Chapter 21. I'm Working On It

“They’re crossing the river!” Yanek shouted.

“Shit!” Sevei spat. Urskatha jumped away from him and began hastily fixing his clothing. Sevei dove for the tent flap to tie it shut on the inside. “Um... alright, you do your weirdo thing and get back over to your own tent.”

“Weirdo thing?” Urskatha inquired.

Sevei cast him a rueful grimace, bending to pull up his trousers which had fallen completely down while he tied the tent. “Sorry,” he said. “Habit. I’m working on it.”

He sat in a chair to pull off his boots. He smiled up at Urskatha, but then scowled as Urskatha finished tying his trousers and let his tunic fall over his hips, revealing an unsightly stain across the black fabric “Are you supplied to clean up over there?” Sevei asked. “If not, there’s water under the table - if we didn’t kick it over – and towels, and I might have a spare tunic in that chest.”

Urskatha’s eyes were on the door of the tent, his attention riveted on Yanek’s calls for Sevei, coming ever closer. “I’ve got them,” he said shortly.

Sevei nodded. “Go on, then,” he advised, “and... Yeresym...” He tried to think of something comforting to say, but Urskatha’s face was retreating into his cold mask again. “I’ll see you back at Command,” he finished lamely.

Urskatha gave a curt nod, then disappeared.

Sevei shed all of his clothes and quickly wiped himself over with a wet towel. He was just getting into his clothing trunk when Yanek began to pull at the tent door.

“Vei, you in there?”

“I’m just cleaning up! Give me a minute!”

Sevei pulled on a pair of clean trousers, then crossed the tent to untie the door, allowing Yanek entry while he hastened back to the trunk for a tunic.

“How close are they?” he asked while he continued dressing.

“They’re crossing up North,” Yanek answered. “On the Valeskan side.”

“Are they insane?” Sevei asked incredulously.

Across the Northern border, there wasn’t much flat river bank, the Khasavin mountains rising sharply almost from the very side of the river. It was rough terrain, difficult to travel, especially for thousands of soldiers and all their equipment. Yanek shrugged.

“Trying to look tough?” he mused. “I’d guess they’re coming right for us, though. I wouldn’t try to camp an army on that ground.”

“Well, they’ll have to come out of there in a narrow column, so if we can get there in time we could pick off a lot of them off as they cross the border,” Sevei calculated. “Let’s get up to Command and hear any other ideas.”

“Mhm...” Yanek replied with a strange tone in his voice. “Where’s General Urskatha?”

Sevei shrugged with feigned indifference. “How should I know?”

“Oh, I thought you might have seen him when he was in here just now.”

Sevei’s eyes shot to Yanek, then followed his gaze down to the ground... where Urskatha’s sword lay atop the heap of Sevei’s maille tunic, a lappet on the belt embroidered with the insignia of the Fourth Martial Line clearly visible.

Sevei drew in a deep breath and held it.

“So, you’ve made some progress, then?” Yanek ribbed, his eyes gleaming with mirth.

Sevei blew out his held breath and fixed Yanek with a troubled expression.

“Yan,” he implored. “Please, don’t.”

He picked up the sword and wrapped it in a blanket while Yanek picked up the maille and hung it on its stand, brushing a bit of wet grass out of the links. Tucking the wrapped sword under one arm, Sevei left the tent, Yanek following, and they set out across the field back to camp.

“Yan, don’t say anything to him about this,” Sevei said. “It’s... a touchy subject.”

“Just how ‘touchy’ did you get?” Yanek smirked.

“I’m serious. Don’t give him a hard a time. He’s not in a good place.”

“He doesn’t strike me as the sensitive type.”

“He was at Anwynd.”

Yanek came to an abrupt halt. “Fuck!” he breathed. “And he’s still alive?”

“Mm... that’s debatable,” Sevei said grimly. “But I’m working on it. I don’t need you and your smart mouth setting me back.”

“Hey, I’m in your corner. I won’t say anything,” Yanek promised as they moved along again, Sevei picking up the pace. “I can still give a hard time about it though,” he added.

“If you absolutely must get it out, then sure,” Sevei replied.

The camp was in a state of clamorous uproar, troop captains dashing about and shouting orders as soldiers, horses, and large weapons were readied for imminent mobilization, and Yanek parted ways with Sevei to take up direction of these preparations. Finally reaching the Command courtyard, Sevei ducked into Urskatha’s tent to deposit his sword on the desk before he made his way to the map pavilion. Sevei took a deep breath, composing himself before entering. He knew that Urskatha might be nervous about seeing him after what had happened between them, but there might be something he could do to put him at ease.

Putting on his General face, he stepped into the pavilion with an authoritative air, only briefly noting Urskatha sitting at one end of the long table before walking to the opposite end, turning his attention to taking a cursory stock of those gathered. All of the Alchemists were present, as well as the Brinnish Generals, having been portaled over by their own Alchemists. Taking his seat, Sevei looked across the pavilion to Urskatha, who sat rigidly, avoiding his gaze.

“General Urskatha, the report, if you will?” Sevei said in the most emotionless voice he could muster.

Urskatha looked at him then, his expression still hardened, but Sevei was pleased to see his posture relax minutely as he began to relay the information the upriver scouts had brought in.