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<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nAzarola awoke with a startle. He lay on his side on a cot under a tan canvas ceiling. He sat up and sucked in a breath at the sharp stabs of pain reporting from all of his injuries. A persistent high tone rang in his ears. Under the long tent, dozens of soldiers lay on cots, all wounded. Doctors and nurses moved from patient to patient, checking on their wards. He waved to the nearest nurse, a young man in a white uniform. \u201cWhere am I?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe casualty clearing station,\u201d the nurse replied. He tallied out Azarola\u2019s injuries. \u201cThat\u2019s a nasty gash on your head. Since there wasn\u2019t a fragment stuck in your skull, I\u2019m going to guess that\u2019s from being tossed. You\u2019re going to have a nice shiner tomorrow, too.\u201d He circled around the soldier. \u201cThat shoulder is going to be ugly for a while, but the wound isn\u2019t deep. We\u2019ll have to get that fragment out of your back and the splinters out of the backside of your legs, too. You\u2019re in for a wait, but we\u2019ll get you stitched up as soon as we can.\u201d The orderly moved on to the next wounded soldier.<\/p>\n
Azarola sat patiently for his turn with the medics. Extracting shrapnel and stitching gashes ranked low on the priority list, compared to some of the other wounded. \u201cWhere are we?\u201d he asked the soldier next to him.<\/p>\n
The fair-haired soldier sported bandaging over his shins. \u201cDidn\u2019t you hear the nurse? We\u2019re at the clearing station.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI meant, where is the clearing station?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know?\u201d<\/p>\n
He shook his head as much as his injuries would allow. \u201cNo. Last I remember, I was in Aestas, near Kaerras.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re a long way from that, buddy. Welcome to Karifiga.\u201d<\/p>\n
Azarola\u2019s memory dug for a map image of the region. The Inexan protectorate was far to the south of Ixpoli and a place he never planned on visiting. \u201cWhat am I doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s one nasty hit to the head you took, if you don\u2019t remember that. You do remember your name, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAzarola,\u201d he answered. \u201cAnd you are?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKaden,\u201d the young man answered, \u201cWe\u2019re in the same unit. Seventeenth Combat Engineering Regiment. Same team, even.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? We\u2019re what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEngineering regiment. You don\u2019t remember that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cE-engineering? I\u2019m not a soldier? I\u2019m an engineer? Are you kidding me? How\u2019d that<\/em> happen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. Maybe because you\u2019re a mechanic?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTwo months in a garage and I\u2019m a mechanic? How\u2019d I pull that one off?\u201d He grinned at his own cleverness. His satisfaction evaporated when he looked at the gathering of wounded. \u201cBut if I\u2019m a mechanic, why am I on the front line?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not on the front line. We\u2019re ahead<\/em> of the front line.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? What are engineers and mechanics doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBuilding the roads and fortifications for the main force behind us. We also fix the equipment that breaks, which happens every time someone blinks. We also do some scouting while we\u2019re at it, which means reporting anything trying to kill us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow often does that happen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvery other time someone blinks.\u201d Kaden sat up, his gaze fixed on the tent entrance. \u201cYou remember Kemper, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, never heard of him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t tell him that. He\u2019s our sergeant. Think of him like our boss and you should be fine.\u201d He pointed to a broad-shouldered and barrel-chested man approaching them. \u201cSee that man who looks like he could bend a crowbar like willow? That\u2019s Sergeant Kemper.\u201d<\/p>\n Kemper crossed his meaty, leathery arms and smirked at Azarola. \u201cYou should give a tribute to that goddess of yours. When I heard what happened to the front, I thought you were gone. I also heard you got yourself conked on the head so hard that you thought you were infantry.\u201d<\/p>\n Azarola gingerly touched the bandage over his head and furrowed his eyebrows. \u201cThis is why I can\u2019t remember how I got here?\u201d<\/p>\n Kemper nodded and tapped two cigarettes out of a paper package. After putting one between his lips, he offered one to Azarola. \u201cIf a chunk of memory is all you lost after getting blasted, consider yourself lucky.\u201d A well-practiced flick of his lighter produced a small flame to light the sticks. Kemper blew a plume a smoke high into the air and looked at the men sporting the bandaged stumps of limbs. \u201cYou can still fight.\u201d Looking away, the corners of his dark eyes crinkled. \u201cYou seriously thought you were a commando out there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll I knew was that I was getting shot at and I didn\u2019t want to die. I couldn\u2019t leave anyone else back there to die, either. Wouldn\u2019t be able to live with myself if I did that,\u201d Azarola admitted. He stared at the drifting curls of smoke in front of his face and the lit cigarette in his hand. Again, his eyebrows drew together. \u201cSince when do I smoke?\u201d<\/p>\n Kemper shrugged, \u201cAs long as I\u2019ve known you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLearn something new about myself all the time,\u201d Azarola remarked, \u201cI just wish it wasn\u2019t such a rank habit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have rank work,\u201d retorted Kemper, \u201cOne more stink ain\u2019t gonna make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess that\u2019s true.\u201d Azarola took another habitual drag from the cigarette and looked around the tent. Everything still seemed detached and unreal, like a nightmare from which he could not awaken. \u201cWhen did this war start?\u201d<\/p>\n Kemper and Kaden stared at Azarola in dumbfounded silence. Kemper tipped back his hat and blew another plume of smoke into the air. \u201cI didn\u2019t think it was this bad. You might have bought yourself a ticket home, if this isn\u2019t an act.\u201d He took another long drag from his smoke. \u201cIt\u2019s been a little over a year since the declaration. Most of the fighting until recently was all navy and planes. Averna didn\u2019t want us to give any material support to the other countries it\u2019s trying to take and kept sinking our ships. The war at sea hasn\u2019t gone well. Sometimes our ships just disappear and we still aren\u2019t sure why. There\u2019s talk of sea monsters and, until we got here, I didn\u2019t believe a word of it. Then I saw these big beasts with armored hides and two giant horns coming out of their faces flip tanks. They\u2019re not wild and no one\u2019s ever seen or heard of them before. Maybe Averna\u2019s got some sea monsters, after all.\u201d The burly mechanic snuffed his cigarette butt under the heel of his boot. \u201cI need to make sure Handon isn\u2019t slacking on the tire patches. As soon as the two of you get out of here, I have wagons full of work for you to get done. It\u2019s a mess out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Kaden gave Kemper a breezy salute, \u201cYes, sir!\u201d<\/p>\n Both Azarola and Kaden managed to snatch a few more hours of sleep before their turns with the surgeons came up. They were quick and efficient, despite the dark circles under their eyes. Once patched, the soldiers took a trip back to Inexa\u2019s primary Karifigan base on the outskirts of the city called Gabessa. Both men received the news that they would have ten days of recovery time. If their wounds showed clean healing, then they would return to their unit.<\/p>\n Gabessa was an almost idyllic oasis in comparison to arid Bosirid. Palm fronds swayed in the light wind between flat-roofed buildings of white, soft pink, and pale blue. Golden stone walls marked the ruins of another age. The barracks of Gabessa nearly overflowed with tan uniformed soldiers and, when allowed, they spilled out onto the ancient streets in search of distractions. Azarola thought about walking out of the base, despite being told that he needed a leave pass to do so. There was a whole new city to explore, but his injuries advised him to wait. Besides, who was he to turn down a free bed and meal?<\/p>\n On the narrow steel cot next to his in the barracks, Kaden read a couple of magazines. As soon as he finished one, he stretched his arm out to hand one to Azarola. \u201cHere, your favorite book. Be sure to pass it on after you\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n Azarola accepted the thin paper magazine boldly titled \u201cExemplar Comics.\u201d A stylized illustration of a woman in a fitted long white coat and bobbed white hair standing between Inexan soldiers and Avernan soldiers donned the cover. \u201cMadame Maeva, Inexa\u2019s wondrous witch!\u201d announced the subtitle. His hands shook with an unbidden fury at the image. Surprised and alarmed at the sudden rage, he set the magazine down and took a steadying breath. Where did that burst of emotion come from?<\/p>\n While he could not remember his time in the Inexan army, he did remember the last time he saw Maeva Werranholst. It was at Ilelune\u2019s table and the strange alabaster woman gave Maeva an offer. If she sacrificed her husband at the table, then she would save her own life and gain Ilelune\u2019s blessing. Ilelune extended the same offer to Rohita, but the young woman worked a different deal.<\/p>\n The wounded soldier picked up the comic book and looked at the cover again. Was the illustration supposed to be of Maeva? Was it associated with one of her films? He opened the magazine and began to read the captions and word balloons that accompanied the sequential panels. He couldn\u2019t decipher the tiny editor\u2019s notes scribbled in between panels, but the rest of the text was just large enough for him to read. The beautiful and modest actress Maeva reported to duty to the Inexan army. They needed her magic to scry for the location of an Avernan special force trying to sneak past Inexa\u2019s borders. She donned the long white coat seen on the cover and joined the Inexan soldiers on a strike. Madame Maeva teleported herself and the soldiers to the forest hiding the Avernans.<\/p>\n His hands trembled anew with rage at the next panel. \u201cOh, Ilelune, my goddess! Grant me the power to defeat these Avernan curs!\u201d Azarola paused and let the unbidden flare subside. As soon as his hands stilled, he finished the story. Madame Maeva used her magic to mop up the Avernan brutes and save the day.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, what\u2019s the deal with her?\u201d Azarola asked as he pointed to the illustration of Maeva on the cover.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t remember her, either?\u201d Kaden cradled the back of his head with the crook of his arm. \u201cShe was at the show right before we got sent out. Still not ringing any bells?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot a one,\u201d Azarola admitted, \u201cSo, that means she\u2019s an actress?\u201d He didn\u2019t want to tip his hand just yet. By the sound of the conversation, he never mentioned meeting Maeva before, even though they saw her perform.<\/p>\n \u201cNot just an actress,\u201d Kaden grinned, \u201cShe really does have magic powers and works for the military. She also makes patriotic movies and she has a radio program. Her pinups aren\u2019t half-bad, either.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess she got her fame and plenty of money to go with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Kaden shrugged. \u201cWell, she\u2019s famous, all right, but she also gives away a lot of money. She must have half a dozen charities in her name. I\u2019m surprised you don\u2019t remember her. The two of you share the same goddess.\u201d<\/p>\n Azarola muttered, \u201cThat\u2019s no surprise.\u201d His mind\u2019s eye could still clearly see her stab her husband to death in Ilelune\u2019s presence and gain the covenant. He studied the cover with greater scrutiny. \u201cShe probably knows how to find Rohita.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy…\u201d Azarola paused, wondering what word to use to describe his relationship with the red-haired woman. \u201cLadyfriend. Um, we posed as married for a little while.\u201d<\/p>\n Kaden\u2019s eyebrows climbed high and a grin stretched on his face. \u201cNever thought you were the type, Az.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was her idea. She even told her father that we were married.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds like a trap to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Azarola smiled, remembering the warmth and comfort of Rohita\u2019s embrace, the scent of her perfume, and the smooth touch of her curves. \u201cIt was a nice trap to be caught in.\u201d<\/p>\n The mild surprise on Kaden\u2019s face mirrored the tone of his voice. \u201cYou never mentioned that you had a girl back home.\u201d<\/p>\n That was a surprise to Azarola. \u201cNow, that\u2019s strange. We never wrote to each other?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou never get any letters at all and you never write to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n That sounded even stranger to Azarola. Why wouldn\u2019t he write to Rohita? She saved him from Ilelune, right? Else, he wouldn\u2019t be awake and serving in the Inexan army. He noticed the date on the comic book cover and frowned. If it was right, then he wasn\u2019t missing a year of memory. \u201cI got about two and a half years knocked out of my head!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re serious?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Is this book recent?\u201d Azarola handed the book back to Kaden.<\/p>\n The fair-haired man verified the date and nodded. \u201cYeah, it\u2019s this month\u2019s issue.\u201d<\/p>\n Slowly shaking his head, Azarola rubbed his finger against the gauze wrapping over his eyebrow. His last memory stubbornly remained a scene of sitting at Ilelune\u2019s table and the lovely Rohita cradling his head in her lap. \u201cMaybe I\u2019ll remember as I go. Maybe it will all come back as I heal up.\u201d In the meanwhile, he needed to catch up on as much as he could, as fast as he could. \u201cWhat was I doing before joining the army?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were some sort of preacher for Ilelune,\u201d Kaden replied, \u201cThat\u2019s what you told me. You don\u2019t remember that either?\u201d<\/p>\n Azarola\u2019s train of thought jumped its tracks. \u201cWait, what? I was what<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, every other word out of your mouth was Ilelune this and goddess that. You wouldn\u2019t shut up about her and kept badgering us to join in prayers.\u201d Kaden grinned, \u201cYou were damn near unbearable. Handon wanted to punch your teeth in.\u201d<\/p>\n Azarola grimaced. \u201cDon\u2019t think I could blame him. I almost want to punch my teeth in.\u201d He ran his hand through his short hair again, still in shock over the loss. \u201cWhy would I ever worship that false goddess, let alone try to get anyone else to? She\u2019s a monster!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re blaspheming your own goddess?\u201d<\/p>\n He bared his teeth in a savage snarl, \u201cShe ain\u2019t my goddess!\u201d He winced at the ferocity of his voice. \u201cDidn\u2019t mean to yell at you, there.\u201d He took a steadying breath and released some of the tension building in his chest. \u201cSo, why would I join the army, if it wasn\u2019t to get away from that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVagabond Act.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were brought in under the Vagabond Act. Anyone without an address was rounded up and put into service.\u201d<\/p>\n Azarola\u2019s jaw dropped. \u201cWhat?!<\/em>\u201d He jerked forward, but a jolt of pain from his stitches encouraged him to relax. The metal frame of the bed squeaked as he shifted his weight. \u201cInexa did something like that?\u201d<\/p>\n Kaden shrugged, \u201cIt cleaned up the streets and rails. We don\u2019t even see much of the Senvira anywhere anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess cutting their hair would make it a little harder to pick them out of the army.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere aren\u2019t many in the army, either.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t imagine that they all suddenly gained addresses all at once.\u201d However, he couldn\u2019t it put it past the wily nomads to come up with some sort of scheme to dodge the Vagabond Act. He thought of the Senviran mechanic and his tavern-owning friend in the respectable city of Kaerras. At least they would be safe from that particular law. The temperate pastoral hills and the cool spring breezes of Aestas province still beckoned to him. \u201cKaden\u2019s an Aestan name, right?\u201d<\/p>\n The other man nodded, \u201cI\u2019m really from Ixpoli, though. My family moved there when I was young.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was hoping you had news about Kaerras,\u201d Azarola admitted.<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t say you were from there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not, but that\u2019s the last town I remember.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, got no news from there,\u201d Kaden replied, \u201cOne of the volcanoes got a little restless last year, but that\u2019s the most exciting thing I\u2019ve heard from there in a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n In a way, it was a relief. At least it meant that Kaerras still stood. Ilelune did not empty it of all of its residents. \u201cIt\u2019s not a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n The bed frame squeaked again as Azarola sat up and put his boots on the floor. \u201cI\u2019m going to find the toilet. There\u2019s one in here, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShould be down that way.\u201d Kaden pointed to a door at the far end of the room.<\/p>\n Every man in this particular building was walking wounded, waiting out his allotted recovery time before rejoining his unit. Some were sleeping, some were reading books or magazines, and some were writing letters home. Azarola\u2019s purported silence about Rohita still bothered him, as did his public support of Ilelune. He had never been much of a religious man, not even for the paramount deity of Inexa, the sun goddess Maedra. If anything, his habits made him more of a devotee to the god of drink and celebration, Sabazen. Why would he support a false goddess that demanded sacrifices? Did anyone he preached to learn the costs for her blessings?<\/p>\n A visit to the building\u2019s latrine brought him some pause. The row of toilets sat out in the open. A row of wall mounted sinks stood along another wall. Privacy was apparently of no concern to the Inexan military. He didn\u2019t see anywhere to bathe nearby and guessed that there was a bathhouse elsewhere on the base. A good scrub and long soak sounded good to his aching muscles, but he was supposed to keep his bandages dry.<\/p>\n He washed his hands, appreciating the running water, instead of the basin and pitcher he was long used to. His palms and fingers sported a different set of callouses than he remembered having. No longer did he have the marks on his fingers from playing a guitar for hours every day. Instead, his skin thickened over the crest of his palm and the sides of his index fingers.<\/p>\n The square mirror hanging above the sink showed him a stranger\u2019s face. After catching his breath, he looked closer. It was his face, after all. It was leaner, sharper, and darker, but it still sported the same straight nose, the same angular brow, and the same vivid green eyes. \u201cSpent a lot of time under the Karifigan sun, did I?\u201d The black hair above the gauze bandaging wrapped around his head stuck out with a mess of wild angles. If it weren\u2019t for cutting his hair and his Inexan blood tempering the strong, hawkish lines typical of the Senvira, he would be hard to pick out of a crowd of the nomads. He could even pass for native Karifigan, as long as they didn\u2019t pay attention to the verdant color of his eyes.<\/p>\n His arms and shoulders were thicker and more muscled that he remembered. Adult brawn replaced the sinewy and ever-hungry adolescence. \u201cPlenty of hard labor, huh?\u201d If he ever found his old busking jacket again, he was certain he would have some difficulty wearing it. Sleeves pinching his arms into numbness would not help him play guitar. Where was his guitar?<\/p>\n He returned to his bed and sat down. \u201cHey, did I have a guitar?\u201d<\/p>\n Kaden looked up from his magazine. \u201cA what? No. Do you play?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor a living, yeah. Used to, that is.\u201d Azarola settled down on the thin mattress. \u201cThat just doesn\u2019t seem right. Why would I give up my guitar?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou got me, pal. I don\u2019t know your life story, either.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n