Chapter 8 - Guard On The Wall

Callum walked his circuit along the Olbrin wall. He’d been rotated to different positions throughout the week. Some had been better than others, though none had been nearly as eventful as the day he’d gone on hunting. Today was no exception. In fact, it stood out only in how dull it was marching back and forth atop the wall.
Still, Callum preferred this over patrolling the streets with the other guards.
Despite what some might have thought, nobility had not led him and his brother to be sheltered inside of their family home their entire lives. They had been allowed out to explore the city, albeit with one or two more personal guards beside them than the average person may have had. City guards had been a common sight in Holly Crest just as they were in the Elven Quarter.
The only difference was how those guards were regarded.
Up in Holly Crest, amongst the wealthier merchants and aristocrats who made their home in the city, a passing pair of guardsmen were treated civilly. They might receive a polite greeting or simply be ignored as everyone went about their day.
The Quarter had been the complete opposite. Mothers tugged their children by the hand to keep them out of a guardsman’s path or faced a tongue lashing when they failed. Young men and women averted their faces, doing their best to make themselves invisible while their bolder peers glared challengingly at the guards.
It was clear that they were not welcome in the Quarter and, judging by how guards like Evans and his friends acted, the feeling was mutual towards the elves as well.
It had all felt so wrong, but there seemed little Callum could do about it. As soon as he returned home after the disaster that had been the lindrake hunt, he had reported what had happened to his uncle, Elias.
They had managed to kill the lindrake, but not without taking severe casualties on their side. Much of it was a blur of fangs, steel, and blood, one that had left Callum dazed and wounded on the forest floor. What little he did recall was Nishi healing a deep gash in his arm. It had been too late to save Dillan, but Evans hadn’t believed that.
Once he realized what had happened, Evans had pulled Nishi aside and had beaten him senseless for letting Dillan die just so he could, in his words, “suck up to the lordling.”
Leon had done nothing to intervene. At least not until Callum had his sword out and pointed at Evans’s neck. When that had happened, the corporal had been quick in trying to defuse the tension.
Callum had detailed all of it to Elias. He hadn’t been surprised by the news as he seemed to be disappointed. All the commander had said in response was that he would look into the issue and thanked Callum for bringing it to his attention before instructing the boy to go rest.
Days had passed since then and nothing seemed to have come of it. Evans and Leon were given their assignments as normal without even the rumor of a reprimand. When Callum had brought this up with Elias, his uncle had stated that Nishi hadn’t filed any report regarding the incident. As he was the one Evans had beaten, his testimony was needed before any disciplinary actions could be taken.
It infuriated Callum to no end, no less now than it had then. He questioned how his uncle could allow a member of the Magic Brigade to be beaten bloody by a member of the city guard.
Elias had been firm in his response that there wasn’t much he could do as commander without a formal complaint. As things stood, it was Callum’s word against Evans and Elias could do little without it being seen as partiality towards his nephew.
Callum had had to clench his fists, but he realized his uncle – no, his commander – had been right. It would be easy for others to see Elias putting family before duty. Elias’s position in the city was far from unassailable and even Callum knew that there were those on the council that did not view him favorably. There were already plenty that dismissed Elias as only having his position because of Callum’s father being the patrician. Worst of all, it would likely give ammunition to Evans accusing Nishi of failing to save Dillan as a way of currying favor with their family.
With gritted teeth, Callum had dropped the issue.
Fortunately, Elias had made sure that Callum hadn’t been paired with Evans nor Leon again. He kept the cadet on a daily rotation with the explanation of exposing him to the various roles of a city guard.
It had done a good job of keeping distance between Callum and Evans, but there was little to be done as word of the confrontation in the forest spread through the guard. No one said anything, but the stares and glares from whatever guards Callum had been assigned to for the day made it clear who they sided with.
It was not how Callum had envisioned his training going when he had first started, but it was what it was. He had dealt with worse. The guards were little more than an inconvenience compared to what the nobility can dish out to a manaless heir.
Caw! Caw! Callum was pulled out of his ruminations and back to the present by the cries of a bird followed shortly by shouting coming from below. Looking over the wall’s ramparts, he saw four figures walking up the road towards the gate. He couldn’t make out much from the distance, but it appeared to be a pair of young men carrying a third while the hooded last of their quartet ran ahead past the line of carts and travelers waiting to enter Olbrin and towards the guardhouse, shouting for help. A red-tailed falcon flew close by, keeping pace with the group.
The shouting did not seem to stop even after the figure made it to the guards stationed at the gate. If anything, it only got louder. By the time the three stragglers caught up, their friend was still arguing with the guards. The line of people behind them seemed poised to join in given the hold up.
By now, the group was close enough for Callum to make out certain details. Namely, the elven ears on two of them. Suddenly feeling he had a grasp of what the shouting was about and where it was bound to lead, Callum hustled down from the ramparts to the southern gate.
The scene had not improved by the time he arrived. One of the elves had joined his hooded companion in loudly arguing with the guards on duty while the falcon perched itself on his shoulder. The third member, seemingly the only human of the lot, stood propping up the last member. The latter appeared so thin, it was likely hardly an effort to keep them up.
“What’s all the commotion about?” Callum called out over the shouting match.
The guardsman was the first to find his voice as he looked to see who had arrived. “Oh, cadet,” he said, emphasizing the rank. “Just some knife-ears trying to skip the queue. I was just telling them they’d have to wait like everyone else.”
“Our friend needs a healer,” said the hooded figure, their voice feminine and surprisingly clear. Callum tried to see under her hood, but she kept the fabric over her face. “How many times do I have to tell you!?”
“And how many times do I need to tell you your sob story isn’t worth beans,” the guard fired back angrily. “Now back of the line before I have the lot of you arrested. You can wait for a healer or go straight to-”
“Fetch a stretcher, now!” Callum barked at the other guardsman on duty. He’d heard enough. The guard snapped to attention and ran towards the guardhouse.
“Where do you get off giving orders, cadet?” the first guard snapped.
“That man is in sore need of a healer,” Callum replied cooly. “One he would likely already be at if you hadn’t insisted on having a shouting match with his friends. The queue for entry doesn’t take priority over medical emergencies, which this clearly qualifies as. So, unless you wish to explain why you were holding up those seeking to enter the city, I suggest you let him and his friends in.”
The guard seethed for a second, before settling a glaring eye at Callum. “Guess the rumors are true,” he said, just loud enough for the two of them to hear. “Fine, take him and his friends to a healer if you want. Fat lot of good it’ll do ‘im, I’d say.”
The second guard returned with a stretcher, which Callum promptly took and carried it over to the young man supporting the gaunt figure. As he passed the other two, they looked at him with the elf having a look of surprise on his face.
“Are you just going to stand there gawking or are your going to help carry him?” Callum said tersely, snapping the two out of their daze. He took a breath and gently added. “Just… help me get him on the stretcher.”
The elf snapped out of his trance and helped Callum lay out the stretcher as the emaciated figure was eased onto it. Now that he had a closer look, Callum was surprised that the man was still alive. He had to do a double take to make sure his chest was still rising and falling.
Once the figure was situated, Callum and the boy took hold of the stretcher and lifted up.
“We’ll take your friend to St. Anne's,” Callum said. “They should have a healer there that can help your friend.”
He didn’t miss the look that was exchanged between the others at the mention of the church. It occurred to Callum that he had yet to visit the southern chapel. Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen many elves visit it either. He quietly braced himself for whatever greeting they would have when they arrived there.
“You guys have names?” Callum called as they carried the stretcher up the street from the gate.
“Name’s Zach,” replied the boy at the other end of the stretcher.
Callum glanced over at the elf and his hooded friend. “What about you two?”
“Ryu,” the elf said bluntly.
“Sumire,” replied the girl.
“Nice meeting you. Any of you care to introduce your friend?”
Another exchange of glances took place.
“We don’t know,” Zach replied. “We found him in the forest.”
“Any idea what happened to him?”
“Not really,” Ryu said. “We just found him like this.”
Callum had the sneaking suspicion that these three were leaving out some rather important details. Whatever those might be, though, would have to wait until after they got to St. Anne’s.
Fortunately, the chapel was not far from the southern gate. They passed more than a few people along the intervening blocks. Between the obvious patient and Callum’s uniform, most bystanders cleared a path for them.
Sumire ran ahead as they arrived at the church to open the door for them as Callum and Zach carried the stretcher into the infirmary.
Given that it was a day of worship, the clinic had a near-full staff of acolytes on hand. Unfortunately, this also meant the chapel’s main hall was full of clergy and parishioners who were all quick to notice the rush for the infirmary.
Callum was assisting an acolyte move the gaunt man from the stretcher and onto a cot when Father Reinhart bustled into the infirmary. He spared a look towards Ryu and Sumire as well as the bird on the former’s shoulder before turning his attention to Callum.
“What happened?” the priest said.
“They found this man outside the city, Father,” Callum replied.
Reinhart stepped closer and surveyed the unconscious figure. A frown tugged at his lips when his eyes alighted on the man’s pointed ears, an expression Callum did not fail to notice.
“Can I trust him in your care?” Callum said evenly.
“Well…” Reinhart drawled. Behind him, Ryu clenched his fist only for Sumire to place a hand on his arm. “I’m not sure if we are equipped to look over him indefinitely, guardsman…”
“Caravet,” Callum remarked.
Everyone around the cot barring the acolyte examining the mysterious figure paused. Zach, Ryu, and Sumire all looked at Callum as if he had suddenly grown a second head. Reinhart nearly looked just as incredulous; his usual smile wiped away in an instant.
“Caravet,” Reinhart repeated, recollecting himself.
“Yes,” Callum continued, reaching into his pocket. “This should help with his care.” He placed a coin pouch in Reinhart’s hand. “I’ll be sure to come by and check on his progress when I have the time.”
Reinhart looked down at the coin pouch. It wasn’t a large bag, but it looked heavy in the old man’s hands. He gazed back up at Callum, his face unreadable.
“As you wish,” Reinhart said. “I will… be sure that he receives the… very best care that we can offer.”
“Thank you. We’ll get out of your way.”
Callum ushered Zach, Ryu, and Sumire out of the infirmary, the latter two sharing a smile between themselves as they left. Once they were outside the church, Callum rubbed his eyes in part from the noonday sun as well as how tired he suddenly felt.
He’d had to put up with the other guards for the better part of the week every time an elf crossed their path or came up in conversation. He shuddered to think what Reinhart would have said if he hadn’t used his family’s name, but at least he knew the patient was getting the help he needed right now.
Now that only left one last small matter.
“You three mind telling me what you were doing outside the city and how you came to find your friend?” Callum asked the three.
“We were foraging for herbs… sir,” Zach replied awkwardly.
“As for whoever-he-is,” Ryu added. “Found him passed out against a tree. We tried waking him up, but nothing worked. So, we brought him back to town for help.”
Callum nodded, looking at each of them carefully. “Might I ask how the foraging went?” he asked.
“About as well as you could expect,” Zach replied.
“I see. Where might those herbs be?”
Zach and Ryu looked at each other, noticing the rather evident lack of herb bags on either of their shoulders.
Sumire smacked her hand to her forehead, making the boys turn towards her. “Please tell me you two didn’t drop the bags while we were carrying him back,” she groaned.
The boys blinked in confusion for a beat before grimacing appropriately. “Oops,” Ryu winced.
“Oops isn’t the half of it,” Sumire growled. She took a breath before turning back Callum. “Thank you for your help. Is there anything else you need?”
“No, I think I have what I need for now,” Callum replied.
“Good,” Sumire said. She glared at Zach and Ryu. “Now come on, you two.” Grabbing each by the arm, she led the boys away in a huff. The falcon flapped its wings as its perch was dragged away.
Callum watched them as they retreated away. Interesting… hadn’t the report of the original lindrake sighting mention a human and an elf with a bird?
Perhaps it was something to ask about, but for now, he had to get back to his patrol on the wall. He’d stop by the church after his shift.
Perhaps then he could finally get some answers.

---

Author's Note

This chapter was a bit trying to write. I'm still experiementing some with Callum's character, though I certainly enjoyed having him put Reinhart in his place with a single word.
As for Zach and Co., my aim is to look at how they process what they found, the new questions they have, and handle this new attention they're bringing onto themselves. 
Speaking of Sumire, writing her reaction at the end really made me realize how perfect she is for improvising. Expect to see her get some answers about what the boys have been up to next chapter.
Until then, please like and leave a comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Cheers!

Previous Chapter:	Chapter 7 - Through Fire and Shadow
Next Chapter:	Chapter 9 - A Talk Overdue