The Children of Never: A War Priests of Andrak Saga (The War Priests of Andrak Saga Book 1) by Christian Warren Freed

Author:Christian Warren Freed [Freed, Christian Warren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: War Fighter Books
Published: 2018-07-14T22:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-THREE

Palis

Kastus winced each time Sava slapped his stick on his thigh. “Do you suppose he feels what he’s doing?”

“Sava?” Thep asked with a wry grin. “I doubt it. He’s been smacking himself with that stick for as long as I can remember. I suppose that’s better than the alternative.”

A far cry from being a soldier, Kastus failed to understand the point in striking oneself. There was no motivational factor involved. Just the sharp sting and a possible bruise. Fascinating as that was, he studied the soldier’s reactions. Men and women, veterans and fresh faced recruits alike, snapped to whenever Sava came around. He doubted it was entirely out of respect. Kastus noticed a healthy fear ran in undercurrents among the lower ranks. That was good, for morale and discipline.

“What’s the alternative?” he asked, even as the answer came to him.

“No one wants to get caught by that stick more than once,” Thep explained.

“Seems excessive, even for a sergeant.”

“Sava is one of the best I know. I’d put him up against anyone else in the duchies.”

Impressed, Kastus couldn’t help but wonder what had invigorated Sava since arriving in Palis. Aside from one minor skirmish, their time had been ill spent. “The only problem is we haven’t found anyone to put him up against. He grows harsher as the days progress. Should we speak with him?”

Thep gave him a look suggesting that he could if he wanted to. “Constable, Sava is a proud man. Getting beaten by the once dead man in the manner he did is beyond insulting. All he wants is another crack at the beast. I have no qualms of his training methods, so long as they reinforce the soldiers. We cannot be caught unawares again.”

Deciding he would never understand the mentality of a soldier, Kastus changed the subject. “Do you think the old man will be good for his word?”

They were less than a league away from Palis, returning from an otherwise wasted trip to nearby Jut. Despite the bold predictions of the old man, it still rankled Kastus that the man refused to give his name, inferred there was something off about the situation. He’d served as Constable for many years now and had developed a talent for sniffing out a rat.

“We shall see,” was all Thep had to offer. His experiences were far different, normally ending with the flash of the blade.

Kastus yawned. Days of constant riding and searching left him more tired than he liked. His mental acuity was slipping, and that aggravated him the most. He needed that sharpness, especially now that he was plucking apart the strands of conspiracy.

“I don’t trust him,” Kastus continued. He glanced sidelong to the old man.

“You suspect a trap?”

“Not per se. I believe he is duplicitous. Why else would he come forward, claiming to fear retribution should he be identified, and then offer to show us the guilty party? It feels wrong, Thep.”

The young captain turned to study the old man who remained oblivious to their scrutiny. “He doesn’t look out of the ordinary.

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