Bookworld Online: Marsh Man

Gillis waited patiently as I ate and the amused smile never left her face. The silence from everyone was really odd to have inside a tent full of people eating food, too. Even the clinks of utensils on the metal trays were subdued and kept to a minimum.

The meal took quite some time and then I pushed my completely empty meal tray aside and tried the cookies. I offered them to Gillis and Gary as well, since there were so few of them, and I ate the piece of cake last. It was all good and I decided to visit Sandra at her mansion to thank her, assuming I was allowed. It was hard to tell if I would be allowed to do anything once I was discharged.

“That was good.” I said and pushed back from the table. “Gillis, let's find somewhere more private and talk.”

Gillis stood up and offered me a hand, which was the opposite of what proper protocol demanded, and she laughed softly at my surprised expression. She took my hand and helped me stand and then wrapped one of her arms around mine and held on to keep me steady.

“You may use me as a brace, good sir.” Gillis said with a grin and I sighed with a nod. “How nice of you not to argue.”

“It wouldn't help.” I said and walked with my odd gait beside her and everyone watched us leave.

“I'll see you later, David.” Gary said.

I didn't respond, because I hoped that wasn't true. Not because I didn't want to see him later, it was because I should be discharged by then and wouldn't be allowed to see him. My permission to be in the area would be nullified when I was no longer a private in the army.

“I'm dying to tell you all about what happened at the palace.” Gillis said and led me away from the mess tent towards the command building. “I didn't speak while you ate, because it was too much fun seeing everyone react like that.”

“I'm glad you finally realized it.”

Gillis laughed softly. “I hated people reacting like that before and now I'm enjoying it. Do you know why?”

“Is it because you've served your time in the army and now you think you deserve it?” I asked and she laughed loudly.

“No, silly. It was spending all of that time with you.” Gillis said. “You might have been conscripted into the army, and yet, you didn't conform or let it change who you were.”

“I changed.” I said.

“No, you misunderstand. You've grown and learned in the army and became a better you, and that was what you were looking to do the entire time. You did not change yourself to fit into the army's ideal of what a soldier is supposed to be like.” Gillis said and waved at the short barricade near the command building. “I was trying so hard to be a good soldier that it wasn't until Sandra made me her assistant that I realized I was losing my sense of self. I was almost at the point that I wasn't being myself anymore and that was scary.”

I carefully sat down and I took out some canvas cloth to cover the sandstone for her.

“Thank you.” Gillis said and sat down as the guard took up a position behind and to the side of her. “When you finally managed to complete the Colonel's crazy plan, I knew then that I was done playing in the army. It wasn't for me and I had made a mistake joining, so I had my father get me out.”

“Are you getting married?” I asked and she gave me a searching look.

“What if I was?” Gillis asked with a tone of voice that I didn't recognize.

“It would be proof of a valid strategy, since that's how I'm getting out of the army.” I said and she let out a sigh.

“No, I'm not getting married.” Gillis said.

“Can you tell me how...” I started to say when the door to the command building opened and two guards stepped out with Mage Henrietta held tightly between them.

“You're lucky that your father forbade me from immolating you!” Mage Henrietta spat. “How DARE you leave my fiance suffer for two weeks in the stockade!”

“It doesn't matter now, does it?” The Colonel's voice said out through the open door. “Thanks to your untimely intervention, you successfully stopped Private Drake from gaining his promotion... oh, I'm sorry. It's Mr. Drake now and he's been dishonorably discharged for seeking means of release from his conscripted status outside of the normal chain of command!”

“That's your fault for not contacting your father yourself, you sanctimonious and selfish bitch!” Mage Henrietta nearly yelled. “That's a load of horse manure! The chain of command you set up is him, to you, to the king! How was he supposed to be released after being mangled on your crazy mission if YOU are the one he has to go through to get it?!?”

“Like I said, it doesn't matter now. He's been listed as a coward for dereliction of duty, fined his pay that he would have gotten at the end of the year, and lost the rewards for the last battle.” The Colonel said and stepped out to glare at Mage Henrietta. “So, I hope you're happy with your little scheme paying off.”

“YOU'RE THE ONE ASSIGNING ALL OF THAT!” Mage Henrietta yelled as loudly as she could.

Everyone nearby rushed over to watch the fight between two pissed off women.

“Since all the official papers you've brought to me state to give him a medical discharge, I can assign any notes and conditions on it that I want.” The Colonel said in a deadly voice. “I don't appreciate people conspiring behind my back to take away a vital asset that's needed to win this war!”

Everyone was surprised to hear her admit that out loud, even Mage Henrietta.

I leaned close to Gillis to whisper. “Get the healers.”

Gillis nodded and quickly strode away with a light swishing of her dress. No one noticed her leaving.

The Colonel reached up and took off her hat. “I desperately needed his strong work ethic and his potions. I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without him, you know that.” Ellen said, her voice filled with sadness, then she took a deep breath and put the hat back on. “Now that you've succeeded in taking him away from me, I'm punishing you by punishing him. That's the only way to make you understand the damage you've done to me, to this army, and to the Gulf Kingdom.”

That made Mage Henrietta gasp, as well as a few other people.

“Neither you nor him will benefit from anything the army can provide, because you're abandoning it... and me.” The Colonel said, her face stern. “That man will leave here with nothing.”

I stood shakily and walked over to the Colonel. “Is it true that I'm discharged?”

“Yes.” The Colonel said as her eyes dropped to my wobbily walk for a second. “Dishonorably.”

“You can't punish me anymore?” I asked and hunched slightly to the side.

The Colonel looked surprised for a second and then she let her face go blank. “No, you're a civilian.”

“Good.” I said and drew my glowing knife, stood up straight, and sliced off her arm just below the shoulder.

“AHHHHH!” The Colonel yelled as her severed arm flopped to the ground and she gripped the shoulder stump to stem the bleeding as she fell to her knees.

“You know that no one steals from me and gets away with it.” I said and wobbily bent over to pick up her arm as the Colonel started crying heavily.

“MEDIC!” Someone yelled and there were suddenly six healers there, to everyone's surprise.

Gillis was right behind them and stopped walking when she saw me with the Colonel's arm. “David, you can't just...” She said with a sigh and shook her head.

“I had to earn the dishonorable part of the discharge.” I stood up and wobbled over to Mage Henrietta. “Can we leave now? I have my reward from my time in the army.”

“She's the first princess of the kingdom!” One of the healers exclaimed before Mage Henrietta could respond. “You need to give that back!”

“We might be able to reattach...” One of the other healers started to say.

“It's mine now and no one takes what's mine.” I said and hugged the severed arm to my chest. The extra pressure squeezed it and blood dripped out of it in a steady stream.

“You'll never be able to outrun this.” One of the guards said, almost as an accusation.

“Why would I try to run?” I asked and he looked confused. “I want you to tell everyone. Let them know. Let everyone know. No one steals from me. Not a sergeant, not a colonel, and definitely not a princess who is supposed to know better than to piss me off after everything I've been through and done for her.”

No one said anything in response and the Colonel's crying eased down to light sobs as the healers quickly worked on her shoulder stub.

“According to the law, I didn't do anything wrong by punishing a thief.” I said and Mage Henrietta braced my arm to help me walk. “Let's go. I'm done here.”

Mage Henrietta looked at the severed arm I clutched and she smiled. “Dearest, I'm glad to hear that.”

We walked off and the two guards that were supposed to be there to make sure Mage Henrietta didn't do anything to the Colonel, stood there and didn't know what to do.

“David!” Gillis said loudly.

Mage Henrietta and I came to a stop and waited for her to come over.

“I'm sorry she did that.” Gillis said.

“You can be sorry all you want and it won't change what she's done.” Mage Henrietta said for me. “Stealing his riches from that last battle? Taking his pay for a year? Punishing him for not following her orders immediately when they were not immediate orders and let him suffer in pain and anguish for two weeks without once calling for a healer or letting one in when one was called?”

Gillis took in a sharp breath. “I... I didn't know...”

“We didn't really get to talk yet.” I said and she looked sad.

“Ask around about it, because everyone knows that she liked that he was suffering.” Mage Henrietta said. “Why do you think I was so angry?”

Gillis closed her eyes briefly and then looked at me. “Can you wait for me before you leave? I have a few things that I need to take care of for the family.”

“How long?” I asked.

“A day, maybe two.” Gillis said. “I have to visit Sandra and...”

“No, I'm sorry. I have to be gone before the princess realizes what happened.” I said.

“What do you mean?” Gillis asked.

“Now that she's not in command anymore, because of the medical discharge that she has to take, her replacement is going to claim this war victory for themselves.”

Gillis and Mage Henrietta stared at me like I was growing an extra head.

“She's going to be very angry when it happens.” I said.

Mage Henrietta let out a chuckle and put a hand on Gillis' shoulder. “Tell Sandra and try to make sure that doesn't happen.”

Gillis nodded several times and Mage Henrietta and I walked over to the mage area. She claimed that she had a few more things to pack, including her spell books, then we could leave for good. It didn't take her long, thanks to the help of a few other mages, and they loaded up my boat. I stepped in and almost fell as I wobbled and Mage Henrietta stepped in to hold me steady.

“You've gotten worse.” Mage Hernietta said as she helped me sit.

“There's a very good reason for that.” I said and the man at the dock untied the boat. I waved to him and Mage Henrietta gripped my arm as I used the movement enchantment to take us out and turned us around in the waterway, then I took off at a high speed to get out of sight from the garrison.

“I heard about the experiment you did.” Mage Henrietta said, her voice full of sadness. “I'm so sorry that...”

“...it worked.” I said and reached up to pull off the canvas covering from my face. It was bright and sunny out, so Mage Henrietta saw my perfectly smooth and healed face.

“David!” Mage Henrietta gasped, then I pulled off the wooden coverings from my hands. She stared at my restored little fingers and then she took one of my hands in hers. “David, this... it's real?”

I reached down and pulled off the boot on my fake wooden leg, then punched the wood covering. It cracked and I punched it several times to make it crumble away.

“By the Son's Light!” Mage Henrietta exclaimed. “You have... wait, where are the toes?”

“Hiding. They wouldn't fit into my boot.” I said and bent down to straighten them.

“Oh, David.” Mage Henrietta said, sadly. “You broke them to hide that it was healed?”

I nodded and folded them back down and put the boot on. “We can buy some nice boots in the village and I'll drink a healing potion to put them right, then we need to visit my house. I've got some potions to brew to replenish my stocks and to pick up some of my gold, then we can go where you want to go.”

Mage Henrietta gave me a huge smile. “Home, David. We can go home.”

I nodded and she rested her head on my shoulder as she intertwined her fingers with mine, which was something she couldn't do before.