Chapter 46: Castile's Plan

After we returned from the wall, everyone removed the gear and went to sleep in the ballroom where their cots were. They had been on an eight-hour night patrol and then five hours on the wall watch, so they were exhausted, unlike me, who was excited as I had just imprinted the healing spell form. I wanted to confirm that I could repair bones but was not dumb enough to break one to test my ability.

I changed out of my armor and helped Lirkin in the kitchen adjacent to my room for a time. I was thinly slicing a cold roast so it could go in a pita-like bread for lunch with marinated vegetables. As I was helping Lirkin, Delmar found me, "Eryk, we do not need you to hold the potions. We do not have any more healing potions, and the remaining stamina and cure poison have been distributed." I nodded in understanding. "You can ask Lirkin here what perishables to store for now." Delmar left, and Lirkin was already thinking.

"Never been on the inside in a siege," he was in deep thought. "Something that will spoil and will not be available during the siege," he continued to think. "I know! Butter! It goes rancid in the damn bloody humid heat. You all consume five bricks at every meal, and most of the milk cows in the city will be slaughtered for meat. I will get you some freshly churned butter from the Citadel." He was excited, "Keep it a secret from the men; otherwise, they might nag you. How much space do we have to work with?"

I showed him on the counter, gesturing with my hands. A brick of butter was about three by three inches and six inches long. The box in my space was a fifteen-inch cube, so we estimated seventy blocks of butter. That was going to be a lot of calories. After lunch, I took a nap and, as promised, was awoken to add a lot of butter to my storage. Lirkin brought two hundred blocks from the Citadel, and I could fit the seventy expected blocks in the crate I reserved for legion goods in my dimensional space. The rest of the butter would be used in the next week for cooking.

I went to train in the gardens rather than remain in my room. Now that the city was under siege, Konstantin spent all his free time in the city kicking for rumors like Firth did. Everyone was training on their own, as our leaders were preparing defenses and meeting with the general and city guard captains.

I reviewed the seven movements of the seven sword forms. Then I stretched for a good hour to cool down. I finished with some bow practice. We had some straw dummies set up, and I was shooting from thirty yards. "Who gave you a bow?" Regis asked, watching me score a hit half the time. Regis was one of our company archers and had helped everyone during the archery competition on the wall to see who would wield a bow during an attack.

I actually had three bows now. Two in my storage space salvaged from Durandus' men, and this one I got in the Legion Hall armory. "I figured it couldn't hurt to practice. We only trained with a crossbow in training."

"Eh, a crossbow doesn't take much skill. Bows are superior because they are not as heavy, have a better rate of fire, and are not as bulky as the crossbow. Do you want some help?" Regis offered.

"Definitely," I replied. Regis was very helpful with helping with my pull and release. I tended to hold the arrow too long to aim. For the heavy pull weight of the compound short bow, I needed to draw, aim, and release in a single heartbeat. Regis advised for smaller targets, I could aim, but for people-sized targets, you just aimed and released as the rate of fire was just as important as hitting in a battle. At first, I got worse, but then I rapidly improved. There was some growing familiarity with the bow, but I was also getting a feel for aiming. I practiced till my fingers started bleeding.

Regis offered, "I have an old arm guard if you want it. I only have right-handed gloves for drawing. All our company archers are right-handed, but you can probably find an old glove in the regular army archers if you ask."

"Thanks for the help, Regis," we clasped wrists.

Regis advised, "If you want to be trained to be a real expert in marksmanship, talk to Blaze. He can hit a moving target at a hundred paces!"

We both went to dinner prior to the night patrol. Adrian read the duty assignments for the evening, "Eryk, Brutus, Felix, and Mateo. You four are on guard duty at the gate to the orchards. The guard captain there will tell you what needs to be done."

"I thought we were in teams of eight?" I asked before he could continue.

"Just one patrol tonight now. We are mostly guarding inner city gates to give the city guard some sleep after the increased activity. The days in the lower and upper city are getting busy for them," Adiran answered as he read off the other groups. Konstantine led the group of eight. By the look on his face, I guessed, like Firth, he had other plans tonight than doing his assigned patrol route.

I considered Konstantine's offer to join the Praetorian Guard. Konstantin and Firth always seemed better informed. That would be a huge benefit. My hesitation was rooted in the fact of revealing my affinities. From collecting essence from two dead mages, I learned that collectors seemed to form an essence based on a mage's strongest affinity. If they knew I had a 98 affinity in space, would the Emperor or a First Citizen think the essence I could give them was more valuable than what I contributed as a soldier? Supposedly, the forming of an essence from a living person was outlawed in the Telhian Empire. I was skeptical that the Emperor followed his own laws.

I focused on my duties. With my squad being in charge of guarding a gate, I had them take larger round shields over the bucklers. We were stationary so that the weight wouldn't matter.

After a short walk through the orchards, we reached the small gatehouse at the inner city wall. We passed through this very gate every time we left the villa, and the guards were familiar with us. Two guards in the uniform of the Count's Citadel were stationed here. I approached and said, "We are here to take over your duties for the night."

With a few days' growth and haggard eyes, the older man gave a curt nod, "Thank you, legionnaire." He banged on a door inside the wall, and two of his men stumbled out. They had definitely been napping. "Let me show you how to close and bar the gate," he said, gesturing me inside the room.

The guard room had a table and six chairs. The older guard said, "The cask over there is lemon water. Always keep two men on watch. We have been seeing more looters in the upper city in the last few days, but do not pursue them. Your job is to protect this gate since it gives access to the Citadel through the orchards."

He brought me over to the gate mechanicals. The mechanism was a simple winch that lowered an iron gate inside the archway. There was a quick-release lever that would drop the gate instantly. A heavy block could also slide over the lip, making raising the gate by force impossible. A rope was also attached to a bell mounted high on the wall. Sounding it, would mobilize the city guard barracks in the upper city if we rang it.

After the city guard left, I announced, "Brutus and I will start on watch, and Felix and Mateo can get a nap in."

Felix advised me otherwise, "Everyone is going to be passing through this gate from the company, Eryk. I don't want Adrian or Castile to see us neglecting our duty."

I was confused, "The gate captain just told us we only needed two men on watch."

Felix and Mateo laughed. Felix said, "Adrian does the duty assignments and expects us all on duty. You have not been with us long enough to see the company discipline. When Lirkin screwed up, Lysander being made the company cook was a mild punishment."

Mateo added, "Once Malcom fell asleep on watch in the wild. The entire company stayed with him the next six nights to ensure he did not fall asleep."

"That was in the Dragon Spine mountains. We were hunting down a legionnaire on the run. Why anyone would try to pass over the Dragon Spine is beyond me. It was freaking freezing every night. Worst week of my life," Felix added.

Brutus joined the conversation, "Durandus was the same way. He expected orders to be followed immediately and unflinchingly. Though it appears the discipline is lax in our company, it is not."

Felix and Mateo nodded, taking it as a compliment. And Felix pointed down the road. Some people in dark clothes moved under the gas street lamps further down the street. "Probably looters he muttered. I think we are going to see a lot of traffic." As if prophetic, five city guards came after them in pursuit.

Brutus muttered, "Not long before the city descends into chaos. At least between the regulars and city guard, they almost outnumber the civilians."

We watched the activity from a distance. Around midnight, Castile, Adrian, Delmar, and Orson returned. Konstantin was leading the eight-person patrol and not with them. They just nodded as they passed and returned to the villa. I guess if you were in charge, you could work half the night.

Felix and Mateo were talking quietly about what they planned to do with the gold they would receive from the dungeon discovery. Brutus and I were on the on the other side of the arch. I broached the curious subject, asking softly, "Brutus, what do you know about the Praetorian Guard?"

He looked at me and said, "I am not one of them or an agent of one if that is what you are asking."

I nodded, believing him, but asked, "How are they viewed in the Empire?"

Brutus seemed to think about how to respond, "They are considered loyalists. The Emperor's secret force of powerful intellects, mages, and warriors."

"Would you join the Praetorian Guard if asked?" I asked my friend.

He had a shocked look, "Firth asked you? He seems like a loner. I thought he just worked as a Praetorian agent and was not one himself. But then again, you never know." As to my question of joining, Brutus said indecisively, "Probably not. I just want to complete my twenty years and get my pension. Praetorian servants serve for the long term. It is also the closest you can be to being a First Citizen. So there is that."

I thought about it and said, "It was Konstantin who approached me."

Brutus eyes went wide, "Really? Two agents of the Praetorium in one mage company? Usually, there is just one in case the mage goes rogue."

I was interested, "Who was it in Durandus' company?" My curiosity focused on why he had not stopped the mage earlier. "Why did he not stop the attack on the storm giant?"

Brutus huffed at the memory, "Tauro. He led the archers and was the one the storm giant exploded with the lightning strike." He continued after a pause, "I don't think the Praetorian agents interfere with a mage unless they intend to kill him. I think they are only there to kill the mage if they betray the Emperor or Empire."

That was something I might be really good at—killing mages. I joined the Legion for protection and to learn how to defend myself in my new world. It got me thinking that maybe I should join the Praetorian for the same reason. It seemed sensible if I could avoid having my affinities read when I joined.

Perhaps before I do that, I should read up on the Duchy of Tsinga, where I professed to be from. I was sure they would ask me questions about my homeland. There was also the fact that Konstantin said foreigners were usually not allowed into the Praetorian Guard or as agents. So maybe any desire I had to join would be moot.

Just as the sun started to light the sky, our relief came. It was the same older city guard from last night. I guessed he had to work the post from sunrise to sunset since the Citadel Guard was stretched so thin with helping the upper city guard maintain order. Delmar told everyone to remain after breakfast when we arrived at the villa. Castile was going to address the company.

It took an hour for everyone to get back. A few people had minor injuries, the worst being Kolm, who broke his ankle jumping off a roof. One thing Linus did have was painkillers. Linus just planned to wrap the ankle tight and have Kolm take the painkillers if he needed to fight. Otherwise, he would get to remain in the villa to heal and rest. Others were already joking that they planned to jump off a roof in pursuit of a street urchin as well to get off duty.

With everyone present and attentive, Castile addressed us, "I wanted everyone to know my plan on how we are going to get out of this."