Chapter 5: Lessons

Who would think that animals could rival my cousin in stubbornness. I was set to ride, only to find a cat in my saddle bags. Keladry sent most of the pack that had come with us from Giantkiller with the refugees on their return to Tortall. Jump and most of the heavy hunting dogs remained, and this one ball of royalty who wouldn't budge. I tried multiple times to move her out, but the gray and orange feline would have none of it. I knew my men were laughing. Commander of the King's Own taking orders from a cat.

Keladry was smiling along with the men. With a sigh, I gave up.

"Never argue with a lady." I graciously bowed to my hitch hiker and got the laugh I wanted out of the lady knight. The cat purred.

Final preparations were being made. Keladry began questioning the two refugees who remained with us about the leader, Stenmun. Neal came stumbling over, face drawn with the exhaustion of healing so many wounded. I reached into one of my bags and pulled out a chunk of bread and cheese. He took it from me with a grateful look and began eating like a starved man. I shook my head, handing over my water flask when he choked. Waiting for the order to move out, I leaned against a tree. Keladry turned from the others towards me.

"I learned something from Lord Raoul."

Startled at the sudden inclusion of the conversation, I blinked before drily asking,

"Which lesson would that be? He teaches so many useful things"

"When the odds are against you, change the odds. We don't throw a log down and try to light that for a fire. We whittle it to kindling. That's how we'll treat this Stenmun and his folk."

I smiled, remembering last summer. Yes indeed Lord Raoul had taught many things to her back then. I was glad to see that they all stuck, for even as strong a fighter as he is, he occasionally can be confusing. My thoughts were cut off by the call,

"Mount up!"

We were at a disadvantage. The Scanrans had no fear of being followed, thus leaving a very clear trail to follow. But we were forced to proceed with caution, any slip and our game would be up, leaving the children in the cruel mage's hands. I felt great pride in how well my men managed, holding silence and handling their mounts with the best of their skill. We may be forced to take care, but we would lose no ground to the enemy.

It was evening when Owen returned with the best news so far - the Scanrans had stopped for the night, three miles ahead. We finally caught them. Now the battle of wits would take place.

Keladry arranged a home base for our operations. We would once again wait until deep nightfall. She made her way through the men with an encouraging word to each, though her mind was clearly elsewhere. After a few hours rest and the moon began clearing the trees, she came over to where I lounged on the ground.

"Dom, I know you and your men are a close bunch. And I know that people are going to die on my mission. It's still not too late to turn back."

I stared at her. She was still upset about that? Even now when she'd need our help more than ever? I was almost angry that she'd even suggest ducking out if I hadn't caught a glimpse of the turmoil going on behind her eyes. No matter how 'Lumpish' her face may be, I'd always be able to decipher her emotions through those eyes. She was worried, guilty, thankful, and fearful all at the same time. In what order, I couldn't tell.

"Kel," I sat up. "I'm a soldier. I know what the risks are, and as good as my men may be, I know I'll lose some of them. But I'm not going back. Even if Lord Raoul hadn't ordered me to follow you, I'd have found some excuse."

She looked up from the ground where she had fixed her attention. Relief and guilt flickered across her face.

"Really?"

I smiled. Even the best of us needs to hear some encouragement now and again. I was happy she asked it of me.

"Of course. Just like the rest of us here - Neal, Owen, Gil, and Tobe, they weren't ordered, but they're here. Give them credit. Give yourself credit for such loyal friends."

Keladry glanced over at the others and sighed. Turning back to me, she smiled - a genuine smile. Something in my chest sent out a tingle that almost caught my breath.

"Thanks, Dom."

"No thanks needed, Kel."

"Should we get going?"

I rose to my feet. "Yes ma'am!"

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Every action from now on would have to be made with twice the caution we'd been using so far. The plan was to pick off the sentries near dawn, bringing the odds closer to our side. Meanwhile, with the help of our animal friends, the enemy would get little sleep tonight.

After Keladry and I had checked the mounts for stealth, we made our way into position around the Scanran camp. Security of being behind their own borders led them to be lax, stopping in a hollow which was easily surveyed from the nearby bluffs. However, I wasn't willing to look a gift horse in the mouth. Thank the gods for some small favors.

Each child had been tethered to a soldier. There would be no way to reach them without the entire camp awakening. Thankfully, this wasn't our plan. Once everyone was in place, Keladry picked up a branch and cracked it.

The night was shattered with the furious baying of Jump and another dog. They exploded out of the brush, chasing the orange and gray cat who had adopted me as its transportation. The cat dashed all over the men on the ground, followed closely by the other two who carefully maintained a equal distance behind her. I couldn't help grinning as the men leapt to their feet, confused and half awake. Keladry returned my smile but remained focused on the chaos below.

One giant of a man rose and picked up a massive double-headed ax. It could have been no other than Stenmun, protector of that filth, Blayce. I saw him swipe at what I could only assume was the cat. For a moment I feared she had been hit, only to see a fuzzy shape launch from the man's head and into the shadows.

"Animals!" The figure barked at the confused soldiers. "It's just animals - all of you shut up and go back to sleep."

They did their best, but soldiers make horrible nursemaids. I'm a slight exception, having such a large family. I felt a moment of pity for the men with infants and smiled at those in my group who were hiding their laughter within their shirt sleeves.

A scout reported on the behavior of the sentries and the coming of the new watch. Waiting another hour or so to let them get bored, Keladry gave me a poke in the arm. Distraction two was in action. Neal, at the end of the line, gave his signal to the dogs.

Dismal howling filled the night air. The sounds was eery as it echoed around the hollow and woke the men once again. A pack of wolves heard the domesticated branch of their family and answered in kind. The soldiers milled around for a moment or two before again trying to settle for sleep. We'd have none of it.

I had heard something about Tobe having speech with horses and had watched with amazement as he handled Keladry's irritable mount, Peachblossem with hardly a touch. Now those bits and pieces would fall into place as the horses below went wild. I wondered what he could have said for them to act completely panicked. Once again, with harsh cursing, the men rose to make sure things were mostly normal.

We gave them a bit of a break, not wanting things to become too suspicious. I rolled over onto my back and looked up at the sky. I'd give credit to the mountains. They seemed to bring man closer to the stars. There was a legend I had heard in my childhood that there was a place where the sky met the world. The lady Alanna supposedly journeyed there to find the Dominion Jewel. It must have been an amazing sight.

It was deceptively peaceful. I stared at the stars for a while, tracing the constellations in my mind, most prominently the one of the Mother Goddess and her cat. Sending out a prayer for our safety, I turned to look over at the lady knight. She had fallen asleep on her back, the moonlight silvering her profile.

She was pretty, I noticed once again. Elegant and honorable beyond any man or woman I had ever met outside Tortall's king and queen. Her long lashes made faint shadows beneath her eyes. Now that I thought about it, it had been her speaking eyes that first caught my attention and made me realize she was much more on the inside than she let on to the world. I suppose my cousin Neal recognized that as well when he became her mentor in that first year.

As I looked at her, a slight breeze stirred her hair, lifting a strand and tossing it carelessly across her nose. She wrinkled it and I wanted to laugh. Instead, I lightly brushed the hair away. Without thinking, my finger trailed along her brow, then down the length of her delicate nose. I pulled back before coming anywhere close to her mouth, ashamed of myself. The tingle in my chest made my heart beat slightly faster. How could I take advantage of a time like this? I cursed myself and rolled back onto my side.

My hand clenched next to me. Her face was so incredibly smooth. I growled low in my throat. She was the lady knight. I could only be a commander and friend. She needed no other right now. Why was I even thinking it? Again I glanced up at the sky. How much time had passed? How long had I been thinking about her? The person next to me gave me a nudge. It was the convict leader, Gil.

"Sir, it's about time."

I nodded and reached over to wake Keladry. A hand on my arm made me look back at the man, his silver circle glowing dully in the darkness. Tilting his head towards his leader, he said solemnly,

"That's one special lady there - we all know it. She gave me trust when no one ought to 'ev, specially after what we bandits did."

I met his gaze without hesitation, knowing he had seen me earlier but felt strangely unashamed. I leaned back over at quietly woke her.

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"Hot food does wonders to appetite."

Owen smiled as he finished gathering the driest wood to be had. I looked up from whittling chips for a fire starter.

"I thought hunger was the best sauce."

"Yes, well now we have a banquet."

I smirked and concentrated on my task, trying not to worry about Keladry who had remained behind to watch the reactions of the Scanrans. She wouldn't like that we were lighting a fire so close to the enemy, but we had taken all the necessary precautions.

My knife hit a knot in the wood and stuck. I struggled with it for a moment before it popped loose. I was prepared to set flint to steel when the wood shot up in green flames. Surprised, I fell backwards onto my rear before turning to glare at my cousin's lounging figure.

"I hope you choke."

He opened one eye to look at me. "That's for the 'Meathead'."

"Then you can fix your own food."

I muttered to myself as I cut slices from a hard loaf of travel bread. How could one man hold a grudge over a name for so long, I couldn't understand. He did nothing to prove otherwise.

When Keladry returned with the word that the Scanrans were on the move, we began packing. Neal passed Keladry toasted bread and cheese which she accepted with a look of rebuke.

"We used dry wood. No smoke at all."

She didn't seem too disappointed, eating rapidly as we packed. "Smell?"

The refugee, Saefas shook his head. "The enemy was upwind. They'd have to be gods to smell it."

I couldn't resist teasing. "Mother gets so upset when she thinks we lads have been careless."

She raised her water skin, cocking an eyebrow at me. "If I'd been your mother, I'd've beaten you."

With a mocking half-bow I wandered off to my mount, well aware of Gil's smile at my back.

On the road pursuing Stenmun and his men, we found ourselves hard pressed to keep up and still pick off soldiers. However, by midday we had succeeded in taking down nine more men, the same number of sentries which had never returned. Time still ran against us. We used the animals as best we could, saved seven children and continued to dog the Scanran's path. But it wasn't enough. Ten miles away was a castle and protection for our enemy. Keladry geared us up for a final strike.

We mounted our war horses, sent out an advance party, and proceeded to prepare for hard fighting. But we hadn't gone more than a few yards before the party returned at a dead run. My stomach dropped.

"There's an army ahead, beyond a rise in the ground." Gil's panic withdrew slightly as he reached us. "Or at least a company, ready to do battle. If their scouts find us, we're dead."

We should be dead already if they were that close. And what of our animal scouts? They hadn't warned us of any army. Keladry gave us the order to continue forwards. We carefully slipped through the woods towards the rise. When I looked over, I froze and instinctively made the sign to ward off evil.

Indeed it was an army. A small army, but we would stand no chance against it. But something was wrong with it. Something I couldn't place for a moment until I noticed Keladry brush back a lock of hair that had blown into her face. The others had looks of fear and shock written all over them, she, however, seemed only confused.

"Where's this army?"

Gil, on his stomach next to her, blinked in surprise. "Milady - are you well? It's there, across the road. They're at least two hundred strong, maybe more."

I looked back at the ranks below. Something about them wasn't right.

Neal muttered. "Two hundred without the mages. Five mages, and they look like real trouble."

Owen clenched the grass beneath him in frustration. "Why are they here? Are they on their way south? You'd think they'd be on the road if they are, not camped."

"Their banners don't flap." I spoke suddenly. "We've a good wind, but their banners hang limp."

They all looked again, but it wasn't enough to dispel the fear. Even I found it hard to decide what was below us if they weren't human. Keladry's hand went to her head. She fumbled with something for a moment before saying,

"It's an illusion, lads. Just a village down there."

A village? How could she tell?

Saefas shook his head. "I hear them. I can smell their horses."

"It's a very good illusion. But it's an illusion. And Stenmun is getting away." She began to stand. Neal grabbed her by the arm and pulled her roughly back down.

"Are you mad?" He hissed. "I see their mages!"

Very rarely have I seen her angry at my relative. This would be one of those times. She pulled something off her forehead and jammed it over his own. Neal glanced back at the valley and turned a very interesting shade of red.

"Oh," He sheepishly commented. "Very well, then, it's the best illusion I've ever seen."

Griffin feathers - I should have remembered that escapade.

"Almost makes it worthwhile to raid a nest." I said out of the corner of my mouth.

"I wouldn't, if I were you. They're nasty beasts."

Some still doubted. Owen looked at Neal and Keladry. "Are you sure it's an illusion? What if it's an illusion that we're hearing you and Neal say it's an illusion? It could all be fakement. We wouldn't know until it was too late. If we're smelling illusions, maybe we're hearing them too, and we'll be chopped up before you can say 'King Maggot'."

I swear, the boy is smart and he's a decent fighter, but the way he was talking one could assume he was a bit obsessive and high strung. How on earth did Keladry survive being year-mates with people like these? I'd bet she was wondering the same thing.

Keladry groaned. "Since I don't feel like going to every one of you and jamming this curst itchy thing onto your faces, you'll have to take my word for it. While we pick our noses the quarry's getting away, and there's still a village to worry about."

The final member of the group asked. "There's a village?"

It was almost comical to watch the most stoic person in the whole world get frustrated. She smacked her forehead with a fist. So that she didn't do any permanent damage, I reached over and caught her arm. She froze in surprise as I took the band from her. Holding it over my eyes, I looked again at the army - only it had disappeared. In its place stood a cluster of houses and community buildings. I gave a brief summery of what I saw to reassure the others.

"Looks pretty dead. I don't see movement, but there's smoke coming from the bakehouse. There's tools just lying about."

Neal took the band from me as Keladry gave orders to her animals.

"Layered, beautifully detailed. Almost perfect. Putting enough power into the mages so another mage would believe they were real, now that's brilliant."

I was only worried about the mage who had enough power to create such a thing. Had it been created by one man? Was this the creature Keladry would have to face?

"If it were truly brilliant, the banners would flap in the existing wind." I bit back.

Fanche took all our statements at face value. "Probably figured we'd just see the army and run."

"An illusion. No accounting for these mages, what they'll come up with, eh, lady?" Tobe had once again followed his mistress without her bidding.

She groaned and stood. "No accounting at all."