Rise of the Citadel (The Search for the Brights Book 2) by Aaron Thomas Page B

letting them control his elementals would just sound like
another lie. He kept his silence. Eventually Alexander stood and turned his
back to the three. He walked to the edge of the camp.
    “I am
disappointed Kilen. You made an oath to me, your wizard. How are we to trust
one another? If you cannot trust me with your secrets, then I cannot trust you
with mine. I must leave and get back to the tasks King Atmos has assigned me. I
have already risked my neck to be here against his orders. Good luck with the
Elder Wizards, they will demand answers for the abilities you have presented
here tonight. Kilen, be careful. They watch you now.”
    Alexander disappeared into the
sky as he always did; with a gust of wind from behind to knock anyone down that
was not expecting it. Kilen was left to shame himself for lying.
     

Chapter 3 - Training Dilemma
     
     
    Getting to the
front of the marching formation was not as difficult as Bowie had thought it
would be. Thousands of Soldiers were still packing their tents while superiors
were making sure none had deserted during the night. Breakfast was still being
cooked, which Bowie was please to see. He snatched a couple pieces of bread
while marching through the camp from a group of drowsing soldiers. Commanders and
leaders pushed back tent flaps to see if any others needed to be roused. Bowie
made his way past the forward guards, who were still strapping armor to packs.
He was just in time to see the scouts disappearing into the forest.
    Bowie checked
over Charger, who despite the long walk through the night, seemed anxious to
run. Before long, Tyler came riding up in a cart next to Auburn, followed by
another Black Hat driving a wagon with a roof and doors covered in plants and
flowers of every sort. Tyler was one of the recruits he really trusted. Not
only because he was from the Water Realm, but because he had helped train the
other recruits.
    The cart looked
like someone's traveling home, and he instantly knew it must have been Ria’s.
The two women found a way to stay close to one another. Despite his efforts to
separate the two, he had failed in his first attempt.
    “Tyler, report.”
Bowie called out.
    “Master Cresent,
we are putting as much of the soldiers’ equipment as we can into the carts to
lighten their loads. Wizard Ria even spared some space for tents on her roof.
The other two carts will be along shortly, once they are finished being packed.
What are your orders, Master Crescent?” Tyler asked.
    “Ride this wagon
a ways up the road and wait for the others to join, don't let the front guard
to get in ahead of you.”
    Tyler nodded and
Bowie mounted Charger.
    “My lady Auburn,
I thank you for the use of your cart,” Bowie said.
    The red haired
girl fired back, “Not like I had a choice in the matter.”
    Bowie removed
the hat from his head and scratched his scalp in frustration. He had only met
the girl an hour ago and she had already gotten on his nerves. He replaced the
hat on his head and looked back at the girl, who was staring at him, waiting
for a response. Bowie did not intend to let her dictate the terms of their
every conversation, so he stared back in silence.
    “I guess it’s
not your fault the King is snatching up every able body in local towns for his
ego-driven whims. Next, I suppose he will snatch up all the local bar wenches
and throw a party like no one has ever seen before...” Auburn said.
    She seemed to
remember that she was talking to Bowie and stopped the rant, clearing her
throat. “I do suppose I owe you an apology for my mood. My father taught me to
make arrows, bow strings, and recently allowed me to help him construct bows. I
am to support this army by doing those things, so I am in your service.”
    Bowie smiled and
tipped his hat, “Well perhaps there's hope for you after all. Miss Auburn, I
will need a lot of help in the next few weeks. Perhaps if you can handle
keeping your dislike of the King in check, I will allow you to oversee