UNSHEATHED

Chapter Fifty Two

Elena remained in her tent that night, avoiding her various companions and subordinates. She paced back and forth, troubled by the evening's events.

There was a definite chill in the air as the first light of dawn crept over the landscape. She could see the orange glow through the cream coloured fabric of the pavilion brightening by the minute. Sounds of the soldiers rising, pots clanging with the preparation of food, and a chilly wind rose up as morning crept in.

She'd ordered the dead sentry buried as quickly and quietly as possible, but she could see the looks on the other soldiers' faces as they followed her commands. She understood. It was scary. The existence of a Guardian of immense power who was at least another several days of riding away but who could easily snuff out a life from that distance was troubling. They didn't know how to fight that. Neither did she.

Elena shivered. She pulled a blanket off of her cot and wrapped it around her shoulders, but it gave no additional warmth. The cold didn't trouble her. The cruelty of the enemy and the power he wielded, however, was a significant problem.

How were they going to defeat him? She shook her head to break the rising panic. There was no one she could confide in now; they all looked to her to lead the way. She needed advice and perspective, but to ask for it would show that she didn't know what to do, and there was no way she could lead this army if she revealed her insecurity.

In a few days they would meet up with the Legion, and she would see her old friends and kin again. After more than ten years, she wondered how they would have changed. She thought of her nephew, Corillion, who had once been as close to her as a brother. He was now the Emperor, and was doubtless looking more like her father, his grandfather, all the time, greying and broadening in girth from rich living. He would be the same age as she was. How strange it would be to see him this way, while Elena never changed outwardly at all. Stranger for him, no doubt, than for her.

When he was alive, her father was always off quelling rebellions and squabbles between provinces, and had never spent much time with her. Those times when they did talk were etched on her memory. She recalled how he often spoke of battle as a metaphor for life.

"Elena, my dear, we all feel terror at facing fearful situations, but we do it anyway. That's what courage is--doing it anyway. We may not know what to do, but we begin, throw ourselves in and somehow, we finally come to a thought that will solve the problem."

Elena sighed. It always sounded so easy. He had been right, of course. She had done exactly this so many times before, had been terrified, but thrown herself into the job. Fast thinking and probably desperation had brought her the idea she needed to save the day.

That all sounded fine until you applied it to fighting and defeating a Guardian, though. In this case, whatever one considered courage to be, it evaporated in a flash.

"Field Marshall?" Carsini said from just outside. "Are you ready to break your fast?"

Elena let the blanket slide back down to the cot. She smoothed her wrinkled jacket and reached for her warmest cloak and slung it over her shoulders. Taking a final deep breath, she lifted the tent flap and went outside.

"Good morning, Carsini." Elena smoothed out the wrinkles in her jacket. "Just some porridge and tea this morning, please. I'll take it out here." She indicated the spot where she had been sitting last night.

"There are a number of officers waiting to see you. What should I tell them?" the clerk asked.

Elena exhaled. "Have them come in. Now is as good a time as any, only..." She was about to ask him to call for the Prince, but she saw him walking up the hill. "I will speak to the Prince first. Tell the others to wait."

Liran looked calm, if not terribly well rested. He also wore an extra warm cloak over his uniform of dark blue, only his was lined in silver fur. A nod to the healer role he currently played.

Elena tried to smile, but was unsuccessful. "I was just going to find you."

"Good morning, Field Marshall, was it an eventful night?"

"Well enough. Can I offer you something to eat, my Lord?"

Liran shook his head. "Just some tea, perhaps. You wanted to speak with me?"

She kept her voice low. The waiting officers at the bottom of the hill ought not to hear what she had to say. "I'm afraid I have some bad news...the sentry you scanned last night has died."

Liran looked surprised. He sat down beside her and rubbed his face.

"How?"

"It was like the time Korr spoke through Dahlia back in Perramo." She related briefly what was said and what happened.

"Obviously it's not safe to continue to scan minds if this is going to happen every time. The Gelhirinim are likely to continue to identify those who are under our enemy's influence, it seems to be their talent, and a valuable one at that. We should have them check our whole ranks for others, but for now, when they identify someone, we detain and guard them. Unfortunately, we will lose numbers in our ranks, and we'll have to figure out what to do with them."

Liran looked sad. Elena knew that the connection between a Marulan and their patient could linger after a healing.

"I will warn the Marulan of this so they don't scan any minds."

"We may not be in battle yet, but this sentry was a casualty of war. If you hadn't tried to save him, he might have thwarted us in some grand way with much greater loss of life. His death releases him from a much worse fate. No honourable soldier could abide becoming a traitor."

Liran nodded. "I suppose you are right."

Elena stood for a moment, and signalled to Carsini that two teas were required. The man bustled about by the fire where several cook pots were hanging. He nodded and when back to his task. The normality of his task reminded Elena of what she should do.

"I will address the soldiers before we leave. They must understand that what we are going to do is saving them from a worse fate. I must also tell them all how it stands, that we are facing a Guardian, and that I will use my power to defeat this enemy."

"Are you sure? You said you didn't want them to know. It will change how they view you."

"Yes, it will, but if I don't tell them, they will think there is no hope against such an enemy, and that is much worse."

Liran leaned in closer to Elena and spoke in a whisper. "If I can tell you don't think you can do this, don't you think they will know?"

Elena looked away, unable to bear the bright blue gaze Liran directed toward her. Her eyes watered a little. She wiped them quickly before anyone could see. Remembering her father's words she sighed and stirred her resolve.

"They will believe what I tell them, my Lord, for I believe it too. You have promised to help me when the time comes to face this monster. I will need that help, and I will hold you to it."

For a moment, he sat there, looking up at her where she stood.

"I will, Elena, I promised it, and I mean that."

Her name as it fell from his lips felt like a caress, wiping away her cares and burdens, but it stirred her feelings, the ones she kept clamped down hard and fast. The ones she swore to herself that she would never speak of, and so she shut the caress out, leaving her burdens unrelieved.

"Very well, my Lord, I will speak of it no more. I'm afraid I have a lot of business to conduct this morning before we can be off. Please stay and enjoy your tea."

Liran nodded as the tea arrive, steaming in Carsini's gloved hands. He took it graciously in his own long-fingered hands, gloved in Marulan silver like the lining of his cloak. Elena turned her attention toward the long line of waiting officers and approached the first one.

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Cheers!

Rebecca