Thud.


    Thud.


    Thud.


    “You’re going to break my secretary’s desk if you keep doing that.” Harper admonished from her seat behind her own desk.


    “I’m dying—actually, no. This is a fate worse than death.” Quinten said, letting his forehead fall onto the wooden surface with another hollow thud, where he let it rest.


    Exhaling loudly from behind her stack of papers, she said. “It’s been a week, Q, and it’s not like you’re in prison. We warned you what would happen when the Fort Commander found out what you’d been up to.”


    He rolled his head to the side and watched her horsetail bob as she wrote. “What happened to the repair requests I gave you yesterday?” She asked.


    “Already done. Why do you think I’m just sitting here?”


    Her head whipped up, and she glared at him. “That was a week’s worth of work, Quinten.”


    He scrunched his nose at her use of his full name. He’d made the mistake of wincing the first time, and now she used it like a weapon. His explanation that his Grandmother used it when he was in trouble only seemed to egg her on.


    “How long do you think until the Mage Commander sends Captain Leduc new orders for me?”


    Waving a hand at the massive pile of papers on her desk, she said, “Stars if I know. They were quick enough in sending orders to pool resources and continue construction between forts—Thank you for that, by the way.” She added with another, stronger glare.


    “You’re welcome.” He said with a grin. He sat back, intertwining his fingers behind his head. “I still don’t understand why they didn’t assign me to oversee its construction. I’m the one who started it in the first place.”


    There was a knock at the door before Harper’s displaced secretary popped their head into the room. A moment later, another shorter head stuck out from around the door.


    “My lord!” said Declan. The excitement practically bleeding from the two words had Quinten on his feet in an instant.


    “What is it?” He demanded.


    The boy stepped fully into the room. He clutched a sealed folder with the words Lt. Quinten Ashford written across the top, between his hands.


    “This just arrived for you, my lord.”


    “Oh, thank the starry night!” Called Harper as Quinten shot across the room, unconsciously tapping his Gift in his haste.


    *****


    “They assigned you, the now infamous Lt., to Mage Core Command?” Mallory asked in disbelief that night at dinner.


    “Hey now,” objected Talia. “It depends who you ask. To some, he’s a hero.”


    “Infamous for sure.” Complained Harper with her head buried in her hands. “At least to anyone working on his star’s cursed wall.”


    Quinten grinned, happy to be the target of their jokes if it kept them smiling. His own slipped the barest inch. Ronan sat in the seat beside him, but Quinten could tell his mind wasn’t there with them.


    Likely, somewhere filled with blood.


    As the weeks went by, the weight of those his friend couldn’t save slowly piled onto his shoulders and Quinten was at a loss for how to help him. On instinct, he sent a thin tendril of Empathy to connect with the shadowed young man. Sadness and regret’s chill flowed through the link immediately.


    “How was the Ward today?” He asked, his words meant for just the two of them.


    Ronan shrugged, looking down at his hands resting in his lap “No one died today, so there is that.”


    A raucous laugh filled the room from a few tables over and the pair raised their heads to the noise.


    “And that asshole? Do I need to have a word with him?” Quinten asked, spotting Lt. Wells seated a few tables away.


    Ronan snorted, shaking his head. Quinten stared at his friend, the flare of attraction he’d felt through the bond catching him off guard. Remembering the surge of jealousy Wells’ had given off a few weeks earlier—in this very room—left Quinten raising a figurative eyebrow.


    That… would be a development. Quinten thought as he tuned back into the conversation at his own table.


    “The whole south is being mobilized, all additional units assigned to each fort are being sent north.”


    “I can’t wait.” Lianna said, her fist striking her palm with an audible smack. “I’m ready to meet those horse-fuckers blade to blade.”


    Quinten shook his head at her innocence. He was sure she believed in the words, but he expected her opinion would change when the time finally came.


    Raising his drink in a toast, he said. “To the end of this war. May it come faster than we empty our cups.”


    *****


    The combined Army and Core forces started to trickle in over the following week. Quinten waited with bated breath for the Mage Command Unit to arrive. He’d heard good things about the MCU since joining the Core. That they were the tip of the spear and their ranks were made up of the Core’s elites.


    He was excited to see if their reputation matched reality.


    Declan was waiting for him when he returned from his daily tour of the Fort’s interior. He was astride Star in an attempt to keep her exercised and in a well-meaning effort to spend some quality time with the beautiful beast.


    “The Lord Marshal has arrived, my lord. Rumor says the Mage Commander is with him”


    Sliding to the ground, Quinten smiled at Layla and passed over the mare’s reins. He pulled Star’s head toward him and gave it a thorough scratch.


    “Thank you, Declan.” Quinten flipped the boy a silver and nodded to the woman with a wink she pretended not to see. “Treat your sister to a nice dinner. I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be here in Northreach or where we’ll go from here.”


    “Thank you, my lord!” He called as Quinten left them.


    Strolling through the streets, he used his Gifts, both augmented hearing and by casting Empathy around him in a thin net to gauge the overall moral of the fort.


    People seem to be in good spirits. Even knowing that Northreach has been designated the military’s main staging ground for the foreseeable future.


    The streets, which had been open and easily navigable when Quinten arrived at the fort over a month before, were now filled. Wagons and carts loaded with supplies, bottlenecking routes and backing up entire streets in their chaos.


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Quinten reached the headquarters building soon enough. His walk interrupted only once when he’d telekinetically stopped a cart from running over a small child and their mother when its driver grew frustrated and tried to turn without looking.


    The people might be in good spirits, but this place is turning into a madhouse.


    The stairs leading into the building were packed with new arrivals. Their voices filling the air as questions and answers were shouted. Quinten pushed through the crowd and through the open doors. One look inside told him that the headquarter’s interior was just as bad. Mentally preparing himself, he made his way to the stairs and started climbing. He wasn’t sure where his grandfather would be, but as the highest ranking military officer, Quinten knew starting at the Fort Commander’s office was a good guess.


    Arriving at the top floor and the offices of the fort’s senior officer leadership, Quinten suspected he’d been right. Dozens of unfamiliar Lieutenants filled the floor’s landing.


    “Excuse me—pardon me!” Quinten said as he pushed his way through, receiving more than a few glares before he made it to the war room door. It was blocked by an older looking Army Lt. and one from the Core. Quinten was in luck, remembering the army officer from the visit with his grandfather in Avoncross.


    “It’s nice seeing you again, Lt. Bauer. Is the Lord Marshall in there?”


    The throng behind Quinten filled in the wake of his passage and pushed him forward. The unknown Lt. took this as an advance, missing Bauer’s nod in the affirmative. She stepped in front of Quinten, pushing him back with Gifted-assistance.


    “Senior officers only.”


    Lt. Bauer reached forward and placed a calming hand on the Lt’s elbow. “He’s fine. The Lord Marshall asked that he be let in if he showed up.”


    The woman frowned, but stepped back to stand beside the door. Quinten nodded to her, shooting Lt. Bauer a thankful smile.


    The Lt. pushed open the door silently, holding it just wide enough that Quinten could slip through.


    She wasn’t kidding about this being senior officers only.


    The war room, which was filled with Lt. on a weekly basis for the Fort Commander’s officers’ meeting. Where Captains sat at the Commander’s table, they were now displaced by Commanders and Majors, forced to stand and listen as the Fort Commander gave his report.


    “The remaining section of wall between here and Alden’s Rest will be completed in the next two days. With the northernmost point of the border secure, construction efforts can then shift to the ten miles of wall separating Northreach from Fort Hamitic to the West.”


    “What’s our estimated completion time?” Quinten heard his grandfather ask, recognizing his voice, even if he couldn’t see him from beside the now closed door.


    The Fort Commander shifted where he stood, folding his hands behind his back to keep their nervous twitching from being seen.


    “Two weeks at the current rate, my lord. One, if we are able to borrow mages from other units.” Captain Leduc answered from the standing crowd. She was off to his left, and Quinten made his way over, careful not to bump into those around him.


    “Thank you, Captain Leduc.” Said Commander Aldric. Rather than continue, he watched Quinten''s grandfather as he considered the information.


    “I’d like to have that completed and fortified sooner rather than later.” The Lord Marshall said to the man beside him. “I expect we’ll see the Drakovians change tactics once we start construction to connect Fort Hamitic and Offton.”


    Mage Commander Taskin nodded his agreement. “See to it Majors. I expect both walls to be complete in the next three days.” He peered over his shoulder at those standing behind them and grinned. “I don’t know about you, but I am more than ready to get these savages out of our lands.”


    His statement was met with cheers and the man’s grin grew. Somehow, it seemed to contain too many teeth.


    Quinten slid in beside his target, speaking in a low tone meant for her alone. “Good afternoon, Captain Leduc.”


    She raised a brow at his appearance, reaching over she pretended to brush of his stitched rank as if it were dirty. Scowling half-heartedly, Quinten pushed her hand away and nodded toward the front of the room.


    “Special permission to join you all.”


    She blew out a breath, sending the dangling blond curl clear of her face. “Must be nice,” she said.


    Quinten could only shrug. Peering around the room, he saw a few people that looked familiar, but there were a few Majors from the Core seated at the main table. None of whom jumped out to him as his new Commanding Officer.


    “Captain, I don’t suppose you could point out my new CO?”


    Leduc let out a loud snort, making no attempt to contain it. Quinten winced internally, but refused to shrink in on himself as others took notice of the Lt. In their midst.


    “Major Hanevold isn’t here. She’s too busy running everything and has no time for these petty things.”


    Frowning, Quinten looked around the room once more as if it would prove the Captain wrong.


    “If she’s not here, then where is she?”


    Grinning, Captain Leduc shook her head. “I’ve no clue. But if I were you, I’d hurry up and figure it out. She won’t put up with a shirker and is quick to make an example of those she meets.”


    The scowl Quinten shot her way this time was real. She knew him well enough by now to know he was no such thing and she was just having fun at his expense.


    Still, even knowing that, it didn’t stop him from heading for the door.


    *****


    The looks leveled at Quinten when he exited the Commander’s war room carried a physical weight to them. He momentarily froze under their combined scrutiny, but pushed through the awkwardness he felt at being the center of attention.


    He made it two steps before the questions started.


    “What are they talking about?”


    “When are we going to kick those horse-fuckers out of our lands?”


    Quinten ignored them, using his Gift to weave through the throng as they clustered together. Those in back not knowing what was going on, but not wanting to miss out either.


    He reached the railing and looked down at the lower levels, but the stairs remained blocked. With a quick glance at them—and the hungry gazes between him and his escape—Quinten grabbed the rail and leapt over the edge.


    He only fell for a moment, but it felt oddly freeing. The drop itself didn’t take him to the ground floor. Instead, he landed in a crouch on the third due to the stairwell’s clockwise climb along the wall.


    Rising to his full height, he took a step and froze as steel-grey eyes met golden-hazel.


    Quinten shook off his surprise first and bowed his head. “Hello, Lt. Wyndham. This is a surprise.”


    “You!”


    He raised a brow and waited for her to continue. She did not. Choosing instead to glare at him with a fist firmly planted on her hip.


    “Yes—well… Welcome to Northreach.” He said with unrepressed humor. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to find someone.”


    Stepping around her, he made it to the end of the landing when Daphne’s muttered words pulled him up short.


    “Starfire! If I’m late again, Major Hanevold is going to kill me.”


    Turning on his heel, Quinten asked. “Is the Mage Core Command Unit on the fourth floor?”


    “Yes!” She called over her shoulder, taking the stairs two at a time.


    With a smile, he followed one step at a time. He—after all, had nothing to be late for.


    Unlike the top floor, the fourth began as a narrow hallway that widened the deeper he went, eventually opening into a sea of Mage Core brown.


    He stood there, unsure of where to go when movement from his left had him shifting instinctually. He moved far too slowly to protect himself. In less than a second, his assailant pinned his arms to his sides, wrapped him in a bear hug, and screamed his name into Quinten’s ear.


    When they started drawing attention, Cedric dropped him. He held him at arm’s length, and the big idiot just stood there, grinning.


    Quinten stared at his friend in shock. “Cedric? but—Your here?”


    He nodded excitedly, his grin infectious. “Just got in a few hours ago. They pulled the whole unit—”


    “Chat with your betrothed later, birdbrain. We’ve got orders to deliver.”


    The muscles of Quinten''s neck tightened at the harsh tone and his lips pulled down in a frown. He locked eyes with a Captain standing a few feet away, but not before catching Cedric’s wince.


    She was short. The maybe reaching five feet on a good day kind of short. She wore her curly black hair cut far shorter than was fashionable. Despite her small stature, she managed to look down at him with a small, pert nose that left her eyes appearing a little hollow.


    “Captain.” Quinten said flatly, thankful they were indoors and that he technically didn’t need to salute.


    Cedric clapped him on the shoulder, moving to stand beside the woman. Somehow, he seemed smaller, even though he was a foot taller. “I’ll come find you and Ronan as soon as I get back. What building are you in?”


    “Third floor, building twelve.” Quinten said. He watched the Captain drag his friend from the room, waiting until they were out of sight to let the frown form.


    Whatever that was, I don’t think I like it.


    “What are you doing here?”


    Replacing the frown with a more jovial expression, Quinten raised a brow at Daphne’s tone. In that moment, he knowingly made the poor decision to screw with her.


    “I’m here for you.” He said with faked sincerity.


    She blinked several times, her mouth opened and closing. “Ex—excuse me?”


    Quinten held on to his straight face by a thread. “Your debt.” He said. “I’ve come to call it in. I thought about what you said, and I’ve decided to accept your offer.”


    Panic filled her features, and she took a step back. “What offer? I didn’t make you an offer.” She said, her voice rising in volume.


    Quinten watched her for a long moment, and gave in, laughing before the joke could go any further. She stared at him in confusion, her expression quickly shifting to one of anger.


    “How dare you.” She hissed, leaning toward him. Her hands were balled into fist and Quinten realized that messing with her may have been a worse idea than he originally thought. “Get out of here.” She continued. “This floor is for Mage Core Command.”


    “I know. And thank you for your help in finding it.” Quinten said, peering around them. “You wouldn’t happened to know who I should talk to about reporting in, would you?”


    “Reporting in?” She asked, horror dawning on her face. “You aren’t assigned to my unit.”


    Quinten returned the look with a too wide smile. “As of a week ago, you would be mistaken.”