Tales from the Front (Air Awakens Bonus #1) (2 page)

Aldrik pulled his chainmail over his head with a soft hiss. His shoulder rejected the movement, protesting angrily. He pulled at the collar of his shirt, looking at the deep purple bruise that was already threatening to consume the skin between his neck and arm. It was going to make riding painful and now was not the time to be anything less than his best. Aldrik turned his attention to the mail with a sigh. It was dented, and fixing the links was an utterly loathsome process. It was a process he’d deal with later. For now, he was more determined to close his eyes for a blessed few minutes.

He never expected to actually sleep. Sleeping would mean he’d be able to ease the tightness in his muscles and trust the buffoons under his command enough to do their jobs on lookout. The hollow underground, framed by a skeleton of tree roots, was a safe enough place to hole up in – his favorite on the march, if he was choosing between things he hated and things he loathed – but Aldrik was keenly aware that the one entrance made it both easy to defend and to be trapped within.

Footfalls, muffled by soft earth, pried his tired eyes open. He’d pinned a square of canvas to the ground on his right and earthen wall at his left for a modicum of privacy – the benefits of being a prince. So, he didn’t see her until she was crouched down at the opening opposite the corner he was leaned against. She stared at him uncertainly from underneath her dark hood and Aldrik peered back through narrowed slits.

He could still intimidate the girl,
that was good
. She should be intimidated. She should need to gather her confidence before initiating conversation with him. She should
want
to be kept at arm’s length. Things were better that way, and they always had been. The only times he’d slipped up had been Inad and Vhalla; and, given how his relationship had ended with the former and was shaping up with the later, it was not exactly a great track record.

“My prince,” she whispered, mindful to keep her words low enough that they fell underneath the talking of soldiers enjoying their small reprieve around a tiny fire not far off.

Aldrik imagined he were dissecting her piece by piece. He imagined starting with her heart and carving out her chest. He watched her squirm as if she could read his mind. It was a game he played, to see how far he could get mentally breaking down people bit by bit until they gave in and ran. Those who were foolish enough not to run were usually met with his ire and that was a fate that would usually send the bravest of men scrambling, much to Aldrik’s satisfaction.

At least, it had been his satisfaction, until
her
. Until Vhalla Yarl, the library apprentice whose naïve trust sparked a dangerous flame of hope in his chest. Until she had stood up to him. Until she had made it his mission to regain that trust. The woman had ruined the fragile and lonely world he’d created for himself well and truly, that much was more evident by the day.

The woman had saved him
.

“I brought you something, for bruising.”

Aldrik studied her eyes, rather than imagining gouging them out. He had no idea how this creature, so beautifully soft and textbook feminine, had passed for the unorthodox variety of stunning that his Vhalla was.
The girl’s eyes were nothing like his Vhalla’s
.

She produced a vial, placing it between them like a peace offering. Aldrik focused on it for a moment before returning his attention to her. Passing swift and harsh judgment on her meager token.

“Why did you save me?”

Well, he certainly hadn’t expected that
. “Why, indeed?” he drawled, resting the back of his head against the wall of dirt behind him. “I could be sleeping now were it not for your intrusion on my privacy.”

“It was stupid.” She frowned.

There was a time where he would’ve lashed out at her with such ferocity that she would’ve wished he’d taken a physical whip to her. But, for as annoying as the girl was, for all the ways she was wrong and not his Vhalla, she did have one similarity with the woman she was masquerading as. She’d somehow wormed her way under his skin and into a place that wasn’t easily removed. Likely only as a result of the illusion they’d been keeping for weeks. After all, he was the Fire Lord, the dark prince, and he didn’t make friends.

“I shall overlook that comment.” He needed her to be aware that while she’d managed some special status it wasn’t to be tried or tested. It stilled her and she finally lowered her eyes, humbled. Aldrik hadn’t realized until he’d been interacting with the girl how much he’d enjoyed his Vhalla and how she was finally keeping her eyes upward when speaking to him.

“Thank you, my prince.” She mumbled.

Aldrik watched as she withdrew, pulling herself away mentally before she began to move physically. In the back of his mind he heard Vhalla’s voice encouraging him,
more like demanding of him
.

“Timanthia.” The girl cringed at her name. Aldrik couldn’t indulge her on everything and saying her full name was one way that he’d show he would not bend to her wishes. He was still her prince. “Thank you, for the potion.”

Timanthia stilled and had the audacity to give him a small smile. Aldrik returned it with a scowl.

“You’re welcome, my lord. I hope you have the pleasant variety of dreams today.”

Aldrik watched her as she finally retreated.
It had been a mistake
, telling her anything of his dreams. It had been a dangerous calculation on his part, taking her into his tent on the march. He loathed it still, bringing another woman into the sanctity that had become something he’d viewed only for him and Vhalla. But his love’s life depended on everyone else’s belief that she still was at his side and Aldrik would do what needed to be done for that illusion to remain. Even if it meant showing false favor to the girl.

False favor, however, quickly stirred the murky waters of his dark and dusty heart – a heart he’d kept so carefully closed since Vhalla had forced it open. The girl paled against his lady. Tim was mentally simple and boringly beautiful. She could never be someone he’d consider for a lover. But she was kind in the face of his ferocity and that reminded him just enough of the woman he pined for that he could not completely hate the girl. It had encouraged his lips to speak yes, instead of no, when she offered to drink alongside him on the march.

But the dreams, those were things he should’ve never uttered. Timanthia borderline knew too much and that was not a feeling he was ever fond of.

Elecia tightened the muscles in her back, sitting as straight as possible. Despite doing so, she was still a good hand shorter than Aldrik and seemed to slump in comparison. Even sweaty, filthy, and exhausted, her cousin was the paragon of noble grace and poise. Just by waking in the morning he was everything she strove to be.

“Our scouts report signs of Northern activity along the western side of the Pass.” Major Schnurr pointed along the map rolled out on the bare ground in the center of the small collection of majors. “I recommend we continue as planned and tackle that side.”

“You want us to knowingly walk into a potential attack?” Major Kavas stole the words from Elecia’s mind. “
And
forego the opportunity to meet with the Emperor and strengthen our forces before?”

“We know where the enemy is now.” Major Schnurr’s dark mustache bounced atop his lips as he spoke. “They are clearly yet regrouping. We should attack them head on when they least expect it, weed them out before they can flank us on the other end of the Pass or launch a greater attack later. If we stall they might know something is amiss.”

Major Schnurr was never afraid to say the unpopular opinion if it was what he believed. It was an admirable trait, but that was the only thing Elecia found admirable about him. Those opinions had created a number of rifts in the Western Court over the years and, while it was never enough to prompt any kind of real or public action against the man, it was enough to give her grandfather trouble.
That
was something Elecia generally did not forgive.

“That is one way to look at it…” Kavas conceded. “But I maintain that we should rejoin before the Pass. However much strength they can scrape together will pale in comparison to two thirds of the Empire’s finest fresh recruits.”

“Don’t underestimate the ability of the Northerners to use the terrain to their advantage.” Major Vensum interjected. “In the jungle, every one Northerner is worth two, or even three, of our men.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Kavas was only on his second trip to the warfront and his inexperience showed compared to the more seasoned majors. Elecia was on her first trip, but she’d learned magic from her mother in jungles much like this and knew what it was capable of. Though, those jungles were much thinner on the Western coast of Shaldan where she had first practiced.

“Your opinion would suggest otherwise, actually.” Schnurr didn’t miss the opportunity to make himself look better by putting someone else down.

“You’ve already made your point known, Schnurr.” Kavas glared.

“A point that is grounded in fact and experience.” The Western major twisted the proverbial knife.

“Enough.” Aldrik pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “If I desired to hear imbecilic ramblings I would sit around campfires.”

The majors were silenced.

“Do any of you actually have anything useful to further contribute?”

More silence.

“Then be gone with you and argue somewhere that you are not disturbing my thoughts.” Aldrik turned toward the map as the majors shifted to leave the tree trunk they had made their temporary council room within. “And if I hear word that the men see any rifts between their leadership I will personally and publically remove the causes.”

Her cousin was as sharp and precise as a surgeon’s knife. He was unrelenting and ever calculating. People hated him because he was never wrong and perpetually perfect. It was for those same things that Elecia both loved and admired him.

She remained in place as the rest of the majors left, an unquestioned presence at Aldrik’s right hand. If she had been born to any other notable family in the West she would have been Empress, she knew it. But, she was born a Ci’Dan, noble and proud. And for it she had worked to become the best council Aldrik could ever have. She would succeed her grandfather as the Lady of the West and rule half the world at Aldrik’s side, in her own way.

Elecia watched as Aldrik’s eyes studied the map, seeing invisible forces moving across it like ants. She waited quietly, patiently, trying to think like he was.

“What do you think, ‘Cia?” he asked finally.

“I think we should root out the enemy whenever possible, especially since we know where they are now,” she advised with confidence. Aldrik was unforgiving to uncertainty. She’d learned he would rather someone be convicted and wrong, than waver until the right path was blatantly apparent.

Aldrik said nothing.

“You disagree.”

His persisted silence told her everything. His wavering was unnatural and unbecoming. Aldrik had always known what to do and Elecia suspected she knew the source of his conflict.
The Eastern girl wasn’t worth the trouble
.

“Wouldn’t she be better protected if we eliminated any possibility of a flank?” Elecia tested her theory and the look Aldrik gave her told her everything. She’d been right but she’d learned better than to point out Aldrik’s foolishness for his fondness in the girl.

Elecia had always imagined Aldrik with someone strong, convicted, determined. Someone who could be his mental equal. Someone more like Elecia herself. But he’d chosen Vhalla Yarl and Elecia had yet to see the girl stack up to her high standards.

“You must do what’s right by your men, not just Vhalla Yarl.”

“If you think I don’t know that then you have less faith in me than I thought.”

“It’s not a matter of faith.” Elecia frowned.

“If you have no further council, you can leave as well.” Aldrik turned back to the map with a scowl.

Elecia studied the haggard man. They’d sustained four attacks since crossing the border of Shaldan. It seemed the North knew where they were at any given moment and the constant alert was pulling at Aldrik’s seams. She knew he’d endured far worse, but that didn’t change the fact that Aldrik was a mortal man.

Elecia rested her hand on his shoulder and he nearly jumped out of his skin, startled by the fact that she was even still there.

“I do have further council,” she said gently. “You should sleep on this.”

He opened his mouth to object.

“Cousin, when was the last time you rested?” Aldrik avoided her gaze as if he could avoid her words as well. “The majors and men see the circles beneath your eyes deepening. Even your magic feels thin.”

“Don’t diagnose me.” Aldrik pulled away from her hand, catching on quickly that she had been probing him magically.

“Too late.” Elecia grinned with a hint of coyness. “I’ll watch personally. Rest an hour.”

He clearly considered it for a long moment. “No, we must push on.” Aldrik scooped up the map, rolling it quickly. “Or we’ll fall behind the arranged meeting with my father on the other side of the Pass.”