The Chimera Squad: Part I, Chapter 3 - Preparation (470 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 2 on 6 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by a_little_more_time (View user info) at 2005-07-21 04:51:03 EDT
Previous Chapters:
Prologue - Homecoming: http://www.ubersite.com/m/70750
Part I, Chapter 1 - Reintegration: http://www.ubersite.com/m/70948
Part I, Chapter 2 - Regression: http://www.ubersite.com/m/71072
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The next few days passed in a blur for Lucas Hawthorne. He spent most of his time slipping in and out of consciousness, but the precious few hours he remained awake were used to plan the pursuit of Israfel and his remaining soldiers. It was five sunrises after the death of Lenneth Maeda that Luc and Min were able to sit down and construct a cohesive strategy.
Min came in with a rolled up piece of parchment and a quill. She pulled the bed stand to Luc's side and sat down beside him. "Here's what you asked for," she said quietly, unrolling the scroll before him. Luc sat up and regarded the map of the main Continent, the lands of Igros already shown to occupy the vast majority. Nanten, by contrast, began on the eastern coast and extended west for only a few hundred miles.
Luc picked up the quill and paused for a moment, then circled an area of the Nanten lands. "The territory acquired by Igros in the peace treaty is roughly this size." He then made a small mark near the eastern edge of the Agrandas Mountain range. "Our village is somewhere around here."
Min regarded the map grimly. "That's a lot of land, Luc," she murmured. "And goodness knows how many settlements and villages there are in that territory."
He nodded. "I know. But look at this." He drew a line extending out from Tillman's Village. "They fled northeast, toward Vaelen City." He took a deep breath. "There's a monastery there for Summoners and other worshippers." He looked up at her. "If Igros really is seeking to eradicate religious diversity in this province, they must head there eventually."
"If they haven't been there already." Her visage carried a significant amount of worry, and for good reason. Simon Maeda had been there for the last month, spending time in its libraries in study.
"I doubt that. Vaelen would put up enough of a fight that the Throne would need more than just a dozen Hokuten to take it, and we're close enough to the Agrandas that we would notice a sizable force headed in that direction." He stared at the map. "It appears that Igros was counting on a fast strike strategy." Min looked at him in confusion. "You take a small group of well-trained men and have them hit multiple targets in quick succession. It depends on fear, shock, and catching the enemy off-guard."
Min turned her attention back to the map. "...But they didn't catch us off-guard."
"Not completely, no," Lucas sighed. "We hurt them, that's for sure, and we certainly slowed them down. Israfel and one or two of the others are injured, so if they decide to keep traveling, they risk aggravating their wounds. If they wait for replacements, they'll have been stationary ever since the attack. The closest Igros outpost is a week's journey away."
"So...what are you saying?"
Lucas looked her in the eyes. "Even two men can travel faster than ten. We follow the path to Vaelen, and we stop at the first settlement we reach. If we hurry, I'm betting we can ambush them if they stop to check it for a Summoner."
"You don't think they'll be expecting more opposition?"
Lucas shook his head. "It won't matter. If I have just half a day to prepare, I can organize enough of a resistance to kill ten men."
Min looked slightly shaken with his last statement. Her voice took on a concerned tone. "What about Israfel?"
Luc paused. She was undoubtedly concerned after their duel. He heaved a sigh. "Israfel is...more skilled than any other man I've ever seen with a sword in his hand. I'll admit that I'm no match for him; I consider myself lucky that I survived." He cleared his throat and sat forward a bit more. His injury was healed enough that simple movement didn't send blinding pain shooting through his body. That was a start. "But he's wounded, like I said. He may not even show his face." He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, ever so slowly, with a groan. "Not to mention the fact that any person able to fight would be willing to defend the city. We may belong to Igros now, but we still have an identity." He started forward only to find that five days of sedentary recovery had reduced his legs to jelly.
Min jumped in surprise, then quickly put her arms beneath his left arm to help balance him. "Are you sure you're ready to be walking around? I just changed your bandages before you woke up, and that thing is just starting to close up."
Luc shrugged her off and stumbled over to the corner, where he pulled on a clean shirt. "I can't just lay about and whinge and sleep until I'm in peak condition. Time is of the essence, now, and we need at least a day to prepare before we leave." He reached for his sword and buckled it to his back.
His friend looked warily on as he did so. When Luc turned to face her, he noticed her gaze was not on him, but his weapon. "What is it?"
Min sat down on the bed and stared at the floor. "I know you did a great deal of it in the War, but..." She tucked a lock of shoulder-length hair behind her ear. "...I've never seen you kill a man before."
He paused, then took a step toward her. "And I never thought you capable of the act, either, but it turns out you were."
She looked up quickly, a bit of indignation flaring in her eyes. Luc sighed. "I apologize for sounding harsh, but I'm making a point. A person is capable of a great deal of both wondrous and cruel acts, depending on the situation." He began rifling through his haversack, taking stock of his belongings. "In war, it boils down to one simple fact: they will kill you if you give them the chance, and the only way to stop them is to kill them first." He blinked. Now the situation was different, though.
The war was over. This time, they were taking matters into their own hands. He understood that the aim was vengeance, not necessarily to preserve innocent lives, but he realized all the same that their actions, if successful, would save many. This time, he would be stopping them from killing others, not simply himself. The notion was...odd, he supposed. Unusual.
He tossed the haversack onto the bed behind her. "Remember our purpose. We both want Brenner and Israfel dead. We must remain steadfast."
Min nodded slowly. "You're right." She rose, brushing off her dress, then smiled slightly. "What do we need to do?"
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The day was spent in preparation for swift travel. Lucas felt nearly useless, as the wound Israfel had so graciously fashioned for him precluded any serious work, but Min seemed absolutely inexhaustible. She followed his orders to the letter, preparing a pack for each of them containing a change of clothes and two days' worth of freshly prepared food. She filled two skins with clear water from the well, then saddled the two healthy horses the village had kindly provided for them.
Lucas knew the surrounding area well, and planned a route on the map that minimized the distance they needed to ride between the village and Vaelen, while still keeping them close enough to the main road to notice any settlements they may pass. While Min toiled, he cleaned and honed his broadsword and managed to scare up a hunting knife from Simon's things.
By sundown, they were prepared. Min fell asleep after dinner almost immediately, but Lucas lay awake in his bed, the moonlight shining in through the room's window.
"This isn't the war," he murmured to himself. He'd felt the need for reminder of that fact all day. "This you are doing of your own accord, and you're taking her with you, and she isn't just another soldier or a comrade-in-arms. She's a friend and she's already lost someone close to her because of Igros. If you fail, it doesn't mean just another blank headstone in a field. She will suffer, and so will her father. You can't let that happen."
His eyes closed. "Now you're fighting for something meaningful to you, and it's about damn time."
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Min, who had gotten up to retrieve a few more pieces of firewood for the dying embers in her room's fireplace, took her ear from Lucas' door. She smiled to herself, and felt a small amount of heat rush to her cheeks. Suddenly, she didn't feel as cold anymore.
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"The longest part of the journey is said to be the passing of the gate."
-Marcus Terentius Varro, On Agriculture
User Reviews
Submitted by darko (user info) at 2005-07-26 01:18:23 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Hate to break it to you man, but I'm 20 till november. You still gonna be around town though the first week or so of classes?
Submitted by darko (user info) at 2005-07-26 01:06:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by a_little_more_time (user info) at 2005-07-26 00:59:57 (#)
Ranking: 2
What's that I hear?
Oh, right.
It's the WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHmbulance.
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ahhahaha
Submitted by Merlina (user info) at 2005-07-21 07:27:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by mikethescottish (user info) at 2005-07-21 07:07:38 (#)
Ranking: 2
This is good stuff. May check out the preceding chapters.
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Me too. How did I miss this before?
Submitted by mikethescottish (user info) at 2005-07-21 07:07:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This is good stuff. May check out the preceding chapters.
Submitted by Ducky (user info) at 2005-07-21 06:57:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
These entries make me think of Robert Jordan.
Submitted by rad1101 (user info) at 2005-07-21 06:09:57 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I hate it when no one reviews for hours and hours.