The far side of the eastern ridge was only slightly less damaged and battle-scarred than Verdan remembered. Most of the work that had been done so far had been to establish a new fortified position rather than repairing what had been done.
It was the right priority, but Verdan shivered as he saw how badly damaged the raised area was where he’d been fighting from. Far more attacks had got through their defences than he’d realised at the time.
Turning away, Verdan focused on the new construction around the crest of the ridge. From what Morag had said of her message to Dresk, this was going to be an outpost for the Eternal Wardens.
A threat from the east hadn’t been considered in the past, but measures were being taken to ensure that they were ready the next time. A commendable attitude in Verdan’s mind, though he wished they’d had this position to begin with.
Unlike the hasty construction they’d used for their own defences, the work here was being moved forward methodically and with care. The five Fwyn and both Brecan were here already, having come with the initial group.
The idea had been that they would either seal the ridge or begin construction, depending on what the situation was when they arrived.
Now, with a new cadre of Sorcerers to assist, the building would push forward at speed. Once the reinforcements from Dresk arrived, they would be moving on, so the more they could do before then, the better.
The last thing Verdan wanted was for them to move on to rendezvous with the other army, only for a splinter force of Cyth to breach the pass and raid the lands around Dresk.
Morag was hard at work ensuring that wouldn’t happen, however, so Verdan shaped a nearby section of rock into a passable bench and took a seat. “Give me a nudge if anything happens.”
“You got it, Boss,” Ruan said, sitting beside him but keeping his axe across his legs.
Satisfied, Verdan closed his eyes and shifted to a deeper meditation so he could work on building his spiral and gathering Aether.
-**-
Verdan and Ruan returned to the main camp some hours later, once it was clear that there would be no immediate response to the growing activity around the ridge. It was possible that an attack would still happen, but the exterior wall of the future outpost was complete enough that they had no need of Verdan if it did come.
Travelling back and forth, as well as the time waiting in between, meant that most of the day was used up by the time they got back. Deciding to take an early night and start working on his next job in the morning, Verdan started back toward his wagon.
A campfire had been set up nearby and Verdan saw Kai, Gwen and Vaijon sat around it. The Elder was explaining something to Kai, while Gwen was staring into the flames with a distant expression.
Verdan’s wagon was dark and empty, which meant Natalia was still working, so he changed direction to join them, taking a seat next to Gwen.
Gwen was a Storm Witch, a powerful one at that, with long dark hair and bright blue eyes. Normally, she would be quick to be involved in everything that was happening, but right now, she was still recovering from the severe burns she’d received.
Exactly how she’d got those burns was something that Verdan still didn’t quite understand, but Gwen didn’t remember, and everyone else there was dead.
“How are you feeling, Gwen? Anything I can do?” Verdan asked as he took his seat, eyeing the scarring that marred her face as she turned to face him. It had healed well, all things considered, but even their best efforts couldn’t remove all the burn scars.
“No. Thank you, though,” Gwen said, shaking her head slightly. “Natalia has given me a potion to dull the ache, and the rest will just be time. I’m more concerned with Kai at the moment.”
“Is it good news, then?” Verdan asked, turning to look at Kai and Vaijon, who were caught up in their conversation. After the Cyth Scerrd took control of Kai’s arm there was a battle for dominance over it between the two of them.
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Kai won the battle in the end, but the act of wresting control of his arm from the Cyth seemed to have been enough for him to sense his soul. Exactly what that meant, Verdan didn’t know, but Vaijon had promised to see if it was enough to try to help him.
“I hope so,” Gwen said softly, wincing as she absently ran a hand through her hair and touched a burn. “Vaijon is teaching him a simple exercise. If Kai can do that, then he should be able to heal his arm.”
“Now that’s definitely good news,” Verdan said, reaching out with his Aether senses to study the two Sorcerers.
Kai had been one of Verdan’s very first allies, and had quickly become Verdan’s friend and most dependable companion. He was of average build, with short brown hair and dark eyes, but his most notable feature were the countless scars that he’d picked up.
Kai had been a monster hunter for a long time, and while he was successful, he’d put himself in enough bad situations to earn those scars.
Vaijon, by comparison, was a thin, bald man with a few old burns from some previous battle and piercing grey eyes. He was also the Elder of the Disciples of Adamar, a Sect of Sorcerers who could wield their soul.
In Verdan’s terms, that meant they could also use Parada as well as Essence. Perhaps a limited form of Parada, but far more than he could do. Or that he could understand, for that matter.
Verdan shifted his focus back to Kai as his friend frowned in concentration and waved a hand, causing a gust of wind to sweep past them all. Whatever he’d been trying to do didn’t seem to have worked, however, as he turned back to Vaijon with a frown.
Verdan had been watching carefully when Kai used his Essence, but he kept what he’d seen to himself. As far as he could tell, Kai hadn’t wielded any Parada at all.
Telling the Sorcerer that outright might well make things harder for him, though, so Verdan decided to simply watch and wait. No doubt it would take time for Kai to get to grips with what Vaijon wanted.
Of course, that was assuming that Kai truly had found a connection to his soul. Verdan hoped he had, and Vaijon was the closest thing they had to an expert, but he was still concerned.
Their army was battered, and they’d lost an Elder. It was a huge loss in both leadership and raw power for the army. If Vaijon could help Kai heal his arm, though, it would give them a good positive event to focus on.
Kai was right on the cusp of becoming an Elder if Verdan understood things correctly. He didn’t have a Sect though, so perhaps that would complicate matters.
Sorcerer politics and rankings weren’t exactly Verdan’s strong suit. He’d leave those worries to those better equipped to deal with them.
“I think I’m going to head off to get some sleep,” Gwen said, rising to her feet with a wince as she waved off their offers of help. “I’ll see you all in the morning.”
“I might go as well,” Verdan said, starting to get up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Actually, could you stay for a few minutes?” Natalia asked quietly, looking around them anxiously before giving Verdan a pleading look. “We need to talk about something.”
The vague tiredness Verdan had been fighting was washed away in an instant as he saw the worry in Natalia’s eyes and he quickly nodded. “Of course. What’s wrong?”
“We can leave, if that would help?” Vaijon glanced between the two of them, seemingly picking up on her unease as well.
“No, actually, all three of you should hear this,” Natalia said, taking a seat next to Verdan and slipping her hand into his as she took a deep, steadying breath.
Natalia had been a recluse when Verdan met her, hiding herself away from the world with veils and keeping every inch of her skin covered to hide her burns. Where Vaijon’s burns were old and faded, making them hard to pick out in places, Natalia’s were very much evident. Even the oldest were vibrant streaks of bright red across her skin, all thanks to the fire that had almost burnt down her family’s workshop.
Verdan had helped with her wounds, bringing things to where she could breathe properly and was comfortable to be out in public. But he’d always wished he could do more.
“We’re listening,” he said softly, meeting her bright blue gaze with as much support as he could convey. He wasn’t sure exactly what they were to each other, but he hated to see her this worried over anything.
“It’s about Gwen,” Natalia said, squeezing Verdan’s hand as she turned to meet Kai’s gaze. “The fluid nature of her burns forms a very distinctive pattern. One that I recognise from treating it in the past. It was a long time ago, but I can still see it plain as day.”
“You know what happened to her?” Kai asked intently, leaning forward as Natalia paused and looked around to see who was nearby.
“Tawel gward,” Verdan said softly, forming a zone of silence around them. He had a feeling that they would want to keep whatever Natalia was about to say private.
Natalia gave Verdan a thankful look before nodding. “Yes, the same thing happened to my father when he shook hands with a hostile Sorcerer. They conjured something like burning oil into his palm. It crippled his hand.”
“Wait, I remember you telling me about this,” Verdan said, furrowing his brow in thought. “It was when the Defiant Flame made their first attempt to take over the city. A pair of brothers came to try and win the city over.”
“Yes, and my father blocked them, so the older of the two punished him for it,” Natalia said in a choked voice.
“Who was it. Give me a name,” Kai said intently, the dirt around him shifting as some of his Essence leaked out into a light breeze.
“The older brother was the same Elder who led their alliance with the Weeping Death. I realised it after the fact, but it didn’t seem relevant anymore, and I wanted to forget. His name was Fredan Skarv, and his younger brother was called Kurgane.”