Chapter 4

Selena replied as Buster looked toward Zeke, "I have 1000 soldiers, 750 archers, and 5 casters. All are good and strong in their uses and very sharp minded."

 "Good I have 3000 soldiers, 10 casters, and 500 archers. This is a good start we have about 15 minutes before they get here so we need to be ready. Selena do u still have that image map your mother had created for your 13th birthday?" I ask as we look towards the oncoming army.

"Of course I do, do you think I am some unprepared follower of Guerrant?!" Laughs Selena as she pulls out a large piece of leather. "I call upon my goddess, Veda, show me this field of battle." The leather grew bright, and then it showed two forces one in blue and the other red. In the valley that looked remarkably close to the real thing.

"Good, let's see, even on here there are almost too many to count. They outnumber us at least 15 to 1, though if buster sets up his main troops here and here." Zeke says as he points to a little farther up in the valley on the map. "I will lead my troops in the middle and draw the most attention to myself and away from the school. Selena, I want you to take command of all the archers and casters, have your soldiers protect them and use them as you see fit." He looks to them to see if they agree with him.

"As usual a sound and good strategy," she laughs "Are you sure you are not one of the favored of Veda?" she signals for one messenger for each of their armies.

"I hope not," Zeke, mutters as she jogs to meet the messengers, he turns to see buster smiling at her, "I think you should pay more attention to the map then to her walking away."

"Yeah yeah, sorry I get easily distracted and she is quite pretty." He smiled as he looked back at her with a glint in his eyes. Which was odd because it almost looked like a regretful look, it was gone quickly though so maybe he had imagined it.

"Now when you set up your troops I want you to be on the right side.  My Lieutenant Jacobs will take over the left side. Jacobs, get up here!" Zeke looks back as Jacobs runs up to us. He stood at an even 5'10 about 180 pounds. He has dark red skin and short-cropped light brown hair, silver colored eyes and an impish face and grin.

"Zeke, what is it?" he asks as he stops about 2 feet from them with a wary look on his face.

"This is Devon Jacobs, and this is Buster Clay." Zeke introduces as he stops, Jacobs is staring at Buster with a look that he only saves for traitors and monsters. "Is something wrong?"

"Commander I need to speak to you in private!" Jacobs says formally. When Jacobs slips into such a formal way of speaking in a combat area, that means something is wrong.

"What is it, Jacobs?" Zeke asks as they walk away.

"Sir you know how my mother is the daughter of Quintessa the goddess of the souls right?" he sifts side to side with an odd nervous energy that is not like him at all.

"I know that why? What is it?" Zeke asks, thinking that something must really be going wrong for him to act like this.

"Well, I inherited the ability to read a person's aura. It is like the outward projection of the soul. It is how I am so good at reading people and telling you if people are lying. Most people's souls are white, some blue, and a few are gold. However, the others, which are evil or have commenced evil acts, are grey, some red, and a few are black. Buster's is flickering from white to grey, and I do not know what that means, though I am worried about it." He glances back to where Buster is standing conferring with his troops.

"Well I don't know either, I will keep an eye on him. I need u to go with his Lieutenant and take charge of his troops on our left understood."

He snaps a quick salute up as he says "Understood sir, be careful out there today, something is just not right." He marches off towards Buster's second in command. Zeke walks back towards Buster and the map that they pinned to a tree stump with daggers. He studies him with a new level of intensity than before, Jacobs was right there was something very off about Buster.

"Ok since we have this planned out we need to hurry we don't have much time left." He reaches down, and pulls the daggers from the map, sheathing them on his legs, and then Zeke rolls up the map and goes to put it in his pack.

"I will hold on to that map!" says Busters overly eager.

"Since when would Selena trust you with this?" he asks noticing a greedy look in Buster's eye.

"I and Selena have had a thing going on since you left." He laughs as he says this reaching for the map. Zeke pulls his hand away, Buster grabs his wrist to stop him from grabbing the map.

"You will take your hand off me before I break it. We do not need you commanding your forces or to fight. So if you would like to do either I suggest you remove your hand." Zeke tells him, normally he does not get mad this easily but something about Buster is just odd.