Whisper Of The Free

Chapter 25 Scum

Olivette

We arrived on time it seemed. Tents of various units draped the landscape for what seemed like miles. Many large men walked the paths and looked down at us with sneers. I kept my head high as did my companions, we did not falter to such pathetic jealousy, or inferiority.

The wizard troops were said to arrive sometime this week. Yarnder was a dense wall made of black bricks and stones ranging in widths and sizes. The border between our world had been a solid wall that looked like the gates of hell. I wondered if Caspian would be among the wizards we fought. I frowned at the thought and immediately slammed it away.

We arrived at a vacant tent towards the front of the canopy of other units' tents. Sergeant's face contorted into one of controlled anger. We tied the horses to nearby posts before beginning to unpack. The landscape would be beautiful if not for the large number of men that probably hadn't seen a woman in weeks. Even now we had men of all ages staring in the safety of our tent.

"Hey little lady." A tanned and toned man leaned on a tree beside Eve. "What has a beautiful flower like you have here?" His southern accent was so thick I believed it was enough to drown him.

Before I could do anything Cayden came behind the man and hooked his sickle dangerously close to his throat, "I suggest you leave my comrade alone." Cayden's voice was haughty and menacing. A shiver even went down my spine and a gulp slid its way down my own throat. The man ran off stammering sorries and apologies lacking sincerity but possessing terror.

"Thank you Cayden." Eve said with a warming smile. Cayden ignored her thanks, "Are you alright?" She nodded in return. He also nodded before continuing to unpack his own supplies. I was happy to know that I could rely on our other unit members even just a little bit.

Men continued to stare at us, specifically Eve and I. I would always glare at them only for them to smirk and whistle. Night was approaching. I was to take the night shift for our unit. Sergeant saw little point but I insisted. I could sacrifice a night's sleep for knowing Eve would be safe and not tampered with as she slept.

The men around our tent stayed up and drank near a fire. I sat in the shadows of our tent, trying to relieve some of the presence I already had as a woman. I have been successful so far. The night sky was dimmer here than at home. The south was much more occupied than the north I noted. I could still see stars and the moon however, I couldn't see the greens and blues that danced across the night sky.

A sickening feeling held my gut. I was only a week away from home and I already missed it. Was this how Caspian felt? Was this how he felt when he spoke of his family? I bit my lip, trying to escape the tendrils of thoughts of him that tended to envelope me in times of rest.

"Why would someone leave a pretty little thing like you alone?" A drunken man spoke from above me. A bottle in his other hand. "I am not alone." I kept my voice from trembling by keeping it firm.

"Sure look alone." He looked around before looking back down at me. He then fell to his knees before adjusting himself in a sitting position beside me. "So you a medic or something?" He asked me, placing his lips on the bottle. "No. I am a soldier."

His arm faltered before he could take a swig. He set the bottle down and looked at me. "There ain't no way you're a soldier. Where you from?" He questioned further. My eyes narrowed as I looked at him. "Senlow." Keeping my responses short and sweet on purpose.

His lips clamped together as he realized his mistake. "So you're one of the rookies that experienced the wizards first hand." I nodded. He looked towards Tarian's chest plate that had been leaned on a post of the tent.

"Sorry I asked." He said before finally sipping from his bottle. "It's alright. You didn't know." Was all I said to the man. "I'm Torao by the way." He placed his bottle aside and held out his hand for me to shake. "Olivette." I shook his hand and matched his firm grip.

We sat in silence before he spoke again, "So other than the attack on your village what brought you here?" I knew what he meant by here. Why I had become a soldier, and chose to kill such divine beings.

"I watched as they killed my mother and took my father." I hesitated for a moment before continuing on, "I also watched my lover die." It was the closest I could get to the truth. Caspian was dead in my mind. The man I knew, I loved, was no longer among us. Tears welled in my eyes at the thought of him actually being gone, however were shoved down like every thought that appeared in my mind.

"My apologies." He spoke softly and gently, knowing it was a rough topic for many. "Why are you here?" I countered, curious on why this man decided to speak to me and what brought him to such a fate. "My little brother suffered the same fate as your mother and lover. He was the last family I had left."

My brows knitted, "I'm sorry for your loss." He nodded before tilting his head back, finishing the bottle. "Well, catch you on the battlefield Olivette." He got up and gave me a wary wave before stumbling over to the fire that began to dim.

The rest of the night was quieter. Many fell to slumber after the fire had fizzled out. I heard fewer owls here compared to home. Oftentimes all you would hear is the nocturnal birds coos. I never realized how strange it was when the coos and hoots were so faint.

The majority of the night I stayed analyzing the wall from a distance. It was harder to see at night however it still loomed like a prison. I watched it, stalked it as though any second wizards would appear and attempt to take the lives of these soldiers. That I would not allow. That I refused to even count as an option.

The kiss of the sun hit the wall, signifying dawn's approach. The others had yet to awaken and few people were sent to be on watch. A sick feeling filled my stomach. My heart pounded with every second. Danger. Danger had to be coming. Just as the tips of the leaves began to reflect sunlight, red cloaks emerged from the few trees and into the clearing that separated the tents from the wall.