Master Mage (5 page)

His body aching and his body quickly
cooling down, Thad forced himself to his feet and back to the
barracks. He was caught halfway by the general, who had a probing
look on his face. “I had heard you were quite the fighter. Given
your reputation, I would have expected the little workout this
morning to be a breeze,” the general said as his lips curved into a
smile.

“It seems I have spent too much time in
dark rooms hunched over parchment and scrolls,” Thad replied
weakly.

The general took Thad back to his
office, which was no more than a rough log cabin with a fireplace.
The insides might have been sparse, but it was warm, and at the
moment, that was all Thad needed.

“If you plan any extended fighting, I
would suggest you start working on your physical capabilities. Most
of the time, it is not skill that wins in long battles but stamina.
The most skilled swordsman in the world will fall before the blade
of a child if he finds himself out of breath during a fight,” the
general said teasingly.

Thad tried to laugh, but his muscles
had already started to tense and hurt. “I think I will take your
advice. Do they do that every day?” Thad asked, amazed at the
soldiers’ resolve as he watched them through the window as they
continued their run.

“Heavens, no,” the general said,
laughing. “They change up the routine daily, though it does follow
a set pattern. They do it twice a day, though, and most of the free
time is used for endurance training as well. In the army, there
tends to be a lot of downtime, and we have found filling it with
exercise keeps the troops from killing each other.”

“I don’t think I will take it that far,
but I think a little more exercise wouldn’t kill me,” Thad said,
his voice slightly in awe.

“Now why don’t we get down to business?
What has brought the queen’s personal guard dog all the way down
here? I don’t think the Rane army would try to attack right before
the first snowfall.”

“Honestly,” Thad said, looking slightly
embarrassed, “I needed a reason to get away from the capital, and
looking in on you was the only thing I could think of. I have also
brought with me a little over seventy shield rings for your troops.
They won’t protect them from everything and should only be used in
a real battle, but it should help keep some of the men
alive.”

“I can understand wanting to get away
for a few days. I often feel the same way when my captains start in
on me about policies and procedure meetings. Don’t get me wrong—I
know that a declined army needs well-defined rules, but I had one
captain in here wanting me to mandate the proper way to use the
latrine,” the general said, shaking his head in disgust. “Now about
these rings, if they work as you say, then I will distribute them
as soon as possible. I would like to have enough for everyone, but
the soldiers in the most need will get what we have, and the rest
will have to suffer.”

“We are working to make more, but it is
a slow process. I will have them delivered to you as they are
produced, but I doubt we will have enough by the end of winter for
every troop. There just is not enough time in the day.”

“Time, the one thing we all need more
of but can’t get. You get what you can and leave the rest to us. We
have fought for years without magical aid, and we can continue to
do so. Those that complain will spend a week mucking out the
latrines,” the general said coldly. “How long do you plan to stay
and inspect our work?” the general asked slyly.

“I wish I could stay a week, but sadly,
I will need to be on my way back to the capital tomorrow morning,”
Thad replied sorrowfully.

“Duty calls. That is one thing every
man here would understand,” the general said in an understanding
voice. “While you’re here, why don’t you try to enjoy yourself?
Many of the lower ranks tend to have a fair bit of fun. They don’t
really exclude the officers, but it’s seen as bad form for them to
try to involve themselves. I think that since you’re not really a
soldier, I doubt they would mind you joining in their
amusements.”

“I think I might just do that,
sir.”

After leaving the general’s office,
Thad went back to the barracks and retired the bag of steel rings.
As he had been instructed, he found the building marked
Quartermaster and gave the officer inside the bag and explained
what they were and how they worked.

After leaving the quartermaster, Thad
walked around the camp and started inspecting the walls. At
present, the walls only surrounded a third of the compound, and the
highest point was only seven feet tall. It was far from being
finished, but it was much more than Thad had expected to find. The
soldiers had to not only cut the timber and transport it but also
place it and pack it with mud. It looked as if General Bache ran a
very productive group of men.

With little to do to keep his mind
occupied, Thad found a large group of soldiers who were working on
hauling logs and started helping. Thad’s first thought was to use
his magic to move the large timber, but remembering the pathetic
spectacle he had given early that morning, he decided to do it by
the strength of his back.

When the sun reached its apex, the men
stopped working and started heading to a large building standing in
the center of the compound. Thad no knowing of what was happening
but, intrigued, followed them, glad for any break from the grueling
work.

Inside the building, Thad found a large
selection of food placed on a long table in the middle of the room.
While the selection was large, the food looked bland and tasteless.
Despite the look of the food, Thad’s stomach was grumbling and
protesting, so he quickly filled his plate.

Looking around for a place to sit, Thad
noticed that none of the officers seemed to be in the building.
Shrugging his shoulders, Thad found an open seat near some of the
workers he had spent most of the day with.

Thad watched as the soldiers devoured
the food on their plates. He saw one soldier place everything solid
between two pieces of bread and eat what looked like a
sandwich.

Just as it looked, the food was bland
and tasteless. What appeared to be chicken tasted the same as what
he thought was beef. He tried to eat the food with the same
enthusiasm as the soldiers, but before half his plate was cleared,
most of the room had already been cleared. The only soldiers
remaining were those who had been late to the dining
hall.

After his meal, Thad rejoined the
workers outside, though he was already feeling the effects of his
heavy meal. As the day moved on, he became more sluggish and ended
up spending more time watching the work being done than
participating in it.

When the sun was near setting, a large
bell sounded to signal the evening meal. Everyone immediately
ceased working and began putting away their tools for the day.
Thad, in no mood for another repeat of the midday feast, wandered
back toward the general’s cabin.

As soon as he was inside, the smell of
freshly cooked food assaulted his nose. Thad followed the
tantalizing scent into a room in the far corner of the building to
find the general along with the other officers enjoying a banquet
far more appetizing than he had found in the dining
hall.

“Ah, Master Torin, I am glad to see you
join us. I had sent some men out to invite you to the midday meal,
but they reported you had already made your way to the mess hall,”
the general said, offering him a seat. “You will find the food here
is a bit grander than the standard soldier’s fare.”

“I can see that,” Thad replied,
conflicted. The officers were in charge, and he could see them
earning their elevated status over the years. It just didn’t seem
right that the backbone of the force was eating tasteless lumps of
meat while the officers dined like nobles.

“I have seen that look before,” the
general said, shaking his head. “It’s the fate of life, boy. It
would be impossible to cook and prepare enough food of this quality
for the entire force. It just wouldn’t be practical, but for a
small number, it’s easily accomplished. I know it doesn’t seem
fair, lad, but few things in life are.”

Thad took a seat and accepted the food,
though he felt a little guilty about it. The officers talked about
a great many things while they ate. Everything from troop morale to
increases in the nightly watch skipped across the table as they
ate. Though the discussions at the table were enlightening, they
were also incredibly boring, so Thad snuck out at the first chance
he saw.

Outside, Thad found the compound
teeming with different groups of gathered soldiers. Thad started to
head back toward the barracks, his body sore and tired from the
strain of the day’s work, when he spotted a familiar face out of
the corner of his eye. Thad quickly turned and headed through the
crowd of soldiers, trying his best not too lose sight of his
target.

Exiting a large crowd, Thad noticed the
man enter a small cabin on the edge of the compound. Thad picked up
his pace and was soon knocking lightly on the door to the
building.

“Thad, what in the abyss are you doing
here?” Monique asked, her face clearly showing her surprise. “Come
in,” she added awkwardly.

Inside, the cabin reminded Thad of the
cottage Monique and Jayden had back in Sanctuary. Nothing
extravagant, but the detail of the woodwork was
exquisite.

Jayden came out of one of the side
rooms wearing thick work boots and the chain mail of a soldier. “I
heard that one of the higher-ups from the capital had come down to
inspect, but I never expected it to be you.” The older man laughed
as he vigorously shook Thad’s hand.

“What are you guys doing here?” Thad
asked, his face clearly showing his confusion. Shortly after they
had arrived back in Farlan, Thad had rushed to the capital, while
the other mages had moved slowly with the caravan. When the caravan
finally made it to the capital, Thad had learned that Monique and
Jayden had disappeared. He had wanted to look for them, but there
were too many other pressing issues at the time.

“I never really got along with the
other mages,” Jayden said, shrugging his shoulders. “If it hadn’t
been for Monique, I would have never even come to live in
Sanctuary, so when the chance presented itself, we left the
caravan. Not long ago, we heard they were looking for soldiers and
workers to help at the new fort, so me and Monique decided we could
lend a helping hand,” Jayden said, running his hand through his
scruffy beard. “They were a little put off with my age at first,
but once I threw a few of their boys around like rag dolls, they
seemed to think better of making a point out of it.”

“I am glad to know that not all the
people from Sanctuary have to be coerced into fighting for Farlan,”
Thad said, remembering his last meeting with the elders.

“I don’t even have to ask what you
mean,” Jayden replied, laughing. “Those useless fools never want to
do what they should. If they did, there wouldn’t be anything for
them to argue about.”

“Maybe you’re right, but they are not
making it easy on anyone. A lot of people are going to see the war
as their fault, and if they refuse to help … ,” Thad said, leaving
the statement unfinished.

“I am sure enough of them will see it
your way,” Monique said, setting down warm mugs of tea in front of
him and Jayden.

“I hope so,” Thad said, looking at
Monique in a new light. Her face was much rosier than it had been,
and she looked as if she had put on weight recently. “You look
good. Military light agreeing with you?” Thad asked as his mind
tried to puzzle through the clues.

“I didn’t join the military,” she said,
her face glowing. “I’m pregnant,” Monique said happily, a few tears
running down her cheeks.

“Congratulations,” Thad replied, unsure
of himself. “If you’re not in the military, then what are you
doing?” Thad asked, trying to change the subject.

“Thad, I am a merchant, and any good
merchant will seize any opportunity they can. Right now, that
opportunity is making home-cooked meals for the men … at a price,”
she added with a brazen smile. “My cooking skills may not be the
best, but they far outstrip what passes as food around
here.”

“You’re not giving yourself enough
credit, dear. Your food is divine,” Jayden said, giving Thad a sly
wink.

Monique gave him a wry smile and
laughed before punching the stout man in the arm. “I saw that,
mister. You better behave. Otherwise, you can eat in the mess hall
in the foreseeable future,” Monique threatened.

The three friends talked long into the
night. Monique offered to make up a pallet for Thad, but he was
sure the married couple would much prefer their limited time alone.
As he headed back to the barracks, he thought about Monique and the
fact that she was pregnant.

Thad himself had never thought about
kids much before. Brianna had said he would have made a good
father, but he was not so sure. He always tended to get himself in
more trouble than was common. Since he had turned fifteen, he had
been an escaped slave, been prisoner three different times, fought
in numerous battles, and seen more people than he cared to burned
on the pyre.