Chapter 5

Dev found out that being company commander was a busy and difficult job. He thought back sadly to his friend who had died in the battle a few days ago. He was still numb over all the deaths that had come to his platoon. Some of those people he had known for over a year.

Now he had a company to deal with. Overall, the company lost seventy percent of its riders, and forty percent of its horses. A great many of those horses had to be put down after the battle, being too badly injured to save.

Dev was more than willing to make another batch of potion, and give the first sip to his captain, except that the healers had loaded him into a wagon and moved him, and Dev had no idea where he was being moved too.

Still, making more potion was a good idea and after a couple days of working and getting a grasp on his duties, he did just that. He discovered a peculiar thing about the potion he made as opposed to the potion supplied by the mage's guild.

From what the healers told him, the ingredients used in the potion made by the guild were sometimes rare, and always expensive. What Dev used could be found in any good herb garden that a farm wife kept. He just used a bit of magic three times during the brewing process.

After making the potion, he used the remainder of his ingredients to make a second batch. He then told his clerk he was going to the healer's tent and check on the men. He informed lieutenant Chavel, fourth platoon leader, that he would be gone for a few hours and to watch the company for him.

Dev went to the corral and had a groom fetch and saddle his horse for him. Luckily, His horse had come through the battle with only a single gash on his left shoulder. Dev was thankful that his horse did survive, as it was a gift from duke Calderling, and Dev liked that horse.

After a brisk forty-minute ride, Dev arrived at a virtual 'tent city' for the wounded. First he had to go to a central tent, which collected all the names of the soldiers who lay within the tents. Then he could be directed to a specific tent.

Dev located the administrative tent, and gave the healer clerk there a list of names from his company, starting with his company commander. The healer clerk looked up each name and wrote a tent and bed number next to the name.

Dev thought this a very clever way to keep track of the wounded, and wondered who had came up with that idea. Dev made his way to the tent with his company commander first. He was directed to the man's bedside. He noted that the captain was awake, but his face was flushed, he was sweating, and his breathing was labored.

"Sir, I have a flask of potion. If you will just swallow this bit, it will help you," Dev told him.

His captain looked at him listlessly, and didn't respond at all. Dev filled the cap, put the flask aside to a safe place, and gently lifted his captain so the man could swallow. He gently poured a bit, let the man swallow that, and then poured the rest.

Dev had just laid his captain back down when someone came up to him.

"What do you think you're doing? This man is very ill and whatever you gave him could upset a very delicate balance," a sharp-nosed individual said angrily.

Dev considered the man as he was putting the cap back on the flask.

"This is the first time I have heard 'potion' as being described as something dangerous to someone," Dev responded coolly.

"Potion? You have potion? Why wasn't I told? Let me see that," the man said then grabbed the flask out of Dev's hand.

"Hey! That's mine!" But Dev was talking to a retreating back.

Dev heard a chuckle and turned to look at his captain. The man's eyes were clear, and his breathing was much better already.

"I don't know where you got the potion from, but it was a mistake to tell healer Haskins. I doubt you will ever see that flask again, at least not with anything in it," the captain told Dev.

"Sir! I'm glad to see you looking better," Dev said sincerely.

"And I am feeling much better by the minute. Thank you for the potion, but where did you get the flask from?" his captain asked him.

"Why, from a peddler at the market outside the military camp sir," Dev said, hedging his answer a bit.

Well, it was true. He got the flask from a peddler. He knew what the captain was really asking, but he was hesitant to tell him the truth. He didn't want people to know he could do magic, at least not yet.

"You seem to come up with the most unusual items of interest. I swear you must have the interest of a god or goddess," the captain said seriously.

"I wouldn't know, Sir. I have never really been all that religious," Dev responded.

They talked a bit with Dev filling the captain in on the losses to the company. Captain Onders winced when he heard the totals.

"Not to change the subject, but I am hungry. Also, I feel like getting out of here," the captain told Dev.

Shortly, Captain Onders was sitting up, which brought another healer to his bedside. The healer was astonished with the captain until it was disclosed that Dev had given him potion.

"No wonder. We have long run out of the potion we had on hand, and the mage guild didn't bring all that much with them, saying it was in short supply for some reason," the healer said absently.

"Can you get my captain something to eat? And some clothing perhaps?" Dev asked.

"Of course! Let me order something for you. I think you could use a light meal now, followed by something a bit more substantial an hour later," the healer said as he was moving off.

"They are a flighty bunch these healers," Dev observed.

Captain Onders laughed.

"I don't trust them sir. That other healer stole my flask of potion," Dev said darkly.

"There is a tent here with high ranking or important people who are wounded, some severely. I am willing to bet that he took your potion and went there with it. I will make sure you get paid the going rate for potion," the captain promised grimly.

"Well, as a matter of fact, once you get your clothes on, we can visit some our other men. As it happens, I have a second flask of potion sir," Dev said bringing the other flask out from his inner cloak pocket and showing it to his captain briefly before putting it back.

The captain looked at Dev goggle eyed for a moment, then laughed a deep laugh.

"You continue to astonish me, Lieutenant. I am certainly glad to have gotten to know you," the captain said, still chuckling.

A short time later, someone came with a meal for the captain to eat (The kitchen was open twenty-four hours a day for recovering patients.). Also a set of clothing arrived that fit the captain, albeit poorly. Still, the captain felt better once he was dressed. At least he had his own boots.

Dev and the captain managed to give twenty of their most seriously wounded soldiers the potion. Dev administered it while the captain kept an eye out or actually ran interference against the healers, distracting them. Of course, the soldiers healing just like that, was a clue; but by the time he was asked about potion, he had run out of it. There were only twenty doses to a flask, after all.

Dev rode away from the camp followed by a wagon with the captain and twenty of the companies previously wounded. All had been healed by the potion that Dev had made. Dev also had fifteen gold, which he had been paid by the healers guild for the use of the potion they had 'stolen' from Dev.

Potion was at a premium right now, and the captain made sure that the healers paid the going price and a penalty for the theft of private property. After the healers had grudgingly paid, they eagerly asked if he had access to anymore. He denied it and they looked disappointed.

While the fifteen gold went a long way to soothe Dev and his hard feelings, he just no longer trusted the healer's guild. Actually, as lessons went, it was not too bad of one. But he still harbored dislike, mistrust, and plain disgust of that guild, right now.

Dev considered his options. He had ability to do magic, had a very powerful book of magic with very powerful spells listed in it. He had thumbed through it and his eyes had widened at the description of some of the spells capabilities.

He liked the army, despite the battles he had just been through and wanted to stay in it. Yet he doubted he could remain in the cavalry. He had cast a spell during the battle, and if anyone had seen, then his secret would have come out.

No, he was going to have to pick a time, and reveal his ability at his own time. He furiously thought the entire way back to the camp and thought about staying in the army a different way.

What if he went to general Forran and told him he had the ability to do magic. Could he not stay in the military as a magic user? Plus he would have the crown and the army behind him. He doubted that the mages guild would try anything with him having that kind of protection, particularly if it was official.

First, he needed to memorize enough spells to defend himself. While he had learned basic defensive and offensive spells at castle Calderling, he was sure that there were better, stronger, more powerful spells of those types in the book, he had even read at least one in the book already. He was not going to be defenseless.

Dev was unable to read any of the spells during the day, as he and ten riders were detached to act as guards. King Kaslen had an interesting way of dealing with prisoners. When he had assumed the throne, he ordered that prisoners were to be chained together and were to work on roads and walls.

So it was that Dev and his ten men were acting as guards in order to prevent prisoners from escaping. In all honesty though, Dev saw the chains and how thick they were and doubted they could ever escape. Also, the men were all chained together in a line of ten men.

The men were working on the road between the military camp, and the city of Arnu. Arnu was the most southern large city of the kingdom of Darlonther. It also held the main garrison for general Forran's forces. Due to past aggression of the southern kingdom of Ralm, the kingdom of Darlonther had fortified its southern borders. Recent experience had shown Dev that it had not been enough.

Dev watched the way the guards treated the prisoners, and was glad he was not a prisoner. Infractions of rules earned you a specific number of lashes with a whip. The prison guards were quick to whip a prisoner for an infraction. Being a prisoner was a harsh life.

Dev was glad when the prisoners were finally loaded into a wagon and he and his men were dismissed from providing extra guards. He led his men back to the makeshift military camp and reported in to Captain Onders.