Cal Soulshadow

Departure

The ship stands tall and proud in the water, ready to take her home. With a glance over her shoulder, she steps on board; supple leather boots leaving prints of Britannian dirt on the gangplank.
The captain salutes her.
“What’s the weather like, over there?” she asks him.
He shrugs. “Snow’s mostly gone from the Highlands. Heavy rains last week. Where ye headed?”
“Treido border. Sandholt.”
“Ye’ll likely get te stay dry then.”
The ship pulls away from the docks, but Cal doesn’t look back. She faces forwards, towards the horizon. Towards Gorimdor, and Kai.

Arrival

“Sandholt!”
The wagon judders to a holt.
Slinging her kit bag over her shoulder, Cal jumps down from the tailgate and immediately regrets it as pain shoots through both knees. She grimaces, but says nothing. It is important not to show weakness to anyone, and especially not to recruits with whom she has shared the journey.
She glances at them briefly; three young men in their late teens, fresh-faced and eager. Once, long ago, she was like them; unscarred and unjaded, full of conviction and ready to die for her king.
And now…

Footsteps crunch on dusty road. A shadow falls across her.
“Well, if it isn’t the cockroach.”
She looks up, into the face of a man who once made her life a living hell. The face is more lined than it once was; the hair more grizzled, but flint grey eyes are unmistakeable. It is Drill Sergeant Severson.
“That’s Commander Cockroach te ye, Sergeant,” she quips.
“Commander eh? Does that mean I have ter salute ye now?”
A devilish half-smile forms on her lips. “Technically speaking, I could make ye hop up and down on one log fer the misery ye put me through twenty years back… But seein’ as I’m on leave, I’ll let it slide fer now.”
“Leave eh? I thought fer one terrible moment ye were joinin’ us.”
“Trust me, I’ve thought about it.”
“Oh aye, missed me, did ye?” The old drill sergeant grinned, revealing a missing tooth.
“Like a hole in the head.”
“Speakin’ o’ which, I heard rumours that ye were dead.”
“I got better.”
“Nothing changes, then, Commander Cockroach.”
“No, indeed.” She glanced over to the three recruits, who stood in a huddle by the road. “I believe those are yers, Sergeant.”
He followed her gaze. “More meat fer the grinder.”
She smiles again, feeling almost sorry for the recruits, and walks towards Sandholt’s towering gatehouse.

Sandholt

Sandholt is not like Strongholt. Housing around 3,000 soldiers, it is the largest garrison in Gorimdor. Named for its thick, sandstone walls, it reminds Cal of Trinsic. Or perhaps Trinsic reminds her of Sandholt, for it is here that she spent the first few years of her army career.

There have been a few changes. Some buildings have gone; larger structures have taken their place. The small sapling in the main quad is now full-grown tree. But the rest; the rest is as it was. Just being here brings a host of memories flooding back. Memories that had faded with time and trauma. She feels a little of the pride she once felt as a raw recruit, and a little of the excitement.

“Ye seem tae know yer way around, ma’am.”
She looks up at the young maul knight who has been assigned to make her visit more pleasant. A highlander from Ceita, he stands a good foot taller than her, though his lanky frame has not yet filled out.
“I was stationed here a few times. Hasnae changed much.”
“And ye’d come back here on yer leave, ma’am? Most of us cannae wait tae get away!”
She smiled thinly. “Compared te Strongholt, this is a paradise.”
“What’s it like over there?”
“The land? Not unlike here, but smaller. More islands. Less central landmass.” She shrugs. “As fer Strongholt, it’s not bad. A lot smaller than here, but considerin’ it’s been under siege several times, it’s done us well enough. Problem is, the men no longer have any purpose, and they have become despondent. We’re under-budgeted and unmotivated. A few years ago it was an adventure, but now, well, it’s more of a curse te be posted there.”
“Will ye return here fae good then, ma’am?”
“Perhaps. There’s no action and no promotion prospects, and now that my man is here, I see little reason not te come home. Speakin’ o’ which, where’s the gym these days?”
The young maul’s eyes widen for a moment. “The gym, ma’am? After that journey?”
“Oh I’ll not be makin’ use of it teday. But if I know Kai as well as I think I do, that is where he’ll be.”
“Kai is yer man?” His eyebrow twitches as though he is trying to picture such a union, and failing. “I mean, is it Kai ye are here tae see, ma’am?”
“Kai is my man, aye.”
“He kept that quiet.”
“He’s not much of a talker.”
“Ye can say that again.”

Reunion

As they enter the gym, she sees him, a giant among giants.
“Kai.”
He turns slowly, seeing her, and puts down the weights he has been lifting.
Then he does something he does only rarely. He smiles.

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