The Reckoning - Book Two

Chapter Thirteen - Alvaryn

The ground around me is littered with bodies and men cry out in pain. Smoke and ash linger in the air as I search faces, each one familiar but not the one I am looking for.

"Aeris!" I call out, scanning more faces as I move.

"Have you seen Aeris?" I ask one of my soldiers as he gets close enough. He shakes his head, expression exhausted, face covered in dirt and blood.

I keep moving, another cry of pain catches my attention and while I know it isn't his I turn towards it, searching around the wounded male.

Another male approaches, limping slowly.

"Have you seen Aeris?" I ask and he nods.

"Over there." He says pointing in the direction.

I thank him before jogging in the direction he had pointed and then finally I see a streak of white blonde hair and relax my strained lungs that have been struggling to breathe properly since the battle had finished.

"Aeris!" I call out, jogging towards him.

He looks up at me, a man slung around his shoulders, he half carries half walks the male.

"Are you alright?" I ask as I reach him, eyes scanning the splatters of blood on his face and uniform.

"Fine, but Theron here needs to get to the medical tent." He answers, shifting his weight to support the soldier he is holding up. I step on the other side of the male, slinging his arm over my shoulders and helping him towards the medical tent where males linger, some bandaged, others resting where they can.

We set him on a cot inside the tent where one of the healers can see him before walking outside.

I reach out, wrapping my arms around my brother's shoulders, relieved to feel him alive and mostly unscathed. He claps my back before we step apart.

"How many did you lose?" I ask.

"I'm not sure, enough that I stopped counting." He answers stretching his neck from side to side.

"We need to hold another war meeting, get an idea of numbers from the other commanders." I tell him, turning towards my tent.

"That's a spectacular idea. I however am going to celebrate being alive and commiserate the dead by having a drink. I will meet you there." He says turning in the other direction.

"Just one drink, right?" I call out as he starts walking away from me, his only reply is to lift his arm before letting it fall again.

I don't try and stop him, there would be no point. He would do as he willed and I didn't have Dae here with me to try and convince him otherwise.

I stand at the war table, messages scattered in front of me from our allies and Demwyn. We had won our first fight, but we had lost many in the process.

The other commanders had long since left, Aeris had not shown up and while I know I should go and look for him I stay staring at the map hoping it will somehow give me the information I needed to win this entire war and go home.

"Brother!" Aeris calls out, stumbling as he walks into the tent. Eyes glazed and smile on his face he holds a bottle in the air. "Come, have a drink with me."

"I think you have had enough for the both of us." I say turning towards him, eyeing the bottle and remembering the last time I tried to take one away from him.

He smiles again. "Did I miss the war meeting?" He asks, looking at the table behind me.

"You did." I answer turning towards the map.