Page 30 of The Lost Art of Woodworking and Taking Risks
Before Chamis knew it, half the watch station would show up periodically with a piece of wood they’d found, and he would make them a little something to thank them. They clapped him on the shoulder or shook his hand and happily showed off their little carvings to one another. Chamis felt remarkably… included without it being too much of a strain on him. Having the carvings as a way to communicate worked remarkably well. (Plus, when he needed to, he could still use that “poke” on Bennan, and his boyfriend would make their excuses and whisk them away so that Chamis got the space he needed.)
The watch station was tiny compared to the castle, and there were long hours where nothing was happening. It was made up half of Warriors and half of District Wardens, so that there’d be both continuity and new blood in each location, and they’d learn to work well together. (Plus there were always a few Mage Warriors, since they were the best chance against wraiths and nightmares.) Two people were always lookout at the top of the tower, day and night, circling it and keeping an eye on the land around them or looking for any alarm raised. Ten people went out on mounted patrols every day, in pairs. If available, a Mage Warrior would go with the pairs. The remainder trained and rested until it was their turn for a shift again—or if an alarm was called or a report needed investigating, and then more of them would go on the hunt.
There wasn’t the constant, underlying worry that a demon might harm the royal family out here. (The wraith attack six years ago stood as the height of their failure.) But with the many smaller settlements and more nature, there was a larger chance of finding nests of demons.
On the regular patrols, they went through the towns and villages when they reached them and made sure there were no problems and no one had anything to report. They’d check in with the local District Wardens, who also patrolled daily. They centered in the towns, and they didn’t usually travel further afield than a day or two from their home base. The Captain and Summus always insisted that Warriors and Mage Warriors be friendly and respectful, since they all needed to work together to keep the country safe.
Chamis had heard stories from fellow Warriors that sometimes the local District Wardens weren’t very polite, treating the Warriors likethey were interlopers. He’d never had a problem, though he’d always tried to talk as little as possible and just get the job done as quickly as he could.
Bennan wasexcellentwith people—no surprise there—and he would soon have not just the villagers or townsfolk laughing and smiling but the District Wardens, too. Chamis could feel the butterflies take flight in his stomach and his palms get damp at just theideaof needing to talk to new people everywhere they went, but of course, with Bennan with him, it wasn’t necessary. Chamis could reassure everyone with his huge, muscular build and intimidating presence (if only they knew) and Bennan could charm them all.
They were often paired with Tia, an Earth Mage who said she had the country’s longest and worst name, so she’d shortened it. It had become something of a challenge at the watch station to try to guess what the horrible original was. She said she’d confirm if they ever got it right, but so far, they’d gotten extremely ridiculous, but had apparently not come close.
She seemed to be highly amused by his and Bennan’s dynamic and didn’t interfere at all.
“Do you like being out here?” Bennan asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t mind either way, to be honest. I don’t have anyone waiting at home for me, and I’m not lucky enough to have someone who can tag along.”
This launched Bennan into his passionate speech about how he hoped they could convince everyone that they were meant to be together like this, and there were opportunities to be had if they kept people happy and not bored. It always made Chamis smile, because he loved an enthusiastic Bennan—and he believed in this, too, even if hedidn’t think he could articulate it so well.
Tia was nodding. “That’s not a bad idea. I know it gets harder as people start families or just don’t like this sort of work anymore. But it’s our duty, and we need to get it done.”
“But if we can do our duty in a way that makes everyone happy, surely that’s better!” Bennan exclaimed.
She nodded. “Yeah, I don’t think anyone’s going to complain about that. I’ll be sure to report just how enthusiastic the two of you are.” She eyed Chamis. “On the inside.”
This made Bennan chortle, and Chamis cracked a smile. He knew people sometimes thought the two of them were a mismatch. Maybe it was true that they didn’t seem like they fit together on the outside, but they really did on the inside, and he saw that every single day.
They ended up chasing down two reports that proved to be false, just regular animals and no demon nests in sight. Then a small group of nightmares was sighted by the watchers atop the station, and Tia and a half dozen Warriors were dispatched to take care of it. (Tia could probably have done it on her own, given nightmares’ weakness to earth, but it was always safer to have Warriors just in case.) Thankfully, no one was harmed, and the nightmares were stopped before any citizens could be hurt.
Another report of a lesser demon proved to be accurate. Unfortunately, it had killed a villager before it was reported, but they were able to destroy it. It had taken multiple Warriors, because lesser demons were large and fierce, usually at least twice the size of a horse, and with sharp claws and teeth. Chamis was so glad they were able to protect people. It was all he’d wanted to do since he’d seen the Warriors and Mage Warriors as a child.
He’d done three other rotations at watch stations over the years he’d been a Warrior, and this one was, by far and away, the best. He still preferredthe castle, but he’d happily do this again if Bennan came with him. Well, he’d follow orders regardless, of course, but he really hoped Bennan would be able to convince the Captain this was an excellent idea. He supposed he couldn’t swear that some people wouldn’t get distracted when their loved ones were here, but at least for him, it gave him more focus. Bennan seemed to enjoy it as well, always happily curling up with him in bed at night.
“Thank you for being with me,” Chamis whispered.
Bennan kissed his chest. “The feeling is entirely mutual.”
So, yes, they did well together, and that made Chamis feel better about the surprise he had waiting for Bennan back at the castle. He was pretty sure it was a good idea. Reasonably certain. Well… very hopeful, anyway. And if it was a terrible idea, he was sure he could have it undone. (A surprise had seemed like a good idea at the time, because Bennan liked them even if Chamis didn’t, but he was second-guessing everything now.)
As the weeks passed and the warm weather began to cool off as fall was ushered in, most of the castle Warriors and Mage Warriors grew more eager to get back. Some of them thoroughly enjoyed this, and there were actually several Warriors who were just waiting to rest and recharge and then get out to another watch station and do it again. It wasn’t a life Chamis could imagine, but he was glad someone liked doing it.
There was one young Warrior who seemed to have formed a very genuine attachment to one of the neighboring women. There tended to be a decent amount of… fraternization when Warriors were posted at a watch station. While Chamis had never taken anyone up on their offers (having sex with strangers was the stuff his nightmares were made of), many Warriors clearly enjoyed it. And as Perian was always fond of observing, the Warriors and Mage Warriors tended to be well-muscled and attractive to those who liked that body shape.
Overnight stays in the watch station were not permitted, but on their evenings off, Warriors or Mage Warriors were known to head off to spend the night (or at least a few hours) elsewhere. The watch station captain had reminded everyone of what would happen if anyone were to be coercive in any way, but thankfully, as boisterous as some of the younger Warriors were, everyone here seemed to have a good heart, and they were engaged in mutual fun.
And then there was Ryac. The young Warrior couldn’t be more than eighteen or nineteen, and he was very clearly smitten; even Chamis had noticed, and he wasn’t always good about picking up those cues. But Ryac was out every moment he could be, and he’d tell anyone who’d listen about their walks and chats and visits, about how blue her eyes were and how gold her hair was and how totally, completely beautiful she was. And how kind she was. And how sweet she was. Honestly, it went on for quite a while. Fortunately, if Chamis nodded periodically, that seemed to be enough response for the enamored young man.
He asked Chamis to carve her some daisies, because they were her favorite flower, and he wanted her to have something to remember him by. Chamis agreed, of course, his heart tugging at how woebegone-but-trying-to-be-resolute Ryac looked at this idea of their parting. The poor kid practically stopped eating in the last few days, and if there was one thing that the Warriors did very well, it was eat. He was in for a fair bit of heckling,but he honestly didn’t even seem to notice, just moved his fork around on his plate and stared at his food without seeing it.
“Is there something he can do?” Chamis asked Bennan.
“Hmm?” Bennan saw where Chamis was looking. “Oh, Ryac? Well, he could marry her and bring her back to the castle.”
“Isn’t that a little sudden?”
He couldn’t imagine simply jumping into marriage like that.
