A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

Chapter 265: The Darkest of Nights - Part 3

"Beam, sergeant. Debrief me. How did your mission go? The rest of you, go and get a meal in you. You may be required for further shifts tonight," Tolsey said.

The soldiers saluted, knowing not to groan in front of a Captain – even if it was the softer Vice-Captain instead – but Judas couldn't help groaning. He'd been dragged into as many shifts as a soldier lately, and it was starting to wear on his body.

But even as he groaned, the other soldiers grabbed his arms and dragged him a way, whilst jabbing him in the side in an attempt to quiet him down. But it was as though they were throwing stones at a woolly mammoth, for Judas hardly noticed, and he continued complaining anyway.

"Well?" Tolsey asked, his face stern and expectant as they listened to Judas' voice fade into the background.

"We found all the missing children, aside from Stephanie," Beam informed him. "We found the bodies of the Elder and his servants as well. There seems to be evidence of a mage there."

Tolsey had been about to congratulate them, but he stopped himself when he heard of the mage. "Evidence of a mage?" He repeated with a frown.

"Indeed," the sergeant took over. "There was a hole in the man's stomach, enough to remove him of all his insides. Yet not a drop of blood. The wound had been instantly charred closed."

Hearing that, Tolsey stroked his beard thoughtfully. "That does sound like a mage…" he murmured, his expression grave. "The Captain will need to hear about this. I'd imagine he likely will want to inspect the scene himself, but…"

"It's fine. I'll take over from him again. The sooner this matter is seen to, the better," Beam said.

With a pained expression, Tolsey expressed his gratitude. "Thank you, Beam… It wounds me to keep relying on you like this, but with circumstances being what they are, we have no other choice."

As they spoke, Beam felt the hairs on his arm go up.

"Are you cold?" Tolsey asked, noticing Beam grasping his sleeve. He was still in the same shirt that he'd fought in, once more having forgotten his coat.

"No… I don't think so," Beam said.

The sergeant felt the hairs on his own arm go up as well. "Oh, aye. I'm goosebumping here too. Strange that, ain't it? I don't feel a breeze?"

"Perhaps it's about to snow…" Tolsey said. He didn't feel the cold – he was wrapped up well, with warm wool beneath his armour, but he had to admit, there was a stillness to the air.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

As they discussed the sensation, a resounding boom blasted across the sky, accompanied by a blinding light, that seemed like a streak of lightning.

Beam found himself bending his knees despite himself, half throwing himself to the ground. His body screamed out in animal instinct.

"What the hell was tha--?" The sergeant's words were cut off, as following that thunderclap, and that streak of apparent lightning, there came a wind.

It tore through the camp, pressing itself against the sides of tents, forcing the canvas inwards, and the ropes to groan.

Men found their drinks tossed from their hands as a result of it. Others found it difficult to even remain on their feet. The fires of the torches and fire pits flickered monstrously, tossed about the terrible wind.

Yet this wind, on a winter's day, filled with the promise of snow – this wind was warm. It was almost hot. Yet it reeked of danger. How could mere wind carry such an aura? It was as though a God of War had suddenly descended, and impacted the earth like a meteor.

Then, just as soon as it arrived, it was gone.

Tolsey, the sergeant and Beam – they all shared wary looks with one another. Each of them had been crouched, their hearts pounding like deer in the presence of wolves. Yet nothing had happened. As quickly as that wind came, it was gone.

"That… That's not thunder, aye? Not in the middle of winter?" The sergeant was the first to speak.

"I think not, Sergeant Garth. I think not," that was all Tolsey had to say on the matter, as he glanced up at the sky suspiciously once more.

The men were looking around the camp with a similar degree of alarm as they, but after a few moments of nothing happening, they returned to their conversations, albeit it warily. They sat down and complained of lost drinks and food, before trying to puzzle out just what the earlier noise had been.

Most of them reached a consensus. No one understood the weather, after all, and many were unfamiliar with these mountain territories.

"Aye, that'll be a forgetful patch of autumn thunder. 'Cos it's colder up here in the mountains. The thunder clouds come floating in, and then they hit this cold patch. I reckon that's what that was. Be a bit of mountain thunder, I think. Quite a thing," one soldier said, explaining it away quite convincingly.

And since nothing else had happened following it, the other soldiers found themselves nodding in agreement.

Beam and Tolsey and Sergeant Garth listened. Garth was almost convinced by that reasoning. But, he noted that Bam and Tolsey were far from moved by it. It was as though they were seeing something else in the happening that he was completely blind to. He wondered if it was a privilege of observation merely reserved for the strong.

"You've done the men a service today, Sergeant," Tolsey said, finally. "You worked well with our ally here, without causing trouble on the grounds of his social rank. The Captain will be pleased to hear that. Had there been friction, I can only imagine his anger."

"It would be foolish to get on the wrong side of a boy that can deal with those Titans like they're nothing," Garth said with a smile. "I do not think I deserve praise for that."