“I wish we could get a little closer.” Kalf half-whispered to Herlu. Considering how far they weren’t standing from the rest of the group, Ranvir easily overheard him. Which may have been the point. Herlu didn’t reply, the short redhead just grunted.

“You’re right.” Kalf continued. “It’s not hard to guess what he’s talking about, but it would still be nice to know for sure.”

A hundred meters or so ahead of them, Yngvar was speaking with Pashar.

“What do you think he’s talking about?” Esmund asked, curiosity clear in his voice.

“You can’t guess?” Kalf looked from the short tethered to the rest of the group. Ranvir thought he recognized worry in the gesture.

“I guess, I didn’t really think about it.”

“Think about this.” Kalf said with a sigh. “You’re a twenty-year-old light tethered, who’s specifically developed to be inoffensive, and you’ve been placed in charge of the best talents of the newest generation of tethered. Mind you, in a situation that is not guaranteed to be safe.”

“I didn’t think of it like that.” Es scratched at his cheek. He hadn’t shaved in a few days and a few scraggly hairs were starting to show. Ranvir wouldn’t have noticed if he wasn’t standing right next to him, but they were still there. “I guess that could be a little scary.”

“Not to mention, all but one of them have already gotten into a fight before, with the very people we’re going out to heal. And the last member has also famously beat another member so hard he got a full facial healing and a nickname.” He turned to Ranvir. “I presume you are Coldfront.”

Ranvir closed his eyes, sighing. “Yeah.”

“How did you know that?” Sansir asked, stepping a little closer. Ranvir appreciated the protective move from his tall friend.

“Don’t bother with him.” Herlu grunted from below. “He’s a consummate gossip.”

“He’s right, you know.” Kalf butted in, confident grin fully in place, showing he wasn’t afraid of Sansir. “I know everything that happens on campus. Whether in the dorms, the fields, or the classrooms.”

“And twice as much that never happened.” Herlu commented. “Don’t listen to him, you’ll just feed into it and make it worse.”

“Spoil sport.” Kalf said, turning his attention back to Yngvar who was returning to them. “Still in command?”

Yngvar didn’t reply for a moment, staring at them. “We do this carefully, play each situation by ear and I swear on the Triplet Goddess, on Ingra, Face of Wrath, herself, if you step out of line, I’m setting you on the Downway.”

“Yes sir.” They all replied, sensing the serious tone in his voice.

“Good. Follow me.” He took off in a light jog for the gate, not waiting to check if they would follow. Though it was only a light jog. Anyone that had spent this long at the academy should be fit enough to follow at this pace.

The run to the capital was a mostly boring, if novel, experience. It had been some time since Ranvir had last been to the capital and autumn changed the view. The naked trees and the roads littered with their crowns gave the route an ancient sense of direction. Instead of following the often traveled road between the academy and the capital, it felt like the path between ancient ruins of old.

That is, until they arrived at the capital gates and saw the lines.

Usually, students were allowed free access through the gates, but since they were all carrying weapons they had to briefly stop, just so Yngvar could have a brief talk with the guards. Soon enough, they were led through though.

At first, Ranvir was over taken with the size of the city again, he hadn’t been for nearly three months. That quickly wore off when he noticed the looks. Some were just stares, since no one with an academy uniform had been through in months. Others were hostile. Ranvir thought he even heard someone shouting at them, though it was mostly drowned out by the crowds.

“Follow me.” Yngvar said. His voice was iron, steadying Ranvir. It spoke of experience and knowledge. Foresight and expectancy. Like he’d known this was going to be their reception and he’d been prepared for it.

Their leader led them through a brisk walk, to a market square. Half of it was filled with stalls and merchants hawking their various wares. A good bit was taken up by a huge tent and the rest was empty. Looking closer, Ranvir saw signs of stalls once having sat there.

“That’s us.” Yngvar said, directing them towards the tent. He led them to a back way and they all entered a relatively spacious center room. “This is the operation room. This is where we’ll retreat if it becomes necessary, this is also where I will be working out of. He gestured to a table set off to one side. Tables and shelves lined opposite walls of the tent. Most just held clean linens, water, and other stuff Ranvir assumed they would need to treat people.

“While I’m setting up,” Yngvar turned to Sansir. “I want you to set up a perimeter around the edge of this tent. Can you manage some brittle ice? It’s cold enough now that it should last a few hours.”

Sansir looked around the room, estimating the size, before nodding.

“Good, I want you out scouting.” He indicated all but Esmund and Dovar. “Check the area, make sure you’re aware of escape routes we can take if necessary.” The others nodded. “Herlu, Kalf, once we’ve begun you will be standing in front of the entrance. Only let a few people in at a time.” The two tethered nodded. Herlu wielded his short spear, like he’d barely knew which end was sharp, though Kalf seemed at least competent with his axe.

“Sansir and Ranvir, you’re in the waiting area. Make sure you have notes on the injuries ailing our patients. You don’t need an extensive list or even to write it down. Just enough that I have an idea what we’re working with.”

Ranvir raised his hand. “Sir,” He said after being acknowledged. “I admit I’m pretty good with detail, but Grevor is better with people than I am. He might be better suited to handle people directly.”

Yngvar nodded, turning to the rest of the first years. “That true?”

They all nodded, Esmund more eagerly than the rest. Yngvar sighed. “Very well, Sansir and Grevor are in the waiting area. Ranvir you will be the running man then. You go where you’re needed. Dovar and Esmund, you’ll be with me, here in the operation area. You will work as my assistants. That means help cleaning wounds, dressing injuries, and handling combative patients. Understood?”

“Yes sir.” Sounded from within the tent.

“Very good. Sansir on the perimeter. Grevor, Ranvir, Herlu, and Kalf get to scouting. Esmund and Dovar with me. I’m going to run you through the basics before we set up.”

Ranvir followed after the others as they left the tent, this time through the actual entrance. This meant they also stepped through the waiting area. It was a smaller room, equipped with benches on the sides, along with a desk and two chairs.

A kid stepped through the entrance. He had a bucket full of water in each hand, though he was clearly struggling with the weight. Ranvir didn’t think he could’ve been more than eleven or twelve, wearing a worn bland tunic and often patched pants that didn’t quite fit right. He stopped, eyes widening when he saw the four students before him. He dropped the buckets with a squelch and hurried into a bow. Luckily, they didn’t turn over.

“Don’t do that.” Herlu said quickly, stepping over to him. “Here let me help you with that.”

He stared for a long moment, before nodding slowly. Herlu took one of the buckets while the kid hauled the other and they wandered into the operation area. Ranvir exchanged a glance with Grevor, before they followed Kalf out of the tent.

“Always keep one of us within sight. You don’t want to disappear from the team. If we don’t know where you are, or you can’t see us, then you’re in danger. This isn’t the capital, it’s a hostile city in a dangerous environment.” Kalf’s serious tone cut through the nerves Ranvir had felt building.

“Yes sir.” Both he and Grevor said.

“You check to the west.” Kalf pointed towards one end of the square. “Look for big alleys where we can huddle up or out run our pursuers. Remember these guys will not be trained like us.”

They nodded and took off. The area of the city they were in was on the slightly wealthier side, if Ranvir were to guess. The roads were cobbled and people walked freely on the streets without wearing weapons. Yes, mud had crept in and around the stones, and some seemed to be missing, but Ranvir knew there were parts of the city that were entirely unpaved.

Like back home. He thought, idly tapping his boot against a loose stone.

Shaking his head, he got his eyes back to working. Idly, he rested his hand on the head of his hammer, as he extended his tether-sense as far as he could. The sense was like a tendril extending in a single direction, though right now he really wished for a net to cast it wide.

It wandered over the people in the square, as he started judging gaps between stalls and which stands were the most popular. At first, he didn’t feel anything from the civilians, it was only after a few minutes that he realized that it wasn’t a traditional lack of presence, like if he swept his sense through air, but a lack of power.

He noticed one guy turning mid-way through his walk and headed towards Grevor. Ranvir pinned his sense on the guy, fingering the head of his hammer. Blue cold rushed through him, as he considered the intent of the man, quickly followed by blazing orange and red. Suddenly, Ranvir had to grip the head of his hammer tight to avoid drawing it.

Tension filled Ranvir as he forced his face still. He’d barely taken a few steps before the man hesitated. Turning, he looked Ranvir directly in the eye, despite the intervening distance. Visibly swallowing, the man turned and walked away.

“Hey!” Esmund called out over the crowd. Ranvir turned to look in the direction of the tent. He’d gotten further from it than he’d expected. A nervous jitter returned, yellow sparks traveling up and down his back. “We’re ready!”

Ranvir nodded. From his peripheral vision he saw Grevor heading back towards the tent. His black uniform with white accents standing out clearly from the masses. Most students were striking in their uniform, even in a crowd, but Grev’s tailored cut, blond hair, and sword, put him a step above the rest. Combined with his stoic mask, and Ranvir suspected Grev could be quite intimidating.

As he returned to the tent, Ranvir idly noted the people clearing out around him, the effect even more pronounced as he joined Grevor, then Herlu and Kalf. Finally, he felt safe enough to take his hand off the hammer.