Disciple of War Disciple of War (Art of the Adept #4) - Michael G. Manning Page 0,158

child currently.”

“Don’t push your luck. How can you see where I’m at?”

Will explained his astral travel, though he had to keep it as brief as possible. Then he outlined the rough plan he’d made. “Once I reach them, I’ll take command and make sure they don’t blunder into the ambush. It might not be easy with the other enemy force pushing from the other side, but I’ll find a way. Starting tomorrow afternoon, I’ll check on you every three or four hours to see if anything has changed. As soon as I see the reinforcements have arrived and are ready, I’ll turn First and Third around and we’ll hit the ambushers.”

Tiny looked thoughtful. “It sounds good, but how do we coordinate with you on this side? You may be able to see us, but we have no way of knowing what’s going on where you are.”

“You’ll just have to assume I can stick to the plan,” said Will. “If you have something specific to say, write it out in big letters on the ground. It has to be close to you, though. Basically, if it isn’t close enough for you to read it, I won’t be able to read it. Other than that, keep your ears open. As soon as I know the Second and Sixth have arrived, I will start moving them this direction. When you hear sounds of fighting, you’ll know it’s time.”

“If we can hear you.”

“You will,” said Will. “I may have one of the least useful talents a wizard could have, but you will definitely hear me.”

Tiny nodded. “You’re right.” As Will started to walk away, he asked, “I don’t suppose you have another loaf of that bread, do you?”

Will did, but he wasn’t in the mood to share. “You have your travel rations, and mine, since I’m leaving the horses here.”

Of course, the dried meat and biscuits they carried weren’t very pleasant to eat, as Tiny quickly pointed out. “They taste terrible.”

“Think of it as penance,” said Will.

His friend glared back. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Other than be an asshole,” Will declared. “I don’t know the story, but you’ve let your past problems affect your judgment. Janice isn’t the person that hurt you, and judging her for trying to be rational isn’t fair.”

“You don’t understand.”

Will’s temper flared and he took three long strides, until he was face to chest with his overlarge friend. He jabbed his finger against Tiny’s breastplate with enough force to disturb his balance. “I’m trying to keep you from making a stupid mistake, and I’m the world’s biggest expert on mistakes!” Then he stomped away. Before he was out of earshot, he looked back and added, “Reflect on what you’ve done, or no more steak for you!”

He fought the urge to break into a jog after that. If Tailtiu was correct, he only had a handful of miles to travel, ten at most. Although he could probably keep up a running pace for that long, even in armor, it would exhaust him for no good purpose, and it would make stealth much more difficult.

A brisk step was all he would need. With a thought, he camouflaged himself and silenced his clothing and armor. Smoothing his aura the way he had learned from watching Darla took a little more effort, but he was beginning to get much better at it. The two spells and one wild magic technique made him practically invisible, though he still needed to be cautious around enemy casters. The spells were visible as a distortion of turyn around him, though Darla’s technique went a long way to making it much harder to detect.

In the back of his mind, he worried about both Janice and Tiny, though perhaps more for the big warrior. The crossroad didn’t offer many hiding places, and Tiny was one of the most visible people imaginable. Thunderturnip certainly didn’t help matters either. His friend would need to move as far from the road as possible and use the scrubby trees in the area for cover.

But if he screws it up and gets spotted… Will dropped the thought there; it didn’t bear considering.

Keeping his eyes and ears open, Will was surprised at how effective the enemy illusion was. Even though he was alert for it, he didn’t spot it until he was within twenty yards of the enemy sentries. If he hadn’t been forewarned, he might have blundered right into them. He consoled himself with the fact that it was likely easier to spot from the