“My family, sir. I-“
“Yes, your family.” He cut me off, spitting the word out like a swear. “Gods be cursed, Tyrus. After all this time, I thought you had hardened up. You’re telling me you’d rather go home to a bunch of strangers? At this point that’s what they’ll be.”
Strangers? The word struck me. I had already prepared myself for things being different at first upon my return. A period of getting used to each other again, sure. But to say my family would be strangers? I couldn’t believe that.
“Yes, sir. I’d like to go home more than anything else if it’s all the same to you.”
“Well, it’s not,” he snapped, glaring at me beneath those caterpillar eyebrows. “You know, with the war over the king might be interested in looking east to Noval. He has the war machine already created. Why not take advantage of it? It could mean big things for people like us.”
“That sort of thing doesn’t really appeal to me.”
He swore, picked up a piece of paper on the table, and threw it at me. It bore the king’s seal.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“It’s what you want. Release papers for your entire unit for playing a significant role in our victory. The king sent them through one of the High Mage’s transfer portals shortly after terms with Genesha were signed.”
“Then why did you ask me to stay on?”
He shrugged. “I thought I could count on you.”
I balled my hands into fists, trying to control my anger. If I hadn’t mentioned my family, I wondered if he would have even given me the king’s orders. “I guess there’s no need for you to count on me anymore now.”
He looked at the papers in my hand. “I guess not. You’re no longer any use to me, Tyrus. Dismissed.”
Balak poured another cup of wine. My mouth hung open at his attitude. Hamath always said Balak took me for granted. I knew he did on some level, but the callousness in the way he treated me after almost a decade of service staggered me. In a matter of minutes, he went from treating me with respect to acting as though I was no better than a dog.
I left when Balak turned back to his reports, hopeful I’d never see the man again.
* * *
My anger waned as I walked back to my unit’s section of camp. The general could say what he wanted, but he didn’t really know me and he sure didn’t know my Lasha. I knew it would take work to rekindle the relationship with my wife and develop a bond with my kids, Myra and Zadok, again. However, it would all work out. Of that I had no doubt.
The remaining members of my unit sat around a crackling fire when I arrived. Though everyone had taken their turn with a healer and looked better for it, the moods were somber, a stark contrast to the rest of the army. Though I knew part of it related to losing more than half our brothers, I could tell that something else was going on.
“What is it?” I asked.
Ira spat a wad of phlegm into the flames, sizzling against a half burnt log. “Third unit came over and broke the news to us.”
“What news is that?”
“That despite all we’ve been through, we’re sticking around after all. Balak’s orders. Apparently they need us for the transition after the war.”
“Did they have orders?”
“Yep. Even showed us the slip of paper,” said Hamath, rubbing at the space where his pinky finger had once been.
“Did that paper happen to have our names on it?”
They exchanged looks.
“No,” said Ira. “But then again, it didn’t have anyone’s names on it. Just said all elite units would-”
I pulled out Balak’s orders and cleared my throat. “I got this paper here, signed by the king himself. We’ve been given our releases from the army in light of our effort and dedication in the Geneshan war.”
A collective sigh ran through the group.
“What about the other units?” asked Dekar. “Lots of men besides us contributed.”
“They did and I’m sure they’ll get their release eventually.” Though I wasn’t so certain about that anymore after hearing Balak’s ambitions and his talk of Noval. Honestly, a small part of me wasn’t all that interested in what other units would be doing in the months and years to come. “For now, we’re going home.”
Ira jumped up, hollering with excitement, nearly tripping into the fire. Hamath got up with him, and the two danced like idiots. Dekar just watched with a slight smile, unable to stand because of his recovering leg injury. His concern about the others who would have to stay on seemed to fade as the reality of the situation took hold of him.
Ava alone sat expressionless. She threw a stick into the fire she had been fidgeting with and rose to her feet. She brushed by everyone in a hurry.
“Ava? Where are you-”
Hamath grabbed me by the arm. “Let her be. You know she ain’t happy unless she’s got a reason to be upset.” He shoved a drink into my hand. “C’mon, let’s celebrate.”
Ava disappeared behind a supply wagon filled with sacks of flour.
I looked back to Hamath. “All right. Just one. Then I’ll go talk to her.”
* * *
One drink turned into two. Two to three. And so on. I managed to get hold of myself after five. All that drinking did nothing to speed along the healing of a head injury. It also didn’t help that I had never been able to hold my liquor well.
I snuck away before Hamath handed me another drink so I could look for Ava. I took it slow getting through camp, unable to tell if the alcohol or the concussion was the cause for my unsteadiness.
Ava leaned against a small fence that enclosed the cavalry horses. She had a leg propped up on the fence while petting one of the creatures.
Since our childhood, Ava gravitated toward horses when she needed time to think, relax, or just to be alone. I never understood it. She hated riding the animals, and the feeling toward her was mutual. She broke an arm once when one of the beasts threw her from its back. Face-to-face however, it seemed neither could get enough of the other.
The horse she petted moved away as I approached, turning its nose up at me for intruding. Unlike my sister, my relationship with the animals was strictly business.
“Took you long enough to come after me,” she said without facing me.
I leaned on the fence next to her. “Thought I’d give you some time to think.”
“Don’t lie to me. I can smell the ale on you, big brother.”
I snorted. “All right. You got me. So, I guess you’re worried about what’s going to happen with you and the High Mages? I was thinking we could go see them together. Just let me do the talking and make sure you look ashamed of yourself. You don’t even have to mean it.”
“You mean how we used to handle Pa?”
“Why not? No High Mage can intimidate me as much as the old man’s stare used to.”
She laughed. “That’s true. But that’s not going to be necessary.”
I cocked my head.
“I spoke to them already. Apologized for what happened with the recruit and everything. They actually seemed to think I meant it.”
I started. “Seriously? You apologized?”
“It was the only way that I knew they would listen to what I had to say.”
“Oh?”
She faced me wearing a nervous expression. Though she was a woman grown, right then she reminded me of the little girl I used to play in the mud with.
“I asked for them to take me on as an apprentice.” She paused, thin lips pressed together as she let her words sink in. “They accepted me much quicker than I thought they would. I’m honestly not sure if I even needed to apologize first. I wish I would have known that because I wouldn’t have bothered with it. They heard all the details about how we killed the Geneshan Master Sorcerer. Apparently, they couldn’t ignore my talents any longer, regardless of my pissy attitude. Their words, not mine. I leave with them tomorrow for Hol.”
Hol, Turine’s capital, where both the king and the Council of High Mages reside, held a quarter of the nation’s population. It had been a dream of ours as kids to visit the place one day. I don’t think either of us had ever expected to really make it there.