From Iron and Ruin

Journey

Chapter 26:  Journey

For a man who spoke as well as Ainthoch, he listened far more than he spoke. In turn, I watched him just as closely – how he stirred his morning tea and watched the servants moving to and fro, how he brushed his own mount every morning, make pleasant small-talk with the stable manager.

Some days, Narob offered to train with Matthaeus and I. I knew that it was a test to see how skilled we were, but I didn't expect the silent second-hand to lord Ainthoch to be as skilled as he was. I was pleasantly surprised by it. Years of training made me appreciate a skilled fighter and what they had to do to get there.

We left for Fortitude after Ainthoch had rested for a few days. Those days were busy. I had conversed with new visitors and spent hours with Gwen, struggling to understand Duach Agate's rough and rambling speech about load-bearing stone and infestations in old and rotted wood. I was to officially sign off on the new costs associated with it and Fyr made me vow not to tell Mahon about table that had been commissioned for Ewyn's Hall where the heads of the Legion would sit for visitors.

Why did I never consider how costly a new Keep would be?

When I wasn't struggling to understand that, I was pouring over reports and letters. Every second of my day was snatched by people who demanded my attention and a rare moment to breath was rare. In those days, Mahon was tightly wound. Keeping him and Ainthoch apart was difficult – they seemed to search each other out only to trade inane insults and then get offended when one went too far.

Fools.

Though Mahon wasn't required to join us in Fortitude, he made it clear that no one would keep him away. Fyr chose to remain in Adotlan. She was a fierce fighter and a talented Magin but she did not cope well with the long, arduous journeys and the hard ground. Besides, I trusted her implicitly to keep things running smoothly when Mahon left the Keep.

When we rode over the great bridge sweeping into Adotlan, Lord Ainthoch clucked his tongue at the sight of Mahon's sun-coated mount. "What does a Captain have to do to earn the loyalty of such a Sun stallion?"

Mahon swept a cool look towards the lord. "Unlike you Ainthoch, I had to work hard for the things I got in life."

"And that makes you better than me, does it?" Ainthoch asked bitingly.

"Not alone, no." Mahon mused, absently reaching forward to pat his stallion's neck. "There are many things that make me better than you. I simply do not have the time to waste pointing them all out."

Kohen sighed and met my gaze as I turned to him. Quietly he said, "I don't need to be a Zentin to know that they will bicker all the way to Fortitude."

"I know you're right," I whispered back, subtly checking where the two men were again. "And I hate it when you're right, Kohen."

The Zentin frowned. "No you don't."

Smiling, I faced the front. "You're right again, Kohen."

As we left the bridge and turned the procession onto the wide roadway, my hands sparked with light. Behind my new breast-plate, the new mark seared too. My jaw tightened, but spending a few months working alongside Mahon had taught me how to mask my face. I was not as good as the master of course – the look of constant displeasure was hard to maintain, but I would get there.

Kohen cast me a quick glance. "I have written to a friend."

I shifted on the saddle, still getting used to my new riding leathers. Gifts of cloth had been given to the Legion and though I thought I didn't need new clothes, I had appreciated the riding gear and weapons belt that Fyr had commissioned for me. Soft, warm and sturdy – my perfect combination and surprisingly expensive in these parts.