Trials Chapter 26: Birds

                Ramsey looked hard into the man’s eyes. He recognized the face but couldn’t remember who it was. The name was on his tongue a whisper in his mouth that just couldn’t form.

                The man slapped his back with a laugh. “Have you been lost for so long you’ve forgotten your friends?”

                Ramsey looked at the man he was wearing a Qwalis military uniform. It was green and on his chest was a similar badge with a Storm hawk symbol on it. “Burns?”

                The man’s eyes brightened and he embraced Ramsey. “We thought you were dead.” He turned and gestured toward the rest of the party a young man not much older than Ramsey and middle aged one with balding grey hair and wide brimmed glasses. Ramsey recognized them immediately.

                “Thelin, Elroy?”

                The younger one had red spiked hair. His eyes beamed and he elbowed the older one with a smirk. “Pay up.” He demanded.  The older one grumbled immediately producing a small pouch he tossed it with the distinct jingle of coins inside.

                “You couldn’t have just been dead.” The old man grumbled turning his attention towards a series of maps scattered about the ground. Upon further observation Ramsey noticed a small camp had been established with a meager tent and temporary fire.

                It was all starting to come back. Ramsey couldn’t believe that he had so easily forgotten his life before the forest or the amazons. He wrapped his arms around himself partly from the cold within him and the shock of his sudden memories. The red head was on him throwing him a heavy hooded cloak they had all been sporting.

                “Seems you’ve gone native on us.” Thelin bumped his shoulder pointing out his foreign attire.

                “What happened?” Ramsey asked. “What are you all doing here?”

                “I should be asking you that!” Thelin said. “Who told you to come out here on your own?”

                “T-The commander.” Ramsey stuttered. It was hard to recall after so much had happened.

                “Now’s not the time.” Burns interrupted. “Ramsey needs to be checked out and brought up to speed. Call Dove.”

                “Ahh she’s gonna be pissed.” Thelin stepped back taking in a breath. He put two fingers in his mouth and let out a whistle. It was the call of a northern snow dove. Burns grabbed Ramsey’s arm and led him into the tent.

                Christine was in her element. She clung to the tree tops ever watching and ever silent. Her footfalls quiet , her breath undetectable. She was a dove, a field medic. That’s what it said on her badge and that’s what it said on her uniform. Still she always wanted to be a crow. She spent years training to be better, faster, quieter than the boys and they made her a dove, probably because she was a woman. Yet now there squad was so small everyone had to pull double duty which meant she could be a crow if only for a while.

                She peered downward at the trio. She had been following them for a few hours gathering intelligence. For what she didn’t know, the commanded hadn’t seen fit to give any information. Still she looked onward in awe at the amazons. She had heard rumors of their great size and strength but seeing it was almost beyond belief. They were massive each at least twelve feet tall. There was one who was truly a giant she carried the other two on her shoulders. One was sitting content while the other was flung over the other struggling in her bindings.

                “What for?” She thought. “Do amazons make slaves of other amazons.” She didn’t know if this was pertinent but she made note of it none the less. Suddenly her ears twitch and she her a whistle coming a ways off. It was the call of a northern snow dove, her call. She pulled out her journal and jotted down the trio’s last known location. They were heading west towards the amazon village. Then she disappeared into the trees.

                “Gods your cold!” Elroy spat. He added a thin blanket to Ramsey’s cloak as the soldier continued to shiver. His skin was still very pale. “How have you survived out here so long by yourself?”

                Ramsey paused. He wasn’t sure how he should answer that question. More than that his thoughts were dominated with thoughts of Christine Hasrick codename Dove, she was on a short list of women he didn’t want to see. “The amazons captured me.” He said deciding to play it safe. He wasn’t exactly lieing.

                “Did they take you to their city?!” Elroy questioned suddenly excited. “How tall are they? Can they really talk to animals? What’s there architecture like? Did you meet their queen? Are they immortal like the legends say?”

                Ramsey knew this behavior. When Elroy found a new research topic he often became obsessed. There was a reason he was the Owl of their squad.

                “Did you meet the commander?” Burn interjected.

                “What?” Ramsey raised an eyebrow.

                “He infiltrated the city some time ago.” Burn informed

                “Why?”

                “I’m not entirely sure, but I know he’s trying to find a weakness. A chink in the Amazonian armor.”
                “What’s this about?” Ramsey was becoming very nervous at this new information. Commander Slate was a very harsh man.”      

                “THIS!” Elroy sparked. He flapped open a large parchment on it was a detailed illustration of a large tree. “Light trees.” He almost gasped in amazement. “King Raymond’s greatest ambition!”

                Burns shot the scholor a glare and just shook his head in annoyance and disappointment.  “The late King fought for ten years to get his hands on them.”

                “I still don’t understand.” Ramsey stared at both men confused. “What’s so special about a tree.”
                “Immortality!” Elroy waved his hand in a bit of showmenship. “The trees are the key to the amazons great strength and vitality.”

                The outburst earned another look from burns. “I don’t know about that but they’ve captured the commander’s interest. Anything you could’ve heard about them might be important.”

                Ramsey just stared confused. Immortality? Light trees? This was the first time he’d heard of either. He wasn’t sure what he should share. Should he tell them about the games or Kiri? No! No matter what he couldn’t betray her.

                Suddenly Thelin burst through the tent. “Dove’s back.”

                “I can speak for myself Pecker.” Said a short woman with white hair and thin features.

                “I told you not to call me that!” Thelin wined earning a small strike at the shoulder.

                “What’s the problem?” she said. Then she suddenly froze as her amber eyes met Ramsey’s tears welling within them.

                Ramsey just stood motionless under her gaze. He saw the worry and hurt in the eyes of quite possibly his closest friend. They had went through the academy together, she and Thelin were probably the reason he even survived to graduate. When she joined the scouting legion he had just followed her. The air hung for a moment stale and tense.

                “We can’t get his body temperature up.” Owl snorted not much for tact. “Lad’s a damned icicle.”

                Christine reached into a pouch on her belt and pulled out some crushed red leaves. Without warning she shoved them forcefully into Ramsey’s mouth. Almost instantly the color returned to his face. He gagged and spit out his tongue at the burning caused by fire weeds. With equally little warning she struck the soldier hard in the face causing him to bite his tongue.

                “Where the fuck have you been?!” she cried as a single tear ran down her cheek.