Chapter 42: Waiting Game

  The first evening on the farm, we were all tense. The heat and humidity seemed to be continuously rising, like we were in an oven. Every now and then, a distant rumble of thunder could be heard if you were outside. Powerful magic was being unleashed a few miles away. It seemed to be coming from the city, but it could also have been in the skies above.

  The twins made dinner while our mothers comforted Freya and Gwen. Gareth, Aelyn, and I were on the lookout while moving more items to the farmhouse. The food wasn’t bad; just simple rice with diced beef and some vegetables cooked in butter. I complimented the twins on their efforts, and they jokingly said it was their payment for losing their bet to me. Gareth’s ears were sharp, as he was eavesdropping on our conversation.

  I decided to needle my friend a little. “I don’t know, ladies. A simple dinner like this? If I had lost, I’m sure you would have required something spectacular of me, and there would have been dessert.” They giggled, and Gareth eyed me for an explanation I would not give.

  Seeing the play between me and Gareth, Mera said in good humor, “Fine, Storme! You’ll get our special meal and a dessert after.” The twins giggled, and it was a welcome break from the strain of our situation. Gareth looked at me pleadingly to explain. Sometimes, it was fun to tease your friends. Aelyn was outside on watch, but I was sure she would have appreciated Gareth being teased.

  Due to her half-elf heritage, Aelyn had sharper eyesight than Gareth and me. Therefore, she volunteered to work double shifts overnight, watching for danger. While she watched, we all huddled in the cellar.

  With morning, the sounds of combat lessened, and I went to relieve Aelyn. “I saw a number of skyships during the night,” she told me. “I’m not familiar with the silhouettes, but there appears to be intense combat around the island.”

  “Thank you for watching. I’ll show you the two standard silhouettes for the Skyholme navy.” I made a small hand-sized model of a Harbinger out of copper and handed it to her. I then made a model of the Wasp-class ship and handed her that model.

  “These are good,” she complimented. “You could sell them…but I guess you don’t have need of coin.” Aelyn rotated the figures in her hands. A distant explosion in the direction of the city let us know the conflict had not yet concluded.

  “The Wasp is the navy's scout. Not many were built, according to Admiral Sebastian, but you might see some. The Harbinger is the most common ship in our navy.” I switched my gaze from the different approaches to the farmhouse as Aelyn lingered. When she didn’t leave, I asked, “Is there something else? You really should get some sleep.”

  Aelyn hesitated before heading below.

  Gareth’s mother and the twins brought up food to cook, and I resumed my watch. Mera brought me a bacon and cheese sandwich and sat next to me. “So, this is where you and Gareth have been training. We heard rumors when we visited Hen’s Hollow.” She smiled, handing me a cup of red juice. When I didn’t say anything, she asked, “So, are you going to the Annuals with Gareth?”

  The Annuals. That was the big combat tournament held in Skyholme every year. There were three categories: pre-Academy, Academy, and post-Academy. I somehow doubted they would happen with a war going on. “I don’t think so. Fighting is Gareth’s thing. I’m not sure they’ll be held with the Sadians stopping in for a visit either,” I added sardonically.

  “Oh, Storme! That’s funny! I don’t think the Sadians will stay here long, though. We read our histories, and the fighting usually lasts just a few days before they retreat,” she said optimistically. “What about Aelyn? She’s really pretty, and you don’t treat her like an indentured. Are you two a couple?”

  The question threw me a little. Mera studied me, waiting for an answer.

  “No. She’s just a friend. I will help her remove the mark, and most likely, she will move on after it’s removed.”

  A bright smile formed on her face at my statement. Did this girl have designs on me? She was pretty enough, in a tomboy sort of way. And her best asset was her constant smile and optimism.

  I added, “I’m focused on developing my magic.” Hopefully, that would hint that I was not interested.

  She was not deterred, though. “Mother says most people who get married meet in the first-year Academy,” she replied, still smiling. Well, that would be a very small pool, maybe 14 people. “We’ll be attending first-year Academy together,” she added, as if the thought had just come to her. I just nodded, not responding to her boldness.

  Fera came over and handed me another sandwich. I nibbled on it, not really hungry. Fera gave an update on Monty. “He’s up and drooling at all the hanging meat. Stopping him is a full-time job for Freya and Gwen!” she said, amused.

  “Tell them they can feed him triple what he normally eats. He got a lot of healing, so he’s probably famished,” I said. Mera volunteered and went below to tell them. Fera reached out and held my arm. Was Fera going to be as forward as her sister?

  “Can someone go and check on our grandparents at our farm? We’re worried about them.” Her pleading blue eyes were hard to resist.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea. We encountered mercenaries by the swimming hole attacking Freya and Gwen, so I think there may be more small groups out there.” She released her hold on my arm, nodding sorrowfully.

  Gareth approached us with a plate containing two and a half sandwiches—soon to be just two, as he was finishing the half in two bites.

  “So Gareth, I heard you were going to the Annuals this year. Going to compete in the post-Academy group?” I said jokingly. He looked at Fera and tried to speak with a mouthful of food, which he then he forced down.

  “Uh, yeah, I was going to try my hand at the pre-Academy group. The bracket is only 32, and I have to win a fight locally to get a slot in the tourney in the capital. I was going to ask you to join me in trying.”

  I didn’t think Gareth would have to try very hard. He had defeated three ogre mercenaries on his own, and had taken one down immediately.

  I gave him a sidelong glance that he recognized. He persisted, “Callem thinks you can make it. Solaris City has two guaranteed slots based on our population for the pre-Academy group. That means we just need to be better than the kids in the city and surrounding towns.” He added, “You might run into one of boys that attacked you in the qualifications!”

  I ground my teeth. Damn you, Gareth. That would be the one thing that might get me to join.

  “I’ll think about it,” I said, reluctantly conceding. We had more immediate problems, but it was still a nice distraction. Mera returned, and the sisters seemed excited at the prospect of convincing their dad to take them to the city to see us fight in the qualifiers.

  Something in my vision flicked, and I looked up and located a skyship. It must hav been at least a mile up. I was fairly certain it was a Skyholme Harbinger. An unfamiliar, smaller, and faster ship approached from a distance, and we all watched as lines of magic spells bombarded the ships. You could see debris being blown off. Then, a third ship appeared out of nowhere. It must have had invisibility or camouflage, and it laid into the Harbinger with fire and lightning.

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  It was fascinating to watch the dance above us. The smaller ships circled like sharks circling a whale. The battle passed right over our heads, and some debris fell in the woods a few hundred feet away. One object was clearly a body. It wasn’t far away, and the sound hitting the ground was a dull thud. Whoever that was, they were most definitely dead.

  “I think that was a Wolfsguard,” Aelyn said. I turned, shocked to see her behind us. She should have been getting some sleep. “At least, that’s what it looked like to me. I will go check it out, if you want me to.” It wasn’t far away, just beyond our obstacle courses. It would be safe to check it out, as I was sure the victim was dead. Then again, in a world of magic, you never knew for sure.

  “Gareth, go with her. Just check it out and come right back,” I said. I wondered how I had been put in charge. Aelyn and Gareth, with weapons in hand, moved to the woods and the downed Wolfsguard.

  They came back a few minutes later, and Gareth said to me and the twins, “Definitely dead. And not a Wolfsguard. Aelyn thinks it was a wolfkin. Don’t know what business they have being up in skyships, though.” Gareth looked a little sick, so I guessed it was a gruesome mess. I thought about looting the body, but we didn’t need to.

  “A ship is going down,” Mera said, and we all looked. One of the smaller ships was breaking up, but not over the island. Whoever was on the ship had a long descent to the lowlands with no stops on the way. The other smaller ship fled and the larger Harbinger gave pursuit, but it was obvious it was not going to catch it.

  Our group watched the sky and the approaches to the farm together. Gareth got his wish, as the twins were sitting close to him so he could brag about himself nonstop. Aelyn had returned to get some rest, so I was tortured with Gareth’s tales of his prowess. I began spamming my cleanliness spell until Mera asked what the strangely pleasant smell was.

  I revealed the spell to them, and they were completely captivated as I demonstrated it. Soon, I was using my healing spell to remove their scars as well. Gareth didn’t seem too pleased about being overshadowed. I could already hear him tonight, whispering something like, “Come on, Stormy, there are two of them. Do you really need to impress both?”

  That reminded me of my alarm spell. If I could learn it, I could set alarms around the farmhouse, and we wouldn’t need to be out here watching so intently. “Hey, Gareth, I’m going to study my spell inside. You and the twins can remain on watch.”

  Gareth looked thrilled, even though Mera had decided to help prepare lunch so he would only be spending time with Fera. I made myself comfortable on the couch and summoned my alarm spellbook from my space. I ignored the activity around me and focused. The spell wasn’t overly complex. It was basically like writing a simple “if-then” statement with the runes when you cast the spell. When lunch was ready, I ate it blindly, not tasting the food.

  Evening rolled around, and Aelyn awoke to take the evening watch. I was surprised when Mera said she would join Aelyn on watch. Monty came upstairs with Freya and Gwen, my mother following. Freya ran to me, hugged me, and cried into my shoulder, “Storme, I thought you had been killed at the river when the ogre cut you with his sword!”

  The shock of the attack had evidently worn off. I hugged her back. “Don’t worry. It would take at least six ogres to take me down.”

  Chapter 43: Victory At Cost

  It was two more days before Callem returned to the farmhouse. We hadn’t seen many skyships over that period and thought the attack had been repelled, but I still kept everyone at the farm. Gareth made progress getting to know Mera and Fera. They talked during meals, but my focus was on studying the alarm spell. Still, Mera tried to talk to me regularly. Freya and Gwen were recovering from their trauma. Monty was back to his old self as well but eating twice as much, a reward for his heroism in defending the girls.

  I rushed to Callem as he approached the farmhouse. “Callem, is everything alright? Is it over?”

  “Inside, Storme. I will fill everyone in, but inside.” He walked inside his home and looked around the room, taking everyone in, and nodded as if confirming something. There was an electricity in the air now that Callem was here. He had this presence to him that made you feel safe.

  Idle chatter was deflected by Callem as we all settled in the living room to hear the news. He started, “Gareth, your father is safe, as are Caleb and Pascal. Pascal was injured but is doing fine.” He looked at the twins. “I’m sorry, but your farm was attacked, and your grandparents didn’t make it. The rest of your family is well, though.”

  The girls were in shock, and Fera was next to me, so I put my arm around her. It wasn’t long before she was crying, and Mera joined the therapeutic expulsion of emotion through tears as I held both of them to me.

  Everyone in the house consoled the twins, and eventually, our mothers shepherded them to Callem’s guest bedroom to sleep it off. With the twins resting, Callem resumed his news. “It was an extensive attack. I talked with Sebastian through stones, and they attacked three of the islands. It was the Sadians, beastkin, and a slew of mercenaries. I learned it was a retributive strike for the successful assassination of the emperor’s eldest son last year. That information is not to leave this room. It was a Bricio plot and they wouldn’t want it known they caused the retaliation.”

  Callem paused and looked around, focusing on the two young girls, Freya and Gwen. He waited until they returned an empathic nod, but I could already tell he regretted saying so much in front of them.

  “Why did the mercenaries and beastkin ally with the Sadians?” I asked.

  Callem inhaled and began heavily, “For many centuries, the Skyholme people raided the lesser beastkin tribes in the lowlands. Against our powerful ships, they could do little to resist. We took what we wanted from them, including their young woman. These women were used to create the Wolfsguard. It appears the tribes have now united under a single leader and formed a pact with the Sadians. The Sadians built the tribes their own skyships in return for helping attack Skyholme, which I assume they were more than happy to do.” Callem paused and went and got a drink from the counter.

  “Sebastian told me in confidence”—he looked at all of us one at a time—“that we lost half our skyships in the assault.” We all took a deep breath. That was a lot of ships and crew. “It’s bad, but we took at least two of their ships for everyone we lost. Both sides had massive losses. The deadliest attack in five hundred years. Cilia and Leda will be called to return to the Naval Academy. The Triumvirate has issued a conscription order. Somehow, my own age fell out of the range!” He chuckled darkly. “Solaris was only attacked with mercenaries, just to distract the Navy from the real heavy assaults. It worked. Many people in the other cities were killed. The only good news is Sebastian doesn’t think the Sadians are in any position to push their advantage. It should be years before they have enough ships to stage another assault.”

  Callem looked at Gareth and me.

  “There will be a declaration shortly. They’re asking those willing to enter the first year Academy early and join the city guard or navy to bolster the defense forces of Skyholme.”

  I was almost 16 and would have entered the Academy next year or the following at the latest. I knew Gareth was going to volunteer by the eager look on his face. He was already bouncing in his seat from excitement. If I joined him, then I would be going to the Academy with my brother and his friends.

  Callem looked at our mothers and informed them of his plans. “I had been planning to take over the Academy in Hen’s Hollow next year when your boys entered, but I think it won’t be hard to push my plans a year early, especially since instructors will be sorely needed. If you allow it, I will do everything I can to prepare your sons.”

  Gareth looked at his mother like a puppy. Technically, we needed to reach our age of maturity to enter the Academy. If we went earlier, our parents would need to approve unless the Triumvirate passed a law to change that. At this point, it wouldn’t surprise me if they made it a law that 16 was the new age of maturity.

  My mother was focused on me. She said, “Storme will enter under your care, Master Callem. My husband has a lot of faith in you, and you have already transformed him into an exceptional person of character in the short time he has been out here.” This was all Gareth’s mother needed to acquiesce too. It looked like we were going to the Academy, which started in just a few weeks.

  The conversation devolved after that as Freya spent an hour trying to convince our mother that she should also go to the Academy with her two older brothers to keep an eye on them. Of course, my mother wasn’t buying any of it, and it got a lot of good humor going around in these not-so-bright times.

  My mind, however, was focused on another plan. Sometime in the next few years, before the Sadians returned, I would need my own skyship to transport my family to the lowlands and safety. I could foresee the inevitable. It would be a war of attrition, and the dysfunctional ruling Triumvirate of Skyholme would lose.

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