Ben's NaNoWriMo Log

Chapter 28 added Sep 23, 2005
Sarah woke with a start. It took her a moment to realize that she was no longer dreaming. As the images of smoke and death fell away from her mind, she noticed that she was lying in a soft bed. It had been so long since she'd been in a good bed that she had almost forgotten what it felt like. She lay back on the feather stuffed mattress and closed her eyes again. She could feel a dull ache in her arms and legs. She traced her fingers over one thigh, feeling a long welt beneath the thin linen of her shift. She vaguely recalled being slashed there with a sword during the last moments of the battle; they must have taken her to a healer afterward. As comfortable as the bed was, Sarah was beginning to wake up fully. With wakefulness came the realization that she hadn't eaten in... she wasn't sure how long. She sat up in the bed, causing it to creak under her shifting weight. The shutters of the window were open, but it was dark outside. Waking up at night was always disorienting. The door opened, and Molly poked her head inside. She smiled and called back over her shoulder, "She's awake!" She stepped inside the room, closing the door behind her. "We were starting to worry about you." Sarah stretched her arms up over her head. A number of aches and pains made themselves known to her; it was impossible to tell the sore muscles from actual wounds. "How long was I out?" "Two and a half days." "Really?" Sarah blinked in surprise. "No wonder I'm so hungry." Molly nodded, and pointed toward a neat pile of clothes on a chair next to Sarah's bed. "As soon as you get dressed, we can get you some food." She leaned back against the wall, arms folded . "You got torn up pretty bad after we took Cravio down. Cate and Bruce carried you back to camp on their shoulders after the battle. The healers weren't sure you'd make it, but I knew better." Sarah smiled weakly. The more she moved, the more she realized how close she had come to proving the healers right. She didn't even remember taking most of the wounds that had left their marks on her flesh. "I need to learn to block better." She picked up the green wool doublet from the chair and looked at Molly. "Where'd this come from?" "You don't want to put your old clothes back on, trust me. A new outfit is hardly a fit reward for the Savior of Sienda." Sarah's jaw dropped. "The what?" Molly laughed. "That's what they're calling you, you know. The crazy woman who eats hellfire for breakfast." "But I don't think I even hit anyone," said Sarah as she pulled on the matching breeches and reached around to point it to her doublet. "All I did was tell you when to duck." "If you hadn't taken control of the situation, that last blast would have been the end of the whole company." Sarah shook her head. "I just didn't want to die." She looked up at Molly as she began fastening buttons. "What were our losses?" "Ten from the greatswords, fifteen pikes, twelve skirmishers. More in the militia. I was surprised that they weren't worse, but it turned out that a lot of the people who went down from the initial fireball attacks were just stunned. If the enemy had charged before they recovered, though..." She drew a hand across her neck. "Your little stunt bought Ethan the time he needed to get them on their feet and back in line again." "I suppose." She buckled on her belt, settling the pouch and sword hanger on her hips. "I hate to ask, but are they coming back again?" Molly grinned. "Sort of -- they're already here. The Disanne council sent a representative to negotiate new relations between the cities. They're downstairs hashing out the details as we speak." She opened the door and led Sarah out into the hallway of the inn. "We can go down the back stairs to the kitchen; it's probably best not to ruffle their feathers by parading you around while they're admitting defeat." As they came out of the room they found Ethan waiting for them. He fell into step with the women as they walked down the hall. "It's good to see you up and around again." "I didn't mean to worry everyone. I was just a little tired." Ethan laughed. "I see your sense of humor is still intact. That's good." "So do we get full pay now?" "I think you've earned it. Actually, after your display on the field the other day, I may be forced to make you an officer." Sarah's eyebrows went up. She hadn't even considered the idea. "I don't know that I'm cut out for that. I'm nowhere near the best fighter in the unit." He dismissed her protest with a wave of his hand. "Being good with a sword isn't what makes an effective officer; it's the ability to make decisions under pressure and get others to do what needs to be done. You can teach a man tactics and strategies, but there's no school in the world that can make him a leader. That's something you have to be born with." They descended the back stairs to the kitchen, where Sarah was able to put together a meal of cold meat and bread. As she ate, she realized exactly how hungry she was. "So what's next? If Disanne is suing for peace, then our job is done here, right?" "Not exactly," said Ethan. "The council was concerned about the losses their militia suffered during the battle, and offered to extend our contract until they get the city defenses finished. It's a good contract, and the company could stand to spend some time in one place." Sarah chewed on a chunk of bread thoughtfully. "How long?" "Probably six months or so. Maybe longer." She thought about the idea for a moment. Over the past weeks she had made a lot of friends among the Wolf Pack, and she enjoyed the company of her new comrades. From what little she had seen of Sienda, it was a nice enough town. It wasn't her home, though. Her home was hundreds of miles away, ruled over by a traitor who had no qualms about allowing his subjects to be slaughtered. Sarah still didn't know exactly what she was planning to do with her life, but somehow she knew that this wasn't the right place for her. "Captain, I... I don't think I'll be able to stay here with you." She looked up at Ethan, expecting surprise or disappointment on his face. Instead, he looked amused. He turned to Molly. "You were right." He shook his head, and Sarah could see that there was disappointment there after all. "I'd ask you to reconsider, but Molly told me that I'd be wasting my breath." He clapped a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "If you're ever looking for a career as a soldier, You'll always be welcome back." Sarah thanked him, relieved that he wasn't upset. Part of her felt sad that she was going to be leaving her new friends, but she also felt a sense of freedom. She wondered if she would ever be able to find a place for herself where she felt she could stay. "I hope you can stick around a few more days, though. They're planning a parade for us on st. Hamrick's Day." "St. Hamrick's Day?" The patron saint of warriors was often honored by military parades, but that wasn't why the day stuck out in Sarah's mind. She turned to Molly. "What day is it today?" She hadn't been able to keep track of all the days since she left Crown Bay. "It's, um, the twenty-seventh of Thirdmoon. Why?" Sarah smiled. "Tomorrow's my birthday. I'm going to be seventeen." "Or twenty, depending on how you look at it." The mercenary captain looked on in confusion as the two women laughed.
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