Memorybound

Chapter 34

With the entire army finally spread out along the northern border, Hailey and Isabella prepared for the incoming onslaught. Hailey chewed on a cold wedge of cheese that was slowly freezing in her gloved hands. They should have brought a cook with them. She had once again missed dinner, and she would be paying for it by the end of the night. She had stuffed her satchel full of as much food as she could find before leaving. Isabella did not complain about the food that she was handed. She ate ravenously. It made Hailey wonder how long the woman had gone without a proper meal.

When the two mages had their fill, they stood. Cold bit at her nose and her feet were already starting to go numb. She worried that she had not prepared well enough for this battle.

Isabella dusted off the hunter green cloak that the queen had given her. It made Isabella almost disappear into the night.

"You will be in charge of maintaining the spell that will allow the soldiers to see in the darkness. If you fail, they will not be able to see at all. Even though the fairies glow, there will be other creatures who have come to battle against the humans, against us."

Hailey watched the other woman form a spell to give her night vision, trying to mimic the movements as she watched.

Isabella closed her eyes for a moment and then one hand shot out towards Hailey.

Hailey gasped. Around her, it was as if it had gone from night to day, but if she looked into the sky, it was still black.

"It creates a false vision," Isabella told her. "You cannot see very far, but what is close around you will be very clear."

Hailey nodded and performed the spell on Isabella.

"Good," said Isabella.

"What will you be doing?" Hailey asked.

"I will be fighting the fairies. There are several spells in my arsenal that will work against them."

The two women stood in a large gap. The soldiers had given them a wide berth, which should make it easier for Isabella to cast her spells without hurting anyone.

"Will you need me to help?" Hailey asked.

"No. You are a fledgling mage. You will not be able to maintain the vision for the soldiers and battle at the same time. It is more important that you focus on one task."

Hailey nodded, but she did not feel like a fledgling mage anymore. She had faced down a dragon and had helped wake the princess. Surely that should give her some merit, but she would not argue with Isabella. She seemed to know what she was about and now that Hailey trusted her, she was glad to have her by her side.

Hailey looked around. Aaron and a group of men stood to her left. She was relieved to see him and worried about what might happen to him. Every one of these men were at risk. Hailey and Isabella were the only ones who might not get hurt in this battle. She watched the shimmer, but it made her dizzy to stare for too long. She needed a distraction, something to keep the panic at bay.

"What do you know about the fairies?"

Isabella turned from watching the men. "The fairies are old magic. I am sure that you know that they are pure magic. They are also limited by the amount of land that they can cover. The magic in the land will allow them to have children, but not until one of them dies or until they have taken over a new area."

"So, when they take over a human land, there will be more of them?"

Isabella nodded. "It was not a problem for them until the agreement with the fairy king was made."