Chapter 12 - Part 16

“We send the Wardens of the Wood and the militia this way,” Chubat was saying, poking on the sketch in the dirt. “The warforged will likely have guards out, and most of these men are not as quiet as us, so it’s best we go forward, engage, and then have them strike from the side.”

“We ought to go in all at once and forget this fancy garbage,” Lyle said. The young man knew this area the best because he had played in it as a lad, and so he was included in the meeting, but he had much to learn about tempering his words.

“Hit and run, hit and run,” Delegado said. “That would be better”

A man named Holgit was watching all of this as he scratched the brand on his head. This entire thing seemed stupid to him. He had run away from Aundair’s army because he was tired of fighting, and now this puffed-up twit Jak was telling him that they were going to fight alongside the rebellious Reachers. Why was Jak in charge? Because Lo’Paih said so? Jak had betrayed Lo’Paih. Because the old druidess said so? Holgit didn’t take kindly to nature priests, considering them heretics against the Sovereign Host. Because Jak was friends with that damn half-breed? Holgit didn’t see the point of following the opinion of someone who was born of cohabitation with a monster.

“Holgit,” came a soft voice.

The angry man looked up in the direction of the voice. It seemed to be coming from the west end of the meadow. He blinked, then went back to scratching and fuming.

Holgit. This made him jump, because he heard it in his mind. It is I, Lo’Paih. Come to the west end of the meadow, and you will be rewarded. Fail and die.

Holgit swallowed, and then slowly walked westwards. No one stopped him or said anything, they were all preoccupied with the coming slaughter.

“You sure this is a good idea?” asked one man. He was older, and in civilian clothes.

“We will prevail,” said the shifter in the uniform of the Warden of the Wood. “As long as we have Pienna, we will prevail.” Other men nearby made general sounds of agreement.

Holgit walked around a tree and peered about. “Lady Lo’Paih?” he asked.

She was there, suddenly become visible. Her broken battlefist stump was no longer leaking. “Hold your sword out,” she commanded.

Swallowing, he did so. She rubbed a vial of oil into it, chanting, and then another vial, chanting again. The blade hummed in his hand.

“What – what did you do?” he asked.

“Sheathe it,” she hissed. He did so, quickly. “I have bound two powerful enchantments into it. A bane for humans and a bane for users of natural magic. The two will destroy her if you strike her correctly.”

“Me?” he asked. “But – the great cat, and the dwarf, and – and -”

“Your signal to strike will me my fire breaking down upon those who have deserted me,” she said. “You will stand there and listen, fixing your burden. I will then blast fire on the camp. They will respond, scrambling. Then I will blast fire a second time. After the second fire you will cut her, and then I will teleport myself behind you. If they run, good, if not, I shall send you via magic with a bag of gold to a whorehouse in Varna before I dispatch them.” Holgit’s eyebrows went up. “Fail me and I shall take your skin off an inch at a time, then feed you alive to the sharks of the Eldeen Bay. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Holgit said quickly. “Yes I understand!”

“Good,” she said. She took out a scroll, read from it, and then transferred its stored energy into him with a touch. He felt the magic flood his muscles, making them stronger. “Now go!”

Holgit hurried back to the strategy meeting.