Bookworld Online: Marsh Man

No one spoke to Gillis after the XO dismissed everyone. She looked very uncomfortable and stuck beside me as we went back inside the barracks. I sat down on my metal trunk and she sat beside me. Everyone else in the barracks gave us a very wide berth of space.

“Everyone just barely found out and I'm already ostracized.” Gillis said and gave me a look that I couldn't read, even with my vigilance technique.

“Is that bad?” I asked.

Gillis took a deep breath and let it out. “Yes and no.” She said and leaned her shoulder against my shoulder. “If I had to put it into words, it's like... well... how people treated you in Ester's Village.”

I raised my eyebrows at her and she nodded.

“It's the same, although the causes are different. For you, it's being associated with the Hag and being infamous. For me, it's being associated with the King and being famous.” Gillis said. “That's why I used my mother's maiden name to enlist and not my father's.”

I didn't say anything and she sighed.

“I don't have to ask why you didn't use a different name.” Gillis said. “You want people to know who you are.”

“It didn't work at first, even with my face like this.” I admitted and touched the damage on my cheek.

“How did that happen, anyway?” Gillis asked. “It almost looks like a crossbow bolt wound.”

I smiled and used my fingers to pretend they were snake fangs. “Magic snake venom, direct from the source.” I said and poked my cheek where the damage was.

Gillis gasped. “No!”

“It melted a good portion of my face and throat away before the Hag could heal me.” I said.

“Your throat?”

I told her how the fang that made the hole had squirt venom right down my throat.

Gillis covered her mouth with a hand. “Oh, no.” She whispered. “What happened after that?”

“You don't want to know.” I said.

“I... I promise to not overreact.” Gillis whispered, then she stood. “Let's go over to my bunk and we can get more comfortable.”

When I didn't get up right away, she took my hand and dragged me over to her bunk and sat down, then she laid down and pulled on my hand to get me to lay down on the bed beside her.

“I want to learn as much about you as I can before we never see each other again.” Gillis whispered. “Now start talking.”

I knew she wasn't going to stop asking, so I spoke in a low whisper and told her everything. It took a while and when I was done telling her about killing the lumberjack, being sentenced to die, and then being with Diane as a result of that, she had pretty much cried herself out and didn't have to wipe at her face anymore.

“I'm so proud of you.” Gillis whispered and kissed my cheek. “You had all of that done to you and you didn't become a raving lunatic.”

I turned my head to look at her.

“You didn't. You can be mean and you don't care about maiming people; but, that's not the same as being crazy and killing random people all the time.”

“Is that what raving lunatics do?” I asked, curious.

Gillis chuckled. “I wouldn't know, really. I'm not one and I can only guess.”

I nodded and looked outside. “It's just after midnight.”

“What?” Gillis looked as well. “The drill sergeant didn't come in to do lights out!”

“She said dismissed was the last order she was giving us.” I said.

“Then you can lay right here on my bunk and sleep properly for once.” Gillis stood up and took off her uniform and then slid under the edge of the blanket.

“I always sleep properly.” I said and moved so she could get more of the blanket over herself.

Gillis laughed softly. “Then sleep improperly tonight.” She said and turned onto her side to stare at me, then she closed her eyes and sighed. Her hand reached over and rested on my chest. “Thank you.”

“For what?” I asked.

“For still treating me like I'm a normal person, even though you know who I am.” Gillis said.

“I can say the same thing.” I responded.

Gillis laughed softly again. “It's funny, because neither of us are normal and we both have to act that way, just so we don't draw attention to ourselves.” She said and let out a long and drawn out sigh. “Goodnight, David.”

“Goodnight, Jacqueline.”

I closed my eyes and the night seemed to pass by in a blur. It was suddenly the next morning and we all got up and made ourselves presentable. The graduation ceremony was being held in a huge field nearby and the whole base was there to witness it. I wasn't sure why they were, until Gillis told me that they had the whole morning off from work to attend. Soldiers really liked taking breaks, apparently.

Our names were called and as each person went up on the stage to receive their decorations, they were pledged and given a token peck on the lips. When it was my turn, the XO who was still the acting CO, just held a hand out to me and I shook it. A lot of people reacted negatively with shouts and jeers, because they thought she was snubbing me.

It was mostly the soldiers because the kitchen staff had been cooking like I showed them and not how they were taught. Giving the kitchen the extra meat that I wasn't smoking definitely made them like me a little bit more, too.

The XO let my hand go and held a hand up for silence. “He's already a private and has already sworn to King and Kingdom. This is just a confirmation of his rank and not him gaining the rank.”

“What a rip off!” Someone shouted and a bunch of people laughed.

The XO named Anna Carter glared at them. “All right, all right! If it'll make you all shut up, I'll prove that there's no hard feelings between the private and myself.”

There was a rousing chorus of 'yes' in response and even more laughter.

“Sometimes they can be even more childish than children.” Anna whispered to me. “Private Drake, are you okay with renewing your vow? I know you've already had the commencement kiss from your last CO.”

_______________

You have a minor choice to make. It could increase your standing in the army or potentially hurt it.

A) Agree. B) Say no and embarrass her. C) Kiss her like you mean it. D) Refuse. E) Choose two.

There we go. I thought with amusement. I am definitely picking two. First A and then C.

_______________

“We have to act normal to fit in.” I whispered to her and she nodded in understanding.

“Please kneel.” Anna said and I did. She quickly recited the pledge and I accepted again, only this time I actually knew what it meant. She leaned down to give me a quick kiss and when our lips met, mine tingled. I stood up as I took her into my arms and really kissed her.

My body seemed to act on its own, as if I remembered kissing her before, then I remembered that I practically had. She looked very much like the Hag when she wasn't actively trying to make herself not look like the Hag, all on my account, so the reaction kiss turned into a full fledged passionate one. For the both of us. Her arms went around me and she kissed me back just as passionately.

Everyone sat there in stunned silence as the XO and I made out, as the soldiers called it, in front of the entire base. It went on for several minutes, with my lips tingling the entire time, until someone made a very loud coughing sound. It was Nancy Travis, the drill sergeant.

The XO jerked slightly and broke the kiss as she let me go. She took an awkward step back and smiled at me. “Congratulations, Private Drake.” She said, with no signs of what had happened showing on her face. The drill sergeant handed her several folded papers and she handed them to me. “These are your orders. Fulfill them to the best of your ability.”

“Yes, Ma'am. Thank you, Ma'am.” I said and saluted her with my real hand.

“Good luck on your new assignment, Private.” The XO said and waved me off the stage. As I walked back to my spot in line, the XO stepped forward on the stage again to resume her previous spot. “As you all saw, I harbour no ill will against Private Drake.”

A lot of people gave applause and she waved to cut them off.

“Just to be clear, no one else had better try what he just did.” The XO gave the recruits a stern glare and a few of them let out sighs. “I am fully prepared to attack back.”

“You sure did!” Someone from the crowd shouted and a few people laughed.

_______________

You have a critical choice to make. Will it be the right one?

A) Stay silent. B) Laugh. C) Speak up. D) Explain. E) Go back on the stage. F) Choose two.

I know how hard it is for her to keep her authority, so I'll choose E and D.

_______________

I turned around and went back up onto the stage. Everyone looked at me with surprise on their faces, even the XO and the drill sergeant, and I stopped beside the XO.

“Ma'am, I need to explain something.” I said and she didn't hesitate as she nodded. I turned to the gathered soldiers. “I'm just a poor orphaned slave boy from the marsh lands.” I said and no one reacted to that, which meant that they all knew it. “Only the XO knows exactly how much she looks like the woman that raised me.”

Gillis gasped and covered her mouth.

“She has actively changed her look as much as she could, according to army regulations, just so she could put my heart and my mind at ease during my time here.” I said and I saw a lot of understanding faces. “When she agreed to give me a commencement kiss, I wanted to thank her for everything that she's done for me. I took it a little too far and I apologize to her, to you, and to the army as a whole.”

Everyone had sympathetic faces, even the XO and the drill sergeant.

I gave the crowd a salute, turned to the XO and drill sergeant and gave them one, then walked off the stage to go back to my spot in line.

“Thank you for explaining, Private Drake.” The XO said and then glared at me. “I would assign you a further punishment if you weren't already assigned permanent KP duty.”

That made nearly everyone laugh, I assumed to lighten the mood and to get the attention back onto her.

“Let's continue on.” The XO said and called the next name.

The ceremony continued on and no one tried to do what I did. Everyone noticed the XO tensing up for each kiss, too. It became a reason to make the scene more fun for everyone, and the event ended without incident. We all went back to the barracks to pack our things and Gillis stayed beside me.

“I can't believe you kissed her like that.” Gillis said as she opened her trunk and filled a large canvas bag with the things she had bought in the PX during the last three months. It was a lot.

“I explained why.” I said and cut the metal box from the floor. I had packed away all of my remaining smoked meat a week ago and picked the trunk up by the handles.

“Yes, and I know what she did to you.” Gillis said.

“My body just reacted.” I said with a shrug.

“You're lucky that someone interrupted before you took things too far.”

“Yes, he is.” The drill sergeant Nancy Travis said as she came into the barracks. “That was some thank you kiss, Private Drake.”

“My lips tingled.” I said and she smiled and Gillis let out a groan.

“He's telling the truth. His lips literally tingled.” The XO said as she stepped inside behind the drill sergeant. “Mine did as well.”

“What does that mean?” Gillis asked.

“Well, according to the newest testing criteria from the Mages Guild, it's a sign that someone has a trace of magic in their system.” The drill sergeant said.

Gillis gasped and looked at the XO. “You?!?”

“Yes, and it's much too late for me.” The XO said. “I've grown too old for natural magic development, thanks to those damn testing crystals that I could never light up, no matter how much I tried.”

“They drained away your potential!” Gillis said loudly.

“That's right. I could spend the next ten years trying to learn magic and the most I'll be able to do is cast a very dull mage light.”

“I'm so sorry.” Gillis said.

“So am I.” The XO said and looked at me. “I didn't think you would get any kind of reaction out of me, and you did.”

_______________

You have a minor choice to make. It will only affect your relationship with the XO Anna Carter.

A) Give her a gift. B) Stay silent. C) Kiss her again. D) Offer to have sex. E) Choose two.

I'm pretty sure Diane would kill me if I did D, and since I already kissed her, I'll choose A.

_______________

“Do you have one of the testing crystals?” I asked.

“Nancy, in my office. I've confiscated a few of them from the mages that are ignoring the order to stop using them.” Anna said and Nancy left at a jog

I put down my trunk and held my knife up in front of the XO. “I want you to do the same thing you did to the testing crystals.”

Anna stared at the knife for only a moment, then she put her hand around mine and touched the handle as she laid a single fingertip on the back of the blade. After a few seconds, the blade glowed. She gasped as it held the charge for several seconds and then faded away.

“Even a little bit of magic is valuable.” I said to her surprised face and she nodded.

Nancy came back with one of the testing crystals and handed it to me. “What are you going to do with it?”

“This.” I said and infused my magic into it. The three women stared with their mouths slightly open as the crystal slowly filled up and grew brighter and brighter. When it was full, it was almost too bright to look at and was very warm.

“Good lord.” Anna half covered her eyes and took it from me. She slid it into a pocket and the brightness still escaped, so she closed the pocked over and buttoned it. “How in the world did you...”

“I've been making potions on my own for about ten years.” I said.

Two people came in right after my declaration and it was Alex and Donna.

“David!” Donna said loudly. “How could you embarrass the acting CO like that?!?”

“Donna, for god's sake.” Alex said. “At least say hello first.”

“I'm sorry. Hello.” Donna said and gave me a quick hug. “Now you can tell me.”

Alex sighed and the XO chuckled.

“It's all right, Staff Sergeant.” Anna said to Donna. “I believe his explanation to the crowd has more than made up for my embarrassment.”

“You did well.” Alex said to me and Donna gave him a look. “I meant by passing basic training.”

“Of course you did.” Donna said and looked at me. “Well? Did you open your orders? Where are they sending you?”

I took the orders from my pocket and unfolded them. “I'm being posted at the garrison in Ester's Village.”

“That's wonderful!” Donna said happily and gave me another hug. “We can ride back with you and we'll be there by tonight.”

“Excuse me?” The XO Anna, the drill sergeant Nancy, and Private Gillis asked at the same time.

“Um... just forget I said that.” Donna said, her face red. “David, grab your things and say goodbye.”

I picked up the full metal trunk by the two handles again. “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.” Anna, Nancy, and Gillis said as I left with First Lieutenant Alex Smith and Staff Sergeant Donna Simms.