Ignatius

The streets of Pyri were hot and dry as Ignatius walked down them.

"Let's go to that one place that sells weapons. The stony, hot place." Flint Bodaway said.

Ignatius looked to the teenager walking alongside him. Flint was a big-boned person with a corresponding muscular structure. That made him quite the formidable opponent. But not a smart one. Flint wasn't known for his brains. He was more of a brute, preferring to attack and ask questions later. 

"That place you call 'the stony, hot place' is called the blacksmith's." Enya Guafi corrected him with an annoyed roll of her burnt-orange eyes. 

"Same thing," the brute said.

Ignatius had no idea how he was even still sane after being around these two for six years.

"You should stop correcting him, Enya," a smooth, slithery voice said from behind them. "The poor brute is so confused half the time there's no point in pointing out the differences to him. It's not like he's going to remember it." 

Haco Egan slithered up next to them, his orange eyes flecked with gold calculating as usual. 

"Haco, what a pleasure," Enya said through clenched teeth.

Those two had always hated each other ever since they had met.

"How did you find the time to bless us with your presence?" Enya asked, tilting her head to one side, her shoulder-length burnt orange hair sliding with the tilt. "I thought you were busy playing soldier?"

Haco used to be a part of the Clan Choosing Ceremony training with them but he got accepted to become a strategist for the  Pyrisian army. Haco gladly accepted. That conniving rat was too clever and cunning for his own good and had quickly seen the opportunity in the position. So now he was an apprentice strategist to Warlord Baskara Abellona of the Pyri Clan.

Haco ignored her jab. "You can thank his future Highness over here."

Ignatius saw the lean, muscular build of Prince Surya Aelius standing over by a merchant's tent, purchasing what looked like a small dagger. Ignatius didn't know how he missed the Crown Prince of Pyrisa. Wherever he went all the girls swooned and followed him like a pack of hounds. Perhaps it was because Surya wore the clothes of a soldier and not that of a prince. 

Ignatius took note of the dagger Surya was purchasing from the merchant. It was an ornate-looking dagger embellished with a ruby handle. It looked to be of Teirahan make; Teirah forged some of the best ornamental metalworks in Elementa.

"Sorry," Surya said when he came walking over to them after making his purchase. "I wanted to get a gift for my sister, Savita. I thought she might like to have something beautiful but deadly to defend herself with if she ever needed to." The prince explained.

"I'm sure she will like it. What girl doesn't like a beautiful thing, even if that thing happens to be a dagger." Haco told Surya, placing a thin, brown-toned hand on the prince's broad shoulder. "Isn't that right, Enya?"

"Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I know what they all like." She said with an insufferable sigh. "Why don't you go ask some random girl and see if they agree with your philosophy."

"Just as snarky as I remember," Haco remarked.

"But my bite is sharper," Enya hissed, her hand trailing to the dagger sheathed at her hip.

Haco laughed. "Still resorting to violence. Just like old times."

"And I don't think you will provoke me anytime soon," Enya said, a wicked smile spreading on her face as her burnt-orange eyes darted to the scar mark on the side of his throat.

Haco's hand came to rest on the faint white scar that marred the side of his neck.

"No, I won't. That...is a day I will never forget."

It was a day Ignatius would also never forget. He didn't think anyone who had been there to bear witness to that event would ever forget the true ruthlessness of Enya Guafi. 

"Well, it was nice to see all of you again, but I should be heading up to the Citadel. Warlord Abellona only gave us three days off." The Crown Prince explained. 

Ignatius could see a desperate yearning in his golden-brown eyes. A yearning to go see and cherish what little time he had with his family. It was nearly impossible for soldiers in the Pyrisian army to get leave. The only way out was by a severe injury that made one permanently lame. 

"We'll walk with you, my good friend. We could use the time to share stories with our friends here and vice versa. I am curious to know what has been going on in our kingdom's capital over the year since we've been away from civilization." Haco said.

The military training camps were far away from settlements. They were located somewhere between the Steppes and the Fire Sands Desert; the locations were obscure to all nonmilitary. This was because of some belief that if the scorching heat of the desert couldn't break or kill you then nothing could. It was how all Pyrisian soldiers were trained.

Ignatius was glad he was just in the Clan Choosing Ceremony training, which was like blessed relief compared to those who were in the military camps; the Warlord that oversaw the training didn't tolerate laziness or insubordination of any kind lest they punish you.

As a group of just friends, not soldiers or Clan Choosing Ceremony trainees, they walked up to the towering domed, walled, spiraling building the people of Pyri called a citadel when it looked more like a mash between a fortress and a palace.

Various vendors shouted out their wares to the passing citizens of Pyri, determined to sell their goods.

Ignatius ignored them and instead focused on the story Surya was telling.

"-and Warlord Abellona had the officer stripped of his title and demoted to a water finder."

"Are you serious?" Flint asked in utter disbelief. "He had that officer demoted to a water finder just for yelling at a couple of new recruits because they did something wrong."

"I saw the whole thing myself," Haco answered. "Warlord Abellona is quite intimidating than most believe him to be despite being the more silent and introverted of the warlords."

"Warlord Abellona wasn't too happy with the officer," Surya added. "He especially didn't like how that officer had acted towards the female soldiers."

Men and women were encouraged to join, also known as drafted, the military as a way to show equality between men and women and that neither was lesser than the other. It caused Pyrisa's military might to be increased twice as much if there had only been men allowed to join. Pyrisa's military was one of its greatest pride and joys; Pyrisa had the strongest military might only to be matched by Teirah's defensive strategy within their military.

"I hear that Warlord Abellona plans on drafting more men and women into the military. He plans to have all fifteen-year-olds in every village and city do a draw of sorts to see who goes and who stays. It will go into effect in a few months or so." Haco shared his tidbit of shocking information.

Ignatius found it strange to be recruiting at the age of fifteen when they were barely young adults. Let alone drafting more when the military was at a good twelve thousand strong. It just seemed strange. Unless King Agni and his Warlords were gearing up for something big. Big enough that it required the military to be past its average size.    

He tried to piece the pieces together as the others continued talking.

"What about those past the age of fifteen?" Enya asked.

"I believe it will be the same for all those sixteen to twenty years of age unless they are married or are crucial to growing crops or something of importance that they can't be excused from."

"Is the King planning on going to war, or is he just being overly cautious?" Ignatius asked, looking at Surya and Haco for the answers that he sought.

"It's hard to say. It could easily be either one." Haco answered.

"As what Haco said," said Surya, his golden-brown eyes burrowing into Ignatius's, "I do not know what my father has planned. But if it eases your troubled thoughts then I shall ask him as my favor to you, Ignatius, my friend."

Ignatius could feel the burning stares of Flint, Enya, and Haco like brands on his skin. They had always been jealous of him because Surya for some unknown reason had taken a liking to him as a friend more than the others. That frustrated them all to the point of trying their best to suck up to the Crown Prince of Pyrisa.

"That is very kind of you, Prince Surya, but I do not want to make you feel obligated to do so for me. I can simply wait till the answer hits me in the head like it always does."

"Nonsense. I will ask not just for you but for all of my friends." Surya said, his hands spreading to include them all as he spoke.

Though they all knew who Surya favored out of the four of them, none of them denied it either. Surya tried, however, to treat them all equally but he failed miserably. He simply could not please everyone nor could his good-hearted nature sway everyone to forgive and love him even if he would be a good king. He was just too weak in the heart to lead. Savita, the eldest child of King Agni and Queen Nuria was supposed to inherit the throne instead of Surya. But King Agni had changed Pyrisa's succession to the eldest male heir instead. No one knew why when female heirs had been allowed the same rights as the males. Yet no one questioned the King. He wasn't the most forgiving type unlike Queen Darya Ceto of Okeaneum, who was known as the Merciful Queen.

No one thanked the Crown prince for the bold risk he was taking in asking his father what he planned to do with more soldiers; even the King hated being questioned by his own family.

Ignatius continued to feel the lingering burning stares into him as they continued their slow walk up to Citadel, Haco's searing the brightest. He ignored the snake and continued on.

Calm as the flame but just as ferocious.