The First Lesson
The Depths of ReasonThe aftermath of a battle is always worse than the actual battle, Amber thought as she tossed the final shovelful of dirt into the grave. The caravan had lost too many, despite Jinwoo's interference: no one had died to dragon fire, but the thirty troops sent in on foot had wreaked what havoc they could in the wake of the failed fires. And since Jinwoo was too caught up fighting the magical beasts, that meant that the soldiers had een able to do what they were sent to do.
Kill caravaners, and that included people Amber knew and cared for. It was Daesung's grave that she filled in at the moment, her heart heavy as she thought of the fifteen men killed. Jinwoo had turned his attention to the soldiers as soon as he could, blasting them with the same power that he had thrown at the dragons, but it was too late for fifteen of their crew.
The dragons themselves had fled after losing their riders, which Amber knew they would: they were beasts, pure and simple, and needed a rider to follow. But two of the wagons had burned while Jinwoo's attention had been caught up with the third dragon, and it had been the caravan guards shooting down the rider that had kept anything else from burning. Dongwan's dark looks toward the Magician said that he blamed all of this on him, and Amber wasn't sure what to think.
Technically it was Jinyoung's fault, she thought, because it was Jinyoung who had demanded that Jinwoo use his power and reveal himself to those who might be watching for magic. But the caravan master was dead, killed in the attack by one of the enemy soldiers. It was strange that Amber felt as much grief for him as she did: no matter that he was a liar, a cheat, and a user, he had still been very nearly a friend to her for the last several years.
Jinwoo helped them to bury their dead, working in the mundane ways of using a shovel and digging the graves. The dark looks didn't stop at Dongwan, though, and Amber realized quickly that it was not in the Magician's best interest to stay with this crew. She said a prayer at Daesung's graveside, hoping that he found peace in the void, then turned to catch Jinwoo's arm. "You need to leave," she told him softly, her words just a whisper in his ear.
His large, dark eyes met her's and he nodded slowly, though his brow creased ever so slightly. "And will you come with me?" he asked, watching for her reaction.
She paused just a moment before she nodded. "I will speak to Dongwan. Go get both our horses."
The Magician obeyed her, hurrying toward the to crew members who were leading the animals back in, and she turned and made her way to Dongwan. The handsome man was overseeing the burial process, and though Amber knew this was not a good time to interrupt him, she also knew that she needed to get Jinwoo far away from them before the sun fell. "We're leaving," she told him quietly, stepping up beside him to look down into the grave he was currently looking at.
He didn't even grace her with a glance. "And good riddance, to you both. You've been no good on this trip, Amber, and we all know it. That Magician has his fingers so wound up in your head that you don't even see it."
She wasn't going to let him know how much that possibility worried her, so she merely shook her head and motioned at Jinyoung's wagon. "We're taking that with us. And before you argue with me," she interrupted him as he opened his mouth, "We're leaving payment. In gold. But we are taking that wagon and the animals to pull it, as well as supplies we need."
He turned to her then, finally, looking down into her eyes with an unreadable expression on his face. "What has he promised you, Amber? W
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