farm when we went against Moosehold. Bosh
manship, Jerry more than the others. Jerry and
Atwood, too. I s’pose word’s a-gone out, but
Bepelo had high lashes for archery, the others
we got the thunder powder now. Ol’ Chum—
adequate. But the Puma’s eye had a wavy lid,
you ’member him—he and the princess
which meant Chorchi was not too sure about
brought back the secret. Turns out, it ain’t
his character.
magic, after all. Who knew? So we mined the
But a man works with the materials he has,
field of valor around Moosehold. But wouldn’t
not the materials he wishes he had. He
ye know it, the Moosers had the secret, too.”
formed the Western men into a special Life
“Wonderful secret,” opined Sammi.
Guard, put Jerry in command as his lieutenant
“Now we gotta figger out how to cast them
with Bepelo as his vice, and charged them
thundertubes.”
with drilling the regiment intensively on
“Getting civilized not easy,” Sammi suggested.
plains-style horsemanship and the recurved
Teo learned that the Horse Archers were
bow. “. . . at least to Legionnaire levels. You all
now commanded by Ghen-ri Vowduwadosh
got what it takes,” Teo told them, “or Chorchi
but that the Foreign Legion was still under Yar
wouldn’t a-sent yuh. But I got it in mind to at-
Yoodavig and was jointly supported by Aya
tach each of you to a troop captain as Special
Downdree Herpstone, the new kospathin of
Training Off icers. My sergeant-major will
House Tiger, and by House Bear, west of the
coach yuh in greenie manners, laws, and cus-
Neck. “They’s a-getting nervous, the Great
toms so’s yuh don’t embarrass yourselves as
Houses are . . .” Bepelo said. He glanced
‘officers and gentlemen.’”
around the tavern to make certain no greenies
“What’s a gentleman?” Jerry asked, wiping
could overhear him. “. . . about House Moose
his nose on his arm.
making cozy with the greenies.”
“Jestapul will tell you. Bepelo, you’ll re-
“Maybe not so cozy no more,” said Bourse,
member him from Joojen’s Creek. See Major
from House Lynex. “I hear of Stern Notes ex-
Feinuarth—he’s supplies—and have him set
changed between Moosehold and New Cuffy.
youse up. Jerry, report to me in one week and
70
MICHAEL F. FLYNN
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
tell me how everyone shapes out.” He would
houettes. Teodorq played the Fourth Man
get Bepelo’s independent opinion and com-
stunt and stood behind them peering over
pare the two.
their shoulder.
What’s this one’s name again? whispered
A visit in the night
the second man.
When Teo returned to his quarters, he saw
Who cares? said the first . Job’s a job.
two of his major officers on the porch of the
Name’s ’Dorq, said the third and snickered.
colonel’s residence. He had no patience for
The window slid open quietly, and the first man
them at the moment and decided to let them
expressed satisfaction. He stood a-toe and peered
find him in the morning.
into the room. The hell! He ain’t in his bed!
He disliked sleeping all cooped up anyway
Teo tapped the third man on the shoulder
and found a shadowed location behind his cab-
and whispered to him. Maybe he likes to sleep
in, where he doffed his footgear, rolled up his
outdoors like a savage.
tunic for a pillow, and stretched out in a swale
The third man stood very still for a moment.
in the ground, becoming invisible to anyone
Then he spun about. “I found him!” he an-
who didn’t actually step on him. Sleeping un-
nounced, which wasn’t quite accurate, but
der the open sky reminded him of home, al-
Teo did not correct him.
though some of the star-groups here were dif-
“What are you doing here?” demanded the
ferent, and for a brief moment he wondered
first man, as if Teo had flouted some protocol.
what he was doing so far from the Grass,
“Stopping you, I think. Why? Am I mistak-
among strange people and their stranger cus-
en?”
toms. But he had known when he set out
The men were regaining their conf idence
ahead of a Serpentine posse eager for his head
and arranged themselves in a line. They
that he would never see his family again. The
weighed fourteen stone each, most of it in the
keening time for that loss was long past.
chest and shoulders and none of it fat. The
He was awakened three hours later, to
way they held their short pilli clubs suggested
judge by the angle of the Crown Stars, and he
long practice in their use.
lay very still until he could determine what
“There’s three of us,” the first man pointed
had awakened him. It was a two-moon night,
out, twirling his club one-handed.
so he kept his eyes squinted lest they ref lect
“I see the problem,” Teddy said. “Do you
the light and reveal his position.
need more time? To get help, I mean. I wouldn’t
He made out a jumble of whispers.
want folks to say this fight weren’t fair.”
Hope he sleeps sound, said one.
The first man bristled. “Why, I’ll knock you
Which window is the bedroom? said another.
clean out of your socks!”
Think we kin open it without awaken
Teodorq laughed. “I don’t think you can do
him? That was a third man.
that.”
Still say we should just kick in the front
His eyes narrowed. “And why not?”
door, said the first.
“Cause I ain’t wearin’ any.”
That would give him a warning.
The guy couldn’t help himself. He looked
That’s what this here beat-down is for. A
down at Teddy’s bare feet. That positioned his
warning.
head for a knee-kick to his face. The kick
You think this guy’s the right one?
knocked him back, and Teddy put a left to the
Who cares? Cain’t be more’n a handful of
side of his head, then planted a right in his
these savages on all of Cuffland.
brisket. The thug fell without a further discus-
This struck Teo as a conversation of more
sion.
than passing interest, so he eased from the
Teddy threw his arms out in frustration.
ground and padded on his bare feet through
“Now there’s only two of you,” he complained.
the grass to the east side of the colonel’s resi-
A profound silence fell; then the man on the
dence. There he saw beneath his bedroom
left
sighed. “Aw, hell,” he said. “We already got
window three men bundled in shadow-ware:
paid.”
black trews and black blouses with hoods
“I understand,” Teo told him. “Yuh got it to
drawn up over their heads. Their green faces
do.”
barely interrupted the darkness of their sil-
They made the usual mistake of two men
THE JOURNEYMAN: THROUGH MADNESS GAP
71
ANALOG
attacking one. They separated to take him
“This why Sammi hang out with stupid
from either side. But a maxim of combat was
plainsman.” The hillman had appeared out of
never to divide your forces in the face of a su-
the darkness. “Moments never dull.”
perior enemy, and the son of Nagarajan did
Teo looked his companion over. “How long
not consider it brag to count himself the supe-
were yuh watchin’?”
rior force.
“Whole time. I track them coming into can-
What two men facing one never seemed to
tonment. Wondered what pilli- boys up to on
expect was that the one would attack the two,
army base.”
but Teo never did see much sense in waiting
“Yuh didn’t think to step in and help?”
around. He turned to the man he judged the
“Why? You needed some?”
greater threat and went at him “fist and foot,”
“Naw, but I’m a generous guy. I like to
as they said on the Great Grass, and ignored
share. Hey, Jerry.”
the second man in his rear. He began counting
The other plainsman turned with the pris-
silently.
oners in tow and asked a question with his
The right-hand man expected many things,
eyebrows.
but to be punched in the side of his head with
Teo switched to the sprock of the Great
Teodorq’s left foot was not one of them. He
Grass. “These putzes didn’t know who they
dropped from the temple-kick just as Teo
was supposed to rough up. Just he was sup-
completed his count and spun to catch the
posed to be a plainsman. So watch yer six.
second man by the blouse and throw him
Someone’s probably stalking you, too. Sam-
with a hip roll through the air to land, with a
mi, they thought there might be a few others
whoosh of breath, on his back.
knocking about Cuffland. Why don’t yuh
It was the work of a moment. All three men
make inquiries and see if yuh can find ’em.
were groaning on the ground, clutching at
Could always use a few good men.”
sundry parts of their anatomy. The third man
was gasping for air. Teo stood above him.
A broker in ties
“Yuh okay?”
Under Teo’s direction, Jerry and Bepelo
“I been better,” the man allowed.
drilled the regiment in the maneuvers used on
“Who paid yuh, if yuh don’t mind my ask-
the Great Grass and in Tiger’s Legion. They
ing?”
practiced the roundelay until they could split
“Shoon . . . Shoon Buliq.”
into halves and quarters on command of the
“Shoon Buliq?” Teo ran the name around
banners; the hawk’s swoop timed to strike
the inside of his mouth. “Never heard of him,”
while the enemy reloaded his wheeled thun-
he decided. “Why’d he want a beatdown on
dertubes; the wild charge using the yip-yip-yip
me?”
cry of the Grass. This last frustrated Teo and
The man sucked in another breath. “He
Jerry and reduced Sammi to helpless tears of
don’t know you from Grosbeak’s dam. He’s a
laughter, for the greenies delivered the cry in
broker works out of Lodervee. Don’t know
disciplined cadence: yip, yip, yip.
who might’ve contracted him.”
Meanwhile, Lt. Colonel Hepplewhite, who
“Hunh. Tell me—if it ain’t too personal a
wore a second hat as Major-ji Six, drilled the
question—how much he pay yuh?”
bannermen and the troop captains in signal
The bully-boy grimaced. “All things consid-
recognition until it became second nature.
ered, not near enough.”
The regimented armies of the greenies used
bugle calls, and the enemy might not recog-
Assault on a royal officer was a serious mat-
nize the banners as signals.
ter, nor was Teodorq inclined to let the men
It was the custom of the judges in Cuffland
run about loose, perhaps to ponder their mis-
to sentence petty criminals to service in the
takes and try again. He whistled up Jerry the
roy’s army, so about half the regiment were
Implacable and told him to take the men to
prison-scrapings. Teo did not know what he
the stockade. The Puma looked them over and
had done to merit this blessing, but he had bro-
shook his head. “Looks like you did most of
ken wild horses back home and didn’t see how
the assaultin’,” he concluded. “Couldn’t this
this was much different in principle. Instead of
Buliq fellow afford professionals?”
the lash, he employed Plains discipline, which
72
MICHAEL F. FLYNN
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
consisted of running afoot, construction de-
“I think yer right, Jer’,” Teo said. “Whoever
tails, and the like.
hired those mooks to beat me must be going
“A whipped man,” he explained to Lar Rigo,
after all the plainsmen he can find.”
“ain’t no good to himself or the regiment till
“Why?”
the scars heal. But a man on punishment detail
“Maybe he just no like plainsmen.”
may learn to discipline himself.”
Jerry laughed. “Y’mean there’s another hill-
He discussed with Gunning Karl the iron-
man in-country?”
man practice of building road fortif ications
But Sammi shook his head. “Hillmen no
each evening. At f irst, the major-ji for plans
need ‘mooks.’ Hillmen are DIY. Teo, we have
thought it a silly notion. Such slapped-up “cas-
detail map of . . .” He squinted at the chart be-
tles” would not survive thundertube bom-
fore him. “. . . of Stoney Mountain? Hey,
bardment. But then, after he had given it some
thought of second reason for beatdown.”
thought, he warmed to the idea and suggested
“Stoney Mountain? That’s in the Wrist? Sec-
a different design for the camp, with thick,
ond drawer of the map case. Why?”
earthen walls, slanted facades, and pointed
“Because all stupid plainsmen look alike, and
bastions. “Cannon-balls’ll just embed them-
he wants to make sure he gets one he’s after.”
selves in the dirt or roll off the angled sides.”
“No, I mean why Stoney Mountain?”
“
Don’t go all loco-weed on me,” Teo cau-
“That least likely route for infiltrating from
tioned him. “It’s jest to sleep a little secure on
Yavalprawns into Cuff land. Only two gaps
the road; not to stand off a siege.”
through it.”
Jerry and Teo set themselves to making plains
Teo set the last of the muster rolls aside. Not
bows, which were laminates of wood, horn,
too many washouts this moon-lap. The regi-
and sinew and had a higher pull than Cuffy
ment was shaping up. Stoney Mountain might
bows. Boyers had grown scarce in Cuffland in
be a good place for field trials. “But if this guy
the generations since the re-discovery of thun-
is after one of us in particular, he must have a
derpowder, but Major Beadbush found one, and
reason. Maybe I should write a list of people
they set about teaching him the skill. Even so, it
I’ve offended, in case it’s me. Got a sheet of
was slow going to equip the regiment properly.
paper?”
Sammi said, “Sammi get you notebook.”
One day, Jerry came back from town with a
Jerry chuckled. “Yer right, Teo. He does
black eye.
kinda grow on yuh.”
“On account of a gal,” he complained. “I
was chatting her up in the Red Stag Saloon
Sammi was a good scout and had the ability
over in New Castle. On spec, y’know. And this
to blend into any landscape he wished. Teo
fellow, looked like a brawler, rabbit-punched
had once seen him appear in an open mead-
me. Don’t know if he had a proprietary inter-
ow to surprise Yar Yoodavig. “Secret is sit still
est in her or he just didn’t like outlanders,
and break silhouette,” Sammi had once ex-
’cause he ain’t come to by the time I finished
plained. “Motion catches eye.” But Teo never
my beer and left.”
quite got the hang of it. “Maybe stupid plains-
“What’d the woman have to say?” Teo asked.
man too big to hide,” Sammi suggested.
They were sitting in the colonel’s office while
“Maybe too big to need to hide,” Teo had
Teo reviewed muster rolls and chopped them.
replied.
Jerry shrugged and raised his feet to Teo’s
In any case, Sammi could track a bird across
desk. The chair creaked. “Dunno. She lit out
an open sky, so it was “no great shakes,” as he
when the fists started flying.”
put it, to f ind Shoon Buliq. He reported to
Sammi, sitting to the side before a wall-map
headquarters while Teo was undergoing the
of the Wrist, said, “Sammi smell rat.”
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