Born To Hail

Chapter 33

The day had arrived. Pounding of war-drums heralded the rising of the sun. At first Sebastian thought the thumping was in his head, just another migraine much like he's had many times before. He was still groggy from having just woken and having not slept much the previous night. Due to that it took him a moment to realize that his head didn't hurt; that the thumping came from without not within. The implications of the drums hit him like a falling star, his stomach roiled and he vomited bile into his chamber pot. He was there for a few minute's bile gone from his stomach and dry heaving. Sweat drenched his face and dripped into the pot, some ran into his eyes the salt causing his eyes to burn. Ceradell soaked a clean strip of linen in the water basin and wiped clean his brow.

"This is obviously your first battle, I'm assuming. The nervousness is common, don't be ashamed, my love." Ceradell's words were soothing and reassuring. She gently caressed his back as he heaved. She had better control over her churning stomach but she was just as anxious as he was about the battle. In her near two centuries of life and all of the fights she'd been in since becoming a scout, she'd never been in a battle of this scale. What was more unsettling was the fact that this was just a drizzle compared to the storm Zieg had warned them was on the horizon.

She gave him a cup of elven wine. "Here, drink this. It will settle your nerves." She downed a cup of her own in a swift gulp. She did so in front of him, to show that she too needed it.

"Thanks love, we'd better get ready." Sebastian smiled at her, and kissed her forehead.

Lueken was up before the sun; still half-drunk from the night before. He had spent the night drinking alone in his tent and in prayer. He had hoped to visit the Celestial Plain again, he had wished to speak to his god again. To his disappointment it never happened. Allizar had told him Ogreth would kill any evil creature, and that the severity of the wound mattered not. Even the tiniest scratch would take down a mountain ogre. Lueken was taken aback when he saw Gorlug alive and well just days after the two of them fought. He knew he had drew blood, and yet there he was... So, what did that mean? Was it possible that that one Shadoworc wasn't evil or maybe the entire race? Was it possible that they were victims? When the drums started thumping from across the meadow he was already geared up and on his way to B'naire's tent. Sebastian had ordered him to accompany B'naire to the command tent before the fighting started. Technically Sebastian had asked him to do so, but he knew it to be an order.

Lueken called out for B'naire when he arrived at her tent. Moments later she stepped out into the dim light of the rising sun. She was garbed for battle, she wore what she called a war-dress. The war-dress was a deep red much like the color of her hair,, and blood. Which apparently was the whole point, to help mask the blood that would soon coat it. Drugeon had made it for her, he told her it was a common dress amongst dwarven war-maidens. The bulk of the dress was made from the wool of a species of mountain goats that are found in the Mithren Mountains, the home of the dwarves. Hardened leather was woven into the wool to protect her chest and back, also a hardened leather epaulet protected her shoulders and neck. Her hair was pulled up in the back, looking like a big frizzy ball on her head, a silver circlet fashioned to look like vines held her hair in place. Gloved hands gripped her staff.

"You are looking quite fierce little lady." Lueken told her. He liked this look on her. She didn't look like the scared frail little girl they had rescued the clutches of the orcs. He could see the terror in her eyes, which was understandable. Only a crazy person wouldn't be afraid of the battle, a crazy person much like himself. His heart was thumping in his chest, beating to the rhythm of the war-drums. Except for him it wasn't out of fear, it was in anticipation, adrenaline coursing through his veins.