I reported to the new unit before the sun rose. Having hunted I felt more myself. Which was a good thing because I probably would have broken my oath on my new ass hole of a commander. He was apparently determined to take out his low scores on me. Since I had embarrassed him by not reporting on time. Also I was sure it was because he knew the elders would let him get away with it. I gave him the note the elven queen had given the prince and he had sneered. He clearly didn't think any Islee unit had an obligation to the elves no matter what the army was really for, clearly this was why he had scored just above my last commander. Well last one that the elders picked for me. The man I had trained had only just taken the test when we got back. I still didn't know how he had done but I was sure it was better than this ass. And this ass was a veteran commander, we weren't even his first unit.
I knew the man's name but I refused to think of him as anything but commander ass after he started drills. My unit was as fabulous a unit as the elders could put together. I think one other person might know how to tie their own shoes if they worked as a team and had three days. The commander wasn't understanding of their shortcomings any more then he was of his own. The unit was also short of four people. We run nine man groups in units, one commander, one or two vets and the rest out of the academy. The life expectancy for army members was low. Well low for elves and islee. Most people still lived to be over 100. Wizards often saw over 1,000 years. Yet still there were normally more people coming out of the academy than vets in the field. There were five or six veteran units which didn't have anyone from the academy in them. This unit couldn't possibly run a normal drill and this moron had us trying complete sets.
My frustrated unit was about to pass out by lunch. The commander was using my absence yesterday which embarrassed him to bludgeon the rest of the group. My unit was about ready to strangle me for not quitting. I wasn't even that tired when they were collapsing. The ass seemed to take that as a personal challenge. At least it gave my unit a bit of a break while he focused on trying to wear me out. He didn't realize his mistake until an hour after lunch. By then he felt like he couldn't back down. He was the commander, the voice of the city. He definitely believed that he should be the strongest on the team. No doubt another reason he had scored low. I am a many times awarded, crystal weapon holder. It was rare to even earn one crystal weapon, and it was no surprise this ass didn't have one. This workout only annoyed me because it kept me from working on the harder weapon drills I would have been doing. If I wasn't doing team building like what should be going on right now. Morron.
The rest of the unit started getting worried when he was huffing trying to keep up with the drills he kept setting. He wasn't even doing the hard parts of the drills. The wizard assigned to my unit kept watching me. It was different from how the rest of the group watched me. He wasn't very strong magically but I had a feeling he could see how strong I could be. Even while I worked hard to keep my power suppressed. Two of the unit wandered off while the ass was trying to put me through my paces. The ass didn't even notice as he yelled at me. Leaving only the wizard watching as the sun started to set.
The wizard had been picking at a fruit bar while I did another set of push ups. I was seriously contemplating pointing out that he had lost half the unit but decided he would blame me for it anyway. Also it was more fun to see how long it would take the ass to figure out on his own that he had screwed up. The wizard tucked away his food, which was what alerted me to our company. I started to stand up but the ass didn't understand and stepped on my back. I reacted by rolling. The ass thought that he had to have the upper hand after all I had been working all day and he had only been watching. Not that it hadn't worn him out anyway. He was covered in sweat.
He went to try and grab me and a silvery arrow flashed between us. That was when the ass figured out we weren't alone. "What the hell is going on here?"
I jumped up the same way Ravon had after I had healed her. The wizard smiled up at the elf standing just above him. "I think he was trying to retest Desdemona's control. Why I am not sure but I am sure she has crazy control. Blasting a commander would be a bad idea but I was considering it."
"That isn't his job." The elf that had shot the arrow looked back at the slivered hair woman in the uniform of a veteran commander.
"Didn't say it was, lady Ravon." She looked happier, only most of a day had gone by. I couldn't believe she had left the man I had shown her so easily. Of course while in the city she would be able to return every night.
"Good because if her highness did lose control, I wouldn't be saving him." Ravon reached into her coat and pulled out two pieces of parchment. I saw the wax seals on them as Ravon flipped them. She handed one to the wizard. "Where is the rest of your unit, commander." There was no doubt that Ravon knew the man's name and she was using the title to show how undeserving of it she thought he was. It was too subtle for the ass as he totally missed the meaning.
The ass turned and finally noticed the two other Islees were gone. He growled at the air, they were going to be in trouble when he found them. I was within reach right now however and he pulled his hand back to strike at me. "If you hit her, I will use my authority as a veteran to authorize a challenge. I don't care who is in-charge of the Islee forces in our unit but you might."
The elf that was standing next to Ravon lowered his bow. The wizard still didn't stand, he took the letter Ravon had offered him. He held it up to check the wax then he flipped it open. Reading through quickly, he then gave a snort. "This is most unusual, I haven't trained anyone. I am barely a master. You do know I barely passed my own trials right." The wizard hadn't actually been talking to anyone, except maybe the paper. I looked over at my unit wizard, he had the brown stripe of a battle wizard on his robe, that was the only color on his robe.
He folded the paper and it went wherever his fruit bar had gone. The ass finally decided the rest of his unit wasn't hiding under some stone, and turned back to face Ravon. Ravon held out the second letter to the ass. He looked at the elf like she had a disease. Which he might believe she did, everything I had seen from him suggested he was a Islee elitist. Normally not a problem since the Islee fight in Islee units and the elves fight in elven units, unless a joint mission was called for. Which hadn't happened since the last set of generals had died.
The ass sneered, he could not make the veteran come to him so he marched up the bit of hill and snatched the letter out of the elves hand. Ravon arched an eyebrow at me, while the ass inspected the seal on the letter like it might be poisonous. "What can I say, the islee like to pair me with winners." I shrugged, the comment wasn't only for Ravon but I was careful not to look around at what I sensed in the grass.
"There you are." Two Islee that I knew well from my last unit stopped beside the elves. "And the elders just get jealous that you can perform miracles with their hopeless. I truly think they are trying to get you killed this time." Markus flashed a smile and quick salute to Ravon. She outranked him after all, but he didn't drop his act as he spoke again. "And what brings a beauty like you to this side of the field?"
"Commander Markus." My tone was not proper for Markus' current rank. The ass turned and he still hadn't read the letter. I had had about enough of him for one day; it was after dinner, in the city we should have been released for the night already. I lend just enough that the asses punch went wide. I tried not to roll my eyes at the man but I didn't think I had succeeded.
The ass yelled as the wizard with Markus pushed the man over. The wizard who had been sitting on the ground raised an eyebrow at the member of my old unit. Magic outside of the bounds of the tower was supposed to be kept to a minimum even for masters. Harken had probably saved the ass from more than just a faceful of dirt though so I pretended not to notice. "Sorry, Des but when Harken here told me two members of your unit had been in the tavern since lunch and no one had seen anything of you, not unusual in itself, but when I added in that I hadn't seen this lovely fellow where our officers hang out. I had to check." Markus looked over at the ass with an evil smile on his face, "I still have a standing request to take Des from you."
"Your relationship with Des is well known." I didn't like how the ass had said relationship, as he wiped his face and stood up again. The red color I was seeing was new. It made me actually want to hit the man. Well maybe it was the same red that I had seen while fighting Ravon? That thought helped me calm down a bit. I didn't normal rise to this stupidness. The ass wasn't the first person to take their prejudices and anger out on me because they could so why was this exchange making me madder? My eyes flicked to Ravon, Harken, and Markus. The asses anger wasn't only directed at me, was that it? No, why would I care if those three were stepping in? The feel of my demon agreeing with me made me more sure that it was something.
Ravon snorted, "You really shouldn't speak that way about her highness. I already have enough reasons to want to skin you."
The ass narrowed his eyes at Ravon and so did Markus. I didn't care about the ass but I felt I should remind Markus. "She would kick your ass Markus." Markus smiled the same smile he had given Ravon at me this time. He could be charming when he wanted to, but I was the one who had taught him how to use it. It didn't work quite as well on me.
"Not as badly as you would kick it I think." Markus flipped his coat out behind him and sat down on the hill. He had taken longer than most to learn what his strengths were, fighting wasn't one of them. The people who had considered him not dangerous because of that quickly found out that Markus was way ahead of them. He seemed to be getting ready for a show. The ass caught it too.
He growled and his fist tightened around the letter. He relaxed his fist then turned and walked away, apparently to read the letter without interference from us. He didn't dismiss us and he didn't look back. I ran my tongue over my teeth to be sure they hadn't grown longer. They sometimes did that when I got angry. It was tempting to just stand in this field until the ass came looking for me. I could do it, having hunted enough last night I could just stand here for the next 5 days before there would be an issue that made me move. Other people would notice though.
Ravon's growl at the retreating asses back caused me to turn and look at her. "I had thought the queen was kidding when she said the joint counsel would only approve these three, and she had to pull rank to reassign me. Someone really doesn't like you."
Markus snorted from where he sat on the ground; Ravon had to turn a bit to see him. "Someone is out to get her killed."
"The army doesn't-"
"The army isn't commanded by the army any more." Harken shook his head and sighed. Apparently Markus had been talking things over with the wizard of his unit.
"That doesn't make any sense. She is a demon but -"
"Ravon!" Ravon gave me a puzzled look. Clearly she hadn't remembered that she only found out I am a half-bred demon yesterday. She had assumed because Islee and elves don't talk that elves had been left out of the loop. Not that I had just been working my ass off to keep anyone from learning my secret. Markus looked confused by the exchange for a moment then his eyes sharpened and he looked right at me.
Harken took a step back without thinking about it. The three elves with Ravon moved as well. Not away like most other rational beings but to stand between me and the two members of my old unit. It also placed them between me and the wizard of my new unit. Who had pulled back out the letter Ravon had given him and was rereading it. He would get to the bottom then turn the page like he expected something more. Like maybe orders to kill the demon.
Markus stood up brushing his pants off. "That explains some things." Ravon stepped so that she was facing Markus. "Don't worry, I still trust Des' assessment on how a fight between you and me would end. I have also seen Des fight, she doesn't need you to stop an army unit for her, let alone me." Markus looked at me past the elves. "I expect you to find me next chance you get and explain why the hell the elves are now more protective of you then the Islee are." He didn't look hurt, or even disappointed, as he turned away. I knew most of his secrets after all, he was the only person I would call a close friend, even if I did run off on my own a lot. I think he had been as selective in his group as well. Harken looked like he wanted to yell at me but couldn't bring himself too if Markus was just going to walk away.