Covenants Read Free Page A

men will leave tomorrow morning and go back to where you found the magical."
    "Yes, sir.”
    "There you will find out what it wants and report back to me." Commander Ebner stood and we did likewise. "I trust your judgment, Suiden." The commander's mustache flattened against his cheeks. "Just don't start another war. I don't want to have to fight trees.”

Chapter Three
    The trumpet awakened us all at sunrise and from three cots down I could smell Ryson, ripe from his tour of duty in the stables. Apparently he had fallen into bed without undressing.
    As I rose and stumbled through my morning routine, I kept catching eyes on me. I hadn't been pumped about my meeting with the commander and captain because Groskin took Suiden's ban on visiting to extend to us gossiping, so the air was heavy with speculation, all aimed at me. Finally I took refuge from the covert glances by sitting back down on my cot and working through my morning prayers.
    "Heed Captain!”
    At the shout, I quickly finished and opening my eyes, stood. I wasn't exactly the last but close enough to get the eye from Lieutenant Groskin, who had followed the troop captain into the room. I checked to see that my trousers were draped properly over my boots, and looked up in time to see the lieutenant suck in a deep breath.
    "Lieutenant," Captain Suiden said.
    Groskin sputtered as the air escaped again.
    "At ease," Captain Suiden said. He waited until we were somewhat relaxed. "Our leave has been canceled.” It was the troop's turn to suck air as we stared at our captain. He looked back, his brown eyes calm.
    "You are to outfit for an extended tour. The mission's parameters will be explained once we are en route.
    That is all. Lieutenant Groskin, with me." They both left the building.
    I went to my footlocker to start packing, ignoring the now outright stares from my mates.
    "What the poxy hell is going on, Rabbit?" Jeffen whispered at me.
    "I can't talk about it, Jeff." I bent over to open my locker.
    "It's about that damn feather, isn't it?”
    I straightened so fast I felt my spine pop and stared at Jeff. "You've been in my locker.”
    "No. As if I didn't see you with it. Bright red, Rabbit, just like the ones the magical had," Jeff replied.
    I looked down at the drab of my uniform and realized that the feather had to have glowed against it. I raised my head again as the aroma of stables engulfed me.
    "Border freak," Ryson said, crowding close. "What the hell did you do?" The rest of the troop gathered around, listening hard.
    "Back off, Ryson," I said, bringing my arms up to shove him away.
    "What's going on here?" Lieutenant Groskin growled from behind us.
    My arms dropped and my spine popped again as we jumped to attention.
    "Sir! We were just wondering if Trooper Rabbit had anything to do with our canceled leave, sir!” I heaved a mental sigh. Ryson had less sense than a defective sheep.
    "Oh, so you think Trooper Rabbit tells the commander what to do?" Groskin asked. My spine stiffened even more at his smile.
    "Sir, no, sir! But maybe he had something to do with us getting lost in the first place, sir!" Ryson replied.
    Groskin's smile widened and his eyeteeth seemed to lengthen. "How, trooper?"
    "Uhm, he's from the Border, sir?"
    "And?”
    "Maybe he knows some, uh ... I mean, he's always praying, sir!"
    "So that got us lost?"
    I was praying hard that Groskin's response to Ryson's stupidity wouldn't spill onto me. "He has a feather, sir. From the magical," Jeffen said.
    I felt as if I had been slugged in the gut.
    "You think that we don't know this?”
    It was quiet enough to hear the flags gently flapping in the breeze outside on the commongrounds. Inside, we all stood so straight that we could be used as straightedges, our faces as impassive as stone. I could hear the lieutenant purr as he looked us over and I realized that we had reached his ideal—completely cowed.
    "Ryson, you smell like manure." Groskin walked over to a water barrel and thumped the side