Page 143 of Forcing Fate

“How so?”

He waved a hand as if shooing a fly. “Like a soldier.”

I hung my head. Was he disillusioned? Was this his attempt at convincing me I needed to join his special team and die that much sooner?

“Like a man.”

I snapped my head up and narrowed my eyes at him. Of course, they trained me like a soldier, like a man. That’s what I fought for since I arrived. I didn’t want special treatment, and I didn’t get any here.

“Don’t be a fool, cadet. You’re nothing like a man. You can’t fight like them. It’s that simple. You need different weapons, different training. Given the right tools and the right teacher, you’d be a force to be reckoned with.”

A chime rang, echoing the hour chime, and I had never been so thankful for the toll of the bell. I stood and leveled my gaze with his. “I would be a fool to think that I’ll ever be ready for the front lines, with or without exceptions being made. Have a good evening, General.”

With that, I left, his dark chuckle chasing me as I practically ran away.

As to be expected, the haircut came as a surprise to my friends. Niehm was adamantly against it, telling me I could fight just as well with long hair. Elenor judged me in silence but did not condemn it, and Willhelm disapproved but seemed to understand when I gave my reasoning.

A few days later, we made our way to the ‘washing cavern’ as we came to call it, when Willhelm brought up that General Rafe had removed a soldier from a company.

“Why?” I asked, as subtly as I could.

They didn’t know of my conversation with Rafe, and no one needed to. What happened during the Summer Solstice didn’t need to be spoken of… any of it. Including my apparent lapses in sanity where I thought the General was a nice man.

“It’s said that he’s forming a Tennan.” Willhelm frowned.

Niehm wrinkled her nose. “Tennan? What exactly is that?”

“It’s an old term from before we formed the army,” he explained. “Ten fighters joined in league with each other and fought to the same end.”

“Is he permitted to do that? Would that not disrupt the companies?” Elenor asked, walking primly beside me.

“He’s more than permitted. There’s no higher authority at Northwing. It’s being reported to the other Generals and the King, but I’m certain he would be allowed to form his own company if he so wished. The companies will deal with it. They’re just wondering who he’ll take next.”

“Who did he take?” I asked. Perhaps I knew the man.

“Jamlin. He’s out of the Fifty-Seventh. You probably haven’t met him.” Willhelm shrugged.

The Fifty-Seventh was a company of third year cadets. They would be shipped out to the front lines next year, anyway. But the fact that General Rafe singled him out meant something.

“What makes him so special that our resident General has taken him under his wing?” I asked as we neared the clearing.

“He’s a fair soldier, all things considered, but outpaces his company quickly. His skill and initiative challenged the authority of his old Commander. The man is a fiend in the night. His stealth is unmatched, and he’s known to play tricks on other companies that can’t see him coming,” he replied with a grin.

I smiled back, knowing of the friendly antics between companies. Sometimes one would find a burr under their horse’s saddle, or some other trick to be played in the name of good humor.

It meant Rafe was recruiting, and I simply had to wait till he had ten soldiers. Then his little Tennan would be on their merry way. I could wait that long.

I picked up my pace with a bright smile on my face. Soon, I would be rid of this General that I so disliked.

The butterflies in my belly objected.

Chapter Thirty-One

Autumn of Year 897

As the months passed, I continued to struggle with my training. I felt as though I did worse, even when I worked harder. In the back of my mind, General Rafe’s offer to join his ‘Tennan’ nagged at me, a constant shadow over my thoughts. I ignored him at all costs and tried to prove myself as a soldier at the same time.

I didn’t need him.

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