Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
T wo weeks had passed since that horrific afternoon with Vernich and Seb, and Thea returned to her shieldbearer duties with a renewed sense of purpose.
The days went quickly and quietly, and Thea began to feel stronger; much stronger.
Kipp was back as well, though his face looked a little different since his injury.
‘It makes me more ruggedly handsome,’ he insisted one morning as they scarfed down their breakfast.
‘When, in the history of the midrealms, has anyone called you ruggedly handsome?’ Cal shook his head.
‘Well, if you must know, at the —’
‘Don’t even say it,’ Cal cut him off with a warning glare.
They didn’t have time to continue their bickering. The whole cohort was due at the stables and Thea had to practically drag the pair there to avoid being late.
When they got there, Thea’s skin crawled at the sight of Vernich, whose face still sported the evidence of Hawthorne’s beating.
He was in an intense discussion with Esyllt and Torj.
The Bear Slayer’s presence had her looking for the third, but Hawthorne was nowhere in sight.
In fact, she hadn’t seen him even in passing since her visit to his cabin, though her thoughts often returned to that night.
Her toes curled at the memory of his lips brushing against hers, his smell wrapping around her, her heart fracturing just a little at the thought of that flower braid on his table. But he’d made himself clear.
Beside her, Kipp stiffened at the sight of the Bloodletter and she reached down to squeeze his hand.
No matter how brutal Thezmarrian training was supposed to be, what had transpired during that session should never have happened.
Neither Kipp nor her spoke of it, but that afternoon had left more than just physical scars on the both of them.
The way Cal was grinding his teeth told her the experience had left a mark on him as well, that his guilt for not being able to protect them cut as deep as any wound.
Kipp gave her hand a squeeze back and dropped it before anyone noticed.
Esyllt held up his hand for silence and the cohort fell quiet, eager to discover what madness awaited them next.
‘The Guild Master has requested that the shieldbearers undergo a mock skirmish,’ he announced.
‘Sparring in the arena is one thing, but applying those skills in the midst of battle is another. You are all to gather your shields and weapons and meet us down on the Plains of Orax to await further instruction.’
Excited chatter broke out across the crowd.
‘Do not take this exercise lightly,’ his voice rang out through the stables. ‘We will be watching each and every one of you. If you have a speciality, now’s the time to show it.’
That only fuelled the hushed conversations further as the shieldbearers scrambled to get their weapons from the armoury and make their way down to the fields beyond the Bloodwoods.
Unlike Cal and Kipp, Thea didn’t have a speciality suitable for the mock battle; she was deadly with her throwing stars, but she could hardly use them without spilling the blood of her fellow shieldbearers.
Throughout their various lessons, she had trained the hardest to dual wield, like Hawthorne and the great Talemir Starling, and so she sheathed two practice swords at her belt.
‘Your longbow and cavalry skills are excellent,’ Kipp commented, as he chose a lightweight shield for himself. ‘That’s where I’d put you at the start of a battle, before things get messy.’
Thea nodded her thanks and grabbed a bow and quiver of arrows, strapping them to her back. If the commanders and Warswords were going to watch, then she was going to show them exactly what she was capable of.
‘We should work as our own unit,’ Kipp said as they walked through the Bloodwoods towards the Plains of Orax, fully armed.
‘Well, yeah…’ Cal replied. ‘Isn’t that the idea of a mock skirmish?’
‘He means a team within a team, you dolt,’ Thea told him. ‘Right Kipp?’
‘Exactly. We follow the orders of the commander, but we stick together, we have each other’s backs. Cal can cover us from long range, Thea, you take the lead in cavalry, and I’ll do what I can while assessing the lay of the land.’
Thea waited for Cal to make a sarcastic comment, but his face was serious when he nodded. ‘Sounds good.’
Though she knew it was only a mock skirmish, it felt right going into battle with her friends at her sides. When they reached the fields with the rest of their unit, Madden and Evander were there with a unit of horses already saddled and waiting.
Evander tried to catch her eye, but Thea turned away – she had more important things to worry about.
‘Gather round, gather round,’ Esyllt shouted. ‘You’ve been assigned a Warsword to help guide your unit through the skirmish, but you’ll be going in alone. We want no dirty fighting, no broken bones or unnecessary blood. But this is a test, this is to show you how chaotic a battleground can be.’
How in the realms are they going to pull this off? But before Thea could think more on it, some of the younger warriors emerged carrying buckets of paint.
‘Half of you will be red,’ Esyllt called. ‘Half of you will be blue. You’re to coat your weapons with your colour and you are to mark your enemy as much as possible… Archers, special blunt arrowheads have been created by some clever ladies back at the fortress —’
Thea exchanged a grin with Cal. They had been there when Wren had come up with the idea to cover the points of the heads with a hard sea sponge she’d discovered only a few weeks back.
If secured properly, the impact would bruise an opponent, but no arrow would pierce flesh and would mark them with paint.
The cohort was divided in half and Thea was pleased to find Torj at the head of their force; she was even more pleased to discover that Seb and his lackeys were on the enemy team, with Vernich at their helm.
Where’s Hawthorne? The thought flashed across her mind like a star streaking across the night’s sky and then it was gone.
Torj’s voice projected across their group.
‘Forget that this is a practice battle,’ he commanded, his voice deep and serious.
‘Imagine beyond that field is an army of monsters from beyond the Veil, or an army of cursed civilians. You are what stands between them and our world, so remember this: being a true Guardian of the midrealms is not about hating the evil before you, but loving the lands and its people behind you. Remember that glory will not be found in failing to fall, but in rising from the chaos when you do. Do not let me down.’
A shiver washed over Thea at those words as Torj the Bear Slayer made quick work of splitting them into various units.
‘We’ll be trying a few standard formations first, and we need a frontline. Who’s got the balls to look death straight in the eye?’
Thea was first to step forward. ‘I don’t have the balls,’ she said. ‘But I’m always keen to test the fates.’
Teeth flashed in a quick grin. ‘Good, you’re front and centre, Althea. They won’t expect that. Now, who’s directing this attack?’
Everyone blinked at Torj for a moment before Cal shouted, ‘Kipp!’
Thea shoved their friend forward. ‘Yes, Kipp should strategise!’
The Warsword turned to Kipp, who was blushing furiously. ‘Are you up to the task then, Snowden?’
‘Yes, Sir. Absolutely,’ Kipp blurted.
‘Then talk to me. What do you see?’
Kipp didn’t hesitate. ‘The terrain,’ he said. ‘It may look flat enough, but there are dips and crests in the plains as much as anywhere else. We need our force to take advantage of these.’
Thea scanned the field before them. He was right, at a glance, the grassy plain looked almost level, but when she focused, she could see exactly what the warrior referred to.
‘Exactly,’ Torj agreed. ‘That’s your first tactic.’
True to their word, the trio stuck together, the anticipation buzzing between them as they gathered in their first formation.
Kipp spoke in hurried tones about how they could use the terrain against their opponents.
Thea could only imagine how the feeling compared to being on the precipice of a real battle.
‘Remember,’ Torj called. ‘This is the first of several attacks, fight smart and do not let me down!’ He turned to Kipp. ‘It’s all yours, Kipp.’
Kipp gave a sombre nod before facing their unit. ‘Weapons at the ready,’ he called, his voice suddenly loud and authoritative.
The force did as he commanded.
‘On my mark,’ he shouted. ‘Charge!’
Thea sprung into action with the rest, sprinting over the plains, brandishing her shield and wooden practice sword.
The two forces clashed messily together, a blur of coloured paints and flailing limbs, shouts filling the air.
And yet no one landed a single blow against her.
She whirled across the battlefield, light on her feet, darting away from attacks and delivering faux slices and thrusts to the opposition, streaking several shieldbearers with blue paint.
But there was something laughable about it all. Wasn’t battle supposed to be more sophisticated than this? To Thea, it felt like a bunch of idiotic children trying to mimic something they did not understand.
‘Enough!’ roared Vernich over the clamour. ‘Pathetic! I’d sooner die than fight alongside —’
‘You’ve made your point, Vernich,’ Torj snapped. ‘My unit, with me. We go again.’
Once they had trudged back to their side of the plains, Torj surveyed them. ‘This exercise develops tactical, strategic and disciplined habits… As loath as I am to agree with the Bloodletter – I saw nothing of the sort.’
Torj paced before them, swinging his war hammer and shaking his head furiously. ‘When you’re out on a real battlefield, it will not be so luxurious. Start taking this seriously. Their paint means death. Do you want to die today? ’
‘No, Sir!’ came the unified reply.
‘I said, do you want to die today? ’
‘No, Sir!’
‘Then get —’
‘Sir?’ Kipp called out.