Chapter Forty-Six
The Sparks Before the Flame
Michael trudged back into his room, careful and quiet, so as not to wake anyone. It was late, and their second round of combat training had just ended, centred around night-warfare, which Jack decided would be a good way to acclimatise them to the cavern-conditions.
Michael leant his bow against the wall and didn’t even have the energy to remove his arrows before he collapsed face-first into bed, falling asleep like his life depended on it.
*****
Michael opened his eyes again and found himself in the courtyard of Fort Guardian.
The sun was high and the smell of burning hair was so thick it was like a rotten rag had been jammed down his throat. Blood soaked the grass, dripping down every blade except the ones crushed beneath the corpses of the armoured fallen. Spears of dirty, black stone jutted from the backs of many of the dead, as though they’d been stricken down whilst trying to flee. Their faces were all painted with the horrified vacant expressions, staring off into nothing.
Michael lurched awake, sweat dripping down his forehead and his heart pounding.
A faint light glowed in the corner of his eye, followed by Flinn’s voice. “Michael? Are you alright?”
In the older Paladin’s hand was a patch of torchlight, as though the very flesh of his palm had been coloured with hot coals.
Michael spent a moment calming himself down and shakily he said, “Just a dream.” He squinted in the dark and cocked his head. “I saw you use your Arcancy during the fight. Is it the same as mine?”
Flinn glanced to his hand and nodded. “Similar. You sure you’re okay?”
Michael nodded, finally pulled off his quiver and laid his head against his pillow. “Yeah.” He stared up at the shadows which hid on the underside of the top-bunk. “Just a nightmare.”
*****
“Enter!”
Jack pushed open Amekot’s office door and walked in to find the suited man behind his long desk, sorting through papers. Jack grunted, “You called for me, Hillborn?”
Amekot smiled brightly as he approached. “I did. Come, sit. Pour some drinks. Tell me, how is your little adventure squadron coming along?”
Jack ignored his derisive tone and took a seat. “Well enough. They’re making good progress.”
“Uh huh?” Amekot muttered, picking up and quill and hastily scribbling on some parchment, not so much as looking up from his desk. “They have three more nights before the Eleventh of Bronzing. I’d like to arrange a kind of... test for the night of the Tenth.”
Jack frowned deeply at the man, rubbing his eyes. “Right.”
“Yes. Something practical, of course. To prove they have what it takes to survive a full spell in the wilderness without aid.”
Jack squinted. “Why don’t you let me take care of that. After all, I think the impending siege probably merits your attention more than a mission.”
Amekot smiled sweetly once more as his quill continued to dance on the page. “This is a quest in pursuit of something vital to the siege, I’ll remind you, Paladin McKennedy. If it turns up anything of value, then it may be the only thing truly worth putting our hopes in.”
Jack leant back a tad and asked, “So, why not fund it a little more? Maybe send more experienced Legacies instead of such new recruits?”
“Are you volunteering?”
“No, because personally I still think the Immortal Flame doesn’t exist. I think you found the writings of an overly emotional Legacy who discovered a piece of rare magic and misunderstood what it actually was.” And I am not leaving this fortress in your greasy hands, he added in thought.
“If you don’t truly believe it, then why train them? Why send them off?” Amekot stopped writing and glanced up at him. His rich, coffee-coloured eyes twinkling with amusement.
Jack looked at the man and felt his hand twitch upon his leg; A left-over response from his time at war. Only three things brought it up, and not always, only rare enough to startle him.
The sound of smashing steel, the smell of dried blood, and the look on Amekot’s face when he pretended to care.
Jack had seen that look before on too many different faces.
Jack said firmly, “I believe that they believe it. And my word is not going to stop them, which you don’t seem to understand. People like Michael, Sarah, Oliver, Nichole, James- all of them, don’t do things because people tell them to. They do things because they believe it’s right. And my only hope is to let them go with enough skill that they’ll come back without too many scars.”
Amekot looked the warrior up and down before returning to his papers. “I suppose you’d know all about that.”
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Jack closed his mouth and did all he could to keep his hands still. “I would.”
“At Felling’s End- that’s Olympday, the Tenth of Bronzing -anyone in this company who wishes to go upon this endeavour will be tested on the Arena floor. If I am not satisfied with the result, they will stay here. Three days.”
Jack sneered at the man and opened his mouth to respond.
Amekot quickly added, “Oh, and if they try to leave, I will have them thrown in the Murk.”
Jack’s mouth fell open as he scoffed. “What makes you think you have any right-”
Amekot’s scribbling hand stopped and he smacked the pen down, cutting Jack off, “I am Fortmaster of this stronghold, Paladin. I have every right.”
Jack let out a humourless huff and he closed his mouth. The warrior rose to his feet and turned to leave.
“Oh, and McKennedy!” Amekot called, looking back down to his notes. “I heard long ago you used to be an instigator with the rebels. I’d figured as much from your armour- it's cute, a nice homage... But, I’m sure you’ve heard I was a Captain with the Imperial Army. In spite of our differences, I’m sure we can co-exist. After all, it’s not as though we were ever unfortunate enough to cross paths then, so I don’t see why we should have to cross paths now.”
Jack didn’t turn, merely nodding as slightly as he could and stepping through the door into the reception room. As soon as the latch clicked behind him, he massaged the palms of his hands. Red crescent shapes were split into the skin where his nails had been clenching.
Jack closed his eyes and took five long slow breaths. They shook his body down to his clutched hands as he drew them in and let them go, all the while muttering, “Roslynia. Eicenia. Valancia. Hilyria. Renorom. Zanssien. Äarkaam.”
The words brought him back to Draendica and he opened his eyes again, casting one last look to Amekot’s door before stepping away.
*****
Michael yawned as he wandered out of the keep, spotting his friends all gathered around a table, eating breakfast and drinking coffee. He gave a crinkled smile and slumped down next to Aroha, nudging her with his shoulder.
“Hot and bitter, just like you,” Sarah said with a bright grin, pushing a mug to him.
Michael pecked her on the top of her head in appreciation and said his hellos to everyone else. After a second, he realised how reactively he’d kissed her head, something he’d done with Carter and James his entire life and quickly turned to her. “I’m so sorry, I should’ve asked if that was okay-”
“It was okay.” Sarah lay an assuring hand on his face and chuckled.
Michael nodded, still slightly embarrassed.
"Where's my kiss?" Oliver complained.
As he did so, Rose ambled up to their table with her hands folded politely behind her back. The table melted into a soft quiet before they each clambered over one-another with their greetings.
Nichole was the first to see her standing there and nodded curiously. “Hawthorne?"
“Would you all mind I joined you?” Rose asked.
They all joined in polite chorus of ‘of course not’s. Michael and the others on his row all scooted down to make room for her, gesturing warmly to the seat.
There was small beat of quiet as the company wondered if she wanted to speak.
However, Michael stuck out his hand, despite being fairly crammed-in beside her. “Michael Williams. Nice to meet you.” Officially, he then signed in Ri quickly.
Rose smiled at the gesture and took his hand. “Rose Hawthorne.” She held his gaze softly for a second before shyly glancing to the others. “I know the rest of you, sort of,” she added, smiling.
James and Carter nodded to her, bright as daisies and Oliver asked, “Coffee, Rose?”
The Archangel nodded eagerly. “Please.”
“How do you take it?”
“Any way at all, so long as it's strong.”
James muttered, “Just like Carter.”
Carter shoved James off the bench and everyone laughed tiredly.
As Oliver whipped up the cup for her, Rose looked around the table and said, “I have to ask... is it true you all are planning on venturing inside the cavern?”
Everyone seemed to glance at Michael.
Michael blinked, suddenly feeling very perceived. “That’s the gist of it.”
“But why- Thanks, Oliver –why? What do you think you’ll find?” she asked, taking a sip from the hot mug and sighing out a steamy breath.
Michael ran his fingers through his hair and shrugged. “I have no idea. Maybe nothing. But I have a hunch that whatever we find, it’ll be important.”
Rose nodded and idly blew at the rising steam of her cup. “What if all you find is ten thousand Obthraie?”
“Then we’ll learn something very important, indeed,” he said, seriously.
“Which is?” Rose blew the rising steam in a plume from her cup.
“Which of us is the slowest.”
The group clattered with laughter. Rose smirked but didn’t break her gaze from the archer. She leant toward him and asked, “Would you mind terribly if I tag along on some of your training?”
Michael cradled his cup, leaning away from the noise of the group, inadvertently toward her. “You don’t have a regular group?”
Rose sipped her coffee and her bright blue eyes darted up to his, holding them as she said, “ I do. But I think Nikereus is planning on rolling over this encampment, and I think they know even ten thousand soldiers won’t be enough to do it, which is why they’re playing with magic. And if we want to learn what we’re up against before it's being used against us, then it’s the only place we can go. And all that is to say, I just want to know our best hope is up for it.”
Michael watched her as she spoke. “Jack has been designing our training so far. You don’t think he knows best?”
Rose shook her head. “If I had to fight Thall, I’d get Jack to train me. But I think it might be worth throwing some wild cards in there too. Like me.”
Her words were honest enough but he knew the look of a person who hadn’t said what they wanted to say. “And?” Michael asked, softly.
Rose glanced up at him and bit the words before they came out.
Michael smiled wider and took a sip of his coffee. “I wager we’ll need to trust each other if we want to do this...”
Rose rolled her eyes and shook her head, though this time it was seemingly at her own internal decision. “Because I know an… adventure… when I see one. God, I hate that I said that.” She began to turn slightly red.
Michael waved off the notion that it should be embarrassing and her redness ceased. “It was that line of thought that led me here. Maybe we just both know to reach out and grab something when it passes by.”
Rose nodded and then smirked. “Or maybe we’re both cracked.”
Michael chuckled. “Maybe. Well, we have three days before we go. What do you suggest?”
Rose went wide-eyed with an idea, then simply stood and took off.
Michael clambered to his feet as Aroha yelled, “Where is she going?”
“I don’t know, but you best follow quickly, I’d imagine!” he yelled back to them.
The company hustled to their feet as Aroha slammed back the rest of her coffee and muttered to the others, “Damn, she’s fast, she must be related to Jack.”