PreCursive

  “Oh thank God,” I said, heaving a sigh of relief. I id my new gold and silver arm almost lovingly on the driver's bench of the new wagon that roup had been issued.

  Grey smiled at my dramatics, amused. “You weren’t the only one suffering with the old wagon, Nathan. It’s beeed to goods transfer for now, while we have this ohanks to Honoka.” He the older woman, who etting one of the horses that came with our new mode of transportation.

  Honoka snorted without turning to face us. “If I’m going to be traveling across the damn ti, I’m not going to be unfortable while doing so.”

  Grey and I exged an amused g that, but Honoka spoke up again. “I saw that,” She said, turning and giving both of us the evil eye.

  It was just the three of us examining the new wagon that the Uprising had bequeathed to us. The main host had arrived a few ho now, and they were busy buying up all the supplies they could haggle out of the town of Silvercrest. In the short amount of time we had before we set off with the army of the Uprising, the rest of us had beeing ready to go.

  We were situated in the se of the host that was devoted to the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn. All around us, soldiers and cssers dressed in bd silver armor were taking a brief break to rest, while supplies were procured. They might have been coated in road dust from how long they’d been marg, but they didn’t look exhausted to me. I guess that was the be of seriously fog on your adva, pared tur soldier.

  Our n was one of the smallest ses in the host, but it was of a visibly higher quality than the rest of it.

  Azarus and Renauld had just left to go ach our still atose Antium friend from the heali. Meanwhile, Sylvia had wandered off, g some business iy before we left. Not even Fade was with us right now. He’d sauntered off not long ago, no doubt to go terrorize the local wildlife o time. I’m sure he would show up before we left. The wolf seemed to have an almost uny sense of where I was at any oime.

  For now, it was just us. My attention was caught though, when I saw a familiar face approag our position.

  Richard Everfield, the nominal leader of the political prisoners we had rescued on Caer Drarrow. With him was his grandson whom we’d saved as well, apanied by a pair of unfamiliar faces. Judging by their clothing though, I’d guess they were nobles.

  Grey must have noticed my attention drifting, because he turo look as well. He seemed surprised to see them, from the way his eyebrows shot up.

  When the group reached us, Grey spoke first. “Well met, Lord Everfield. I’m surprised to see you again so soon. I would have thought you’d be too busy reuniting with your…?”

  “Son and daughter-in-w, Headmaster,” Richard said, ining his head in Grey’s dire with a smile. “And I am no longer Lord of House Everfield. My trials at Caer Drarrow have illustrated my o step down from the position. I have, effective immediately, elevated my son Bryce to the position of Lord. With it, he assumes my responsibilities in the House of Lords. I believe he had something he wished to say…?” He eurning to face his son with a raised brow.

  Bryce Everfield immediately stepped forward and dipped into a deep bow, his apparent wife copying him as well. “Words ever express Eleanor and I’s gratitude to you for saving not only my Father, but our Son as well, Headmaster. Know that for the service you have performed for my family, House Everfield will be in your debt to its dying day.” He straightened up with an almost teary smile on his face.

  Eleanor Everfield y a hand on her son's tiny shoulder, from his position standio her. “We will be sure that Callen will uand the debt that we owe you when he is grown, Headmaster.”

  Grey hummed thoughtfully. “I see,” He said after a moment, meeting the eyes of Richard. The other man nodded ever so slightly at Grey. He smiled. “I will be sure to remember that. Perhaps in time something be arranged.”

  I titled my head at the odd iion. What Grey did surprised me, though. He turned in my dire aured to me.

  “Lord and Lady Everfield, may I introduce my apprentice?” He said, causihten up. The eyes of both parents immediately locked on to me with intense expressions. “This is Nathan Hart, who assisted in the assault on Caer Drarrow. I’m quite proud of his progress and iiveness. Why, I even believe he’s talented enough to bey Terminal Apprentice.”

  I flushed slightly under both their assessing gaze, and the overblown praise that Grey was heaping on me. I mean, I didn’t think I was that impressive.

  Bryce stepped forward aended his hand in my dire. I met him, g forearms with the man. “A true pleasure to meet the Headmaster’s test disciple,” He said, meeting my eyes. “Allow me to express my gratitude for helping to save my family.”

  “It was my pleasure,” I said smoothly, leaning on my Ag skill. “I have a particur hatred for false impriso and svery. Freeing your family from such dire fines was my pleasure.”

  Bryce Everfield looked faintly surprised and impressed at my delivery, but that could just be his own Ag. I think he’d expected me to act like a bumpkin or something. I didn’t bme him. I looked and dressed like one, in my handmade leathers.

  “As all men of character should, Mr. Hart,” Eleanor smoothly cut in. She graced me with a smile. “Please, don’t hesitate to call us iure if you find yourself in need.”

  I ined my head in her dire with a smile of my own. “I will keep your most gracious offer in mine, Lady Everfield.”

  After that, Richard stepped in and ushered his family away. I smiled, watg as little Callen Everfield turned around and waved us with a rge smile on his face as they left. I waved back at him, happy to see that the kid seemed to be rec now that he had his parents again. I’m not sure I’d ever seen him smile before now.

  When I was done, I turned back around to see that Grey was looking at me ptively while Honoka nearly looked ready to burst into ughter. “What? What is it?” I asked, startled.

  Honoka actually did start ughing at me then. “You’ve do now, boy!” She said, pointing at me and nearly doubled over from her amusement. “This old goat ’t stand dealing with nobles! You’ve just shown him you hahem no problem! He’s going to make you deal with all the hat want his attention now!”

  I jerked ba surprise and dismay, turning an almost betrayed gaze trey. He just shrugged helplessly at me with a smile, before starting to chuckle himself.

  Oh.

  Well damn.

  ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

  Not long after that, the logistics officers for the army of the Uprisiurned from their procurement mission. Azarus and Renauld had already e back carrying the massive form of Venix as well. We bedded him down in the back of our fanew wagon, where he could tinue rec in peace. Sylvia reappeared just as everyone’s preparations were being pleted for departure.

  I’d already cimed the driver’s seat up on the bench for when we left. I had actually grown a little used to being the driver on our journeys and didn’t any sly ving from Grey to take up the task. I was just waiting for the rest of the Army to give the call to head out.

  I was trying to keep a for Fade when I was startled by the sound of someotio me up on the driver’s bench. Turning to face them, I was a bit surprised. They had never joined me up here, before.

  It was Sylvia, smiling slyly at me. In her hands, she was holding a small, ed package.

  “Oh-” Before I could even tinue, Fade appeared out of nowhere, jumping up on the driver’s bench to sit iween Sylvia and I. The both of us just stared at him for a moment, before I huffed a ugh and scratched his head. Shaking my own, I picked up where I left off, smiling at Sylvia. “What’s up? You finish what you were doing in town?”

  Sylvia me, hands folded over the package on her p. “Yes, it wasn’t anything plicated. I was just pig up something from the markets,” She paused for a moment, before tinuing almost shyly. “It’s…for you, actually. Here.” Sylvia held out the small package ed in twihat she was holding for me to take.

  My eyebrows rose at that. Setting down the reigns I’d been holding in preparation, I accepted the apparent gift. Undoing the twine, I saw that there was a small burp saside that rattled slightly when I picked it up. Curious, I ope up, only to be stunned by a familiar sight and smell.

  Ihe sack were what were unmistakably coffee beans. My lips parted, before I looked up at Sylvia with a disbelieving smile. “Coffee? I didn’t even know you guys had this!”

  Sylvia smiled back at me, visibly relieved at my delight. “We do, although it’s unon. It’s grown on the southern end of the ti, and not quite as popur as tea. I’ve never had it myself. I…heard you some time ago, talking about how you preferred it to tea. I thought to find some for you to celebrate your new arm. I visited Preceptor Josha o time to ask if he knew any merts iy that sold it, and he was happy to help me.”

  Didn’t Honoka tell me that he was from a pce called Rorica? If so, that was officially my new favorite pce.

  I ughed out loud, gazing down at the precious bag of beans I now had. While Fade was sniffing curiously at it, I reached over aly grabbed Sylvia’s Mithril hand with my new golden one. I was thankful that the entments and soul linking that it had undergone allowed a sense of touch, if not a muted one.

  It let me feel her metal fingers in my own.

  I met her eyes. “Thank you, Sylvia. I really appreciate it. This…is like a little taste of home, to me.”

  Sylvia’s eyes softened. “It was my pleasure, Nathan.” She said softly.

  We sat there for a moment, just holding hands, before we were startled by the sound of a bugle eg out from the front of the army host. All around us, the myriad cohorts of soldiers and wagons of supplies started to move. Hurriedly, I dropped Sylvia’s hand and picked up the reigns once more in order to snap them ahe horses moving. When I did, our own wagon carrying our party and supplies started rolling as well.

  Letting out a breath, I smiled over at Sylvia. “Well, lenty of time now. I think Grey told me that it’ll take the host about three days of travel to reach Helstein,” I paused for a moment in thought. “You know, you know some of my favorite foods, like coffee. But I don’t know yours. I know Sculpted still o eat every on a while, but I’ve never heard what you prefer.”

  “Ah?” Sylvia said, a little flustered at my question. “Oh, well. I quite enjoy spicy foods. I picked up a taste for them from Honoka. There’s a particur bistro just outside the Academy that she would take me to quite often. They make a certain soup that I’m quite fond of.”

  “Yeah? Well, maybe one day when the war is over, you introduce it to me.”

  “I’d like that, Nathan. I very much would.” Sylvia and I exged a smile, as we settled in for another drive across the breadth of Vereden.

  It didn’t occur to me until ter that day that I had essentially asked her out on a date.

  ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

  Grey’s predi turned out to be right, as he usually was. We reached the tral area of Helstein on the m of the third day of travel. On the way there, the Army didn’t enter any form of resistance from the Loyalists, even though I was sure they knew we had to be ing.

  I mean, the Army was huge. It was much rger than what I had seen ba Hollow Hill by at least several thousand. There were plenty of bahat I hadn’t seen back then mixed in with the familiar ones around us. It looked to me like ambit in freeing the prisoners had worked t back support from the Uprising’s noble backers.

  But we didn’t see a single soldier wearing a Herztalian Loyalist tabard, much less a banner. Eerily, we didn’t even see many monsters on the way there. I would have thought there would be a rge amount of them in area, since a rge battle had apparently went down here some months ago.

  Nothing attacked us that the fringes of the host couldn’t hahough.

  Just over the horizon now, I could see a massive citadel, surrounded by what seemed to be a city. It was more than rge enough to rival Rhoscara from what I could see, which had been by far the rgest city I’d seen in Vereden.

  Camped out front of the city was the missing Loyalist army.

  It wasn’t small.