SELECT

Like his fellow Oathtaker, Dixon, Marshall’s attendant magic included the ability to get by on little sleep, after conditioning himself to do so. He’d been increasing his powers over the past few weeks while traveling. He found with some practice that he operated best when he reduced his requirement to not less than a single hour of rest per day. Even so, that left him a great deal of time for other endeavors—time during which most others were unaware of his wakefulness or of his actions.

After arriving at Camp Cark, he went to work for the man, as his second in command. More than anything, the position meant that he served as Cark’s personal attendant, though from day to day, his duties varied widely. Occasionally Cark ordered him to assist with guarding his premises from late afternoon and into the wee morning hours. Almost immediately, the other soldiers discovered that even when they dropped off to sleep while on duty, Marshall never did. They quickly came to depend on him to notify them if something important transpired.

Notwithstanding his gratitude for his attendant magic, Marshall soon found that even without it, he would not have slept much. The sounds—the cries—that originated from Cark’s abode in the late night hours, turned his stomach. Now he understood why Cark’s wife had begged Joseph for his channel.