or you simply need a distraction.”
Chickadee looked between his two squadmates and quickly sought to come up with a kind offer of his own. “Will make armor adjustments once depression makes you fat.” He attempted a wide smile while Sybil buried her face in her hands.
“I’d appreciate that,” replied Vincent with a grin. “I have always been fond of egg tarts. Perhaps I will indulge in them more often.”
They made an agreement to talk again once the whole group was together and Vincent headed for the northern road. Veximarl sat down in the grass and put a set of fingers to his temple. His head was throbbing and he was low on the herbs he needed to fix it. The distraction of his mission with Sybil had helped, but now that he had returned, the pain was returning with a vengeance.
“You alright?” Sybil put her hand on his shoulder.
“I'll feel better when Tish is back,” he muttered as a reply.
“... Aww. That's sweet.” Sybil gave him a squeeze on the shoulder. “Three more weeks, right? They'll be fine. They’ll be safe as long as I don’t bother them… Maybe you can head that way on your own? I’m sure Lady Till won’t mind.”
“The first year classes will be starting before they return. I need to be here to teach my class,” muttered Veximarl. “Forgive me, I am suffering from both worry and dehydration.”
He could play it off as stress, but the reality of his situation was that he was having withdrawals from Tish’s magic. Veximarl could ask for Blu’s help, but he was worried about what she would do if she found out what Tish was doing. This wasn’t as serious of an issue as Blu would view it. Veximarl was the only one that Tish cast her spells on, and he needed them in order to maintain his calm. As long as he was the sole recipient of such magic, there was not a problem.
Chickadee offered him a drink from his waterskin. Veximarl took a long drink. Though herbs were the best treatment, a bit of cold water also helped.
Sybil was suddenly excited by an idea she had. She pointed at Chickadee. “Shaved ice with beet syrup?” Chickadee bobbled his head. He could certainly make that happen. “Awesome!” As long as she could have something cold to eat, the heat of summer won’t bother her.
Yet the summer heat dragged on. Day after day, it failed to improve. Each of them had to find their own ways to adjust. Chickadee was fine, but both Sybil and Veximarl spent more and more time indoors. There was little any of them could do about the weather.
The return trip to Braytons was taking Alton longer than expected. They had to take frequent breaks to give the horses drinks. Luckily for them, villages maintained rest points for caravans. It was a place to stop and relieve themselves and their animals. There was usually fresh food nearby as well.
Alton dismounted Bibi and lead her to the water trough. Taking care of the horses was their priority. Hayden and Millie were hanging out outside of the wagon. Gideon had remained inside of it. He had spent the majority of their trip in a slump.
Maybe he should’ve stayed behind in Carapace and gone to university, like Jory had. There was little motivation for him to stay at Braytons. Firstly, it made his mother sad, and he didn’t like disappointing her. Secondly, there was the looming threat of conscription, and he knew he wouldn’t survive against tainted beasts… Lastly, he had only gone to the exams to impress Millie, and she didn't even seem to remember that they had dated at all.
“There's not much choice but to take it slow today,” called out Alton to the group. “What do we have to eat? We can’t start a fire here, so it’ll have to be something we have stored.”
Hayden took out her notebook. She had kept a meticulous list of their supplies. “... Bread and jerky.”
They didn't have anything to go with the bread. Millie somehow broke their cold box on their second day out. The group was forced to guzzle and devour everything that was in it before it went bad. No cheese, no yogurt, no eggs. Alton wanted to save the jerky and use it for dinner. At least they had plenty of dried out vegetables and rice.
Alton pulled out his wallet and counted out some money. “Buy us lunch?” He held out the money for Hayden to take. “There is a grove of trees ahead. After the horses have drunk their fill, we’ll stay in the shade until the heat breaks. We’ll travel a few hours past nightfall before we make camp for dinner.”
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Hayden and Millie bought stuffed breads and the group headed into the woods. The two of them would take day watch while Alton and Gideon rested. They’d switch off and have their turn to sleep while Alton and Gideon managed their travels. Millie spent her time juggling her axes while Hayden sat at the base of a tree.
“This is the absolute worse.” Millie caught an axe on her chin and balanced it there as she stood on one foot. “All we did over summer was go and pick up our stuff from home. I wanted to go someplace fun, like how Walter fought off that fish that tried to gobble him up.”
Hayden was in the middle of polishing one of her dress shoes. “He wouldn't have been in danger if he hadn't gone into the water. None of us know how to swim.” She shuddered at the thought. Swimming was an impossibility for her legless self.
“We could have gone to the swamps and tried to fight the tainted beasts there,” argued Millie. “Or we could've hunted down and killed a necromancer! Just like the captain did!” Millie jolted her head back, tossing the axe from her chin to her nose. She then tilted her head forward, spun about, and caught it on the heel of her foot.
“I don't think we should use the captain an example for what we do. Seems like she lives a dangerous life.” Hayden began to aggressively rub at a stubborn spot on her shoe. “We’ll have to work hard to keep each other safe. I don’t believe it will be easy for us either.”
From inside the wagon, Alton was only half paying attention to what they were saying. He made a mental note to keep Millie away from Veximarl in the future. His eyes flitted to Gideon, who was laying out on a stack of boxes. He was staring up at the wagon's roof with a blank expression on his face.
Alton kicked the box Gideon was laying on. “Cheer up. It’s depressing enough without you to bring me down.”
“Easy for you to say... Look at everything you've done in the past year.” Gideon hung his head off to the side. “Second year commander and you got yourself a cute wife… You’re already set for life.”
“Yeah, Sybil is pretty cute.” Alton flashed a wide smile that quickly fell. “But I forced her into that situation. Also, I never wanted to be the commander. They randomly elected me into it. Don't look at me and think that's where you should be by next year. I'm only doing alright, and actually, I'm sort of a bad person. Think about it. I was given all sorts of responsibility, and I’ve been hanging out with you instead.”
“And now I feel all the worse because I'm keeping you away from your duties.”
Alton laughed. “I don’t plan on continuing to be a knight. As soon as I graduate, I’ll ask Jory to help me get a job.” His voice then lowered. “Hopefully, you won't have to go through the same ordeals as me. Some of it was dangerous. Beyond dangerous. I broke my head once while riding on a tainted beast. Part of my brain leaked out and I think I've lost all of my memories from when I was twelve... I can't remember so I can't be sure.”
“... That does sound bad,” muttered Gideon.
“Yes. Don't ever try to ride a tainted beast. Nothing good comes from it… Oh, and that was the good plan. We’ve had worse ones than that.”
Gideon turned his head off to the side as he leaned against the wagon canvas. “At least you've done things. You’re always doing things, Alton. Where am I going to be in a year? Where am I going to be in three years?” He ran his hands through his hair. “What am I even doing here?”
“You got in because you’re smart and you’re kind.” Alton put a hand to his chin as he thought about it. “Tell you what. Maybe I could go ahead and try to claim the title of Crimson Duke myself. No matter what happens, I’ll get you a nice job. We could have you... I don't know. Guarding a vase.”
“A vase...” Gideon stared at him judgmentally.
“It will be a very nice vase with only the prettiest of blossoms. A nice, safe job that I will pay you lots, and lots of money for.” He gave his brother a smile.
Gideon looked away in an aggravated manner. “I hate it when you look down on me. I already know you’re better at everything... Don't pity me by giving me stupid handouts like that.”
Alton laughed. “Are you crazy? I'm not going to be the duke. Do you know how many people are vying for that position right now? Plus, I'll have to deal with the future king, and I hate that fool... And this has never been a competition between us, Gideon. I'll always move if you tell me that I'm standing in your way.”
Gideon pouted. “I'd be happier if you'd help me train. Telling you to leave isn't something I want.”
Alton rose to a stand, doing a fanciful bow after he did so. “You will always be my friend, Sir Toval. We may have started out as enemies, but the bond we now share is unbreakable.”
Shifting forward so that he was leaning his arm on upon his knee, Gideon spoke in an equally dramatic tone. “Foul creature, it pleases me that you have chosen to use your powers for good. No longer shall my lands be plagued by,” he rolled his eyes and his tone flattened, “your vile good looks and shimmering, perfect hair.”
“Such tragic magic I wield, but the women of your province are safe from my lusts... For now.” Alton put his leg up on a box and posed in a heroic manner.
The sound of someone clearing their throat floated through the air, and both of them turned to see Hayden at the entrance of the wagon. “I just need to...” She awkwardly got in and shuffled past the two of them. “Sorry. Ran out of shoe polish.” Hayden squeezed between a set of boxes and opened one up. “... I packed some in here, so I'm... Yeah, sorry.”
Though Alton was unashamed by his own behavior, Gideon's face had gone red.
“Please forget anything you've seen or heard in the past few minutes,” he whispered.
“It's alright.” Hayden pulled up a jar and opened it. She realized it was the wrong jar and put it away. “Millie and I used to play knights and villains all the time. I'm used to it.”
A wash of relief swept over Gideon's features. “She does seem like the type to enjoy playing these sorts of games.”
“Well, yes, but also no,” replied Hayden. “We haven't ‘played’ since we were nine, but you know how it is. Sometimes you outgrow childish games and sometimes you don't. Nothing wrong with that.” Hayden found the jar she was looking for and stood up. “Don’t worry. We’ll be spending the next few years together. I'm not going to use the fact that you still play around like a child with your brother against you at all.” She stared blankly at Gideon.
“... You say that, but somehow I do not believe you,” worridly whispered Gideon.
“You'll do fine,” replied Hayden in a flat tone. “I'm not going to use anything I've learned today or what I've heard about you from Millie against you. I aim to be the captain of Bronzescale someday. It would be immoral for me to use anything I know about my 'friends' as blackmail.”
Gideon's mouth opened and closed a few times. “H-Hayden,” he pleaded out.
“Sometimes people don’t grow up. Sometimes people are born with embarrassing birthmarks. It's okay to have something that looks like a frowning old man on your inner thigh. It in no way looks like it's staring up judgmentally when you don't have pants on.” Hayden shrugged. “Things like that happen, and I, and anyone else who happens to find out about it, won’t think any less of you.”
Her words made the teen's face go completely pale.
Alton offered some assurance as Hayden squeezed between the two of them again. “It’s by your knee. I could see it anytime you’ve worn shorts... Anyone could point it out. It doesn’t imply anything.” He waited until Hayden had exited the wagon before speaking again. “You know,” he leaned in and lowered his voice, “when a girl talks to you like that, it means that they're interested.”
Hayden peeked her head back into the wagon. “Actually, I think I'm crushing on the handsome one in your squad,” she said. “Not sure yet. He seems... Off.”
“... But I am the handsome one in my squad,” replied Alton.
“You're the prissy one who puts too much effort into cleaning himself up. The handsome one looks good regardless of what he does.” Hayden held up her hand high above her head. “The tall one who looks like he knows how to devour a book.” She gave a brief purr.
Both of them stared at her.
“What? Heavy readers are sexy,” she said. They continued to stare. “I'm going to go,” Hayden pointed away, “finish shining my shoes now. Good luck getting some sleep, or something.” She shuffled off to the side and out of sight.
Alton frowned. “I worry that she might do well in Bronzescale.”
Gideon took a deep breath. “When they entered Starsons, Hayden managed to get a girl to drop out of the squire program after revealing some… Less than admirable facts about her. The girl was one of the lead students that wanted to have Dogfall students removed from the extracurricular courses. She often used Millie as an example on why they were unfit for Starson’s curriculum.”
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that core kids don’t like it when their friends are threatened.” Alton laid back down. “... Get some sleep. We need to up by dinner and leave right afterwards. I want to make a good distance before we set up camp again.”
They awoke to Haley stirring a pot of stew. It had been made with jerky, lentils, barley, and onions, then thickened with grated potatoes and breadcrumbs. She sniffed at a tin of spices and started to toss heavy pinches of it into the pot. When she noticed that they had gotten up, she served them all bowls and ate while Alton went over their travel plans for the next day.
Gideon took control of steering the wagon while Hayden and Millie tried to get some sleep. Alton rode next to the wagon on Bibi. Aside from wolves howling in the distance, there weren’t any complications. Nothing that a pacifying singing spell couldn’t handle.
It was past noon the next day by the time they arrived at the barracks. Alton let out a yawn as he dismounted Bibi. “I need to brush the dirt off of Bibi and then wash her coat so she can cool off,” he explained. “You guys good?”
“You’re not going to help us unpack?” Millie scrunched up her nose.
“Nope!” Alton gave a wave. “I wouldn’t be a good influence if I didn’t let you take on some hard work once in awhile!” He grinned at them childishly before leading Bibi off to the stables.
Hayden waved off Gideon as he went to grab a box. “You should put your work order in before you do anything else.”
Gideon looked over to where Millie was fuming about Alton’s betrayal. “Is that wise?”
“Eh.” Hayden gave half a shrug. “We can handle it. They’ve probably got a stack of orders already and not a lot of time to finish it before classes start. See if you can get a timeline for when it’ll be done before you help us unpack.”
With a nod, Gideon made his way to the back of the wagon. He lifted up a box with Talwyn Cully’s worker mark on it, then stumbled backward. Hayden braced him from behind to prevent him from falling over. “... Thank you.”
“Good luck,” she said with a frown. It didn’t appear as though she had much confidence in him.
Gideon didn’t have confidence in himself either. He walked over to the forge and set the box down on a nearby table. Chickadee was asleep in his chair. Next to him was an anvil covered in arrowheads. The anvil was glowing, slowly cooling down the metal so that they tempered correctly. Not wanting to be a pest, Gideon turned around.
“Wait,” whispered Chickadee. Giden froze in place as Chickadee let out a long yawn and stretched out his arms. “Box?”
“I used my allowance to purchase some materials from your family’s shop,” explained Gideon. “I was hoping you’d make a sword for me, like how you made one for my brother.”
Chickadee scratched the inside of his ear. “Tainted beast?” Gideon gave a nod. “Alright.” He stood up and cracked his neck. “Will need arm measurements. Blood iron available?”
“I had some withdrawn. Enough to have the sword come to me when I call for it.” Gideon watched as Chickadee went searching for his measuring tape. “Just a regular sword is fine. It doesn’t need to do anything special.”
“Foolish. Have no magic. Smart brain, but no fighting talent.” Chickadee gestured for Gideon to hold still, then measured how high his wrist was from the ground. “Will see what mother sent and create something suitable.”
Studying him for a moment, Gideon gave a nod. “... Can I help?” Chickadee looked up and blinked at him. “... Lady Marjoram said I could study whatever I wished as long as I asked her first. Helping out will give me something to do until classes start. Plus, I want this sword to feel like something I’ve earned”
Chickadee grasped onto both of Gideon’s hands. His eyes light up with excitement. “Of course! Will teach you! Will be fun! Long process, many hours, but thrilling work! Much to teach!”
The mage then skipped over to box and pried it open to see what was inside. There were some metal ores, bones, and chunks of shell from the giant snail that Zaniyah always gloats about killing. His eyes began to dance about as he thought about what he could do.
He could cut up the bone and shell-like puzzle pieces and fuse them together with metal. Sort of like a stained glass window of death. Though he would have some trouble with how the sword’s edge would retain an even sharpness... That would be something he could figure out. The challenge was enough to pique his interest, and having a pupil enticed him all the more.
“Elemental testing.” He turned and gave a bright smile to Gideon. “Let’s go.”
“... Uhm.”
Chickadee’s brow furrowed. This was a problem. Shuddering at the thought, he realized he would have to talk like a “normal” person. His face became strained as he tried to figure out how to phrase it.
“Sword will be able to discharge elemental bursts… Like Zani’s wind blades. We should see what elements you pair with easily so I know which blood iron to use.” He awkwardly smiled widely. “We will make something wonderful together.”
Gideon smiled nervously. “... Alright.” This sounded… Fun. It sounded fun? At least it would be different and different was something that Gideon needed.