Dirge for a Necromancer - By Ash Stinson Page 0,41

here now in terms of flyers is your friend, Brecan. I’m wondering if perhaps—”

Raettonus shot him a glare. “I will not let you send Brecan out as a messenger,” he said sharply. “He is not part of your army and will not be shot down because you were curious about how the other fortresses were holding up. Focus on holding your fort, General, and then see if there’s still a Zylekkha to hold it for.”

“I think there’s a substantial flaw in your plan, Magician,” said Tykkleht. He sighed and rubbed at his sagging chin. “I’ll take it under consideration, however. What else can I do?”

“I don’t really care what you do, just so long as you don’t put Brecan in danger’s way to do it,” he said. “Any messenger you send out is surely going to get a hundred arrows through their wings, and that’s if they’re lucky.”

“I’ve seen the unicorn fly,” Tykkleht said. “He’s a quick one. I think if there were ever a flyer who had a chance getting past a host that size—”

“I’m not going to discuss this,” Raettonus told him bluntly. “Brecan is not part of your army, and he is not going to become part of your army. Find a different god damn messenger, do you understand me, General?”

Tykkleht furrowed his brow and looked down at Raettonus coldly. “Yes, I understand you, Magician,” he said, his voice tightly restrained.

“Good,” said Raettonus. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a job you’ve paid me to do. Good day to you, General, and good luck with your war.”

He left the general at the door to the young centaurs’ room and went inside. Dohrleht had a sword sheathed at his waist, and Maeleht looked positively terrified. Looking around, Raettonus noticed Ebha wasn’t there. “Where’s your woman?” Raettonus asked, setting down a book and some dried herbs on the table.

“She’s helping in the infirmary, getting it ready to handle the load when the fighting starts. Also, I guess some of the men got injured last night, so she’s probably looking after them,” Dohrleht said. “Did you see the invaders? Dad won’t let us up on the roof to look.”

“I don’t want to look,” said Maeleht. “It sounds dangerous.”

Dohrleht punched him in the arm. “Stop being such a coward,” he said. “You talk like an elf.”

“I do not!” objected Maeleht. “I just think that it sounds dangerous, that’s all!”

“Elf!”

“Shut up! I’m not an elf!”

“Boys,” said Raettonus. “We have a lesson to get to, if you please.”

“Yes, Raettonus,” they said in unison, scooting away from one another.

“Raettonus,” said Maeleht, after a moment. “Do you think…do you think it’s going to come to fighting? I mean, actual fighting, not just our archers loosing arrows down from the parapets?”

“I don’t know much about military matters, so I couldn’t say. That’s a question you’d be better off asking your father,” Raettonus said, arranging herbs on the table.

“Our father wouldn’t tell us,” said Dohrleht sourly. “He thinks he’s protecting us by lying and saying that it’s all going to be okay. When I asked him whether the Tahlehsons might get through the doors, he just said that Kaebha is the strongest fort in all of Zylekkha. I don’t even know if that’s true.”

“Ask Daeblau, then,” Raettonus said. “He’s the second in command here, isn’t he? Maybe he’d know, and maybe he wouldn’t lie to you.”

“But he might,” Dohrleht said. “He wouldn’t want us to be scared either.”

“You wouldn’t lie to us, though—right, Raettonus?” asked Maeleht.

“Probably not,” Raettonus said with a shrug. “But as I told you before, I don’t know anything about it. Now let’s get down to our lessons. What’s this herb called?”

“Larkspur,” said Maeleht.

“Good,” Raettonus said. “What’s it used for?”

Maeleht frowned uncertainly. “To see ghosts?” he asked.

Dohrleht punched him in the arm. “No, stupid—that’s Elf Leaf,” he said. “Larkspur keeps ghosts away.”

“Dohrleht’s right,” Raettonus said. “Larkspur keeps ghosts away, and Elf Leaf is for seeing them. Now, if you’d care to point out which of these is Elf Leaf, Dohrleht?”

Dohrleht looked around at the selection of herbs and bit his lower lip. “Um…I guess it’s…this one?”

“That’s Sorcerer’s Violet,” Maeleht said.

“Indeed it is,” said Raettonus with a nod. “Maeleht, hit your brother for getting it wrong.”

With a grin, Maeleht punched Dohrleht in the arm. “Hey—ouch,” said Dohrleht, rubbing the spot where he had been struck.

* * *

After their lessons were done for the day, Raettonus called on Deggho dek’Kariss, who was very relieved by the visit. Deggho rambled on about how lonely he had