The Girl Born of Smoke (16 page)

As the days passed, she felt it increasingly
easier to keep up with the rest of the group. Although she kept her
distance from the rest of the soldiers, especially Prisca, she
often noticed her walking nearby. However, the only person Tarana
talked to was Roxanne and rarely at that. At night, when the other
soldiers gathered around the campfire after dinner and talked late
into the night, she went to bed and turned her back to them as she
tried to sleep. There were no more training sessions, although
Roxanne warned her occasionally that that would change as soon as
they reached the stronghold.

On the sixth day of traveling, Tarana
glanced up to see the foliage above was thinner than it had been in
days. She saw the gray, overcast sky above, sporadically visible
through the leaves as they blew in the wind. They climbed up a
steep hill, holding onto the damp rocks and roots for support and
found themselves out of the forest and under the dreary sky.

The clouds were smudged downward in the
distance, where it appeared to be raining heavily. It was windier
now that they were out of the forest and her hair whipped around as
they paused to regain their sense of direction. Surrounded by grass
and small, relentless hills, it took Roxanne a moment to pick a
direction as she consulted her map. After that, they headed in one
direction as it rained more often than not. Several weeks since she
left the Citizens’ Army, Tarana reached the stronghold.

Chapter 8

The group cheered as they crested one of the
hills and finally saw a sign of civilization. Below them was a
shallow gray valley shaped like a bowl, devoid of grass or any
other vegetation. In the center of the bowl, a squat town sprawled
out around a huge stone building. As they walked through the mud
and entered the town, Tarana saw that the houses were little more
than tarps precariously propped up and sagging from the rainwater.
“Welcome to Ralinos,” Roxanne said to Tarana, smirking.

None of the people they passed gave them a
second glance. Most didn’t even give them a first. As the huge
building in the center of the town loomed up higher in front of
them, the condition of the town improved significantly. The mud
turned to stone beneath them and the houses grew larger and
sturdier around them.

“So what do you think?” Roxanne asked,
leading the group up a slight incline to the tall wall surrounding
the stone building.

Tarana shrugged.

“Come on, you’ve got to be thinking
something,” Roxanne insisted.

“It’s a town,” she said shortly. “There’s
not much to say.”

Looking slightly irritated, Roxanne walked
ahead and through the open stone archway. Following, Tarana found
herself in a large courtyard enclosed on all sides by the thick
stone wall that housed the main building in the center. A large
group of soldiers dressed in identical armor stood to the side, all
yelling and slicing their swords through the air in unison. One man
stood before them shouting orders. Another smaller group of
soldiers were jogging along the edge of the wall. Turning her
attention to the building, she saw that it stood even taller than
the wall and was the same dull, stone gray. There were surprisingly
few windows lining the face of the building and the high roof was
steep and stood out darkly against the gray sky.

Her fellow soldiers chatting more than she
had ever heard before, Tarana walked silently amongst them as they
headed into the shadowed building. Before her eyes could adjust to
the sudden lack of light inside, they were already heading up a
wide staircase, the edges of the steps well-worn and smooth. With
their steps and voices echoing off the slightly damp stone walls
lit intermittently with small lamps, the soldiers stopped suddenly,
halfway up the staircase. Peering between the people in front of
her, Tarana saw a sturdy gray-haired man descending toward them. At
the front of the group, Roxanne nodded toward him,
respectfully.

As he drew closer and stepped into the pale,
flickering light of one of the lamps, Tarana saw the man more
clearly. His face was deeply lined. There were not many wrinkles,
but the ones he did have were deep and even more emphasized in the
dim light. His gray hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and
his thick body was obvious, even under his spotless, highly
decorated silver armor. The group went silent as he approached and
shuffled to the side to allow him to pass, but he paused before
them.

“Welcome!” his voice boomed around them. “I
heard you were arriving today. Roxanne, yes?”

Roxanne nodded. “Yes, that’s me.”

“I heard quite a bit about your group,” he
replied. “Tried to raise some griffins, did you?”

“Yes,” Roxanne said again, “I’m sorry it
turned out to be a waste of time.”

The man clapped a thick hand down on
Roxanne’s shoulder. “Not a waste of time, a learning experience.
Showed initiative.” He turned to the rest of the group. “I came
down to meet you. You’ll be staying here for the next few months,
while we regroup and prepare for the big one.” He grinned for the
first time in the conversation, just barely showing his teeth
between his thin lips. “I want to see you all in training tomorrow
morning. Today, relax. Settle in. Two to a room, except Officer
Roxanne, of course. From now on, if you want to go into town, you
must ask your commanding officer. There will be absolutely no
fighting, weapons, or even arguments with anyone in town. Citizen
or soldier. You are part of the Wizard’s Army and you will act as
such.” Apparently done speaking, he clomped heavily down the
stairs, but paused as he passed Prisca, just in front of Tarana.
“Prisca, yes?”

Prisca nodded, wordlessly.

“You are probably aware that the annual
Young Soldier’s Award Ceremony will be taking place soon. Your name
has come up quite a few times in relation to it. Nice work.” He
nodded and continued down the stairs as everyone watched.

“Who was that?” Tarana asked before he was
quite out of sight. Several of her fellow soldiers turned toward
her, looking horrified. Roxanne grabbed her wrist and pulled her
along, up the stairs.

“That was the leader of our army, General
Kendall” she said through gritted teeth. “Probably the most
important, influential man you will ever meet.”

“Didn’t seem that great to me,” Tarana
muttered as they continued up the stairs and into the upper
landing. A single window hung high on the wall, lighting up the
dust that drifted and swirled through the air. The group wound
through the hallways and corridors until they reached a slightly
wider hallway with open wood doors spaced evenly on either
side.

“You heard the man,” Roxanne called out.
“Two to a room, go for it.” The soldiers shuffled into the rooms,
talking and shouting across the hall to each other. Looking to
Roxanne, she saw that Roxanne was already looking back at her, eyes
raised. “What are you waiting for?”

Tarana shrugged. “Can’t I share a room with
you?”

“No way,” Roxanne laughed. “I get my own
room. I’m not about to give that up. Why don’t you move in with
Prisca?”

“Prisca?” Tarana glowered.

“Yeah?” Prisca asked from behind Tarana.

Roxanne nodded. “This is perfect. Prisca,
Tarana, you two are sharing a room.”

“Alright.” Prisca shrugged and walked into
one of the rooms, tossing her backpack on one of the beds.
Continuing to glower at Roxanne for a moment longer, Tarana finally
turned and trudged into the room, leaving Roxanne’s laughter behind
her. The room was lit by a single paned window against the far
wall. There was little furniture in the small room. The two beds
were neatly made, each against one of the side walls. A small set
of drawers sat at the foot of each bed and a small end table was
tucked next to the door. “So I’ve heard rumors that you’re
Roxanne’s kid,” Prisca remarked as Tarana entered the room.

Lying down on the other bed and staring up
at the dusty rafters, Tarana shook her head. “You heard wrong,” she
said flatly. “I’m no one’s kid.”

Prisca snickered. “Do you think you sound
mysterious or something?” she asked. “Because you don’t. You sound
ridiculous and idiotic. If you’re not the captain’s kid, then what
are you doing with the army? You don’t exactly look like the
typical Wizard’s Soldier.”

“Oh, and you do?”

Groaning, Prisca began unpacking her bag,
stuffing most of her things into her drawers. “Would you stop being
so dramatic? Have you even ever killed a person before?”

Tarana glared over at her. “Yes, I
have.”

“Really?” Prisca suddenly sounded much more
interested, although she didn’t look over at Tarana. “Tell me about
it.”

“No.”

Prisca slammed a drawer shut. “Why not? At
least tell me how you did it.”

“I said no.”

“I don’t believe you,” Prisca snapped. “You
heard what General Kendall said, right? The big battle is coming.
The one that decides everything. There will probably be more
killing in that battle than in anything this world has ever seen.”
She grinned, looking excited. “And if you’re not ready for that,
then you don’t deserve to be a part of this army.”

Tarana rolled her eyes. “You’re the dramatic
one. What is this big battle about, anyway?”

Finally glaring over in Tarana’s direction,
Prisca shook her head in disgust. “You really don't belong here.
This battle is what we're all here for, why we joined. The entire
forces of the Wizard's Army and the Citizens’ Army will meet on the
battlefield and the wizard will be delivered to the victors.”

“Says who?”

“Everyone!” Prisca said with a groan. “Even
General Kendall himself. Just wait and see. The wizard will show
up.”

Shrugging, Tarana rolled off the bed, onto
her feet. “Sounds great. I’m going to town.”

“Fine,” Prisca grumbled. “But you’d better
get Roxanne’s permission first.”

Without answering, Tarana walked out of the
room and glanced up and down the hallway. The dusky hall was much
quieter and only a couple soldiers were standing against the wall
farther down, talking to each other. Not seeing Roxanne in the
immediate vicinity, she yawned and headed in the direction they had
come from, meandering through the maze of hallways until she
eventually found the stairs to the ground floor.

Walking out the main door, she walked
through the much emptier courtyard and into town, squinting at the
setting sun before her. Feeling restless, she followed the outer
side of the great wall that encircled the stronghold. It took her
longer than she expected and by the time she circled back to the
entrance, it was dark out. She plodded back up the gravel path to
the stronghold. Wandering back to her room, she was immediately met
with a smirking Prisca.

“You are so screwed,” Prisca said, sounding
amused. Their room was lit by a few flickering candles.

Standing in the doorway, Tarana glanced at
Prisca, then looked across the hall at the empty room directly
across from them. Grabbing a candle, she walked across the hall,
into the empty room. Careful not to spill hot wax on herself, she
set the wildly flickering candle down on the dresser and flopped
down on one of the beds, kicking off her boots.

“What are you doing…?” Prisca asked, peering
at her from the doorway of the room.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Tarana
grumbled quietly to herself.

“You really are screwed,” Prisca said again.
When Tarana didn’t answer, she continued, “Roxanne came by while
you were gone and asked where you were. Of course I couldn’t lie to
our commander.”

“Ah no, of course not.” Tarana rolled her
eyes.

“What?” Prisca waited for a response, which
she didn’t receive. “Anyway, she was really pissed when she found
out you left without asking her for permission,” she explained,
sounding pleased. “She’ll probably be back in a little bit and
she’ll really throw a fit if she finds you moving in over there.”
Tarana heard her duck back into her own room suddenly and heard
someone else clear their throat. Raising her head, she saw it was
Roxanne, the light from the candle glimmering off her armor in
dozens of tiny pinpoints.

Roxanne stepped into the room and firmly
closed the door behind her. “What are you doing?” she asked tiredly
as Tarana slipped off the bed to face her. “No wait, don’t answer
that. I can see what you’re doing. You’re trying to ruin me. It’s
only the first day back at the stronghold and you’ve already
disobeyed pretty much everything I’ve told you. Why?”

“Why?” Tarana cocked her head. “It didn’t
seem important. What’s the point of spending all that time trying
to find you, just to tell you I’m going out for a bit. It’s stupid.
And why should I share a room with some idiot when there are plenty
of other rooms open? If other people start arriving, I’ll move back
in with her.”

Running a hand through her short auburn
hair, Roxanne sighed loudly. “Because I am your superior and those
are the rules,” she said, sounding exasperated. “Look, I’ve given
you a lot of breaks that I wouldn’t have given anyone else, but if
you keep this up, you’re going to get both of us in trouble. I’m
supposed to be in charge of you here and every time you get out of
line, it reflects badly on me. I’m not going to let that happen.
Understand?”

“Yeah, whatever.” Tarana gestured at the
room. “But I’m not moving out of here until there’s a reason to.
Who’s going to care?”

Roxanne put her head in her hands and took a
deep breath. “Fine,” she said, her voice slightly muffled. “I don’t
care. But the moment more of the army starts arriving, you’re
moving back in with Prisca.” She uncovered her face. “Oh, and
you’re expected to be at breakfast downstairs by dawn tomorrow and
training immediately after that. I’ll come wake you up for the next
couple days until you adjust to the schedule, but you had better
get to sleep soon.”