Patrol 4: Storm & Calm

Chapter 9

The carriage stopped outside Buccareth House. As Eddin helped Vania down, the doors of the house opened and someone walked down the stairs.

"Animal Wrangler D'merdon Buccareth."

Eddin stiffened, then turned slowly and straightened as he saluted A'lei'iana. "Ma'am."

Vania stood silently beside him as A'lei'iana approached, metals and patches on her uniform catching the lightning overhead. Vania looked up, squinting at the sky and the raindrops somehow missing them once A'lei'iana joined them beside the carriage. A headache nudged her senses.

"A successful journey, I presume?" A'lei'iana asked.

"No," Eddin sighed. "Everyone refused to even try to help, if they spoke to us at all."

"Yes, reliable help is hard to get these days." She frowned and reached into the pocket of her field jacket. She held out a sealed envelope to Eddin, saying softly, "I'm sorry, D'merdon. I can't delay them anymore."

Eddin accepted the envelope, eyes glancing at the seal before tucking it into his cloak. "I understand. When and where am I to report?"

"Port. Bard's Folly. Dawn. One week."

Eddin nodded. "I hear and obey."

"Wait. What?" Vania demanded. She looked at Eddin, then A'lei'iana. "Gods alive. You're sending him back to Hursa?!"

"Vania," Eddin said quietly.

"You can't send him back!"

"It's not up to me," A'lei'iana replied. "When he joined the force, he signed on for a five-year service. When he returned, escorting the bodies of his siblings and comrades-in-arms, he had only served four. He was given temporary medical leave to attend to his mental health. Now that he is recovered, he must finish his service."

"But he's your son," Vania replied angrily. "You know everyone who's sent there now goes to certain death! How can you do that to your own family?!"

"He knew the risks when he joined the military."

"Knowing how the front is, how can you send anyone, let alone your own son?!"

"Vania." Eddin turned to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "She's just fulfilling her duties. The war was declared by the king. She's duty-bound to use our forces to the best of her ability until the king orders a stop or there's no one left to command." He squeezed her shoulder. "Besides, how could she look any family in the eye when their child goes off to this war if she's not willing to make the same sacrifice?"

"That's idiotic!" Vania fumed. She turned back to glare at A'lei'iana. "If you know the battle can't be won, and everyone being sent to the front lines will never make it home alive, why do you keep sending them? As head of the military, doesn't the king listen to you about how the war is going? Can't you tell him how useless it is to keep fighting?"

A'lei'iana looked down at her levelly and replied softly, "Trust me, I've tried. I've explained the situation at the front: the layout of the terrain, the strategies that have all failed, the numbers they have, the numbers we've lost... He listens to my reports, then tells me to find a way to win."

"Is he delusional?!"

"He has his pride." A'lei'iana looked at Vania sharply. "And I'll advise you not to speak ill of the king so openly, at least not while you're in uniform. When you are working for the city, you are, by proxy, working for him."

"I don't care!" Vania shouted. "If he's stubborn and stupid enough to continue to send his people across the sea to certain death, just for a point of pride, he deserves to be derided by everyone, uniform or not!" She glowered at A'lei'iana and crossed her arms. "Maybe he should go over to fight on the front lines. Maybe then he'd—"

"Vania," Eddin interrupted, shaking her gently. "Stop. Just... stop. It's out of our hands."

She looked up at him, eyes blinking rapidly. "So... you're just fine with jumping on a ship and dying in the same war that already killed two of your siblings?"

"No," he said quietly. "I'm not okay with it. The thought of going back there terrifies me. But I also understand my mother has already done everything she can to keep me here, and everything she can to end the war. Now it's time for me to see what I can accomplish; maybe, before I die, I can do something that will lead to the war ending, one way or another, and prevent this nightmare from continuing for others."

Vania bit her lip, still blinking quickly, but the tears were winning. She looked away and shut her eyes against the mounting tide. "Always gotta try to be a hero, don't you?" She swallowed and looked up at him again. "Who's gonna keep tabs on your sister's suitors while you're gone? And who'll take care of Tarva or Prant?"

"K'landrin will be here for sis. As for Tarva and Prant... well. They'll come with me. They were at Hursa once, too, so we'll go back together."

A'lei'iana quietly walked away, the rain once more soaking Eddin and Vania in her absence.

"Maybe... you should take Eluri, too," Vania said.

At the mention of her name, Eluri jumped out from the carriage and flew up to land on Eddin's shoulder, tail curling loosely around his neck.

"No," Eddin replied, grabbing the lucid and dropping her onto Vania's shoulder. "She's yours. She'll stay here with you. She can keep an eye on you for me." He sighed and waved a hand at the grooms who were beginning to come from the stable now that the lady of the house had departed. "We should go check in with Aleira." He held out a hand to Vania, to help her back into the carriage.

"I thought... we were dropping our bags here first? Checking in with T'kanna? And Derry?"

Eddin sighed and stepped into the carriage. "I'd... rather not go into the house right now. Let's go see Aleira." He swallowed. "Besides, I need to announce my resignation. I... guess I won't get to escort you to Priori, after all. I... need time to prepare. I only have a week."

"Eddin..." Vania climbed into the carriage and sat beside him. "We should ask your mother to get us to Karn quickly."

Eddin chuckled. "No. There's no way I'm bringing you to Karn now."

"You said your mother has a faster route. Surely, we could be there and back before the week if she helps."

"That's not it." He shook his head, looking at her. "The king's in Karn, and after your outburst, I can't trust you not to throttle him!"