Part 8: Joint Operations
WHILE they were talking to Montana, the twins seemed to be checking the rest of us out from time to time. We were closer in age to them than the rest of the delegation, so perhaps they had actually been curious about us this whole time. Opening up to Montana might have allowed them to admit that to themselves.
It was the fourth night of the journey. The watch changed at midnight, and we gathered around the campfire, rubbing our eyes sleepily. I managed to wake up right away, but my friends were still half asleep.
I floated a Water Ball in the air, wet a cloth, and wiped each of the faces in turn of the three people sitting limply on the ground. Corinne and Albert finally woke up, but Montana was still in a daze. He started walking with his eyes half closed, then stuck his head in the Water Ball, and blew air out loudly before pulling his head back out and shaking it like a dog to dry himself off.
“Gah, you’re soaked!”
Corinne ran over to pat me dry, and I haphazardly tossed the Water Ball into the bushes. Then I sat down on a log next to the campfire to take up watch, and the other three came and sat next to me. As the night slowly passed by, we spent the time chatting here and there about aimless things. I quite enjoyed whiling away hours like this talking with my friends as we watched the fire crackle.
✦ ✦ ✦
ABOUT an hour later, the distant howl of a wolf echoed through the quiet forest. We all stopped talking and listened as the first howl set off a chain reaction of howls. A beat after my three companions stood up, I joined them on my feet. Evidently, quite a few wolves had gathered.
“I’ll wake everyone up before we’re surrounded,” Montana said.
“I’ll go wake the knights. Montana, you handle Cody!”
“Haruka, go get the torches!” Corinne called. “I’ll help you after I grab some rope!”
“Got it. We’ll use the torches to widen our field of vision.”
On the battlefield, the dark of night was a huge disadvantage. We needed to light up the area as much as possible, even minimally, and create a place where we could fight to our advantage.
As we ran to the wagons where the equipment was kept, Corinne suddenly stumbled to a stop with a shout. “Haruka, I almost forgot about the twins! Wake them up first, then grab the torches! I’ll get the rope!”
With that, she ran off briskly. From the way she was refusing to meet my eyes, I knew she’d dumped the task on me because she didn’t want to do it herself. I wasn’t surprised though, considering her earlier interactions with the twins.
“Right,” I said to myself. “It is what it is…”
The twins slept by themselves in a small tent. When I lifted the flap, I saw that they were sleeping peacefully. Usually they looked kind of rude, but asleep like this, they just looked like ordinary kids.
“I’m sorry to disturb you while you’re sleeping,” I said, “but we might be in the midst of a wolf attack, so please wake up!”
Their eyes flew open and they both stared at me for a moment. Then they hurriedly scrambled to their feet, clutching their staves. I was surprised they weren’t angry considering how abruptly I’d woken them up. In other words, their attitudes usually sucked, but they seemed to be fully aware of the urgency of the situation.
“Okay, what should we do?” Leo asked, holding his staff tightly with both hands.
“Should we fight too?” Theo, meanwhile, looked ready for war.
Just because twins were perfectly in tune with each other didn’t mean they had the same personality.
“When the battle starts, stand as far back as you can,” I cautioned them. “For now, I’d appreciate it if you could help me carry the torches.”
“Okay.”
“Got it.”
“Follow me, please.”
They responded more meekly than I’d expected. They’d skipped a year in school, so even though they were obviously honor students, if I’d been the same age they were, I was sure I’d be too flustered to hold a proper conversation.
On my way to the wagon, I saw Corinne return to the campfire with a long coil of rope hanging from her arm. We have to hurry too. When we reached our destination, I found a bag filled with torches, and quickly crouched down to pick it up before moving to return to the others. The twins were struggling to carry the other bags, which were too heavy for them.
“Here, let me have them,” I said. I took the bags they were trying to carry and started running. Their hushed whispers reached my ears just before I got too far away to hear them.
“She’s ridiculously strong. Has to be a martial artist.”
“Then why is she wearing a mage’s robe…?”
“Because I’m a mage,” I called back to them, and they immediately fell silent. I felt their doubtful stares following me, but I didn’t have time to assuage every single one of their concerns. First on my agenda was to survive this wolf attack, then I would explain things to the twins.
By the time we reached the bonfire, everyone else was already there. Dekt raised his voice and gave orders to the knights, who installed torches all over the place. Soon, most of the clearing was lit enough for us to see clearly. Then they shepherded the non-combatants of the delegation to the area furthest away from the wolf howls. Those of us who could fight glared around in all directions, on high alert.
Because the twins and I were mages, we took positions slightly further back and waited for the wolves to approach. Corinne also lined up next to me, readying her bow.
In the brief moments before the enemy struck, one of the twins spoke.
“Dark elf,” he said, “why aren’t you on the front lines?”
“I told you already. I’m a mage.”
“I don’t believe you. Mages aren’t that strong.”
“It’s true. And you shouldn’t sound so sure of yourself when you say that.”
While Theo glared around at his surroundings, breathing heavily, Leo kept talking to me, seemingly to distract himself. It made me realize that he was probably the calmer of the two. From time to time, he looked over at Theo, concern in his eyes.
I noticed Corinne’s shoulders shaking as she desperately tried to hold back her laughter and keep a straight face. Still sassy, despite the danger we’re in.
“Would you like to tell us what’s so funny, Corinne?”
“Sorry, sorry.”
Honestly, if it helped ease the tension, I didn’t mind being the butt of her private joke. I was a little worried about the twins because I’d never seen them in combat before, but I knew I couldn’t waste valuable energy on that. I needed to concentrate on myself and make sure I didn’t make any mistakes.
Up ahead, I saw Albert and Montana gazing straight into the forest. Our job was to support them.
“This is so weird though,” Corinne remarked. “I’ve never heard of wolves attacking a group of people before.”
“I’d have to agree with you, which is why I think the leader of the wolves must be a monster,” Cody replied.
“You’re very knowledgeable, Cody,” I added.
When animals mutated into monsters, they became bigger and smarter, and their animal characteristics intensified. Wolves were creatures that acted according to a strong leader’s direction. If this particular pack’s leader was strong and intelligent, that could explain why the pack was actively attacking people. Humans had poor night vision and were weaker than animals, which made them perfect prey for monsters.
“But you guys defeated a tyrant boar, right?” Cody asked with a confident smile. “Don’t disappoint me.” He didn’t seem particularly scared. He was probably used to situations like this because he traveled so regularly.
A moment later, Dekt’s deep voice rang out: “They’re coming from the front! Ranged teams, prepare to attack! Avoid any magic that can cause explosions!”