Paladin - the path north volume one

Chapter 6

Sah'rah watched Tar'vid and his friend walking towards the back of the column. She'd been stern with them, but it had to be so, one weak link in the shield wall would be disastrous and so Tar'gorth was allowing only those with six months or more formation training to be on the front line.

"Where do you require me?" Tar'lin asked, incredibly upbeat she thought... that would soon change.

"You're to go to the rear of the column, just follow Tar'vid and you'll be on the right path," Sah'rah told her fellow Paladin, looking him dead in the eye.

"That's a joke right?" he replied in shock, his hands starting to tense angrily.

"No joke, Tar'gorth's orders" she stated, never breaking from his gaze.

"But Tar'vid's our most famous fighter, by the Gods Sah'rah the Saints chose him!" he protested loudly, Tar'lin wasn't the first, though she hoped he'd be the last.

"Not my choice, orders are orders and Tar'gorth's giving them... to the back Tar'lin" she replied calmly, Tar'lin cursed under his breath as he moved off.

She let out a short breath, not realising her hand had gone to her sword pommel, it was a reaction she'd thought wouldn't be necessary until leaving the camp grounds. Several more Paladins arrived shortly after, each of them protesting at their treatment like the rest, though they seemed somewhat mollified knowing the Saints chosen had also been sent to the rear with them. Once she was sure all the Paladins assigned to them were in place, or at least close to being so, she made her way to the portal arch, finding Tar'gorth instructing his captains on the battle plan.

"...though I fear this will be a rescue operation. Now, go to your units, we move out as soon as the portal activates" he finished, the captains giving a salute before departing to their units.

"How did the others take it?" Tar'gorth asked her, his face softening a little.

"About as well as expected, sending Tar'vid to the rear was a good idea... it seemed to kill their arguments for being on the front lines" she replied, feeling they had used him unfairly to pacify the other Paladins.

"That was my intention, besides, Tar'vid's reputation is as a duellist... a brawler perhaps, not a soldier in a war. I intend to keep him safe as the Saints intend" Tar'gorth told her, though she knew he was fond of Tar'vid and it sat ill with him that he had been lumbered with so many untrained Paladins.

"You don't have to justify it to me, I trust your judgement completely" she replied, spotting the Mage approaching the portal arch and preparing his spell.

"I know lass, but I feel I have to anyway... looks like we're about ready, you should get to your unit, we'll be moving soon."

Tar'gorth turned to watch the Mage work his spell and she moved away swiftly, joining up with her unit of spear infantry, her sergeant passing her one of the tower shields they all carried. Sah'rah thanked him before tying her helmet liner under her chin and unhooking her nasal helm from her belt, she pushed it down on her head, letting the chain mail coif rest on her neck.

"Do we have marching orders?" Gable her sergeant asked, he wore a great helm, though she knew him from the large black beard underneath.

"We do, you'll be happy to know we're the first unit through... we got the van" she replied happily, knowing her soldiers were fiercely proud of the training they'd been through, pushing themselves beyond all others.

Gable smiled broadly, for a man of his age he still had most of his teeth, an oddity she thought. Gable shouted out the order to form up to a great roar, this was what they had trained for after all. The portal gate sparked before blinking into life bathing them in a shower of light.