Glyph

Chapter 26

Dirk yawned. He had not slept the whole night through. 

By the time his replacement had arrived, some time after Falen had left, dawn had been but three hours away.

Troubled after Falen's more than treasonous words, he had been unable to rest at all. 

So he had spent the rest of the night memorizing new runes and copying them onto himself.

At that moment a horn rang out, signalling the start of the military day. 

Next to Dirk, Cirhic and Cordan both sat up suddenly and rubbed their eyes.

Cordan yawned and started stumbling out of his bedroll.

Standing up, Dirk stretched, feeling relieved as the joints in his back popped.

He looked down at his uniform. It was dirty and crumpled from a night spent awake and he decided he needed a change.

While he slipped on his new uniform he struck a conversation with Cirhic.

"Sleep well?"

Cirhic shrugged sleepily. "No matter how often I must awaken at this time, I am always tired."

Dirk chuckled. "True enough."

A few minutes later they emerged from their tent and joined the line of soldiers standing at attention.

Bridds paced to and fro in front of them until the entire squadron was assembled in front of him, whereupon he halted.

"Troops," he said. "Today we've been assigned reconnaissance duty. We will march north to scout the hills for enemy spies and scouts, as well as establish an outpost for observance purposes."

"The entirety of the company will be marching with us today, troops. I expect discipline befitting my squadron will be exemplified."

Having said his piece, Bridds joined ranks with his soldiers and stared straight ahead towards where the captain sat astride his horse.

As they waited for the rest of the drill sergeants to finish speaking to their squads, Dirk took a moment to take in his surroundings.

Wind from the plains swept across the many many tents set up, buffeting the men with gusts of cold air. The air had a frosty nip, unsurprising in late autumn. All around the men rose the wooden walls of the camp. To the north, the hills rose like some grassy and rocky sentinels of old, their rocky summits seeming taller compared to the flat lands around them.

On a more personal view the sounds and smells of an army camp rose about Dirk. Manure, sweat,, and tree sap all filled his nostrils while the sound of tramping feet, yelling and the ring of steel filled his ears.

Ahead of him, Captain Aetil raised his sword. "You have all been briefed on our mission. Today seems to be a fairly straightforward day for us, men! But we must be ever on our guard. Vigilance is never futile.

And neither is hope, Dirk added silently, watching Falen out of the corner of his eye.

"Move out!," finished Captain Aetil.

***

Once the entire company had trooped up the hillside, they were separated into groups based on squads.

The 16th squad was designated as the partner of the 17th squad and 18th. Each was issued instructions to search out parties of the enemies as well as discover a suitable location for an outpost, if possible, then to return there and report. Then they were sent off. Despite their technical equality, Bridds had become the de facto leader of the band due to his age and experience.