Cursed: Traitor's Trail

Chapter 18 Part 1

Jaob lifted his head to peer above the short tufted grass. His form hidden at the top of one of the steepest inclines of the area. He had crawled the last several mouse-lengths with his head down and his belly in the dust. The fine dirt clung to his skin, invading scratches and wounds he hadn't realized were there until the particles had sucked the moisture from them, leaving a dry ache. The breeze shifted so that he was no longer downwind, but it hardly mattered, none of the men in the valley below were mounted and he doubted he smelled poorly enough for a human nose to detect.

Beside him, Bane shifted as well to gain a view of what the Magi warriors faced. It didn't look good. Kordal hadn't been kidding when he said thousands of the king's men formed an army against them. There were so many bodies covered with chitin armor, all glinting in the sun, that Jaob was reminded of the ancient tales of the sea, a mythical body of water that stretched over vast areas. It was said to have sparkled and glittered like nothing else, and provided not only moisture that the land needed, but food for the people, as well. Some form of mysterious swimming creatures, if he remembered correctly. It was odd to think of a pool of water large enough for something to live in. Yet Bane had said he saw such a thing on his trip to the southern kingdom. The man's displeased frown drew Jaob's mind back to the present.

It took nearly all day to find the king's army, strangely, since by high sun, they should have nearly been upon New Hope.

"Does anything about that seem odd to you?" he whispered to Bane, subtly nodding toward the immense gathering of armed men.

"You mean other than the fact that they're just standing there like they are waiting for something?"

"Yes."

"They aren't moving much. Chitin armor is stifling under the sun. If they have been standing and waiting all day the force will be reduced by half come morning."

"Due to heat sickness?"

"Among other things."

Jaob pondered that. "It seems too much to hope that Theron would provide us with such a boon."

"Yes."

Hmm. Despite Bane's reticence, he sensed that he was missing something important about the scene before him.

"Which men are the commanders?" he wondered aloud.

Normally, the commander of each unit would be slightly set apart. Attacks upon them from the enemy was outweighed by the benefit of each unit knowing where to look for direction.

Jaob frowned. There seemed to be no structure at all to the massive force. The way the men were grouped together appeared more random than organized, not the neat rows that his instructors had practically bludgeoned into his head to improve efficiency in battle. With this grouping, the men wouldn't even be able to draw their weapons without damaging their neighbors.

Beside him, Bane pushed off the ground and rose into a crouched position. From the grasses next to him, he pulled up a bow and strung it. A weapon he must have purloined from one of the other men since he, himself, favored the blade.

"Is it wise to...?" An arrow flew, arching true into the first row of the king's army...before disappearing between the men unnoticed. "Odd," Jaob murmured.

"It is an illusion," Bane stated, a sharp edge to his voice.

An illusion? But with what purpose?

To draw out the warriors, of course. The realization shot dread into his gut. He was a fool. An out maneuvered fool. Somehow, Theron guessed he would lead a desperate attempt at a distraction, and leave the village virtually unprotected.

Bane straightened, staring pensively back in the direction of New Hope, but it was hours away.

"I will take Yassa back and protect the evacuees," he said, his voice much calmer than Jaob felt.

"You rode out here, Bane," Jaob reminded. Indeed, he had found it odd when the man joined the warriors on mouse-back, but he had assumed Bane thought it better to fight from the ground with blades, or maybe he had guessed that his power would be necessary at some point.

"She follows us. It seems I cannot command her to remain at the village if I am not there to enforce it." Bane's mouth twitched dryly.

The admission that Bane did not have as deep a control over the demon as he thought, chilled Jaob. Sudden images of the bird swooping down from behind as their men rode out filled his mind. He shuddered.

Bane whistled loudly and Jaob flinched, gaze roaming the illusion. What if only part of the force was false, covering a smaller group?

Nothing changed, however, no piece of armor twitched. To the east the owl rose above a distant slope. The bird had followed, but it seemed to know enough to keep back from her master who had commanded otherwise.

Within moments, the creature landed next to Bane, wings spread for balance, chuckling in its low voice. Jaob managed to hide his distaste.

"I will return to the village and protect the Magi there."

It was an unnecessary announcement, but Bane seemed to be seeking his approval, or maybe his permission. Why bother? His leadership failed.

"Yes, I think that is best...if there's anyone left to protect." A bit morbid maybe, but it occurred to him just how deeply the Magi had lost.

"Be careful," Bane called, and pulled himself onto the demon's back using the feathers at the nape of its neck. If the bird minded it didn't show it. "There is a good chance that this is more than a simple distraction."

Jaob would not have called the massive illusion 'simple', but the rest of Bane's words rang true. "You think this is a trap?"

"It seems likely."

Jaob let out a heavy breath, could he face such a trap on his own? He wanted to tell Bane to stay, but he could not put his own well-being above the others.

"Be careful," he said instead.

The bird took to the air and disappeared over the horizon.