Mercenary of Lastia - BtLH - Ch 32 (Patreon)

Lys’ head swam with all the information Egan dropped on her. It was far too much at once, but she did her best to absorb it.

At midnight, they were relieved by another private and another member of her recruit group, Bryn Woodrow. She recognized him from the archery tournament the recruits had done before leaving Silverpines. She handed over her sword, spear, and shield to him.

Sleep came quickly, but morning arrived far too soon.

She stumbled out of her tent, blinking against the harsh sunlight and joined the other recruits as they filed out for roll call, stifling a yawn behind her hand.

Swift stood before them, his posture rigid and his eyes sharp. His voice cutting through the morning chill. “From now on you’ll be seeing to your own guard duty as well as the rest of the camp.”

Lys straightened, as did most of the others. Not everyone had been put on guard duty the night before, but it seemed like it would be something they’d all be getting used to right quick.

“You’ll be having weapons practice and formation drill for the rest of the week instead of physical training,” Swift continued, his gaze sweeping over the assembled recruits.

A ripple of relief passed through the group, and Lys felt her own muscles relax slightly. Less physical training meant a reprieve from the grueling exercises that left them all sore and exhausted. Although somehow she felt like there would be a catch.

Swift’s expression turned wicked, almost like he had read her thoughts. “Don’t worry,” he said, his voice dripping with false sweetness. “I know mercenary life wouldn’t be the same without your favorite activity.”

Lys’s heart sank, a sense of dread creeping up her spine.

“So,” Swift shouted, his voice booming across the camp, “you can all get a morning run in around the camp before breakfast!”

Groans erupted from the recruits, but they were quickly silenced by Swift’s glare.

“Group leaders,” he barked, “lead them in a run. Now!”

Lys fell into step with her group as they set off. The cool morning air filled her lungs, and she focused on the rhythmic pounding of her feet against the ground.

At least it was just one lap. Barely enough to warm them up even. Actually, that was probably the intent behind the order.

She scanned the bustling activity of the camp as they made their way around. Privates and most of the senior cohort were packing their belongings, preparing to move out. The sight caught her attention, and she pointed it out to Orin and Garrett, who jogged alongside her.

“They’re probably going to fight,” Orin said, his voice slightly breathless from the run.

Garrett nodded in agreement. “That’s likely why we have guard duty. We’ll be guarding the camp train and administration.”

Lys frowned, a flicker of doubt crossing her features. “I don’t think our recruit company would do very well in a fight.”

Orin scoffed, his eyebrows raised in disbelief. “We’ve been training for weeks already!”

Lys remained silent, her thoughts turning inward. The regulars she had met carried themselves with a self-assurance that she and the other recruits lacked. It was evident in their demeanor and the way they moved with purpose and confidence. A few weeks of training didn’t stand up to a few years of experience.

The rest of the cohort departed by noon, leaving behind a flattened expanse of grass where their tents and belongings had once stood. Only a few administrative tents set beside the recruit groups remained, making the camp feel lonely.

After a meager lunch, the entire recruit company—all five groups of twenty—was called out to muster. Lys recognized Finn, Swift, and Sergeant Yasir among the officers present, along with a few others whose names she didn’t know.

She couldn’t help but give Sergeant Yasir multiple glances. He still hadn’t talked to her about the Sevenfold Path stuff and her breathing exercises.

Swift, his voice booming across the gathered recruits, stepped forward. “Listen up! We will be converting the fieldworks to a fortified camp. This will be your first time, so we will be instructing all of you on how to dig and build. Do you all understand?”

“YESIRR!” the recruits shouted in unison. They had learned the importance of being loud enough to be heard. No one wanted extra work. Lys frowned, though. If the camps they had made so far weren’t fortified, then what was?

Swift nodded, satisfied with their response. Each group was assigned a sergeant, with Finn taking charge of Lys’s group. He pointed them toward an open wagon laden with shovels and picks, and the recruits armed themselves one by one.

Finn’s voice cut through their murmurs as he addressed them. “These are your second most important tools, the ability to move earth and stone. The defenses you make must be able to be built quickly and efficiently and they can mean the difference between life and death for all of you! So pay attention!”

It wasn’t long before her group was shoveling.

Lys plunged her shovel into the earth. The trench deepened with every scoop, the dirt piling higher and higher on the ground. Another recruit turned it into a packed down mound. Sweat trickled down her brow, stinging her eyes, but she barely noticed, lost in the rhythm of the work.

“Keep it up, recruits!” Finn’s voice boomed from above, his figure silhouetted against the blazing sun. “This trench needs to be deep enough that I can’t see the head of the tallest of you!”

Lys glanced up, squinting against the glare of the sun. The other recruits labored alongside her, their faces streaked with grime.

She caught Orin’s eye, and he flashed her a weary grin before turning back to his own section of the trench.

The hours blurred together, marked only by steady progress.

When Lys’s turn for a break finally came, she hauled herself out of the hole, her legs trembling from the exertion. She stumbled to the water barrel, gulping down the lukewarm liquid like it was the finest wine.

As she caught her breath, Lys watched another group of recruits dragging a bundle of logs behind a horse. The logs were destined for the mound rising on the other side of the camp, a testament to the recruits’ hard work.

“Look at that,” Garrett said, coming to stand beside her. He nodded towards the sergeants, who were working alongside the recruits. “The sergeants got their hands dirty.”

Lys nodded. That just told her how important the work they were doing was. Or they were leading by example... that or they were all really in deep shit if the new fortifications didn’t get done quickly.

The sun dipped lower in the sky, but the work continued.

Finn urged them on. “I know this is your first time, recruits, but you’re doing a damn good job! But we can’t quit until it’s done, so keep at it!”

Lys grabbed a dry biscuit, shoving it into her mouth as she hurried back to the trench.

She jumped down, her shovel already in hand, and resumed her digging. The earth yielded to her efforts, and she lost herself once more in the work’s rhythm, determined to see it through to the end.

The sun dipped down low enough to turn the sky a brilliant orange and lavender, but they didn’t stop.

Instead, a plethora of torches were brought out to light the work.

Lys rested on a rock that had taken four of them to pull out with ropes. Her muscles ached, but a sense of accomplishment filled her as she surveyed the progress they had made.

Further back down the trench, other recruits jabbed in logs, then refilled the dirt to partially cover them. Smaller stakes were stuck in the ground at the base to prevent people from getting too close. Anyone falling into the trench or trying to hack away at the base of the new wall would likely get impaled if they weren’t careful.

Lys watched them for a moment before picking up her shovel and resuming her own digging.

Dusk arrived, and she dug by the torchlight, the flickering flames casting eerie shadows across the earth. Garrett tossed her a waterskin, and she nearly fumbled it, her arms feeling like lead.

“Your turn to rest,” he said, taking the shovel from her.

Lys nodded gratefully and watched as Orin packed the inner bank of dirt against the new log posts.

She was about to close her eyes when Swift came to stand by her. Panic rising in her chest, she started to stand up, but he waved her back down.

“Stay there and rest,” he said gruffly. “Pacing is important.”

“Yes, sir,” Lys replied, settling back onto the rock.

“Swap with Garrett again when he needs a break,” Swift instructed. “We’re almost there.”

Lys nodded, closing her eyes and focusing on her breathing exercises. Time seemed to disappear, and she was startled when Garrett called her name.

“You’re up,” he said, handing her the shovel.

Lys blinked, realizing it was now pitch black, save for the torches. She glanced at the trench, noticing it was nearly connected with the other group’s section. Jumping down, she was surprised to find her arms and body feeling completely recovered.

Lys’s gaze drifted down the line, spotting Yasir directing the other recruit group.

For the second time that day, she wondered when would he give her the lesson that had been promised.

She liked the results of pushing further into her breathing techniques, and it made her feel closer to her father… but not having a clear idea of what was happening and what she was doing made her anxious.

A glob of dirt suddenly collapsed toward her, snapping her back to the present, and she jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the cascading earth. Across from her, the other recruit let out a triumphant whoop as their sections finally connected.

“We did it!” he exclaimed, his face splitting into a grin.

Lys couldn’t help but mirror his enthusiasm with a smile. Together, they cleared out the remaining dirt, smoothing the edges of the newly joined trench.

As they climbed out, Swift’s voice cut through the air. “Don’t get too excited, recruits! We still have work to do!”

Lys straightened her spine, the moment of celebration fading as quickly as it had come.

“More logs are on the way,” Swift continued, his gaze sweeping over the assembled recruits. “We need to reinforce these trenches before we can even think about resting.”

A collective groan rose from the group, but it was quickly silenced by Swift’s sharp glare. Lys grabbed her shovel.

Judging from their pace, it was going to be a race to see if they finished before the sun came up.

Maybe they’d get an explanation on why such a hurry?

Lys shook her head. Nah, no chance of that.