The War Begins

Chapter 12 - Assignments

Caine sighed as he finished surveying the troops assigned to him, still frowning at the twelfth man. That man would be the thirteenth when the First finally decided to arrive, but the breech in protocol worried Caine. Something more was happening than just a simple territory war with the dark elves. He tried to shove his misgivings to the back of his mind but they kept stubbornly rising to the forefront.

A few of the magicians seated behind him were young, probably right out of mentorship or schooling. Hopefully, they were here because they had earned the trust of the elves, not because some school had an obligation to send warriors in time of crisis. As his sights continued down the ranks, Caine had noticed that some behind him seemed to be older than he. Magicians were held nearly immobile in time and once they reached a certain age their bodies changed at a miniscule pace.

If the men looked older than he, they most likely were. Caine had not changed appearance for the past five years; he had stopped aging when he had begun to work for the King of Amerolian. With a peek over his left shoulder he saw that Ashlake was also unchanged, other than an additional scar or two, since the last time Caine had seen him. Both men were in the primes of their lives, on the human and magician timelines.

The ache in his shoulder eased suddenly, and he wondered when he had forgotten the growing pain. With a gentle shake of his head, Caine forced his mind back to the confused war plans being thrown around. There was no cohesion to any of the ideas, just jumbled fear. They were right to fear the dark elves, but they also would do well to think of the allies they fought for. The elves in the room seemed to have forgotten their own strength, caught only on their fears and fairytales of their darker counterparts.

The sun beamed through the few windows that occupied spots high on the domed roof. Rose colored shafts of light slowly darkened the white marble to a deep blood red, marking the passing of time. The stained glass windows held marvelous displays of elven artwork, each piece set carefully in place by the hand of a skilled Master of Craft. Caine watched time pass without listening to the men and elves around him, as did all the other magicians. Everyone from the magicians' side knew that nothing would be accomplished until the expert arrived to explain who their enemies were.

Mental conversations sprang up between old friends and new ones. Caine, knowing everyone was bored but understanding that the pretext of paying attention was important, used his mind as a whip. The sting from the razor thin extension of his mind led to more than one cringe from the guilty parties. Ash sent a look from the right side of his eye toward Caine before tentatively reaching out to him. Caine shook his head gently; he could not stop others from inane chatter and then engage in it himself.

Luckily for everyone, the lunch break drew nearer at an increasing pace. When minutes had at first seemed like hours, now they seemed like seconds. The ideas flew much more infrequently as time moved past the council chamber, which eased everyone's boredom but increased their worry. With not even the stupid suggestions to focus on, all anyone could think of was the increasing threat of the dark elves at their borders. The King finally stood.

"There is not much more we can discuss; we do not have enough facts. Let us break into small groups. Captains please rise." People from all the sections stood to face the King. "Please welcome your Commander."

He motioned to his son, Keenan, who rose easily. Keenan nodded to the room, and the Captains gave small bows. The King spoke again, and Keenan sat, silently sliding his chair over slightly to get closer to the girl as if on accident. Caine hid the smile in his eyes.

"Captains, please come to the center." Their movement was efficient. "Lieutenants, please rise and come forward also." Though many men still sat in the tiers, elven and otherwise, the floor was beginning to become crowded. "Top ranked Captain Ogorn, please choose your seven Lieutenants and be seated.