Chapter 2-11

Myta practically threw me out of the room. I could feel her concern for Sati acutely, and so I didn’t think of arguing. My flame would let me know if I was needed, or something went wrong.

Instead of fretting over the matter, I sought out Hati, who led me to where the rest of our company was training. I gave them the same speech that I had delivered to Denu and Cata, who had already joined the others. Their response was universally the same, summed up effectively by Jito.

“When do we leave?”

I was touched by their dedication. They each had their own reasons for resolving to accompany us into hostile territory. Into the teeth of war. Jito was a thrill seeker, looking for meaning, Hati was determined to prove her worth, most of the warriors felt some desire to protect Ramana, or strike out at the Pure.

But by far and away, their driving motivation was their loyalty to Myta. And even, to a lesser extent, myself.

By the time that Sati and Myta joined us, Cathel and the slaves in tow, I’d informed the company of our immediate plans. Hati had them harnessing the goats within a half an hour. We rolled out of the gates of Bani before noon, everyone having taken an early lunch. Pedu had all of our supplies loaded, and the goats hitched to the wagons for us.

“Master,” my flame spoke to me as we prepared to set out. “I had one of the wagons set up for you to ride in. It’s covered, and set up for us to conduct the tempering ritual, while another drives.”

I swallowed my reflexive protest after her first words. It would be awkward for me to ride while the majority of the company walked, but finishing the tempering of the company was of the greatest importance. Increasing the ability of our warriors would be key to our success in Metic.

“That was well done, my flame. Once everyone is fully tempered, it will also be a place where we can help them develop aspects.”

“You mean, refine their aspects?” Myta was confused by my comment, and I had to chuckle.

“No, you skipped a step, remember? You were born with your aspect of fire, but most people require effort to develop any aspect beyond that of simply being alive, and human. This is why Ramana gifted us with those supplements. They are all infused with strongly aspected mana, so our students can get a feel for them.

“Jito, Hati, and Denu all developed strong aspects when they were tempered. Cata has a mild affinity. But I don’t believe any others in the company have even that. We will need to consult with them, see what aspects might fit their interests. And you need to decide how the company will be structured.”

“What does the company structure have to do with… Ah,” understanding struck Myta before she finished the question. “Because different aspects are better suited to different roles.”

“Precisely.” I smiled, pleased at her acuity. “Hati is perfect as your second. The earth aspect lends itself well to remaining calm in battle, and anchoring a unit. Denu is ideal as a scout, and ranged fighter. Jito is a bit of a mystery. But all will excel at certain tasks over others. Those of our company that do not already have strong preferences, we can shape.”

“I will think on it, master. What is Metic like? What will we face there?”

“It is a rich land. Beautiful and rugged.” My eyes went distant, gazing into the past. “It’s more temperate there, cool and moist. And most of the country is covered in old forests and rocky hills, with the occasional moor.

“The clans are… difficult. They fight constantly, both with outsiders and with each other. Raiding is a normal aspect of life among them, though they aren’t as bloodthirsty or ruthless as the horse tribes of Ootrin. At times, the clans will hire themselves out as mercenaries. Usually just their youths and a few seasoned warriors. But occasionally the entire clan.”

“You like it there. Maybe even love it.” Myta let an edge of curiosity seep into her voice.

“The country is beautiful.” I shrugged uncomfortably. “Visiting the clans was a strange experience for me. They’re so different from what I knew. They’re families, more than anything else. And if they welcome you, then you become family too. A family based on loyalty, not obligation. But I was an outsider there, and they aren’t fond of outsiders.”

My flame waited a little longer, giving me the space to say more. But though my memories of the country were strong and bittersweet, I didn’t truly have a lot of experience there, and most of it wouldn’t be relevant to a war campaign.

“Then it sounds like we will need more scouts and harrying forces.” She finally said. “Ideally I’d like to put at least a full squad under Denu. What will our actual objectives look like?”

“I don’t know,” I growled. Not at the question, but at my own lack of knowledge. “If the Pure and their allies are preparing to simply invade Metic, then things might be simple. Support the northern clans in their fight. Try to convince the other clans to give more support.”

“But it’s unlikely that the Pure won’t pair any **** with treachery. Some effort to undermine Metic from within.” Myta noted.

“On top of that, our real goal is to gain the favor of their druids. I need to learn about runes, and they are the undisputed masters of runework in this region, possibly in the entirety of the Shattered Lands. But they don’t teach outsiders easily. Helping them against the Pure is worth doing for its own sake, but hopefully it will earn us some goodwill as well.”

“So we need to be flexible, operate in rough terrain, and make friends. I can work with that.” Myta smiled, then cast her eyes at Sati. “I’ll be less useful at gaining goodwill.”

“We’re not exactly diplomats.” I agreed dryly.

Our exit from Bani was graced with an enthusiastic send off. While most of the city hadn’t suffered that much from the Pure attack, the trade district had received the brunt of their ire. Many of the people there had personally witnessed Myta and I fighting in the streets. Protecting their homes and businesses. They marked our farewell with raucous cheering and singing, as if we were a triumphant parade.

Many men and women rushed up to try and touch us, to give us their thanks. A few even had tears in their eyes. Myta and I were both uncomfortable with the attention, so Hati and Jito ran interference for us. Both of them soaked up the adulation, kissing cheeks and babies.

Sati was incredibly uncomfortable, probably because the impromptu gathering was celebrating the failure of her plan. I put a steadying hand on her shoulder, not a comforting grip exactly, but a firm one.

“It’s important to see how others view you actions. To witness the consequences. But it does no good to wallow in them.” She glared at me, but I continued, unphased. “These people don’t know anything about your plans, or your dreams. Strangers tried to burn the city, to take their homes, that’s what they know. If you’d succeeded, that would likely still be all they ever knew.

“If you want to have power and authority, you need to count the cost of your actions. Decide if the balance is worthwhile. And always remember that even if you succeed, that doesn’t wipe away the cost.”

She pulled away from me, but she hadn’t shaken off my hand. I thought that might be a sign that she had actually listened.

Once we exited the city, we made good time. I ensured that Ita and Ina remained unharnessed, so that they could show our new herd the ropes. More than one member of the company gave me disbelieving glances when I explained how we would be stopping to gather plants when the goats signaled us, but Denu and Cata listened with rapt attention as I described the awakened herbs we were most likely to encounter.

Denu also took the news that she would be training and leading a squad of scouts with enthusiasm, if not grace. Her squeal of excitement was piercing, and I was glad to see that some of her bubbly enthusiasm was returning. Guta, of course, would be the first of her newly formed rangers. Myta was confident that she would quickly fill out the squad with volunteers.

It had only been a short time since Futa, Guta’s brother, had attempted to **** Denu. They seemed to have bonded over the incident, which still made me leery. Guta had protected Denu, and Futa had died at Myta’s hand, which made the dynamics of their relationship… complicated. But Hati and I were both keeping a careful eye on things.

The sergeant had insisted that our form of discipline for Guta, assigning him as Denu’s subordinate, would help to expose any issues between them quickly. That made perfect sense to me, but it also meant that the situation was potentially volatile. As if our circumstances weren’t tense enough already

We passed two weeks of travel easily enough. Our pace was slow, and our path meandering. Each day, Myta and I performed a tempering ritual on one of the company. The trials the company had faced fighting in the ancient ruins, battling the Pure who were preparing to **** Bani, seemed to have strengthened their spirits already. That wasn’t a surprise, really. But it meant that even the weakest of them only required a single such ritual for their spirits to be fully awakened.

So when the attack came we were, not prepared, but better equipped to survive.