Work Text:
No sound could penetrate the tension that was held in the air. Soldiers awkwardly shuffled around as they tried to process the unsettling imagery laid out before them. It was a field of blue flowers. But they were covered in blood. Each petal was stained with the liquid, and any slight breeze had the blood falling off and soaking into the already dark ground. It was everywhere. Infecting the landscape and rooting the area in a shroud of darkness. A curse.
Tamas didn't quite even know how this had happened. They had covered all of their grounds as they trekked through the mountains region of Adro. The only way the Kez Army would have known where Tamas and his soldiers were was if someone was giving information from the inside. Corruption wasn’t uncommon, but Tamas prided himself on the fact that he could sniff it out and prevent it.
So in a way, he felt like this was his fault. He was the reason why an innocent village in the Adro Mountains was raided. Covered in blood. He could still hear the screams… screams that he didn’t even hear. He knew he was too late. Could this have been prevented? If Chase had listened and paid attention to his soldiers, their concerns, and grievances, could he have saved this town?
Footsteps settled next to Tamas, and he barely lifted his gaze. He knew who it was. It was Olem. “Sir, Vlora, and Taniel want to know what they should do. They’re awaiting your orders.”
Tamas slowly rubbed his hands over his face. To try and will the disturbing imagery from his mind. The last thing he needed was more sleepless nights. He was already overdue for sleep, and now he feared another night without sleep and it would start to interfere with his shooting. “Send them around to try and find survivors.”
An uncomfortable silence settled over the two before Olem cleared his throat, “Sir, they already did that.”
“Do it again.”
“I don’t mean any disrespect Tamas, but they’ve done it three times now. All your orders.”
This caused the field marshall to stop and look at Olem. His expression was riddled with confusion before he looked around. All of the soldiers were setting up camp. The sun had moved from above his head to set below the mountains. How much time had passed? “How long have I been standing here?”
“You’ve been standing there for hours,” the new voice caused Tamas to turn to see his son walking toward him. A sour expression on his face, “you’ve sent Vlora and I, and the other Powder Mages on this wild goose chase that has gotten nowhere. What are we doing here? Pit, the Kez will be on our ass soon if we don’t move.”
A grumble left Tamas, knowing his scolding on Taniel’s language won’t get anywhere. It had been ten years, and the boy wasn’t budging. Like father like son. But he had a point. Tamas had wasted over a day’s worth of marching, and at this rate, the Kez will catch up if they stay any longer. So, he had to improvise. “It’s because we’re setting up a trap.”
Olem and Taniel shared a look, one of concern, before Olem gestured towards the barren village around them. “We have nothing set up, how can this be a trap? The Privileged will sense us and shoot us down before we can even attempt something.”
The slow nod from the field marshall had Olem and Taniel shifting uncomfortably in their boots. Trying to gauge what Tamas was getting at.
“It’s simple, setting up a trap this late won’t do us any good, but I can buy us time to do so. I’ll stand out in the middle of the village and have the Kez army stop a while back. The general will come forth, most likely with some sort of protection, but then by the time they sense our Powder mages, will be on their asses. It’s as simple as that, and if it doesn’t work, well, we shoot like pit.”
A scoff left Taniel, “shoot like pit? Father, I don’t think you’re thinking straight because if this plan doesn’t work we’ll be screwed. No amount of shooting will protect us against a furious Privileged.”
“No, but your little savage can.”
Taniels face paled as he glanced behind him at Ka-Poel. She sat on the ground, picking the blue petals from the flowers. “Absolutely not, do you know how weak she is after our last scuffle? She’ll die and I’m not about to let that happen.”
Olem watched the two bicker. His hands absentmindedly pulling at the edges of his sleeves before he let his eyes trail to the bloody field. His head tilted slightly at the realization. “Wait, Tamas has a point Taniel, we’re in a field of Gentian flowers. If my knowledge from Bo is correct, these flowers hold some sort of aura to them. Something that can be used to mask and hide us from our inner sight.”
The smile that crossed Tamas’ face had Olem’s growing as well, moving to grab Taniel’s shoulder. “Here, talk to Ka-Poel and see if she can do this, we can actually win this.”
“The lack of confidence in me hurts me Olem.”
The blonde's sweet laughter filled the air before he straightened himself and cleared his throat, embarrassed to have been caught off guard. “Bad phrasing, my apologies.”
With a shake of his head, Tamas gestured towards a nearby Courier. “Let’s get this plan started, no?”