CHAPTER SEVEN #2
I ate with him, Khalida, and the rest of our group as usual. I’d barely finished my meal when Ajax called all candidates out to the courtyard. Soon, I was gathered there with the others.
Talon and the Marshalls all stood in the center.
He let out a whistle, gave Ajax a long look, and jerked his head toward the crowd.
I’d learned that the Cardinal had different whistles for different people—though only for certain people, such as the Marshalls.
Others in the Order might speak for him by announcing this or that, but it was always on Talon’s command.
That he was in charge of the Black Tapestry was never in question.
Ajax turned to the crowd. “You might have been hoping that, due to last night’s events, we’d pause Xalbia. Life doesn’t go on pause in the Tapestry just because shit went down.”
In front of me, Lear exchanged a pained glance with another candidate, Reeve; their shoulders slumping. Hell, I was a little disappointed myself.
“Only one candidate died during last night’s battle, but three quit afterwards,” Ajax went on. “That means your number is now down to fifty-five.”
I’d expected some to drop out. It was one thing to be trained for battle; to be told to expect it; to be warned that you would have to kill without hesitation.
It was another thing altogether to be in that situation.
An awful thing. Had it not been for what fate would otherwise await me, I might have considered quitting myself.
“Today, you’ll be divided into three groups,” Ajax told us. “The first will go with Keyes to undertake the gruesome responsibility of cleaning up the battlefield.”
I winced at the prospect.
“The dead officiates were brought into the garrison last night,” he went on.
“They will be buried tomorrow evening at a private ceremony where we will honor their bravery and loss of life. But there will be plenty of other bodies—or stray body parts—out there that weren’t hauled off by the beasts that inhabit the Pines.
You’ll be part of clearing the mess, burning the corpses of our enemies, and aiding officiates in digging graves.
“The second group will go with Vesper—you’ll be responsible for helping to clean the bodies of the dead officiates to ready them for burial.
Some won’t be in great shape—some may even be missing limbs or other body parts.
It will not be an easy job to stomach, but it will be something you will one day have to do if you join the Order. ”
I swallowed hard, recalling times that I’d cleaned corpses at Phoenixia to prepare them for burial—it was always a sad and emotionally exhausting feat.
“The rest of you will accompany myself and Talon on a routine patrol through the Pines,” said Ajax. “We will not return until tomorrow afternoon. Yes, we’ll be spending the night out there.”
Oh, shit.
“Those who’ll be with Keyes are …”
Honestly not sure which of the three scenarios would be worse, I didn’t have a preference for which group I’d be part of. As such, I was neither relieved nor disappointed when I learned I’d be in the third group.
Ajax gestured at a pile of knapsacks. “All from group three need to grab one of these. They each contain a canvas tent, wool sheet, wool cloak, water pouch, and other things you’ll require. There’s some room for you to add whatever clothing and other items you’ll need. Now, let’s get moving.”
Blowing out a breath, I joined the line of people who were edging toward the knapsacks. When I finally reached the front, my gaze clashed with that of Talon. Still a little frazzled from earlier, I quickly looked away and snagged a bag before walking off.
Spotting Jelani and Quillen stood nearby with a knapsack on their back, I frowned. “You’re both coming, too?” They didn’t usually.
Jelani nodded. “After the attack, Talon’s not prepared to take any chances, so he wants to bring along more officiates. Quillen and I volunteered to join this group.”
I felt my brows lift. “You want to camp in the Pines?”
Quillen gave a casual shrug. “You get used to it, believe it or not.”
I wasn’t sure I did believe it.
“Chief, Zinc, and Valor are coming along as well,” said Quillen.
That was a first. And an indication that Talon wanted to ensure we had plenty of backup should we need it.
“I’ll be back in a sec.” I headed to the stables and went straight to the tack room. Once I’d stuffed what other bits I’d need into my knapsack—clothes, water pouch, a spare cloak, and a blade I’d earned after knocking it from an officiate’s hand during a spar—I slipped on my gloves.
As I hefted my knapsack onto my back, I barely swallowed an oof. Yeah, it was not going to be easy to cart this thing around the Pines. Ready, I walked back outside to find that the other candidates in my group were all clustered together. Atticus, unfortunately, was among them.
Ajax clapped once to get our attention. “Right, let’s move.”
I reluctantly fell into the line, still somehow ending up only six people behind Talon—well, candidates weren’t exactly eager to leave, so they never joined the line in a hurry.
We made our way out of the garrison, across the bailey, and out the city’s doors … straight into the darkness of the forest. The ever-present fog misted the air to the point where I couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of me—everything beyond that was a blur.
I clung to the straps of my knapsack as we walked in single file with Talon in the lead. We made steep climbs, traversed slippery narrow paths, and crossed fast-flowing rivers using flimsy bridges.
Once we stepped out of the forested area, I had to blink against the sudden light.
Not that I could see any better than I could before.
The gray haze blurred our view; muting colors, concealing dangers, presenting us with only indistinct shapes.
Still, I could tell we’d reached the moorlands.
I’d heard of this area from Khalida, who’d warned me that vipers were common there.
I barely held back a shudder at the thought of coming across one.
Gray clouds hung low over the rolling grassy hills. Wind swept over the land with a sigh, making the grass shush as it bent and rustled.
The rugged landscape was mostly barren, but I knew I would still have to be careful where I walked—and not only because of the vipers. Rocks and boulders could be found here and there, which were easy to miss and subsequently trip over, thanks to the fog.
The weight of my knapsack a constant strain on my shoulders, I adjusted the positions of the straps slightly. Yeah, that didn’t help much.
I wasn’t fond of the boggy landscape either. Or of how the wind that whistled through the hills became chillier the higher we climbed, forcing me to don my cloak. Still, I only ever complained in the privacy of my mind.
Chirps came from the occasional bird, though they kept their distance. Maybe due to the Laelaps. All three dogs were happy to trot along either side of the line. Sometimes Valor came over to butt my hand but then he’d head off.
I inwardly sighed in relief when we finally stopped for a short break. Sadly, the land was so barren here that there were no trees to lean against to take some pressure off my legs, back, and feet. Unwilling to sit on the boggy ground, I managed to find a cold boulder to plop my butt on.
“You okay?” asked Jelani, sidling up to me.
Since I’d be damned if I complained out loud, I smiled as I dug my water pouch out of the knapsack I’d dumped on the ground beside the boulder. “Enjoying the scenery,” I quipped.
He snickered, but the amusement on his face faded as his gaze fixed on something beyond me. I tracked it, finding Talon waving him over.
“Got to go.” Jelani shot me a tight smile and then disappeared.
All too soon, the break was over. Groans ghosted through the air as people heaved up their knapsacks and once more got moving.
Hours went by as we kept walking, passing sporadic clumps of under-shrubs, undersized trees, and small bursts of purple flowers.
Noticing that the drifting clouds above were starting to turn gray, I grimaced. Not good. Neither was the feeling of pressure building in the air, because it meant that rain would soon come.
Hoping we would stop somewhere for the night before the rain hit, I walked on, paddling through a shallow gurgling stream.
My pace faltered as I heard something nosing around.
So did the Laelaps, their upper lips peeling back.
Most of the beasts that roamed the terrain generally stuck to the thickly forested areas, but not all.
Someone tripped up ahead of me, falling onto their hands and knees in the water with a splash. I winced in sympathy. I knew from personal experience that trekking through the Pines in wet clothes was nothing close to pleasant.
A sly chuckle sounded from someone in front of me.
“Something funny, Atticus?” challenged Ajax.
“N-no, sir,” stammered Atticus, the idiot.
I rolled my eyes. He was all big and bad right up until Talon or someone from the Tapestry fronted him. His confidence always shriveled to nothing in their presence.
“That’s what I thought,” said Ajax.
Silence fell as we continued onward. Along the way, the officiates collected branches for the fire that we’d need to later build. Good thinking, since the moorlands didn’t feature many heat sources in most areas.
We stopped on more occasions to eat, drink, and relieve our bladders.
Each time, I’d gladly dump my heavy knapsack on the floor, developing a genuine hatred for it with each hour that passed.
The moment Talon would signal that our break was over, I’d have to bite back a groan as I hefted up my knapsack yet again with tremendous reluctance.