14 Iron Fis (2/2)
Vardoom made his way toward me all in a huff, his steel-toed boots stomping on the wet earth and leaving tiny craters as he walked. But before he could get to within spitting range of me, Edo blocked his path.
Edo poked the butt end of his glaive at the plate mail hiding the commander's rotund stomach. ”You look rounder than when I last saw you, Vardoom…”
He gave Vardoom a wide grin, the first one I'd ever seen him give anything, before casting a side-eye glance at me with a silent order to get moving.
”Edo, you giant chunk of muscle!” Vardoom clapped him on the leg which was as high as he could go. He was grinning widely at the half-ogre bodyguard himself.”When was the last time I drank you under the table?”
Edo himself looked fondly at the dwarf before he banged the Dwarf half to the ground with a clap on the back. ”Last winter at Holly Hall.”
Vardoom laughed loudly. Edo joined in this laughter. They had both clearly forgotten about me.
I glanced over at Qwipps who had both hands raised at me in an apologetic sign. I reminded myself to give Qwipps all the troublesome jobs if ever I was allowed to keep command over the unit.
Looking over at Varda, I found her giving me a toothy grin and thumbs up combination. She was obviously still giddy over her spell casting achievements from the previous battle.
The watery woman beside Varda looked so relaxed as she smiled at me, Aurana, and Luca that I thought of her as the complete opposite of Commander Vardoom. Then, without opening her mouth, she spoke to me.
”The Great General is waiting for you at the hilltop,” she whispered into my mind in a soothing voice akin to the steady flow of a river.
”How—”
Aura answered my question before I could ask it. ”Undines speak with their thoughts...”
”She knows who you are then?” I asked.
”Yes,” Aura answered. She gazed up the hilltop. ”Might as well get this over with.”
”Um, why do you sound hesitant, Aura?” Luca asked worriedly.
Aura glanced at him. ”Have you met Great General Darah, Luca?”
”No... she's not the elder who brought me into the Fayne…but I've heard about the Iron Fist of the Trickster Pavilion,” Luca answered.
”Well... I guess you should both meet my aunt then...” Aura said, dejectedly. ”Follow me...”
At the top of the southern slope of the hill, right before the ring of white stones, we found a group of fairy knights surrounding a round tent-like structure made of paper-white birch tree branches bent toward the center. Drapes of midnight blue silk covered the entryway. Both banners of the Trickster Pavilion and the Fist of Fort Darah soared above the tent's roof
The fairy knights let us pass when we approached. At the entrance, a knight pulled open the drapes to let us through.
Aura passed my arm to Luca so he could help keep me up, and then she reluctantly walked into the tent. We followed in after her.
The interior was sparse with any furniture except for the white fur carpet and the lone wooden chair in the center of the space. Seated on the chair was a she-elf who appeared as a more mature version of Aura, except her long hair was a tawny brown instead of gold.
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Even in the short time that I've been a visere of the Trickster Pavilion, I'd heard the name of Great General Darah mentioned. Known throughout the Fayne as Iron Fist Darah, she was one of the clan's only four Great Generals. She was also an idol worshipped by many soldiers as the fiercest Elven warrior in the Hearthlands, the central region of the Fayne. The elf sitting on her chair as if it was a thrown of gold certainly fit the bill.
She wore golden armor with each golden plate designed like a leaf that curved around her lean, muscular form. Draped across her shoulders was an expensive-looking midnight blue cloak that fell in waves on the floor. Propped against her chair were a golden sword scabbard and round shield that were easily within her reach.
Her face was very similar to Aura's. They even had the same blue color irises. However, as the general spared a glance at each of us, I saw a hint of curious amusement replacing the warmth I usually found in Aura's eyes.
The man standing attentively to the side of Great General Darah was exactly that, a man. But he wore the same silver armor and tabard with the golden embroidery as Commander Vardoom.
I took note of his short-cropped, side-parted blonde hair, his brown eyes, and his cleanly shaven rugged face and immediately recognized who he was as there was only one high-ranking human soldier among the clan's military officers. This was Five-Thousand-Man Commander Roger Thors.
”You look like you've just survived a life-and-death struggle, Aurana,” Great General Darah's voice was like Aura's. Only deeper and less warm.
Aura bowed stiffly to her. ”It has been a long night, Great General… Thank you for arriving on time to rescue us.”
”As if I would not come at a moment's notice for my favorite niece.” Darah's smile widened.
Aura was blushing. ”Great General, surely my brother deserves your words more than me.”
Darah stood up abruptly and walked over to Aura with her cloak trailing behind her.
Both Luca and I stiffened as neither of us understood the relationship between these two.
Aura looked up. Their eyes met. And then she did something I never thought she'd do. She jumped into her aunt's embrace like a young girl. They hugged each other for a long time, and it wasn't until Commander Thors coughed that the general broke their embrace.
She held Aura at arms' length so she could inspect her better.
”I like what you've done to your hair, Aurana,” she said. ”Your mother liked to wear it short too when we were young and wild.”
Aura blushed again. ”Thank you, aunt Darah...”
The general laughed. The man coughed again.
General Darah rolled her eyes. ”What is it, Roger?”
”We're on a tight clock, General,” he answered briskly. ”We're too close to the Magesong Clan's territory, and they just might consider this a full-blown invasion if we don't hurry and withdraw soon.”
”No rest for the wicked, huh?” As Darah said this, her eyes turned on me. They shone with the familiar silver light of fairy glimmer. ”So… you're the human who took command after that idiot I put in-charge ran away… I guess that means you're responsible for this mess?”