Bodies burned black.
The flames continued their feast.
The sun was beginning its journey to the other end of Ayla when a soldier came running in a panicked haze. At first he seemed maddened, crazed from the heat of the sun, or perhaps some over-indulgence in some form of the soldiers' alcohol, a crime to deserve a good
Sethlzaar rested uncomfortably beneath the tenth fashioned for him by the soldiers. His wounds beneath their bandages ached in severe discomfort. He had been patched up by a healer whose name he neither remembered nor was bothered to attempt reminiscence of. The man having done a great job of stitching him up and bandaging him properly had moved on to other men.He turned to observe his veils embedded in the grass. The lost twin had been found by Soartin.
Sethlzaar woke with a start. His hands finding the hilt of the veil beneath his pillow with easy accuracy, he drew it. He stopped, veil halfway free of its scabbard as his gaze focused on what had instigated his action.A soft curse escaped his lips.He clenched his teeth, holding back his annoyance. "Did you forget ho
The next day proved uneventful, and so did the days that followed. Two days became three, and three became four. In time, seven days grew by with boring, unprecedented monotony.The days lumbered by in agonizing sluggishness. Sethlzaar found solace only in the nights he spent with Saelin when she told him tales of ancient times and ancient people.
Morning found Sethlzaar at the smithy after mass. It was as hot as every smithy he had ever had the displeasure of entering. Its walls bore scorches at random spots that had him wondering if the blacksmith shaped only metals or if the man had a propensity to forget the walls were made of stone and brick. Despite the scorch marks, the smithy was in surprising order.Weapons intended for repairs laid arranged at one corner while the man's works dangled from nails fastened to the walls, each sword and axe, a beauty in their form, waiting in hopes that one day they wo
Sethlzaar frowned at the sight before him. This was the tenth time, and yet, there was no difference. Not a stranger to violence? Sethlzaar scoffed, he knows nothing but violence.Foln swung his sword. The action bore all of his power and nothing of precision. Against better opponents it would have cost him, however, Sethlzaar had chosen the youngest and least skilled of the soldiers he could find. He always warned them before they'd followed him. The person they would spar with was not known to hold back.
First light hadn't risen long when Sethlzaar trained Foln, continuing in his training to help the boy attain accuracy along with his power, hoping that in due time he would be able to teach the boy control, something he truly required. The lesson was as vibrant as the activity in the tower. Foln proved determined to beat him, if not learn. And Sethlzaar had half the mind to prove the boy was too inexperienced to achieve such a feat.At noon the fort was drowned in an ominous silence as Sethlzaar walked the grounds. He watched two sisters standing in a corner, one consoling the other as she we
"So you leave the battlefield and she reckons it alright to break the chain of command to follow you. But when she starts running for the battlefield, you—No...We... follow her, simply 'cos you find some horse shite sense of loyalty to follow her to her death for the sake of love."
A distance past the camp blacksmith Sethlzaar caught sight of Saelin. Beside her walked a young soldier doing his best to make conversation with her. It was the third soldier to make an attempt since their return.The third Sethlzaar had seen.Saelin wasn't quick to note him so he slowed his pace and observed them both