The night was supposed to be one of fun and merriment, a chance to relax after years in service and over a week of monotonous travel. I had even expected to receive some appreciation for our service in the war. It ended up being more of what many of us had hoped to never see again. We wanted a celebration and got a massacre.
Some in our meager group, now roughly forty men, wanted to reform and go on the offensive.
“How dare they do this to us!” someone shouted. “Don’t they realize what we did for them?”
Others expressed similar sentiments. With blood racing, I even found myself siding with the mob of angry veterans, but thankfully, cooler heads prevailed.
Nehab attempted to calm us all down before we did something stupid. “Everyone shut up! I know you’re mad. By the gods, I’m mad too. We lost good men tonight, and I don’t want to lose anymore. I’ve got a wife waiting for me. Some of you have that and more. Do you want to die here and now on Turine soil by your own countrymen when home is closer than it has been in years? I sure don’t.”
“So they’re going to get away with what they did to us?” someone asked.
“Considering how many everyone said they killed, I’d hardly say we’re letting them get away with anything,” said Nehab. “But no, I’m not just dropping what happened tonight if that’s what you mean. I’ll get word to Balak and let him know what’s going on. He’ll pass it on to the king. Let him take care of it. We need to worry about getting home. Ain’t that right, Sergeant?”
I blinked from my angry daze as I realized Nehab was addressing me. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Hamath set up a perimeter and watch. Everyone else get to sleep. We’re leaving at first light tomorrow.”
People started to shuffle off. I was ready to do the same until Nehab called out. “Sergeant, a moment.”
I walked to him. “Yes, sir.”
“You all right?”
I rubbed the shallow wound at my collarbone. “I will be. Pretty ugly back there. But I’m fine now.”
“I understand.” He walked me toward the injured. “I need you to take a look at someone. It’s Lieutenant Teyman.”
“I’m not any sort of a healer.”
“I know. But he had a run-in with a minor mage and we can’t get his wound cleaned out.”
“I see.”
A benefit of my resistance to sorcery was that it not only protected me from spells cast by mages, but it also allowed me to draw away sorcery as well.
Lieutenant Teyman lay on his back with hands around a black wound on his side that oozed a green pus that stank like a dead possum rotting in a ditch. The private trying to clean the wound kept gagging into his arm as he wiped away the infection. Teyman didn’t cry out, but the pain was evident on his wrinkled face each time the private touched his skin.
Nehab cleared his throat. “Private, step back a moment and let Tyrus take a look.”
I kneeled at Teyman’s side. Too busy trying to manage the pain, he didn’t even notice.
I placed my hand over the wound. As I made contact, I felt a slight vibration. I never had to do much for my resistance to work.
Teyman began to relax as the green ooze disappeared and the wound went from black to red. Thankfully, the smell dissipated as well.
I moved away quickly so the private could dress the wound.
Teyman opened his eyes and whispered. “Thanks.”
I went to sleep that night imagining I heard the Damanhur citizens cheering our departure in the way everyone thought they would cheer our arrival. Returning heroes? Not to them. I recalled the words of the idiot I fought in the bar. They probably blamed us for what happened even though they were the ones responsible.
Attacked by our own countrymen.
I never expected to deal with that.
CHAPTER 6
We hit the road early the next morning. Nehab wanted to put as much distance between us and Damanhur as possible, worried the mob might experience another burst of motivation in the light of day. Thankfully, the worst battles we fought were against our own bewilderment, exhaustion, and moroseness.
We set up camp that night just past dusk. Everyone looked like death and moved like it too. If a man wasn’t still nursing a bad hangover, he was tending to the injuries he had picked up during his escape. Most soldiers, including myself, did both.
I cleaned up the scrapes I earned after choking down, and keeping down, the stew of the evening. Others did the same. The mood around the campfires had changed drastically.
Conversations that had dripped with optimism and anticipation were filled with dread, uncertainty, and even fear. Many wondered if their hometowns would match that of Damanhur. I didn’t really share their worry. I knew the people of Denu Creek too well. The community was too close-knit for them to act that way.
I left our fire and maneuvered through camp toward Captain Nehab. He sat with bent knees, back against a large rock. He stroked his thick mustache while looking over a map of Turine.
He glanced up as I approached.
“Sergeant.”
“Captain.”
“Have a seat.”
I took a spot next to him.
“You have any idea what caused that mess back there?” he asked. “I’ve heard so many varying stories that I can’t make sense of what’s real and what’s not.”
I told him what little information I managed to gather from the man at the bar.
He muttered a few curses. “Heck of a way to show their thanks, isn’t it? Without the army’s efforts, we’d be paying tribute to the Geneshans right now and dealing with that madman of an emperor they have.” He grunted. “Who knows? We might have even been forced into learning the language. That’s what happened to the other nations they conquered before they came after us.”
“If you’re looking for me to make sense of it, sir, I’m afraid I can’t help you. I don’t understand it either.”
He sighed. “I know. I need to get that message back to General Balak about what happened so he can give the next groups passing through ample warning. Just wanted to run through everything with you first.”
“You think this was a one-time deal or is every town going to be Damanhur all over?”
“Your guess is as good as mine, Sergeant. That being said, I’m not taking any chances. We have enough supplies to avoid any cities for a while. Plus, we won’t reach anyone’s home for at least a week. No reason not to just stay to ourselves.”
I nodded. “Makes sense.”
He sighed. “It’s getting late, Sergeant. Go get some rest. I’ve still got a letter to write.”
“Yes, sir.”
I went back to my unit’s fire.
After a quick search through my things, I pulled out a bundle of letters tied with a piece of old twine. I removed the twine, unfolded the top letter, and began reading. I had long ago memorized all the letters Lasha had sent me over the years, but I still liked to read them in her own hand from time to time. Something about it allowed me to hear her voice in my head. It was like she sat next to me, leaning on my shoulder.
My beloved Tyrus,
There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t wish I was at your side and you at mine. Even under present circumstances, I’d brave whatever the enemy offered if it meant I could see you again. To say I miss you dearly is an understatement. I say this not to bring you down, but instead to give you reassurance that I love you even more today than I did when you rode away in that wagon five years ago.
We will be together soon. I can feel it.
And when you return, be prepared for the best night of your life.
I leaned back and sighed. Gods, that was five years ago. “So much for a woman’s intuition,” I muttered under my breath.
Shaking my head, I returned to the letter.
Anyway, enough with the romantic stuff. I know you were never as fond of it as I am. Let me tell you what Zadok got into just the other day. .