Episode 1: Exiled Episode 3: Mercenaries, Part 2
Right, here’s Episode 2. I was just going along, wondering how I’d get Ceniro his first merc job (much the same way he himself was) and Roger was like “oh hei I’m just passing through” and I was like “dude! You’re perfect!” I mean, now I don’t have to create a whole new character that no one will care about since he’s not an integral part of the story. So here’s Roger, the young Duke of Deis in Etruria, and hopefully he resolves a few questions you may or may not have had after reading about him in The Tactician and the Jewel.
…If anyone even reads this stuff. : P
Names are the biggest hang-up I have in this story. All these new names, people names, place names, they all have to have the Fire Emblem feel while not being too horribly exotic – or not exotic enough. I suspect that from here on, while Sacaean culture is going to be primarily Mongolian, place names will be Native American – I get both vibes from the hints the game drops.
Episode 2: Mercenaries, Part 1
“You’ve gone native,” Pent said, nodding at Ceniro’s deel robe.
“Em.” Ceniro still hadn’t recovered use of his voice yet.
“It looks lovely,” Louise said. “But Lord Pent is perhaps pretending a little too hard that nothing is wrong. We’re actually being chased.”
“That’s why you need my help?” Ceniro asked, still confused.
“We’re being chased by Bern soldiers,” Pent explained, a little more clearly. “We have been for several days now, although we gained a lot of time when we went to the Kutolah to gain Rath’s help in finding you. He is an excellent tracker.”
“You couldn’t take them yourself?” Ceniro asked mildly.
“We certainly could,” George broke in. “But we would still need your help after that, and it’d be nice to work with you again, Ceniro.”
“It’s nice to see you all too,” Ceniro said, smiling at them. “One moment while I get the farseer. How much time do we have?”
“I’ll go change,” Lyn said, ducking into the ger.
“We have a few hours,” Pent said. “No rush. But I’m sure they haven’t lost us yet.”
“Then you have time to explain to me why on earth you’re running from Bern soldiers. Don’t tell me something happened in politics?”
“Then I won’t,” Pent said. “But it did.”
“It did,” Erk said flatly. “King Desmond found out… something, and accused Pent of setting the assassins on Prince Zephiel. He even had an obviously forged piece of evidence in Pent’s own writing.”
Ceniro blinked. “So he got you… exiled? And wants to finish the job?”
“I think that’s the gist of it,” Pent said. “Shall we take tea and I’ll start from the beginning? Even Rath here hasn’t heard the whole story. We’ve been travelling pretty quickly.”
Ceniro smirked. “Would you like to take traditional Sacaean tea? I think we have time…”
Rath gave a rare smile.
They went inside, where Lyn was now changed into something more practical to fight in, and Ceniro served regular tea. He introduced Lyn to the Reglay soldiers, all of whom fell over themselves to be polite to her, partly because she was beautiful, and partly because of the way she carried herself and her sword. And partly because Pent and Louise were friendly with her, probably.
Rath nodded to Ceniro. “The deel looks good on you.”
“Thanks,” Ceniro said. “It’s really comfortable.”
“Be careful around other tribes,” Rath said. “They do not know you as I do. They might think you are an ignorant Lycian attempting to frivolously steal our culture, whether or not you are engaged to Lyn.”
“I… understand,” Ceniro said. “Lyn warned me as much as well, but… you don’t say no to a Sacaean princess, either.”
Rath nodded sagely. “Agreed.”
“Pent said you were back with the Kutolah?” Ceniro asked.
“I was,” Rath said. “I came home to see my father. It had been too long since I visited. But I will help you fight your enemies.”
“Pent’s enemies…” Ceniro said. “Thank you. Your skills mean a lot, especially here in what must be your element.”
Rath nodded slightly.
“So what did you do with the Sol Katti?” Pent asked. “I see you have only your Mani Katti.”
“I wasn’t sure where Athos got it from, and I haven’t had time to traverse all of Sacae to find its resting place,” Lyn answered. “So I went to the shrine where the Mani Katti originally lay and placed it there for safekeeping. I have no doubt that Ceniro and I will stumble across the correct place sooner or later.”
“I have no doubt that you will as well,” Pent said, smiling. “Would you like my help, while I’m around?”
“He is good at finding long-lost special places,” Ceniro said.
“And this time no one is likely to be racing us there,” Louise said. “Although I have the feeling that King Desmond is not going to stop sending people after us for a while.”
“So what’s the story behind your… homelessness?” Ceniro asked. “You’ve been exiled?”
“Yes,” said Pent, and began to tell of the sudden summons to Aquleia, of which they would have had no warning but for Douglas’s friendship, and the topsy-turvy trial, and the forged evidence, and how King Mordred’s impartiality and reasonableness could not help when Pent couldn’t even explain the truth freely, and their subsequent demotion and exile. “Louise and I would have gone alone, but we couldn’t shake these loyal few. Cavven stayed to mind the house with the rest of the guards and the servants, although goodness knows what will become of it while we’re gone.”
“And so your prediction during our journey to defeat Nergal came true…” Ceniro said.
“So it has,” Pent said cheerfully. “I don’t think we really mind. We were less prepared for it as we’d been home for a couple months, but it’s not entirely unexpected, either.”
“Although…” Louise said, “since Desmond produced forged evidence, I think think there is a chance we can prove our innocence… But first we have to deal with the soldiers trying to silence us altogether.”
Ceniro reflexively checked the farseer, but it still showed nothing, and he trusted that Bern’s soldiers were not as stealthy as either Sacaeans or as Limstella’s morphs. “We’re still good.”
“Excellent!” Pent said. “What do you say, Lyn? Shall we help you find the Sol Katti’s origin?”
“I’ll think about it,” she said. “You still haven’t explained why you want Ceniro’s help after you defeat the ones chasing you.”
Pent sobered. “Well… there’s a few things. First… we’d like to remain on the move, and since Ceniro has a tendency to get itchy feet, we thought we might be able to follow him. Also, there’s the matter that if Desmond has a written order purported from me to the Black Fang, there might be a written order from Desmond to the Black Fang as well.”
“Wouldn’t he say that’s also a forgery?” Ceniro asked.
“It’s possible. But it would at least be a start to clearing our names, and perhaps give us a clue as to where to go next. I’ve been thinking about it, and while it’s hard to see what to do from here, those are possible goals. But I wanted to ask your advice on it first.”
“It is, of course, up to you,” Louise said gently. “I know you’ve been happy with Lyn these last few months, and we wouldn’t want to take you away from that.”
Ceniro and Lyn looked at each other.
“I think this is actually a very good thing,” Lyn said at last. “We’ve been drifting across the plains without any real purpose…”
“That’s not entirely true,” Ceniro interrupted. “You wanted to find other Lorca survivors and build a new clan, didn’t you?”
“Yes, well…” Lyn’s shoulders slumped. “It’s been almost three years since the Lorca were torn apart. If they wouldn’t follow me then, a little while longer won’t make them follow me any less.”
“You’ve matured a lot even since we first set out together,” Ceniro said, smiling. “I think you’d have a better chance than you think. But maybe we can do both? Or would they be wary of joining a group with so many Etrurians and me?”
“Maybe,” Lyn said, with a glance at Rath, who had always followed them regardless. “If they weren’t mercenaries already, they’d be unlikely to join such a mixed group, and certainly not one on a quest. So… I guess we can find out where they are as we help Pent, but I don’t think my silly plan will come to fruition right now.”
“It’s not silly,” Pent said. “It’s very admirable. Though I know little of your people.”
“If we’re searching for record of the Black Fang, we’ll be going into Bern,” Lyn said. “You know what? I’d rather go adventuring anyway.” She smiled at them.
“Thank you, Lyn,” Louise said. “We would never try to drag Ceniro away from you without both of your approvals.”
“Besides,” Lyn said. “Didn’t someone say that you’re pregnant? If it comes to it, I can be your midwife while we’re travelling. I helped my mother several times when I was younger.”
Louise, Ceniro, and Erk blushed. “That’s very kind of you,” Louise said, not having expected that. “I will need your help, yes.”
Ceniro was slightly relieved when the farseer pinged, announcing that unknown and probably hostile persons had come within range of its scanner. He stood. “All right. We have about half an hour before they reach this ger. We should get into position.” He looked at the tiny soldiers, trying to guess what kind they were. “Looks like… mostly lightly-armoured foot soldiers, with some archers, and a few cavalry riders. Let’s go outside and I’ll give orders.”
They followed him outside, and he pointed north-west. “They’re coming from that direction, so Lyn, Louise, and Rath, I want you to head north. Rath, you’ll be the furthest north so you can sweep around west and trap them. Pent, Erk, you’ll go with Andy and Frank west from here and so trap them against our archers with your magic while the cavaliers head north-east to join with Rath. Remember to target the archers first. Andy, Frank, try to take on the enemy cavaliers.”
“And the rest of us?” asked George.
“We’re the bait,” Ceniro said. “I know you were mostly an archer last time, George, but I need you to be a swordsman this battle. Pent, can you lend me your cloak?”
“It is a distinctive lavender hue, isn’t it?” Pent said, passing it over.
It didn’t exactly go with Ceniro’s burgundy deel, but it covered most of it and he thought that Bernese soldiers could forgive him a little fashion mishap under the circumstances that they were all trying to kill each other. “Right. I’m not nearly as tall as you are, but hopefully they’ll go for me. Now… we’re outnumbered at least two to one, but fight hard and dodge quick, and most importantly, let me guide you, and we’ll be fine.”
“Got it!” Andy said, grinning happily, and turned to ride off. Pent and Erk mounted up and followed the yellow and blue knights.
“Louise, how good are you at archery on horseback?” Ceniro asked.
“I’m decently good at it,” Louise said. “But… I think I’d prefer to fight on foot for now. I’ll ride to my place, but… there’s too much twisting in horseback archery.”
“I understand,” Ceniro said. “Just wanted to make sure.”
“I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “I’m not that far along yet.”
“So you want me as an archer?” Lyn asked. “You sure?”
“Yes. I think the enemy will shy away from the magic, even if it is towards your arrows, and I need you to stay near Louise. I’ll let you know when the best time to draw your sword is, don’t worry.”
“And you?” she asked, stepping a little closer and dropping her voice.
“Oh!” Ceniro exclaimed. “I forgot. One minute.” He ducked back into the ger, frantically scanning the interior. “Here it is!” He seized his new katana and headed back outside. “The Bern soldiers are going to be awfully confused by Lord Pent wielding a sword instead of magic…”
“What’s that?” Pent asked. “Dare I believe my ears?”
“…No,” Ceniro said, teasing back. “Absolutely not. But yes, Lyn has been giving me lessons. I should be able to survive for a few seconds on my own.”
“I’ll keep an eye on you,” George assured him.
“You keep an eye on yourself, and I’ll let you know if I’m in trouble,” Ceniro told him. “Let’s advance slightly. No sense in delaying the battle longer than necessary.”
“After you, ‘Lord Pent’,” Yens said, grinning.
The leader of the Bern forces spotted Ceniro shortly after Ceniro saw him with his own eyes, and pointed at him. The rest of the Bern soldiers followed their leader steadily, confidently – into Ceniro’s trap.
“Lord Pent!” cried the Bern captain. “You may as well give up here! You’re far outnumbered- Where’s Lady Louise?”
“I sent her on ahead,” Ceniro said, trying to copy Pent’s voice. “She’s safely away from you now. As if I’d let you harm her!” In his ear, Louise giggled and Pent chuckled.
The Bern captain’s jaw clenched. “You can never hide from the might of Bern! Attack!”
“Hold steady,” Ceniro murmured. “Pent, Erk, on my mark…”
“Hang on…” the captain said. “You’re not Pent! You’re too short! Where is he!?”
“Come find out,” Ceniro said, shrugging off Pent’s cloak and drawing his katana.
The captain roared a challenge and continued running at him.
“Pent! Now!” Ceniro yelled, and thunder struck the soldier behind the captain.
The following battle was very simple by Ceniro’s standards, and only forty minutes later they were the uncontested victors.
Ceniro hadn’t killed anyone, in fact had only crossed weapons with one soldier at one time, but he looked at the fallen Bernese with regret. “I wonder if they had any idea it might turn out like this.”
Lyn rested a hand on his shoulder. “You can’t think like that.”
“It’s hard not to,” Ceniro said. “For one thing… it might be easy to forget in the heat of the moment, but not when you see actual dead people. Haven’t seen them in a while, either, not since we defeated… Lloyd. And another thing… it’s what Eliwood would say.”
Lyn smiled. “I guess you’re right. But Pent and Louise are safe for now. None of these will bring word back to King Desmond.”
“That’s true,” Ceniro said. “So, Pent, what is our next move?”
Pent shrugged. “That’s up to you, really. Just as long as we’re out of Bern’s sight, it doesn’t matter to us, does it, my dear?”
Louise shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, Lord Pent. As long as we’re together, I am happy. So, Ceniro… lead us where you will.”
Andy clapped his hands. “Are we becoming mercenaries again?”
“Mercenaries?” Lyn asked doubtfully.
“Well… we will need some kind of income to feed ourselves,” Ceniro said. “Lyn, how do the plainspeople do it?”
“Every tribe has a number of hunters, and some traders who go to towns to exchange wares,” Lyn said. “I… we could do that too, but I’m not sure if that would work very well…”
Ceniro stared at her. “You don’t want to be a mercenary, and you don’t want us to go full Sacaean.”
“I never said I didn’t want to be a mercenary!” Lyn said. “I just never considered it before.”
“I think we should be mercenaries,” Pent said. “Our skills are highly suited towards it.”
“Until we start making a name for ourselves,” Caddie said. “Then people just might wonder who the mercenary group full of mages and archers belongs to.”
“That’s why we put Ceniro’s name on it!” Pent said enthusiastically.
“W-wait, what?” Ceniro said. “Why me??”
“You know, the only person here who’s had solid mercenary experience is Rath,” Lyn said.
“Well, we do too,” Frank said, gesturing at his younger brother.
“Ah, forgive me,” Lyn said, bowing slightly to them. “I did not know.”
“No problem,” Andy said.
“Well then,” Ceniro said, “Rath, how do we go about becoming a mercenary group?”
Rath looked startled to see everyone looking at him, and Ceniro wished he could have made it a little more private. “There are… areas in towns in which mercenaries congregate, whether in groups or individually. There is no need to register yourself with any sort of authority. If anyone comes by to hire you, the leader is generally the spokesman for the group.”
“But how do you get hired?” Ceniro asked.
“You wait,” Rath said simply. “Therefore… it depends on what the ‘face’ of your group is.”
“So… even if you all make me the leader, I should definitely not hang out in this area alone,” Ceniro said. “I’m hardly intimidating or even look like I can fight. I should take someone who looks like they know how to fight.”
Rath nodded. “There is no need for the entire group to loiter in one place at once. There are inns in those parts of town that offer a special rate for mercenaries between jobs.”
“This does sound promising,” Lyn said. “Who do you want with you?”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Ceniro said, holding up his hands. “Why do you keep saying I’m the leader?”
“I’m not going to be the leader,” Pent said.
“Why not Lyn? Then we can use the Lyn’s Legion name that Sain coined a couple years ago.”
“No, because Sain isn’t here,” Lyn said. “It would be most unfair to do that.”
“Is that your only reason?” Ceniro asked.
“No. My other reason is that you’re a brilliant leader, despite your shyness, and you need an opportunity to realize that.”
Ceniro glared at her. “That’s a terrible reason and I don’t like it.”
Louise touched his arm. “Ceniro, dear, why don’t you want to be our leader? We all look to you anyway.”
“I’m… I’m not used to being acknowledged as the leader. I go on other people’s quests to see the world and keep them alive, not have people follow me for my own purposes…”
“Well, maybe it’s time to change that,” Erk said. “I for one will gladly follow you.”
Ceniro looked around, sighed, and hung his head. “I guess there’s no getting out of this one, is there.”
“Certainly not,” cried Lyn. “Now… you were saying about names?”
Everyone had ideas for those, some of them ridiculous, like The Ceniro Corps, or Ceniro’s Combatants, but eventually Ceniro allowed them to pick Ceniro’s Elite Company.
“You’re all elite,” he said, still not very happy about the whole thing.
“Fantastic!” Andy said, and rubbed Ceniro’s head, messing up his hair. He needed a haircut. “To Bulgar!”
“Do we really want to go to Bulgar?” Ceniro said. “King Desmond will surely be expecting you to head towards civilization. And even if his soldiers bring no word back – if we bury them, they can vanish without a trace – he’ll certainly suspect you’re still alive.”
“That’s true,” Pent said. “Where would you suggest?”
“I don’t know,” Lyn said. “I don’t know where the mercenaries hang out…”
“In Matowa,” Rath said. “There is a small mercenary community there, but the town is not so large that spies can be everywhere. On the other hand, a group as large as this may inspire comment and remembrance.”
“We’ll chance it,” Ceniro said. “We only need one job to get started, and then we never have to go there again. In fact, we should take that time to dump any identifying colours of clothing.” He looked at Pent, who nodded.
“Yes, I suppose I’m rather distinctive whenever I wear blue or lavender. I apologize.”
“And I shall stop wearing rose and peach,” Louise said, and giggled. “Oh, this is so exciting!”
Lyn laughed. “I’ll help you find something that you like.”
Erk mumbled something to himself, glancing at his blue cloak.
“Even you,” Ceniro said to Andy and Frank. “You should at least get your armour repainted something other than blue and yellow.”
The brothers looked at each other. “I didn’t even think about us,” Frank said. “Brown’s pretty non-descript. Brown and brown?”
“Hey,” Ceniro said – his favourite colour to wear was brown.
“What?” said Frank, who didn’t get it.
“Never mind,” Ceniro said. “As long as you look slightly less… shiny when you’re done.”
Andy laughed. “Shiny. I like it. But as you say.”
“We can remain the night here, though,” Lyn said. “It’s getting dark, your pursuers have been defeated, and you must be tired. I’ll start cooking. Ceniro, come help me.”
“Yes, Lyn.”
“Thank you, Lyn, Ceniro,” said Pent said, bowing to them.
“Don’t worry about it,” Lyn said, smiling, and vanished into the ger.
Four days later, they were in Matowa, and Ceniro was loitering in the street with Caddie and Rath, waiting for anyone to hire them. There was a last minute fluster as Andy came to ask if they should follow any sort of colour scheme with their new colours, but Ceniro decided against it. Snow was in the air, and he wondered if they’d get any work at all so quickly.
“Ceniro,” Caddie said, and gave him a nudge, gesturing subtly down the street.
Ceniro looked, and started.
Roger of Deis was riding down the street, followed by his captains Phil and Paul and several other servant-like people.
Ceniro jumped up. “Caddie, go inside a moment. They could recognize you.”
“You know this lord?” Rath asked.
“Yes, he’s from Etruria as well. But he probably won’t connect me to Pent currently. I want to talk to him.”
“I’m right behind you,” Rath said calmly.
Caddie hastened into the inn, and Ceniro walked out into the street. “Um… hello?” He really had to work on greeting people.
Roger of Deis didn’t even acknowledge him. The youth had grown into a young man, and he somehow reminded Ceniro of Raven.
But Paul turned his head, and jumped. “Ceniro of Santaruz! What are you doing here?”
“Well, I moved to Sacae to be with my fiancée,” Ceniro said. “But I’ve joined – actually, I’m the leader of a mercenary group now. How are you?”
“Paul, who are you talking to?” Roger demanded. “Who are you?”
Ceniro smiled a little. Roger’s forgetfulness didn’t really surprise him – Roger had paid him little attention in their assault on Eshan’s attempted coup. “I’m Ceniro, a tactician. We met a couple years ago, around the time your father died.”
“My father…” Roger thought. “The scrawny tactician!”
“Yes, that’s me,” Ceniro said. “What brings you to Sacae, Lord Roger?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m actually on my way to Ilia to see my mother’s family,” Roger said. “I need a new escort… the old one proved untrustworthy.”
“You didn’t have all you need in the Deis forces?” Ceniro asked.
“Politics,” Roger snorted. “I need them at home to deter Lady Olga from making a move on my territory while I’m away. I have only taken my two closest knights.”
“I understand,” Ceniro said. “How large of an escort would you need?”
“Ceniro,” Rath said warningly.
“How many Sacaeans are in it?” Roger said scornfully.
Ceniro crossed his arms, allowing himself to get slightly angry. “You’re in Sacae. You are not allowed to badmouth the local people, young man.”
Phil and Paul stared in surprise at his forthrightness, and Roger’s face reddened. “Now see here-”
“The Sacaean people are proud and honourable, and great warriors,” Ceniro said. “I don’t know what you think of them, but I’ve worked with several and they’ve all been very helpful and absolutely trustworthy.” He smiled, letting go of the anger. “Why don’t you take us on and see?”
“You’re not even that much older than me!” Roger burst out. “What gives you the right to call me ‘young man’!? Should I call you ‘old man’?”
“As long as you stop insulting Sacaeans, I’ll live with it,” Ceniro said. “What do you say?”
“…” Roger thought, looking up at the cloudy sky, then back at his train of assistants. “You have a deal. How many people are in your group?”
“Ten,” Ceniro said. “Including me. There is also an additional complication.” He tensed, ready to dodge if Roger should take it badly.
Roger frowned. “What, is it your fiancée?”
“No, not that… You know what happened to Lord Pent recently, don’t you?”
“He was exiled for daring to stick it to King Desmond, wasn’t he?”
“Something like that… A false accusation of attempting to murder King Desmond’s son, Zephiel.”
“Yes, yes… Pent insisted it was a forgery… I don’t really care, Desmond is an idiot. Pent had guts. I liked his performance. What does this have to do with your mercenary group?”
“Then would you mind terribly if he was in your escort?”
Roger grinned. “Why didn’t you say that first off? I’ll take any number of Sacaeans if Pent is there. It’s not everyone who can stand up to a king.”
“Right,” Ceniro said, choosing to ignore the comment about Sacaeans. “Rath, go and tell the others.”
“Understood,” Rath said, saluting, and jogging back to the inn, somewhat behind them now.
“I guess you’ll be wanting to know where we’re going, eh?” Phil said. “If you can take us to the borders of Ilia, at least, we’ll be able to get the rest of the way ourselves. Our ultimate destination is Edessa, the capital, but the roads will be safer once we get to the border.”
“Although… it’s winter,” Ceniro said. “Or getting on to it. We may as well come the whole way.”
“Who’s in your group?” Paul wanted to know.
“Besides me and Lord Pent, there’s also Lady Louise, though she’s pregnant, and my fiancée Lyn, and Rath, and Pent’s student Erk, and his soldiers George, Caddie, Yens, Andy, and Frank. We have a diverse enough array of skills that I feel confident in saying we can take on just about anything, especially bandits, if that’s your worst worry.”
“Hurry up,” Roger said, pulling out in front of them. “We’re not camping here in this tiny pit. Sir Ceniro, get your group together and meet us on the edge of town in half an hour at the latest.”
“See you, then,” Ceniro said, and turned to do just that.
The journey certainly wasn’t dull, Ceniro reflected a few days later, as they neared the north of Sacae. Roger hadn’t cared one whit that Pent was in exile, and assured Pent that he wouldn’t tell anyone that he’d been in his mercenary guard, not even his relatives in Ilia.
“Why would you not care?” Pent asked at last. “Surely you blame me for the death of your father…”
Roger was silent a long time. “I haven’t forgotten, Lord Pent. And for a long time I was angry, yes. When Eshan staged his coup, right after my father’s death, I just wanted to hurt something, anything. That’s why… I couldn’t attack you, you were too strong, but you were fighting other people. With your group, fighting people, I could… feel a bit more in control.” He glanced at his knights. “Phil and Paul would have ensured I didn’t kill you.”
“I think I understand,” Pent said. “And now?”
“Now… it’s been almost two years. I’ve had a lot of time to think. I’m… not politically ambitious. To be the best swordfighter, that is my idea of a worthy goal. And so… although it pains me deeply to say it, my father was in the wrong to attack you.” He gave a little sarcastic smile. “If he was attacking you to prove his martial skill, I would agree with him. In fact, sometime after you are reinstated, we should duel sometime.”
“All right,” Pent said. “If that is what you wish.”
“You are a very wise young man,” Louise said. “And I thank you for not hating my husband.”
“I’m still angry, but I know it would be more trouble than it’s worth,” Roger said. “Being Duke of Deis has taught me that much.” He pointed at Pent. “Revenge is for losers, but I still reserve the right to both hate and admire you.”
“Both?” Pent said, confused.
Roger gave him a tight little grin. “Not everyone can sass King Desmond to his face. I liked that.”
Pent laughed. “I’m glad someone enjoyed our performance.”
“Ceniro,” Rath whispered. “I think we’re headed into an ambush.” Ceniro had sent Rath and Lyn ahead as mounted scouts.
“Understood,” Ceniro said, pulling out the farseer.
“Trouble?” Pent asked mildly.
Ceniro looked around at the servants. “There’s a medium-sized group of raiders ahead. Mounted archers, mostly, which could be tricky to deal with. Andy, Frank, you take the left, Phil, Paul, you form up on the right. Caddie, George, Yens, Louise, Erk, stay close to the servants – we want any and all arrows headed their way blocked and returned. Erk, you’re healer if necessary. Lyn, when they reveal themselves, get their attention and lead them down the right, towards Phil and Paul. Rath, do the same on the left. There will be too many for our cavalry to deal with so take shots when you can.”
“And me?” Pent asked.
“And me!” Roger exclaimed, drawing his sword. It was a very large sword, complemented by the very large shield he brought from his back.
“Hmm… Roger, go with Phil and Paul and fight directly alongside them. I’ll cover any holes in the right forward. Pent, you back up Andy and Frank. Most of all, don’t leave the group, anyone! We’re not seeking total annihilation of the bandits. We only need to drive them off.”
“You’re not putting me on the opposite side to Reglay because I admitted I have conflicted feelings about him, did you?” Roger demanded, peering down at Ceniro.
“No, I did it because I assume you already fight well alongside your own knights,” Ceniro retorted. “I try to take people’s feelings into account, but combat ability is even more important. If I sent you with Andy and Frank, you’d be fighting with total strangers.”
“Fine, fine,” Roger said. “And you forgot to call me ‘Lord Roger’.”
“I apologize,” Ceniro said. “I do that a lot.”
“Lord Roger, Sir Ceniro!” Phil called. “We’re in position!”
“And now they’re waiting on me,” Roger said with a snort. “Right. Watch and learn, Ceniro of Santaruz!”
“I’m watching,” Ceniro said, smiling, and sat back to watch his fighters do their thing.
It certainly was a spectacle, he thought, between the dreary grey sky, and the distant, half-seen mountain foothills, and the bright colours of Deis and the more drab ones of his own people – punctuated with the flash of swords and the flare of thunder and fire. The enemy seemed to have trouble shooting straight, though whether that was the result of the unexpectedness of their counterattack, or because their group was just too good at dodging, Ceniro wasn’t quite sure.
All they really needed was a couple of pegasus knights and maybe a monk, and they’d be set for life, he thought, smiling.
“Ceniro!” yelled Lyn, riding past. “Keep your head down, stupid!”
“I need to be able to see!” he called to her.
“You won’t see anything if you go arrow-catching again!” she said, turning in the saddle to loose an arrow of her own at an attacker.
“Point taken,” Ceniro said reluctantly. “They haven’t sent out their foot soldiers yet anyway…”
He’d spoken too soon – even as they passed through a narrow place in the road, some men on foot with swords and axes jumped out of the scrub onto it.
Ceniro drew his sword. “Right, this is what I kept you all back for.”
“Do you need us?” Andy asked.
“No, keep harrassing the horse archers. We got this.”
“Ceniro,” Pent said. “I think they’ll draw back if we hold on long enough. These aren’t the kind to throw their lives away if they’re losing horribly.”
“Sacaeans are prideful, though,” Ceniro said. “And these are Sacaean bandits…”
“I thought you said all Sacaeans are awesome,” Roger said sarcastically.
“Most Sacaeans are awesome,” Ceniro amended, making eye contact with one large man and preparing to block his attack if necessary. “None of them are worthy of racism.”
“I don’t get it,” Roger said, and grunted as he rode by, cutting down the large man Ceniro had been facing.
“I’ll try and explain again later,” Ceniro said. “Thanks for the assist.”
The bandits were withdrawing, wordlessly breaking off the attack and disappearing into the brown winter prairie scrub. The company regrouped.
“That wasn’t bad,” Erk said, rubbing his hands together. “My casting hand’s half-frozen, though.”
Caddie hefted his axe onto his shoulder and grinned at him. “Should have taken a more active line of martial arts, Master Erk.”
“Oh, I can warm myself up if need be,” Erk said. “Would you like me to demonstrate?”
“No need for that,” Yens said. “But perhaps at tonight’s camp, you could give us an extra big fire, ja?”
“I can do that,” Erk said. “Are you all right, Lady Louise?”
“I’m fine, Erk,” Louise said, smiling. “No need to worry.”
“Ha!” Roger said, returning with Phil and Paul flanking him. “What did you think of that?”
“You’ve grown much since we last fought together,” Ceniro said to him. “Well done.”
“No need to ‘well done’ me,” Roger said, irritated. “And how about some more ‘my lord’ now that you’re not in the heat of battle?”
“…I apologize, my lord,” Ceniro said. The words felt forced and strange in his mouth.
Roger went on grumbling. “And it’s not like you do much in battle anyway, just stand there yelling at us…”
“Forgive him,” Paul said surreptitiously to Ceniro. “He’s actually in a very good mood. That’s just how he is.”
“Ah, I see,” Ceniro said. “Don’t worry, I’m not offended.”
“Good,” Paul said.
“Are we continuing or what?” Roger asked, trotting ahead of them again. “Good work, mercenaries. Ambush averted! You did what I paid you for. Now let’s make some more distance before we camp for the night.”
“And we’ll set a slightly larger guard tonight,” Ceniro said. “They might be back for us.”
“I’d like to see them do so,” Roger said. “We already showed them we have larger teeth than they’re used to.”
“We’ll see,” Ceniro said.
In Kafti, at the utmost other end of the continent to the southwest, a group of cloaked figures huddled in an old stone tower. Parchment was spread across the table between them, lit by guttering torches.
“So we’re all sure of it?” one of them said.
“We’ve all been sure of it since it happened,” said another. “Elder magic doesn’t lie.”
“Most magic doesn’t,” said another mildly. “But it’s the interpreting of that truth that is the difficult part.”
“I’m sure of it, at least,” said a fourth. “That wave originated in Bern somewhere, and caused ripples in seven different places across the continent.”
“That’s what I thought,” said the first one.
“But what does it mean?” asked the third one, with a female voice. “This could change everything we know about Elder magic if-”
“Don’t get excited,” said the second. “There’s no need to rethink the laws of magic. It’s only a very old spell that no one noticed before, suddenly activated. It’s been here so long we all thought it was part of nature.”
“But what is it? And why those seven places?”
“That’s what you’re going to find out, Rigel,” said the fourth man, and the third figure looked at him, startled.
“Me, sir?”
“You’re young, aren’t you? Eager for adventure?”
“Well… Eager to learn new things.”
“Then go and learn this thing.”
“Yes, sir. Where should I start?”
“There was one in Nabata. Start there. The echoes should still be clear enough to find the general area.”
“I’ll go at once, sir.”
“Why her?” complained the second man.
“Don’t get excited, Vellith. If it turns out to be important, then we shall congregate again. For now, observation and patience are our allies, as they have always been to unravelling the mysteries of the darkness.”