Hoodwinkers || Dynas & Maia
After thirty-nine years of ruining Goodlands soldiers’ days, he understood their choice of weaponry and garb as well as they did. That didn’t mean it felt natural on his own body. He’d missed his sword and armor from the moment he put on this clown suit. But it was a necessary evil.
Walking through camp he got a couple laughs out of the people he passed, because once everyone had been warned not to kill him and Maia on sight it became a joke. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. “My ideas are brilliant!” he retorted as he looked for Maia around the edge of camp. Spotting her head of dark hair by a campfire, he called out to her. “Maia, m’dear, ready to go?”
Dynas had received their orders from Loriente early on the first day, before the battle began, and had talked to Maia about their orders and the plan he’d thought up over the course of the day since. The sun had set over the horizon, and the last of the soldiers were returning to both camps from the battlefield. If they didn’t leave now they would miss their window of opportunity, but Dynas didn’t pretend that they wouldn’t have to discuss some things on the way over. Maia was one of his best friends. He understood what she might be feeling about this mission and the battle that had preceded it far better than another Mancer might have. Perhaps that’s why Loriente had paired him with her. The groupleader knew that he’d have her back behind enemy lines no matter what happened. No matter what the danger was to him personally.
Maia fretted nervously with the sleeves of her tunic as she stared deeply into the fire – trying not to glow. This was far too much for her. To go back into battle was gut wrenchingly awful enough, but now she was expected to not even meet the enemy in a fair fight. The only consolation she had been given was that it was unlikely she would have to kill anyone if she was on a reconnaissance mission – and the fact that it meant she could spend time with one of her closest friends to do it was a great comfort – but it still felt wrong to her. Dynas had explained the plan as putting ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’ to amuse her, but the image disturbed her greatly. To skin an animal and wear its hide to blend in with its fellows was something she had done when she was a child to avoid capture – but that was purely for survival, not to go harass the sheep without provocation. The night before, Maia had terrible dreams of wearing the Knight Hay’s skin and going to her funeral to slaughter all of her mourners. Maia heard Dynas call to her and nearly jumped out of her own skin. “Yes, Dynas. I am here.” Maia looked up at her friend’s broad, welcoming face – so sure of their cause and their inevitable success – and without noticing, the pressure to control her magic ebbed away and her body relaxed as a rush of friendship and duty flooded in. It was for people like Dynas, like Darqa, like Juvion… everyone… that she must be this wolf. Her actions in the temple had been cowardly, but she could not shrink from her responsibilities and let those she loved shoulder the burden at this critical time. She caught eyes with Miss June, the cafeteria lady now working as camp cook. If they were successful in this battle, the recaptured land would get Miss June one step closer to her younger brother, who was imprisoned in a Trolian jail. Maia nodded to June, who nodded back smiling. Maia looked back at Dynas, “I am ready.”
“Wait!” Dea cried out breathlessly, relieved to spot the conspicuously dressed pair still lingering at camp. Juvion had warned that this meet-up would be rather touch-and-go, and she feared she would arrive at an already deserted tent. The pain of returning to a purposeless battle would have been too much to bear, especially since this undercover mission seemed so well suited to her talents. Duplicity and cunning – why she considered those her bread and butter; plus, she had always thought herself something of an actress. She would be precisely who these knights wanted her to be, right up until the moment she wasn’t. Until they wished that they’d never met her, never freely offered up their fates for a moment of camaraderie.
She stopped herself there, before her thoughts slipped even further into darkness. She had been there before, and it never did her any good. Her rage was like a rogue boulder, quickly gathering momentum, and indiscriminately destroying everything in its path. And that sort of destruction simply wouldn’t do here, not when the well-being of her friends was at stake.
“I know that this is super last minute,” she apologized, drawing closer, “but Juvion has suggested that I join your mission. You see, this field has little to offer me, and I, on it, have little to offer to the cause. But if I join you, I can actually accomplish something. You both know how good I can be at coaxing information from people.” She smiled at them, relived to be on the cusp of something important. “Now hand me one of those silly outfits.”
Maia being read to head out placed a smile on his face. He loved to see her determination, especially now, when he figured normal lay-back shy Maia was far from where she was supposed to be. Good to see some things were still as they were. He felt his heart tremble with love for her, as his friend, as his pall, when her face showed a smile, maybe not one directed at her, but a smile still. He would protect her no matter the cost. Always.
‘Good!’ Dynas mentioned, searching through the tents as he determined the best route to take. They shouldn’t attract too much attention if they could make it look like they came from a scout mission of any kind. He was pretty sure he didn’t have to use his Magic for a while, maybe when the tried to got out.
He was taken aback when Deametis showed up out of nowhere, shouting for them to wait. A grin appeared on his face as she came closer, saying strange word combinations about Juvion setting this up, wanting Deametis to join their little band of wolves.
‘Juvion? Don’t tell me something happened to Loriente and they put that twat in charge,’ he joked dramatically, looking around for more of those sheep clothing. He handed Deametis a pair he thought would fit. ‘I am joking, we all know I would be the first to find out about that if it would ever happen.’ He ruffled Maia’s hair for no particular reason. ‘They’ll be mad if they give him Groupleader title.’
