33 Captured by a Friend

"Listen, I can explain," Jacob started, watching the disbelief on Will's face turn to anger.

"By the gods, boy, you're a mage? Only one of those bastards could've done something like this," Will asked, staring pointedly at Jacob. He had never looked at him with such disdain, and the feeling made Jacob want to shrink away. Actually, he might've, if his leg wasn't in such pain. "And an unregistered one, to boot. That's a high crime, Jacob."

"You know as well as I do that the mage recruiter tested me and didn't call me a mage," Jacob grew furious, the embarrassment in him turning to rage. What in the world did Will know? "I can do something weird. I don't use spellforms like the rest of them do. Trust me, I've tried to figure out what the hell I am," Jacob whisper-shouted, careful to make sure the rest of Will's company didn't hear. A high crime was not something he wanted to be implicated in.

"Be that as it may, Jacob, the use of magic is prohibited unless you've been trained by an Academy and have become a full member of the Academic Order." Will's gaze softened, and the same man that Jacob knew returned. "King Benjamin doesn't like free agents. You need to be registered with his men. I'll take you to him to beg for a pardon, but you must come with me."

"Who in the world are you, Will? You're not the mercenary you made yourself out to be," Jacob whispered, feeling betrayed by the man's deception. Here he was, leading a company of Delreyan soldiers, talking about speaking with the king. He wasn't a nobody.

"No, I'm not. I'm the commander of the King's Tenth Vanguard. For your benefit, I hid that from you. I needed to make sure Leafburrow was a safe stopping point for my men, and it was. If you knew I was a kingsman, the entire winter would have been much more tense, wouldn't it?" Will explained. The words made sense, but they still filled Jacob with an unquenchable rage. "If you don't leave with me willingly, I'll be honor bound to arrest you. Make your choice, Jacob."

Jacob snarled at Will's back as the man turned around to see to his company's wounded. He had done them a favor, and they intended to take Jacob before the king and reveal his magic? From what the city guardsmen said about unregistered mages, that was as good as a death sentence. But what choice did he have?

When Will came to inquire, Jacob assented to making the trip on the provision he'd get medical attention from the company's field medic. There was no way a group of soldiers traveled this far without one. Once his wounds were bandaged, Jacob felt much better, even if he was still bitter with the terrible turn of events. His saviors had become his captors.

The soldiers around him, aware of his magic, watched him at all hours. It didn't matter if it was the middle of the night, he'd still feel someone's eyes on his back. His sleep was consequentially restless, and he felt drained. Only Will would speak with him normally, but even that was a far cry from the easygoing relationship they once had. Was Will this loyal to his king? Jacob couldn't fathom the idea; why would anyone be willing to lay their life down for someone who refused to do the same? He asked Will.

"I give my life in the service of my king because he is the cornerstone of Delreya. Without him and his family, our life is at threat. There are vultures eyeing us from every direction. If King Benjamin falls, we all fall with him. Slavery is outlawed here, but not everywhere," Will said somberly, jaw locked as he explained. His service clearly meant a great deal to him. While Jacob still didn't fully understand, he respected Will's choice. That being said, he didn't voice his doubts. After all, his survival might depend on an oath of fealty to this mystery king.

"Then you are truly doing us all a good deed."

"I don't do it for the recognition, Jacob. I just don't wish to see my family torn apart at the hands of the monsters outside our borders."

"And the ones within?"

"I'll deal with scum like Richard's bunch any day. The death I deliver them is a mercy."

"What's the king like? You seem to know him personally."

"I do, and I don't. We're not friends or anything of the sort. We do have a working relationship, though," Will paused to think. "He's a great man. Our kingdom has seen an increase in border security, and no raiding parties have slipped past his watchful gaze. Delreya is safe as long as he sits on the throne." The reverence in Will's voice was obvious. Jacob wondered if the king was as good as he was great. When it came to his continued life, he would need a good king, not a great one.

Jacob pondered on these thoughts, practicing with the wind as they marched through the woods. An invisible thing, none noticed when he was playing with the molecules of oxygen, nitrogen, and the other gases. He compressed them as far as he could, creating an orb the size of a softball. He remembered something he'd seen in an animated show once. With great effort, he tried to split his focus and force some molecules to rotate within the ball.

He could barely attempt it for more than a second before the orb collapsed, creating a blast of air that was all too noticeable. Will glared at him. Jacob cast his eyes to the forest floor, walking alongside the soldiers. The dejectedness wasn't just an act.

Truly, Jacob didn't feel quite the way he expected he would. Finally, he had defeated the bandits and taken revenge for Rod and Leafburrow. Yet, he still felt hollow. It was not the contentment he sought. As he wondered why he felt the way he did, he realized something disturbing.

How had the bandits known the mercenaries and the Tenth Vanguard weren't in town?