Liam and Cullan waited inside a tent that belonged to the head Vigoratus of their camp. The man was finishing up a healing session with one of the senior officers. All Iugum Aeternus ceremonies were done through him. Cullan had now seen this man three times in the course his services of the war. Liam was filled with excitement and anxiety for his first bonding.
The head Vigoratus wore a long white and blue over coat. Its sleeves were bell shaped and had a large hood. A beige under shirt peeked behind the coat. Long black pants fell over slim legs and black boots. The man himself was middle aged and had shoulder length black hair. Liam’s observations were interrupted by the Vigoratus’s voice. It was deep and resounded like a drum.’
“Master Cullan, here to get yet another Vivificus huh? You better keep this one longer than the last one, poor soul.” He looked up at the two men and back down to his patient. He then nodded and told him that he was fully recovered.
“Liam isn’t it?” He asked glancing at a piece of paper. He scribbled a few words and set it aside. Looking back up he studied the two with silver blue eyes. Liam nodded with energy.
“I’m Silas. Master Cullan already knows me. He obviously has an attachment to me because he continues to come back.” Liam smiled while Cullan snuffed at the comment. Silas opened a drawer from his desk.
“I am going to need to take some of your blood. This will let us know if you two are compatible with one another.” Silas removed a small vial with a long needle at the end. Liam had seen it many times before at the Vivificus training site. Cullan dragged up a stool and plopped his rump on it. Sticking out his arm he continued his bored façade while Silas stuck the needle in the vein in the crevice of his inner elbow. He pulled on the back end of the vial and red liquid poured into the glass.
“So you are a living creature, Master Cullan?” Liam jeered. Cullan glared at him with his blue eyes and made a small growl beneath his breath. Silas finished and moved onto Liam. Said man had been stuck so many times it no longer hurt for him. Silas took both vials of blood and sat back down at his desk. He mixed a few droplets of blood together and watched closely to make sure they didn’t attack each other.
Cullan dreaded this part. He either had a new Vivificus or he was stuck waiting another week or so before one was available. It was a miracle that this one was found so quickly. Even then he hated the Vivificus, always chatty, inexperienced, happy, trying to make friends. He didn’t know if dying was worse or not compared to the people he was forced to be around.
Silas nodded in approval of the compatibility and pulled out a large bag halfway filled with white powder. Liam guessed it was chalk. Silas mumbled incoherent words and lightly touched the chalk, leaving some on his hands. Then the chalk shifted and slithered up like a snake to Silas’s hands. It then moved into the air towards the middle of the tent. The chalk made several large circles until it dropped slowly onto the floor. Silas mumbled a few more words and a smaller amount of chalk did the same thing. It traveled into the middle of the previous circle and made a miniature one.
When Silas was done speaking the incantation he proceeded to explain the ritual to Liam. Cullan waited with his foot tapping an impatient tempo as he heard now for the fourth time how this was to work.
“You and Cullan will step into the bigger circle and then cut your hands…” Liam held up his hand and stopped Silas.
“Sorry, not to be rude but I know how this works. After all I did train for this.” Silas nodded and moved aside a few inches away from the circles.
Liam and Cullan walked into the bigger circle being careful not to disturb the chalk. Silas handed Cullan the ceremonial knife. It was made of the purest steel and had swirling engravings around the hilt and partly into the blade itself. An amethyst gem proudly stemmed off the hilt and gave the knife a priceless value. Cullan took the blade to his hand and made a quick but steady cut on his palm. Blood streamed and dripped into the smaller circle. He then handed the knife to Liam who did the same and watched as his blood joined Cullans in the smaller circle of chalk. Liam knelt down on one knee and presented his cut hand towards Cullan. He grasped the mans hand and waited for the Iugum Aternus to commence.
Silas began to speak some more mumbled incantations. The blood in the smaller circle began the move along the wooden floor. They danced around each other before collecting together and evaporate slowly. The air began to smell of copper as the evaporated blood steamed around the two hands. Liam began to perspire as he felt something change in his system. His skin tingled and got goose bumps. In all his training, this was definitely different to what they expected him to endure. Lights danced behind his closed eyes and caught a glimpse of what seemed like a ravaged field from a battle. He saw Cullan, at least he thought it was Cullan, running at something. It was tall and somewhat multicolored. It was white on the bottom and had a dark figure on top; a horse and rider perhaps? As soon as the vision began it stopped and he opened his eyes to see Silas standing above him.
“Its okay Liam, you only fainted. All Vivificus faint after they bond with their Pugnator. Thankfully it was also successful.” Liam sat up and looked at his hand, the wound was still there. He looked up at Cullan who showed his hand with that bored expression. The wound was completely gone.
“Silas, do Vivificus usually also have visions during the ritual?” Liam was having difficulty understanding what he saw. Silas was silent and had a masked look. He wasn’t going to tell Liam the truth.
“Not all do, but it does happen. They are meaningless little things. Don’t worry another minute about it.” Silas smiled and helped him up to his feet. He showed them out of his tent and wished them the best.
‚ƒ
Cullan left Liam to walk to their tent as he made his way to the Commanding Generals office. He straightened his clothes out a little more and made sure he looked somewhat decent. He may not be sent home or anything but he didn’t want to be scolded for long hours about his appearance.
He weaved through the higher ranking soldiers tents before finding a large white tent with the Commanding Generals insignia on the sides. He took a deep breath and knocked on one of the posts.
“Corporal Cullan Price reporting in Sir.” He announced through the tent flaps. He waited only a second before the first Lieutenant of their division pushed the flap aside and nodded for Cullan to enter. He put a fist over his chest and bowed slightly before walking in. There was a large desk and bed in the tent. Behind the desk was a large map of the area they were in with red flagged pins showing each known position of them and the enemy. The Commanding General sat in his chair reading a few reports from other officers. He looked up and waved the first lieutenant to leave them. When they were alone Cullan once again put his fist over his chest and bowed to his commanding officer.
“I have reported in General Kurt as ordered.” Cullan would have to wait for General Kurt’s order to be at ease before he could stop bowing. The General was very clean cut with a groomed short beard on his face. His ebony hair was also short with small bangs parted in the middle that brushed his forehead lightly when he moved. His uniform was also clean and tidy. General Kurt would have it no other way. He soon finished reading the report before looking at Cullan.
“At ease Corporal,” Cullan stood straight and stood in a more comfortable position. “The reason I have called you in is because there are a lot of soldiers these days that are acting like stuck up princes. You are one of them.” His voice was stern and demanding. Five years of being one of the best Generals gave him all authority to do so.
“May I ask what I have done wrong Sir?” Cullan respectfully asked. He looked Kurt in the eye because he knew that it was what was expected from all of the soldiers when with the General. Kurt breathed, fixed his position in his chair and laced his fingers together on the desk.
“You just received your fourth Vivificus. Your fourth. In three years you have served with us and have done a fine job but it doesn’t excuse your lack of caution to keep your Vivificus out of harms way. You don’t go to the training site as often as you did before and so your fighting skills are sloppy. You may think that training no longer matters because you are immortal but we are running out of Vivificus. Now I am letting you have one more chance with Liam. Bear in mind that I am debating whether he is your last.”
Cullan clenched and unclenched his fists. He wasn’t too fond of lectures on how precious life was. Vivificus were supposed to take his wounds; if they died then their mission was completed.
“Permission to speak freely Sir?” Kurt nodded. “It is their duty to die so that I might live. I am sure the General and many other Generals have sent their reports about this to the King but if you decide to send me out there without my Vivificus then it will only cause more harm then good. I don’t see how you commanding me to be more humane will change the fact that I will get a new Vivificus later…Sir.”
General Kurt fumed behind his green eyes. Cullan was sharp and called his bluff. The response from the King would arrive sometime this week but they all knew the answer.
“Perhaps, but in the meantime you will go to the training site.” Cullan fidgeted and looked at the ground before meeting the Generals eyes again. “Everyday for four hours you will report to the first Lieutenant that showed you in. I was informing him that he had better see you from now on until I say otherwise. His name is Jarvis Miller. If you don’t show up then I will just have to come up with another way to persuade you to go. The least you can do for your Vivificus, this army and your King is to be a better fighter. The first session starts at 0800 hours tomorrow morning. You’re dismissed.”
Kurt picked up another report and showed that the conversation was done. Cullan bowed again and stormed out of the tent ready to forget about the new annoyance.
