The veiled war, p.7
The Veiled War, page 7
She watched him prep the animal for consumption and decided she might as well fill the silence. "My dad didn't teach me much magic. I know it sounds strange, but I think they hoped I would never use it after the Great War ended. I know enough to enchant well, and my mom taught me to make magical fire and such thanks to the elemental blood."
"Well, what you know is effective. You single-handedly stopped a tank, and well, this guy." He gestured to the animal. "So I'm pretty sure it's going to help keep us safe," he said with a reassuring smile. He paused in the middle of his task as he remembered Eibon's words of wisdom. "Quick question. How hard is it to learn?"
"It takes a lot of focus at first, but when I got used to it, it became easier. I suppose I learned fast since my parents showed me the basics."
"Do you think you could teach me?" he asked while working on the deer. "Eibon told me it could help me if I learned it, and I have to agree."
"I've known some witches, but there's a difference between an elf's inherent magic and a witch's use of natural magic."
He glanced at her and saw the look of trepidation and nervousness in her expression. He closed his eyes and groaned. "Nevermind. We will do it the old-fashioned way and brute force our way through it." The crack of bone filled the clearing as he separated a leg from the doe.
Magdiana looked away and covered her ears as he dismembered the creature. Knowing she ate meat and seeing it come from flesh and bone were two different things in her books. A stifled whimper escaped her. This moment and her idea of a fun camping trip did not go together. In fact, she didn't even enjoy camping. After he got her to safety, she never wanted to rough it in the woods again.
Astero heard her whimper. "I know it ain't pretty, but it'll keep us fed for a while."
Despite herself, she heard his words through her hands. She opened a hand, conjuring a ball of fire in it. "What do you need me to do?" she asked. At least, the meat looked more like food once he finished the worst part of the task.
"Well, if you could start a fire with that magicky juju, I would appreciate it." He chuckled and wiggled his fingers in a playful gesture.
"Is there something special I should do, or do I just grab some sticks and wood and pile it up?" she trailed off. "I'm sorry. I'm more of a city elf than a wood elf."
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please tell me you've gone camping before and you know how to make a campfire." He sent a silent prayer up to the Heavens as he tried not to lose his temper.
Magdiana bit her lip and shook her head at him. "You have witnessed the extent of my camping experience."
Astero made a sound between a grunt and a groan. Taking a few breaths to calm down, he said, "Okay, Ace. You can do this." Psyching himself up didn't help. "Find some rocks. We'll build them up into a pit large enough to contain the fire. Try to find some drier sticks, logs, and leaves for kindling. Those things go in the center. From there, I think you can figure it out. Got it?" he asked. It took every ounce of willpower in him to keep from sounding condescending. Already, her ignorance nearly drove him to madness.
It took her a minute to process his description, but after a few moments, she nodded. The fire in her hand disappeared, and she followed his instructions, doing her best to keep within sight of the clearing. She didn't want to get lost. Compared to her, his experience in the wilderness made him an expert. She hated to admit it, but in order to live, she needed him. Every time she returned with an armful of something, she spoke to him, trying to explain all the things she could do to help get them through this. "I can cast spells on your gun or ammo to make it magical. Incendiary rounds or silencing. Whatever you need. I'm not good at this stuff, so I did my best using magic for the war efforts."
Astero's relief felt palpable. Even though she might not help with essentials much, her ability to use magic to help protect them would come as a Godsend. "Yeah, your spells help a lot. Thank you." He offered her a wry grin. Once he finished the deer, he helped build the fire pit. "How long will those things take for you to do? We shouldn't stay in one place for too long. It increases the chance of them finding us."
"It takes time, but elf magic differs from what a witch or fae can do. It builds up over time, so I could take a couple hours a day to enchant it. After a few days, you could use the enchantment." She stuck her hand into the pit and lit the leaves and sticks on fire, letting the kindling do its job before withdrawing her hand.
"I could still use the gun in the meantime, right?" He skewered a strip of meat and held it over the fire.
"Yes, you could use it. It functions as normal with no enchantments." She shrugged. When she smelled the food, her stomach growled loud enough for both of them to hear. She blushed. "I'm sorry. How do you not feel the same?"
"To keep it simple, practice. Proper meals are scarce in the redacted places I've been the last few months. This will beat the rats and gruel I got at the camp by a long shot."
Magdiana's eyes turned to look at the forest floor, and she dipped her head. "I wish none of this happened at all. I want to go home and live a happy life. Everybody deserves the same."
Astero placed a hand on her shoulder. "I feel the same. You did good back there. The prisoners there suffered and died. I'd rather rough it out here than in a cell any day. Thank you. You saved us. It's funny. My father died in the Great War. Growing up, I idolized him. I wanted to save people like he did, but of course, I hoped to come back from it all afterwards. Turns out, I didn't save people, but you did."
"Well, I doubt you'll let the princess outdo you." She met his grey eyes for a moment before breaking the contact and grabbing more kindling. She found it difficult to articulate the fact that she'd be dead or worse without him right now. He became her hero when he picked up her unconscious body. They did their jobs, so they could go home now. She wanted nothing more than to go home.
They grew silent for several minutes as Astero turned the meat, making sure he cooked it through. When Astero pulled the meat from the heat and handed Magdiana her portion, he said, "Dinner is served."
She grabbed the food and blew on it to cool it. The fire dried out the meat, and it could've used spices to give it flavor. But after a few bites, her stomach stopped protesting. She could almost feel herself growing stronger with the protein in her system. When she finished up, she peered into the distance, seeing the sun still hanging low on the horizon. "Are we going to keep going?"
"Yeah, if we push for a little longer, we should see ambient lights coming from any nearby settlements. We can use it and the moonlight to get the provisions." He wrapped up the uneaten meat in the blanket they had and snuffed out the fire. "We will blend in better once we're cleaned up."
It took her a moment to stand up. When did she get so sore? She groaned, but forced herself through it. If he could do it, she'd do her best to keep up. Her father always called her stubborn, and if Astero got too far ahead of her, she stood no chance at survival. Maybe they'd find a truck they could stowaway in along the way. It sounded nice to escape while mustering a little rest. She shook her head of the thoughts and whimpered. Focus came first. "Okay. I hope we find something soon."
"If all goes well, we can wear clean, dry clothes in a few hours."
"How do you know all of this for sure?"
"In short, I don't. By all rights, we're lost." He chuckled when he saw the look on her face. "However, I saw enough maps of these parts to last me a lifetime over the past few months. I'm doing my best with rote memorization and rudimentary navigation."
She gave him a critical look, but since she doubted she could do much better on her own, she said, "Okay." He slowed down their pace, and she kept her head down, watching the ground to keep from tripping. She could tell he struggled to see in the relative darkness as night fell, but he never asked for her to create light. If he still feared being caught, he never told her. They'd remain as stealthy as possible on their mission to retrieve supplies.
Astero counted themselves lucky when they came upon the outskirts of a small town. A frown marred his expression. Stealing to assure their survival didn't bode well with him. They found a suitable house, and he made them wait until long after the lights inside turned off before sneaking into the yard and swiping as many hanging clothes as he dared before retreating into the forest.
Magdiana grabbed a bedsheet from the lines and wrapped up their stolen goods. Now, they had two blankets. Astero's could hold the scarce amount of food they could muster, and they could use hers for warmth. Having more things felt cumbersome, but a few minor comforts felt like they would help boost their morale more than anything. From the looks of what Astero grabbed, the woman's clothes drowned her, but clean and whole overly large garments beat destroyed and bloody well-fitting ones in her books. When they lit a fire next, she planned on burning her old rags.
He led them out of town, getting them further than either of them wanted to go before they found a pond. "Let's get washed up. Then, we can put on the new ones," he said as he pulled his shirt over his head.
When she noticed Astero undressing, she turned around to allow him some privacy. "Okay. You first." She blushed. Of all places, she didn't imagine seeing a half naked man in the middle of the war-torn countryside.
"Me first?" he asked, heaving an exaggerated breath. "Princess, we don't have time for your propriety. Get out of those rags and wash up. If it makes you feel any better, I'll face the other way."
She squeaked with discomfort, but she settled down when he turned around, watching for a moment to see if he'd peek before pulling off her destroyed shirt. The fabric tugged at the dried blood and skin around the injury on her chest and back. She winced in pain. Since she could do little to fix it, she gritted her teeth. In time, it would heal. She used her old clothes to help scrub herself clean, keeping out of the water. Getting too cold before another night without proper shelter didn't appeal to her. Her mind wandered back to the man behind her. Of course, she'd lived long enough to see naked men before, but until she watched him pull his shirt off to reveal his abs, she didn't feel any real attraction to the mouthy American. Now, she couldn't get the thought of the curve of the muscles in his forearms and biceps out of her mind. A long-suffering sigh escaped her. This trip became much longer and more arduous in an instant. After cleaning, she dressed in her new clothes. The other woman's garments swallowed her whole, but at least she no longer looked or smelled like death. "I am finished," she said, respecting his privacy until he returned the sentiment.
Astero cleaned up fast. He felt grateful to get out of the prison clothes; his new ones felt softer on his skin. He heard her speak and turned around. "You clean up well." Unable to stop himself, he gave her a once over. The other get up flattered her figure more, but with her body covered in blood and gore, he found it easy to ignore. Now, she looked less comfortable, but clean. He gestured in a southeastern direction and trekked further into the woods. "Come on. We should find a place to sleep for the night."
She nodded and followed in silence while wondering what in the Hell, "You clean up well," meant. Did she look like a mess before? She didn't get a good look at herself. Based on how much blood and dirt came off of her while she cleaned up, she guessed it wasn't pretty, but did he expect her to give a similar compliment in return? She stifled the urge to groan. They needed to make it a couple hundred miles. They would make it to Turkey. Then, she could go home and pretend none of this ever happened. It was both that easy and that hard.
Three
Monday, May 25, 1942
T
o say the previous week frustrated Astero was the understatement of the decade. They walked far and fast each day, hoping to get out of danger sooner rather than later, but Magdiana's constant complaints, even under her breath, almost drove him to a new level of madness. While he understood her obvious status as a civilian, if he heard another whinge or whine in French, it'd come too soon. After a while, he gave up on trying to talk her down and let her go on while he remained silent. As long as they weren't in danger of being found, she could bitch at all hours for all he cared. Twenty days. He could wait a little bit longer for the blissful silence he craved.
He walked ahead of her, keeping an eye out for danger since she didn't care enough to look up from what happened before her feet. It also helped him keep his eyes off of her. A few months away from the fairer sex did him no favors on that front. He couldn't help but think about Catarina for the briefest of moments. While she was cruel to him, he was only a man, and a man who did this job for too long now. She was easy on the eyes, but the whole Nazi thing blew the rest of the woman's appeal. When they got to Turkey, his obligation to Magdiana ended, and he could deal with whatever came next.
Magdiana felt trapped in a whirl of emotion. On one hand, she felt proud. After walking so much, her body grew strong quickly. She wouldn't win any lifting competitions, but she impressed herself with how fast and far she could move in a day. Even though she didn't belong in the wilderness walking her way through a war zone, she made the best of it. For the first couple of days, she felt a little guilty. She babbled on and on, filling the air with meaningless conversation which left her throat parched and yearning for the scarce water they could find on their path. After those first days passed, the talking died off, leaving behind nothing but eerie, strained silence and the foreboding of danger. As little more than strangers, they'd discuss nothing more. Their communication became intense stares thereafter. She caught him looking at her on more than one occasion, but otherwise, he avoided her like the plague. Yet again, she stumbled over a tree root, and she grumbled several swears under her breath. A person like her did not belong here. Why did this happen? Mika should've let her stay home.
Another complaint came from the princess, and for a moment he didn't take pride in, he considered ridding himself of the nuisance. She'd gotten better about keeping her gripes to herself over the last few days. Her constant talk made him nervous, especially since he could tell they drew closer to some sort of civilization. They couldn't afford for her to blow their cover now of all times. They stopped short of a road, and he watched it for several minutes before deeming it safe to cross. Signs of human life came as both a blessing and a curse. Anyone or anything could go up and down these roads, and each road they passed felt as stressful as the previous one. With people so close, he hoped they could find a safe place to rest for the night. After walking upwards of thirty miles a day, they both required sleep, and even though he longed for a bed, comfort could wait while they trekked day in and day out towards their destination.
As they passed another town, Magdiana yearned to stop there, even for an hour. She wanted to eat a loaf of warm bread with fresh butter. Her mother's croissants sounded like Heaven right now, but she knew they'd pass this one too. When she noticed a front porch with some supplies on it by the outskirts of town, she came to a stop. Even though she knew leaving little to no trace helped them, she couldn't hold back the selfish desire to grab a canteen. She licked her lips while she considered it. Drinking without needing to find a pond or river would help them more than hurt, right?
Astero turned his head, noticing her frozen there. He couldn't stand to spare a glance at her for long, and he looked away faster than necessary. If she caught him staring at her, she'd kill him. He shook his head despite his temptation to agree. If more items went missing along their path, their trail became easy to track. Their current supplies were enough. "Come on. Let's keep moving."
With a single jerking nod, she followed behind him. They carried little with them on their journey. Why couldn't they take one more comfort? For the millionth time, she wiped a tear from her eyes. She felt like her parents did her a terrible disservice. Despite Astero's insistence, they didn't treat her like a pampered princess, but they also failed to prepare her for the mental, physical, or spiritual challenges of this situation. This feeling of uselessness and helplessness loomed over her head, making her want to give up. If everybody out here fighting in the war felt this way, she couldn't imagine why it would continue. She imagined her mother telling her to think on the bright side, and even though thousands of miles separated them, she spat a few insults under her breath. Tonight, she should finish the enchantment on Astero's weapon. Then, she'd feel more confident in their superior firepower if a fight broke out.
Astero led them away from the town, deeper into the woods. They weren't going as fast as he'd like, but with the princess's stamina in mind, he could do little more besides remain patient. Even with the slow pace, they made good progress. With nothing more to do than eat and sleep, they spent the rest of their time walking. He could feel the pain in his sore feet as evidence of their journey. When they arrived in Turkey, he couldn't wait to get his hands on fresh socks, but right now, the respite shared headspace with a respite from his constant companion, the attractive French woman. The sun set, and they walked for a while longer by the light of the moon. It took longer than either of them hoped to find a decent place to rest for the night. In a well-practiced dance, he handed her the gun, and she enchanted it while he got to work on cooking the meal he caught them. "Another day done," he said, avoiding looking at her.
"Two weeks," she said. Waiting so much more time to get to safety sounded like a death sentence, but with no other choices, she'd grit her teeth through it. "Okay." She sounded defeated, even to her own ears.
"It's a long way, but once we get there, we can hop into a truck and ride it to Istanbul or Ankara. Then, things will get easier."
"I'm glad it will get easier for you," she said, spitting the words a little. The sense of being dead weight grew heavy in her chest. As soon as she got out of his way, he could move on and help his country win the war. Then, he'd return home a hero, like he imagined. Everybody won, so why did she feel this way?
