Wizard of the Grove Read Online Free Page B

knees . . .”
    â€œ. . . four coppers, you jackass, but then I’ve seen him fight before . . .”
    And echoed from more than one direction: “He’ll do.”
    â€œThey’d follow the prince because they had to,” Doan grunted as Rael sheathed his sword. “Better you make them want to.”
    Rael straightened his shoulders. “And how do I make them want to?”
    â€œYou’ve started already.” Doan hacked and spit in the sand. “You’ve proven you can fight.”
    â€œBut you beat me.”
    â€œI know. I beat them, too. But you showed them you could’ve made the company on your own.”
    Rael flushed with pleasure. “I could’ve?”
    â€œJust said so, didn’t I?” Doan hooked his thumbs behind his broad leather belt and headed out of the practice ring. “Now if you’ll come with me . . .” The pause was barely audible. “. . . Commander, I’ll fill you in on your command.”
    *   *   *
    â€œ. . . but the strength of the Elite lies in flexibility. We fight on any terrain, on any terms. It all depends on the lay of the land, the enemy, and the Duke of Hale, who runs mostly cavalry. We’ve fought beside his horsemen before though, and it . . . am I going too fast for you, Commander?”
    â€œHuh?” Rael flushed and dragged himself out of a pleasant daydream where the enemy had been falling back in terrified disorder before his charge. “I’m sorry, Captain. I, I didn’t hear.”
    â€œObviously.” Doan smiled, an expression that lessened neither his ugliness nor his ferocity. “Drink your ale.”
    The mug was at his lips before Rael realized he’d followed the order without thinking. As it was there, he drank.
The chain of command definitely needs work,
he thought, putting the empty mug down amid the ruins of lunch. When he looked up, he saw by Doan’s expression that the thought had clearly shown on his face. He reddened, then raised his chin and met the captain’s eyes squarely. To his surprise, Doan merely nodded in what seemed to be satisfaction.
    â€œExcuse me, Captain, Commander.” The Elite First sketched a salute intended to take in both his superior officers. Rael had observed his father with the Elite often enough to realize that the First’s apparent disregard for royal rank was, in fact, a form of acceptance and his heart swelled with pride. “The lad’s been found. He’s waiting in the guardroom.”
    â€œSend him in.”
    â€œDid you lose someone?” Rael asked as the First left the room.
    â€œDid I lose someone?” Doan’s brow furrowed as he turned to stare at the prince. “Did I lose someone?” And then he chuckled, a friendly sound so at odds with his appearance that it was Rael’s turn to stare. He was still chuckling when the lad in question entered the room.
    The young man, in the full uniform of the Palace Guard, was theprince’s age or possibly a year or two older. He carried his helmet on his hip but, as his pale hair was damp, he’d probably just removed it. He had a strong face with high cheekbones, a thin-lipped mouth, and deep-set, light blue eyes. The glint on his upper lip may or may not have been the beginning of a mustache. He stood self-consciously at parade rest, his eyes regulation front and center, his gaze locked on a spot some three feet above Doan’s head. Every achingly correct inch of him fairly trembled to know why he’d been called into such exalted presence—the exalted presence obviously being the captain of the Elite and not the prince and heir.
    Rael wondered what the guardsman had done to bring him to the notice of the Elite Captain. There were no openings in the company. And besides, he was too young.
    â€œRutgar, Hovan’s son, from Cei.” Doan had stopped