Chapter 102: First Attack

The big dispatch grounds of the northern military hub were packed with hundreds of recruits standing in rigid lines.

On the wooden platform were high-ranking military officers dressed in formal brown khaki uniforms with their eyes looking at the large cadets on blue and black uniform.

Every single rookie was going to be assigned to a designated stand post somewhere along the defensive lines.

There, they would learn under senior officers, watch how things were done until they proved capable of surviving and leading on the front line themselves.

In the lands of Valdris, the military was showed with highest respect by the civilians.

They saw them as the true heroes and the solid wall protecting their cities from total destruction, even if it might lead them to dying at their posts.

At the center of the platform was an old officer with thick, white-gray hair. He adjusted his collar and stepped up to the platform as he his eyes glanced around the recruits.

"Today, you will leave behind the comfort of the academies," the old man’s voice boomed. "Out there, and past the outside walls, no one cares about your noble names or your past scores. You will learn under senior officers at your stand posts, watch how they fight, and earn your place before you ever step foot on a frontline. Valdris rests on your shoulders now. Do not let it fall."

The man then paused before he snapped his heels together into a tight salute. Then, he cleared his throat and raised his voice to lead the military anthem.

The massive crowd of recruits instantly joined in singing.

Near the middle of the ranks, Reynold stood stiffly at attention. His mouth was shut tight. He glanced left and right out of the corner of his eyes, and then feeling a cold sweat break out on his neck.

Behind him, Nymeria and Nyx were singing along perfectly. Nyx had a steel sword strapped to her hip. With her magic still not working, the sword was her only weapon.

Reynold raised his eyes again to look at the cadet next to him. The cadet was singing every word with pride.

Reynold cleared his throat quietly and faced straight ahead again.

He was literally the only person in the entire courtyard who did not know the words.

When the anthem finally ended, another officer stepped forward holding a thick roll of parchment.

He began calling out names in batches, and assigning each group to their respective stand posts across the North.

From these posts, they would be routed straight to their active barracks.

"Batch one, forward!" the officer shouted, reading off a list of names and directing them toward their assigned northern posts and barracks.

Reynold waited silently until the third batch was called.

"Batch Three!" the officer shouted. "Reynold Starweaver! Nymeria Xylaria! Nyx! West Vance! Evan Drake! Lyra Frost! Cormac Vale! Bobby Cruz! Niya sky!"

The officer called the six more names before tossing a rolled leather map to a broad-shouldered boy at the front of the group.

The boy took the map and turned around to face the rest of the batch.

"Here we go..." someone muttered in a low voice right behind Reynold.

The boy that took the map has tall and broad-shouldered, with messy brown hair and hazel eyes. Across the right side of his neck was a small tattoo.

"Name’s Evan," the boy said, as he let out a smile. He stretched his hand out toward Nymeria first. "Ms. Xylaria. Good to have you with us."

Nymeria let out a brief nod and shook his hand.

"Same here.!"

Evan turned to Reynold, extending his hand again. "And you must be the famous Starweaver. Nice to have you on board."

"Likewise," Reynold said, nodding as he gripped Evan’s hand.

Evan then turned his attention to Nyx and held out his hand. "And you...?"

"Nyx," she replied simply, and shaking his hand once before dropping her arm.

Evan nodded. "Good to have you here too, Nyx." He then moved down the line, shaking hands with the remaining five recruits.

There was West, a sharp-eyed boy with a thin scar on his chin; Lyra and Niya, two calm-looking girls. Cormac, a broad-shouldered cadet and Bobby, a quiet guy who just gave a short nod.

None of them had that flashy arrogant airs of the Noble-High cadets. They were clearly from Ironcliff and Stormpeak Academies..

"Alright," Evan said, glancing over the group. "We’ve got four dragon riders here, which means the other five will need to pair up."

"Nymeria and Nyx are riding with me," Reynold chimed in quickly. "If that is alright with everyone."

Evan shrugged cleanly. "Works for me."

"Alright," Evan said, tucking the map into his jacket. "Let’s move."

Everyone picked up their heavy travel bags from the ground.

Reynold turned to Nyx and Nymeria. "I think we should tie own bags on Pyreus and Thornox. That way the three of us actually have room to balance on Aurion’s back."

"Not bad," Nymeria said.

Nyx grabbed a couple of heavy packs up off the grass. Reynold grabbed the first one and dropped it on Pyreus’s saddle, and then securing it firmly with thick leather straps so it wouldn’t shift during riding.

Once all the gear was secured, Reynold swung himself up into Aurion’s back first.

Nyx climbed up right behind him, followed by Nymeria. With them settled, the other riders kicked off into the air one by one.

Reynold gave the signal, and Aurion’s black wings swept down, launching them into the sky last.

....

Reynold’s and the group already flew for many hours, and also stopped only twice to grab a quick something to eat.

By late afternoon, a big mountain range showed into view ahead.

The was bitterly cold, and thick patches of white snow filled the dark granite peaks here..

Evan was the first to dive down as he landed his dragon on a wide, icy ledge at the base of the mountain. The others followed suit, and landed in a cloud of swirling powder.

Three other military dragons were already resting in the corners of the ledge.

It look like this was the staging point where the dragons would stay while the recruits continued on foot.

Reynold slid down off Aurion’s back. He walked over to Pyreus and Thornox and unbuckled their bags and slinging his own pack over his shoulder.

Evan unrolled the map, and squinting through the biting wind. "Looks like we are going this way."

"Keep your eyes open," West suddenly muttered, as he pulled his heavy coat tighter around his neck. "I heard there is always Golem sightings around this post. We need to stick together."

Reynold reached into the travel bag Gift mother had packed for him and pulled out a wooden container filled with sweet, dried crisp-apples.

He opened it and held the container out toward Nyx first. She reached in without hesitation and grabbed a slice.

Reynold then turned and offered it to Nymeria, but she just stared at the wooden bowl with a cold expression, without saying nothing.

"Don’t be rude," Reynold said softly, nudging the bowl a little closer. "We are going to be spending the next few months living in the same barracks. We might as well start getting know each other more."

"She’s a picky eater," Nyx said casually from the side, and chewing on her apple slice.

Reynold blinked. "Oh."

The wind was blowing around them, and sweeping down from the jagged mountain walls.

The environment felt completely dead with just dark rock, and ice.

West took a few steps closer to Nymeria, as he scratched the back of his neck with a nervous grin. "Hi... I’m West. I’ve... actually heard a lot about you back at Ironcliff."

Nymeria did not even turn her head.

"The good or the bad things?"

"Oh, all good things!" West said quickly, with his cheeks turning red. "Really impressive stuff.."

"I think we are here," Evan’s voice sounded.

Before West could finish, a junior military officer dropped down from the lower branch of a snow-covered tree right in front of them. The junior officer rushed forward, his face pale from the cold.

Reynold and the rest of the group quickly followed him.

The junior officer stopped abruptly as a senior officer stepped out from a stone outcrop ahead.

"Sir!" the junior scout said. "I lost all magic-comm contact with the forward patrol. Do you think the Golems got to them?"

The new recruits exchanged quick glances.

The senior officer cursed under his breath. "I will see if there is any other way to reach them." He turned his cold gaze toward Evan and the group. "You must be the new recruits. Welcome to Post Six. As you can see, we are having communication issues right now, so your full intake to the main barracks is going to be delayed."

"It’s fine, sir," Evan said smoothly.

The officer glanced at the sky, which was already turning purple. A few tired soldiers were walking between small wooden structures built into the mountain face.

"You," the officer called out, waving over a passing soldier. "Take these recruits down to the lower bunkhouse. Let them rest up. We’ll try to fix the communication lines by morning."

"Follow me," the soldier grunted.

As they walked down the icy wooden steps, Reynold take in the environment and taking note of everything around him. The perimeter was lined with heavy iron spikes that were driven into the ice.

Watchtowers was high on the rocks, but half of them were empty. The soldiers walking past looked exhausted.

There were no magic lights here but only flickering oil torches that were struggled against the freezing wind.

The soldier stopped outside a low, heavily insulated wooden bunkhouse and pushed the door open.

"Boys on the right, girls on the left," the soldier barked. "Two to a room. Get some sleep, you will be up early tomorrow."

Nyx and Nymeria immediately walked toward the left corridor and took the first room on the end. Reynold stepped toward the right, and he was followed closely by Bobby.

They pushed open the door to reveal a small, cramped room. The walls were plain timber, and drafty at the corners.

There were two narrow wooden cots pushed against opposite walls, with each covered with a thin mattress. A single wooden chair was in the center of the room.

Reynold stood at the entering corner, as he waited for Bobby to pick his side while his eyes scanned the space.

Bobby did not say a word. He walked straight to the cot on the left, and collapsed on it and he was completely asleep in seconds and he still wearing his heavy boots and snow-dusted coat.

Reynold glanced at him, and shook his head slightly.

He walked over to the right cot, sighed, and dropped his travel bags onto the mattress.

He unzipped the bag Gift mother had prepared for him. It was packed tightly with thick woolen blankets, non-perishable meat strips, dried fruits, and small leather pouches of salve. Reynold chuckled softly to himself under his breath with smile on his face.

He unzipped his own personal bag next, and pulled out a pair of clean, comfortable clothes, and quickly changed out of his uniform.

He set his Gift mother bag on top of the wooden chair, then kept his own bag right on top of the cot next to his pillow.

Important things were inside it.

Reynold let out a long sigh and fell back onto the thin mattress.

He was just staring up at the wooden ceiling boards and counting the grain lines in the wood.

Slowly, he started feeling sleepy.

He then closed his eyes and for for only a few minutes of closing his eyes, he heard a metallic shhhk of a sword being drawn out.

Reynold’s eyes snapped open instantly.

Bobby was already over him and bringing an iron sword down in a violent strike toward Reynold’s neck.

Reynold raised his bare hand on pure instinct, and caught the flat edge of the sword just inches away from his face. The sword sliced deep into his palm, and Reynold let out a painful shout as blood spilled down his wrist.