200 Bedtime Worries (1/2)

I expected betrayal, the death of comrades that had stood by me for a year, or even a harrowing journey of escape while being pursued by determined foes. These were the sorts of scenarios running through my mind all day.

So color me surprised when I returned to the Fayne later that night and found nothing amiss apart from the fact that my unit was currently in the midst of celebrating their most recent victory without me.

It was quite the let-down because I'd been spending all of that Monday daytime worrying like an idiot when, apparently, I had nothing to worry about. Even more worrisome was the fact that they didn't need me to win a battle, and that really stung, although I did my best to hide it.

”Did you guys get enough rest?” I asked.

”Sure,” Luca waved away my concern with a wave of his hand. ”Also, Great General Garm's putting us in the reserves for the rest of the night as a reward for our performance today.”

”Sounds like you guys did really well… although I still can't believe Garm's rewarding us,” I guessed, but in truth, I was actually fishing.

”We were ayt,” Luca shrugged.

Luca never said 'ayt' unless he was trying to downplay something. It was a habit from his days as a jock where he didn't want to upstage my top grades with his stellar athletic performance. It was unnerving to hear again after a year of not hearing it.

Yeah, I know. I was spiraling for no good reason, but my ego was bruised just a little bit. Enough for me to grill my brother on today's events looking for every small detail of failure I could use to make myself feel better. Yes, yes, I was a needy f**ker sometimes. But they say all the great leaders were a bit narcissistic, and I was hardly what you'd call self-absorbed… right?

Luca told me of today's events, how he and Aura led the Foolhardies in the center army's vanguard as they ambushed an oasis that the enemy was in the midst of fortifying, thereby destroying the hastily raised fortifications and giving the army a better chance at claiming that territory for the Trickster Pavilion in tonight's battle.

Strangely enough, I couldn't find a flaw in their strategy, a strategy my officers had cooked up together — and that was the moment my neediness transformed into one of pride. I felt great pride over the fact that my guys managed to handle things so well without needing me to tell them what to do. That was growth, and I wasn't such a dirt-bag that I couldn't appreciate that sort of growth.

It was only after I'd calmed down that Aura decided to tell me that she did wish I was there to lead them and that the pressure she and Luca felt trying to emulate my leadership was, in her words, ”Extremely intense.”

”So, I guess we can take it easy tonight in the reserves, huh?” I asked again.

Aura nodded. ”But don't worry. Everyone hasn't forgotten our conversation at dawn and your orders regarding this have been followed to the letter.”

She would fill me in on how Pike had left at dawn with a few of Qwipps' most trusted pixies, and that we were just waiting to hear word of their arrival at the secret oasis.

”Puma, Fila and Nike returned sometime before twilight and informed me that they'd completed their assignments,” Aura explained. ”Fila confirmed that the McCords were nowhere in the desert area… apparently, Ardeen Spellweaver's unit is supporting the war effort against the Hermitage…”

”But that makes no sense,” I countered. ”Chris Pint said he'd smelled Ardeen's scent the other night…”

”I know and I don't think the Lord of Stars would lie about something like that, especially not to a fellow sense knight,” Aura agreed. ”But unless Ardeen Spellweaver has mastered teleportation then I don't know what to say…”

”Teleportation doesn't exist in the Fayne. I know, I've looked it up many times before, but there's no magic that allows instantaneous travel apart from the one that allows for travel between Mudgard and the Fayne,” I countered. ”You've been talking to Ty too much…”

Aura laughed. ”I believe his exact phrasing for it was to 'beam' someone up?”

After we'd laughed some more at Ty's expense, which he didn't know as he was out of earshot at the moment, Aura told me that Verania, Dain and, Al had been informed of the suspicions of the Scarlet Moon's interference.

”Both Dain and Al have sent us their thanks and informed us that they'll keep a lookout,” Aura told me.