Pieces of Eight

Chapter 20

Rhinde had been a brutal seven-day march. Trekking from the inland province of Muorne across hilly, forested Knotte and finally over the vast stretches of plains leading up to the coastal regions before turning north had been a grueling journey, and while Urai wished frequently they could move faster, she knew they could not. Exhausting her men would only lead to desertion and defeat when they reached the end of the road too weary to fight. Reluctantly, Urai allowed Areli to set the pace, as he had a keen sense for how much his men could tolerate in a day. Curiously, Areli's men always seemed more robust when they camped each night, but Urai did not address it, nor allow anyone else to, either.

Areli had always been a detached man, preferring to keep his heart safely tucked away out of view instead of wearing it on his sleeve. Ever since he had returned to her, though, he had been even more withdrawn, nearly taciturn and borderline morose. When he spoke to her, it was only in barest necessity, in tones so level and even they were monotone, and he offered no pleasantries on either end of their conversation before decisively walking away from her, without bothering to ask if he may take his leave. Urai had only pressed the issue once, to her own embarrassment.

When once the beautiful Gryphon had bowed to her reverently, he now recoiled from her touch. He looked away when she sought his gaze. At first, she spoke to him softly, touched him gently, tried to coax him back into her arms, but he'd become hardened to such loving gestures. Offended and irate, her voice became harsh and shrill and her nails became like talons, but even as he bled, he offered her nothing except stoicism and perhaps remorse. When he failed to respond to her advances and eventually failed to respond to her at all, she furiously sent him away, and never propositioned him again. The bitterness was still too fresh on her tongue: the father of her children apparently wanted nothing to do with her anymore. But he'd spoiled her for anyone else: no one would ever compare.

She watched him now as he wove between his men, pausing and bending to speak to one sitting on a log next to the fire, and then moving on only a few feet to speak to someone else. She doubted he saw her, with the blinding light of the flames dotting the interludes of pitch black night. As he made his way across camp, his men hailed him nearly every step, inviting him to sit with them, offering him food and drink, praising his leadership and proclaiming their loyalty. He graciously accepted the outpouring of support, but always kept moving, until the darkness at the edge of the camp swallowed him from her view.

She found that she hated him for tainting her with his apathy.

The following morning, she called all of the Eight together, as always, with the exception of Reyla. Her Generals gathered around the large table in the center of her command tent, seething with the emotions of impending battle. All except Areli, of course, who betrayed no anxiety, eagerness, or anything. "Ladies; gentlemen," she began, leaning forward onto the table. A map of Rhinde was already laid out; her knuckles pressed into the points of the coast where each of the two piers that supported the city were laid out. "This is our defining fight. We have truly made it this far. This ought to have been an easier battle for us, a secure triumph to celebrate our victory. But we do now face a grave complication.

"Tehraiza has fielded twenty-five mages, plus herself, to assist Minnah's army. They will meet us on the field here, at the eastern gate to the city." Straightening just enough to take the weight off her hands, Urai swept her fingers across the map to denote the aforementioned gate. "Scouts and spies have not been able to get a solid number on what's waiting for us, but we can be relatively sure of a few things.

"The first is that Tehraiza will absolutely take the field. She will not stand behind the walls and wait out the battle. Thus, it will become my mission to seek her out and engage her in single combat. In my absence, command falls to Areli." If anyone was surprised or upset at the assignment, they were gracious enough to hide it. "In the meantime, I will need Andor, Grys, and Sam to lead the center column, and the first charge. You will come in behind me and the cavalry. You need to punch through anything in front of that gate, and then the gate itself.