Page 44 of Sword & Sacrifice

“If they can be unwritten, what’s the point of a ward?”

“Wards offer flexibility. It’s the difference between locking yourself in a stone fortress or wearing armor.”

Penn mulled that over, thinking of the differences between Adelaide’s and Valerian’s magic. Both had their benefits. Adelaide’s magic had protected Silas, given him time to heal. Valerian’s magic had helped them escape imprisonment. However, pushing the limits of his magic was also what allowed Alistair into his mind. “I’m surprised you’re answering my questions.”

“I like that you’ve taken an interest in my work. It will help you understand me better.”

Penn rested his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand, gazing up at the mage. “Why does it matter if I understand you or not?”

The mage’s fingers twisted and wove through the invisible magic, unraveling Valerian’s hard work. He was quiet for so long Penn thought he wouldn’t answer. “Valerian refused to speak about himself. You left him because of that.”

“I’m bound to you whether I understand you or not.”

A slight furrow appeared in the mage’s brow. This time, he didn’t answer.

Maybe he doesn’t know the answer. Or maybe he just refuses to admit that he wants me to stay even if he drops the leash.

Did Alistair want Penn to stay with him? Or was this more of Valerian leaking through the cracks?

Penn dreaded a future where he couldn’t tell them apart.

Chapter Twenty

The palace courtyard bustled with activity. The crew cleaning up the destruction of the fire and the soldiers dismantling tents did their best to avoid one another, weaving in and out of each other’s paths in an aggravated dance. Griselda stood near the edge of camp, barking orders and growling at the palace workers who came too close.

Archer paused to watch, tempted to sink into the monotonous task of packing up an army, but he had other work to do.

Sergeant Darian was already waiting for him at the barracks, a stack of papers in hand. “His Majesty gave me permission to remove the soldier’s files,” he explained, “in case you need to review any of them yourself.”

Archer took the stack of papers from him as they walked. The top sheet was a list of names, ranks, and years of service. The files underneath held more detail about promotions, disciplinary actions, mission results, and positions assigned. Archer raised an eyebrow as he flipped through them all, noting that the section for disciplinary actions for these soldiers was particularly long.

Captain Emera waited for them at the end of the hall leading to the sleeping quarters. She barely glanced at Darian before addressing Archer, “Are you sure about this, sir? We’re more than capable of handling security without them.”

“They’ll have to stand on their own at some point,” Archer said, handing Emera the files. “Anyone stand out as problematic?”

Her lips pursed as she flipped through them. “You would think so with these records, but no, none of them have caused any issues.” Ever since the Bellacostan soldiers had been confined to the barracks, Emera and her subordinates were in charge of observing them and reporting any troublemakers to Archer. Private Jasper and anyone else who had received the letters calling them to Sparrow Hill had already been isolated from the others.

Satisfied, Archer left the list with her but kept the files. “Gather them up and meet us in the mess.”

“And try not to scare them,” Darian added.

Emera bared her teeth at him. “If I’m enough to scare them, we don’t want them.” She looked and sounded more like Griselda every day, which didn’t surprise Archer. Most of the female soldiers saw Griselda as a role model, both for her skill on the battlefield and her ability to intimidate lesser men with a simple snarl.

Emera walked off, calling out to unoccupied soldiers to assist her.

Archer and Darian continued to the mess, and Archer read while he walked. Along with Varro’s official files on each soldier, Darian had compiled additional notes for his own opinions on his choices.

-Follows orders well

-Praise motivated

-Better ranged fighter, flinches when a sword gets too close to his head

-Likes working with children and new soldiers

By the time Emera had gathered the selected soldiers, Archer had read everything he needed to and passed the files back to Darian.

The soldiers lined up in a single row before Archer, standing at attention. Their uniforms were clean and crisp and the color of the blue sky and silver clouds outside. Either they’d kept themselves neat and tidy through their confinement, or they had dressed quickly after Emera’s summons. The captain wasn’t a patient woman, so either way, Archer was impressed. It was a neater showing than he expected from the Bellacostan soldiers, though at this point his expectations nearly touched the ground.