"You think that because Grimm and I beat her in High Lodge, we can do it again, don't you?" Guy wore a boyish smile on his face, but his eyes glittered. "That wasn't her main power base; she'll be ten times as dangerous on her home ground."
Harvel sighed. "That's all very well, Questor. Still, it seems to me that you mages will be doing all the glory stuff, and we footsloggers will just be sorting out the local ruffians and riff-raff on the way. Like I said, we'll do it, but we prefer straight stand-up fights like we had here in Crar, where we all pulled together."
"Leave it, gentlemen. I think we'll just have to soldier on as we are, Lord Baron," the General said, turning towards Grimm. "Crest and Harvel have committed themselves to the Quest, and I don't think we can ask any more of them."
"I know, General, and I am grateful for that," the young Questor said. For some reason, he felt hot tears rising, and he swallowed hard. "I just wanted…"
The old soldier's eyes fixed on Grimm's. "You wanted a crusade, didn't you, Baron, with flags waving and hearts singing? Just accept that you've got two loyal men with you who don't quite see the righteousness of your cause the way you do. I'm sorry; I felt the same way when I was your age. Just be grateful that they trust you enough to go along with you. Don't try to sell them your dream, your vision. We're ready to go, so let's do it!"
"Well said, General!" Harvel crowed. "Let's just get on with it. If I'd wanted a bloody sermon, I'd have gone to church!"
"Harvel's right, though I hate to admit it," Crest said. "Face it, Questor, heroic speeches aren't going to get the job done. Let's go! That's all we want, not some kind of pep talk."
"Amen, padre," Guy muttered, rising to his feet.
"Wagon's waiting outside, gents," Quelgrum said, as Crest, Harvel, Numal and Guy rose to their feet and left the room. Feeling empty, Grimm made to follow suit, but the General stayed the mage with a hand on his shoulder.
"Not quite the heroic departure you expected, eh, son?"
Grimm gulped, staying the tears. He had wanted so much to have a triumphant chorus of fervent voices, as he led his men into battle in a righteous confrontation between good and evil. Now it seemed that he had been sidelined and abandoned; Quelgrum, Crest and Harvel were really in charge of the expedition. He nodded, unable to speak.
"I was about your age when I first led a group of men into battle, and I felt much the same way," the warrior said. "I was so damned proud to be in command at last. I tried to do the same thing as you did; a vainglorious, silly speech about how good it was to die with a true heart, and about the nobility of our cause. I might as well have been talking to a wall; my little speech fell on deaf ears. My sergeant saved me from making too much of a fool of myself. He said, 'Lieutenant, you can tell us what to do, but don't tell us what to think or feel. Don't try to do our jobs for us, please. We know what to do, and we'll do it, no matter what happens. You can't ask for more than that.''
"Being in command means trusting your men; you can't do everything yourself. I believe they told you that at the start. It's not easy to take your hands off, but you'll never be a leader of men unless you learn to do that.
"You can command what they do, but not how they think or feel. Crest and Harvel-well, you may know them better than I do, but they're old soldiers-and I understand soldiers. Just trust them to do their jobs, and don't preach to them. Keep your hands on the reins, but loosely. Give them room to breathe, and to think, and things'll go a lot smoother, I promise you. It can take a while to learn just how loose those reins should be, but you'll learn."
Grimm nodded. "I guess you're right, General. Crest and Harvel must have been in all kinds of battles, and I suppose they've heard it all before. If they just want to get on with it, I can't complain about that. I just wanted to make my first Quest as Senior Mage… well, special."
Grimm sighed. "Oh, well, I suppose we'd better go. Don't worry, General; I think I may have learnt an important lesson here."
"That's the spirit!" Quelgrum said, clapping an impersonal hand on the young mage's shoulder. "Come on, they'll be getting impatient."
****
Grimm sat beside the General as the older man drove the wagon through the streets of Crar. His disappointment at his failure to enthuse his team dissolved as his eyes took in the glory of the morning; the deep-blue sky, the muted sunlight highlighting the bright colours of the refurbished marketplace, and the sweet smell of the air. Behind him, he heard Crest and Harvel arguing, each trying to out-boast the other as usual, and even Guy seemed to be joining in the impromptu brag-fest.
Despite his earlier bleak mood, Grimm smiled.
The city gates opened as the wagon approached. The full light of the sun streamed through, almost like a celestial benison on the Quest
"It's a good day to be out, eh, Lord Baron?" Quelgrum said, grinning.
"It certainly is, General."
At the foot of the city way-post, Grimm saw a hunched, hooded man, who looked up as they drew near, although his face was in shadow.
Could it be… it must be!
He knew only one man who would cover himself from head to foot on a glorious, sunny morning like this.
"Hold up, General!" Grimm said, scrambling from the wagon as Quelgrum brought it to a halt.
"Tordun!" he crowed, smiling. "I'm so glad you could make it."
The titanic albino rose to his full height, dwarfing the tall, slender mage with his sheer bulk. "I heard you might need some help, Questor," the giant warrior rumbled. "So here I am."
"How long have you been waiting here? Why didn't you enter the city?"
"I've been here two days. I thought Miss Drexelica might be around," the albino muttered, and Grimm understood his reticence.
Despite Tordun's imposing physical presence and battle prowess, the mage knew the muscular swordsman was as nervous and halting as a callow adolescent in the presence of the fairer sex. On their one Quest together, Questor Xylox had decreed that Tordun should share a tent with Drex, pretending to be her lover. This charade continued in Quelgrum's desert encampment. It appeared that the albino was too embarrassed to confront the girl again, despite the fact that he had been a model of propriety in her presence.
"Greetings, General," the pale titan said, changing the subject.
"Hello, Tordun," Quelgrum said with a polite nod. "It's good to have you aboard. I'm sure Miss Drexelica will be sorry to have missed you." The old soldier's eyes twinkled. "She's Baron Grimm's housekeeper now,"
Grimm was sure he had not fooled the General for a moment with this story, and he hid his embarrassment under the guise of suppressing a cough. This was just a little good-natured ribbing.
"General," the swordsman replied, proffering a polite half-bow. Turning to the mage, he said "May I join you, Questor Grimm?"
"Please do, Tordun. I'm just relieved you came. I…"
An angry-looking head popped out from under the canvas cover of the wagon. "What's the bloody hold-up here? I…" Guy said, and Grimm smiled at the wide-eyed astonishment on the magic-user's face as he beheld the pasty man-mountain. At last, it seemed, somebody had managed to render the moody Questor speechless!
"Guy Great Flame, may I present Tordun, of whom I've told you so much? Tordun, this is Questor Guy, called the Great Flame. I'm sure you'll get on well together."
"Greetings, Lord Questor Guy," the albino said, and Grimm could have sworn that the ground trembled at the sound.
Wordless, Guy nodded, ducking back into the wagon as Tordun climbed aboard.
"Are we ready to go now, Lord Baron?" the General asked from his lofty perch. "Is everyone aboard now?"