by Nelson, J P
On the first day of the second month, Orance had taken his force far a’field. They made camp, and in the middle of the night they were suddenly attacked by the cognobins. Most were slain, including Orance, although maybe one fifth of the men got away. They were reassembled under Cudty, who got them to the Marian Diamond Mine. There a series of messages were sent by pigeon network until it got to Kiubejhan.
I met Ander for a while at Baldwin’s for an ale where we were joined by Handsome Henry. We talked about the state of things as were, cognobins and what have you. The band was going to play the pub in two nights hence, so Handsome was there to make final arrangements.
Ander was going to meet Lafia later that evening, so he went on to clean up. Handsome and I talked a bit more, and then we both decided it was time to head out. He went ahead, as I was going to pick his tab. When I went outside to head for my barracks, however, I saw Handsome had run head to head into trouble with a soldier they called T-bone and some of his cronies.
T-bone was perhaps the tallest in the entire army, and was nearly a foot taller than me. He was also big across the shoulders, possessed massive arms and was an all-round bully. Two of those with him were of the same caliber, but the fourth man I didn’t know. At least the three of them were known regulars in Aldivert’s command. They had been in for a little while, and were scheduled to leave out soon.
I had no idea what had just happened, but T-bone was harshly asking, “What did you call me, little man?”
“Nothin’, sur. I jus’ wished you well.” Handsome had his hands up, wanting no trouble, but old as he was he wasn’t backing down. Strings told me he was a maestro with a knife and had killed three men at once after a gig in Charlamae. But these men were wearing their swords.
T-bone continued his haranguing, “I think you’re …”
“Leave him alone,” I said. It took me only a moment to get there. I also realized I was unarmed but for a belt knife.
“Back off, minstrel! It’s none of your concern,” one of them told me, with a sneer on the word minstrel. I had heard him called Daines.
“He’s my brother …” I said as I looked Daines square in the eye. There was no heat, no rush of energy from So’Yeth. I was playing it smooth. Then I turned to T-bone and said coolly, “… and I’m making it my concern.”
I heard someone come to the door of Baldwin’s, then stop and turn back inside and say, “Hey, come look at this.” But my focus was in front of and around me.
The one they called Riuger piped in, “Brother? I don’t see no spikes on this’uns ears.”
On my left, the man I didn’t know, he looked at me with a laugh and said, “Shit. His mother’s an elf. She’s probably done every m---”
My left jab bloodied his nose and my right cross broke it. Before anyone could get set, I followed in with a kick to his gut, then spun him around and into a left hook which laid his cheek open to the bone. I felt movement behind me and pivoted around and drove a long right into Ruiger’s solar plexus.
Scooping my right hand down to his groin and grabbing his collarbone with my left, I lifted him into the air and over my head. Like I said, the training Hoscoe had put me through made me far stronger than most, and I was now mad. I hurled Riuger ten feet and onto the charging Daines. Both went tumbling back to the outer wall of the pub.
The boys were piling out of Baldwin’s to see what was going on, and I could hear yelling from all around. As I threw Ruiger, I turned to meet T-bone lunging in at me. He was cumbersome as he was big, and I side-stepped him to the right and took him in the wind with a stiff left as he was coming in. Following up with two hard rights into the kidney, as he turned around I pelted him again in the wind twice with a solid right-left uppercut combination, both putting him up on his toes.
T-bone was big and had intimidated people all of his life. He could swing a sword hard because he was strong, but he had taken no time to learn the fundamentals of real fighting. He hadn’t needed to. All of his training was in hefting rocks and metal spheres to build his physique. My left crossed to his chin which spun him completely around, and then I kicked him in the groin. Grabbing T-bone by the hair I head butted him hard in the center of his skull.
He stood straight up and had a queer look on his face and I knew he was already out like a blown candle light. Once he reached his full height, he started to fall over backward like a big piece of wood. My *Awareness* warned me and I ducked down low as Daines swung a piece of wood that shattered across T-bones body. ‘Thank you Hoscoe, for all of that blindfolded awareness training.’
I stomped Daines’ knee from the side and felt the bones shatter; just in time to catch Ruiger lunging at me, arms wide and diving down to snatch me by both knees. Stepping back and bringing my left knee up, I caught him square in the chin and heard his teeth crunch.
Off to the side, the man I did not know was drawing his sword while coming my way, so as Ruiger’s head snapped up from meeting my knee, I grabbed Daines blade from its sheath as he was falling down and clashed swords with my would be attacker. Ours eyes met only for a moment as we engaged blades once, twice, three times … on the fourth cross of steel I saw an easy opening, disarmed him, swept his feet from under him, and as he lay breathless on his back I pushed the tip of the live blade against his throat, breaking his skin directly above the artery.
In the background I heard, “Wolf! Stand down!” I wasn’t sure of the voice.
I held my eyes on my opponent, a vision of my momma on the refuse heap flashed across my mind. ‘It would be so-o-o easy to …’
“Stand down, Timber Wolf, stand down.” That voice I knew, it was Hoscoe.
Slowly, but clearly I spoke, so he could grasp my words, words delivered with an icy edge, “Touch him again, and I’ll kill you.” And then I gave him an evil sneer. “Speak low of my momma again …” I knew he could feel the trickle of blood from his neck running into the dirt, “… and I’ll hang you from the West Gate Towers by your entrails, as you kick and scream …”
Stepping back, I lingered my gaze at the other three, only one of whom caught my eye. In my demeanor was a challenge and a nod of a deadly promise.
“Timber Wolf …” Hoscoe’s voice was firm, but gentle. Later I thought, much like the handler of a beast who has broken free without a leash.
“Are you alright?” I asked Handsome. He nodded his head, and with a deliberate action, I tossed the sword to the ground with disgust. As I turned to walk back to my barracks with Hoscoe, I saw Commander Lahrcus carefully watching me from the side, his hand slowly releasing the grip of his sword.
Chapter 42
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STANDING AT PARADE Rest is in no way restful at all. Clearly named by a human, no elf would name a posture with such a radically different definition from the implied title. The feet are just more than shoulder width apart, the back is straight, and the hands overlap behind the back with thumbs interlocked. Not a bad posture for its purpose, just badly named.
The main purpose for Parade Rest, is to put soldiers in a neutral position so an officer, or leader, can speak and/or conduct an inspection without someone suddenly attacking said person. Holding the arms in this way is unnatural for the shoulders and slows the blood circulation all through the arms. After standing at Parade Rest way for several minutes, it becomes difficult to drop arms and effectively reach across the body to draw a sword and attack anyone.
Hoscoe and I had been standing at Parade Rest in front of Commander Lahrcus’s desk for some time now. My fight the previous night had brought up some serious problems. First, fighting among soldiers was not tolerated. Of course, technically, I wasn’t a soldier. I was Hoscoe’s apprentice, which made him fully responsible. Next, and not necessarily in this order, the man I didn’t know was Aldivert’s new lieutenant, and Aldivert wanted me whipped and put into stocks.
On the other hand, there were dozens of witnesses who went on record to report Handsome Henry had been pushed around and I ro
se to his defense. The unanimous testimony was also that the lieutenant was moving to put his hand on Handsome when I rose to stop him. The fact that all four were wearing swords to enter Baldwin’s also went bad, blades over twelve inches long were not allowed in proximity of the pub.
There was the fact that Daines swung a stick at my back, let alone that he was being charged with attacking T-bone, and then the lieutenant drew his sword in what was clearly a fist fight. The incident had the whole place in a hub-bub. Everyone had been grilled and now it was Hoscoe and I.
“The king has given me full latitude on this, gentlemen. Due in part to Master Hoscoe’s superb instruction, in part to the overall nature of the incident, and perhaps in some small part due to Timber Wolf’s performance at the Princess’s ball. However, let it be clear any favor gleaned from that has now been awarded and spent”
Lahrcus sat back in his seat and mused, “On the record, these four have performed outside the realm of code and are being dealt with in appropriate manner. Not the least, ‘T-bone’, as he is called, has been busted down to the lowest grade of buck soldier. Time in stocks has been wavered, simply because we need him in the field. His injuries will, of their own, serve a sentence on him as this story will follow him as long as he lives.
“Lieutenant Davolet has been stripped of his commission and rendered the grade of buck soldier. Likewise, time in stocks has been suspended for same reasons. Previous to last night, Davolet had been considered to be a fine swordsman and had been teaching swordsmanship at his previous post.
“The other two,” Lahrcus waved his hand, “are not fit for any kind of duty, largely in part due to their injuries. One will be crippled for life, the other … the other … we cannot fix his face. His jaw is shattered, teeth broken, and bones in his face are apparently cracked. Daines may be useful when he heals as a quartermaster, tending to supplies and what have you, or possibly as a cook’s assistant. But that will be all.”
Looking directly at me, he said, “Timber Wolf, as of this moment you are a civilian and don’t come under military code jurisdiction. We won’t look at civilian law, for the moment.
“Off the record, you beat the shit out of four seasoned warriors, one an expert at arms, crippled or maimed two men we can’t afford to do without, failed to stand down when I ordered you to do so, then when your master ordered you to do so, and went on to threaten an officer with macabre action within city walls.”
He held up his hand when my face changed, “Don’t,” he said, and slightly shaking his head he continued, “I’m not saying I disapprove the action, as grisly as it is, for speaking ill of one’s mother. But not in the city walls, or within sight of it, for that matter.” Lahrcus paused for quite some time, thinking.
“After you left for quarters, Davolet got up and made some comment to the effect of, ‘If he ever got squared off with you properly, he would trim your wet nose.’ But then you, Master Hoscoe, you said something which intrigued me even more than the incident. You told Davolet, and I quote, ‘Do not try it. He is more seasoned than you are, and is ten times the swordsman.’
“Davolet was flustering when you added, ‘I have seen him take punishment you could not comprehend and keep getting up to fight. I was there when he killed a more dangerous man than the four of you together, with his bare hands. And I have watched him stand his post and buckle down against a horde of orgs until the battle was no more. He is worth more than twenty of either of you. Now, go fix your nose.’
“I remember you telling me when you first got here,” Lahrcus was looking at me, “that your favored weapons were your fists. I wasn’t sure to take you seriously.” He grinned sardonically, “I’ve changed my mind.”
Lahrcus fidgeted with a letter opener and looked from one of us to the other. I had no idea what he had in mind, and surely didn’t expect what he said next, “On the extreme side of things, as combined military commander and chief of city civil protection, I can kick you out of the city walls with threat of death upon re-entry, for implying your own threat of grisly action within city walls. I can put you in stocks for refusing to obey a direct command from an official of the law. I can have you whipped for assaulting an officer of the military, regardless of your intent. Legally, you should have reported the matter and let it be tended judicially.
“Or … I can write you a special appointment as a scout for the Crown of Keoghnariu.
“You won’t have powers of command, at least not in the beginning, but you will be somewhere between foot-soldier and officer in terms of deference. Which means you would answer to your assigned officer, not a sergeant, unless the sergeant is the surviving field commander.”
His glance went from Hoscoe to me and added, “The two of you would have to come to an outside agreement as to completing apprenticeship. We have a war of survival coming, gentlemen. We’ve just lost two fighting men, and we need a thousand times as many, and this morning we received news that one of our scouting patrols has been ambushed and killed. The patrol was four to five days ride from here. It’s getting closer.”
It was then that Hoscoe asked, “When in city, will he retain his quarters and continue his training with me?”
Lahrcus grinned, “I’m not difficult, Master Hoscoe. As long as you assure me he doesn’t go around looking for reasons to defend the elderly and ladies in distress against obnoxious soldiers. I don’t think our army can afford it.”
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Field Major Lamen was well experienced in the outlands where we were headed with three platoons of four squads each. Each squad consisted of six men with a corporal as squad leader; each platoon headed by a buck sergeant with one field sergeant over the force. Lieutenant Citsan and I, the appointed scout, made seventy-nine men commissioned to go out, find and flush the enemy, and lend support to fighting or surviving troops we may find.
Hoscoe did not agree with the strategy, nor the outfitting, but what to do? We were being outfitted by the king’s mandate. As a para-military man, I was not required to go out with standard issue equipment. It was up to Hoscoe and me to make sure I was outfitted with specialized tools I might need, although, we had full access to any gear available through the quartermaster of the city force.
Every man had a standard issue sword, dagger, light crossbow and twenty bolts. The swords and daggers were of standard grade metal, except for Ander’s blade, which was of high tempered Brosman Steel. The Kiubejhan Light crossbows had an effective range of one hundred and twenty-five rods, and were among the best crossbows built. The general idea of combat was to shoot your cross bow as many times as possible before the enemy closed on you, then go to arms.
The heavy crossbow was a more stout, somewhat larger version of the light, and an effective range of between two hundred and two hundred and twenty rods. Chitivias held the Vedoan theory these were great siege and city defense weapons. Again, these were incredibly well built for the era, and we were taking a couple along for hunting, but our unit wasn’t being outfitted with these because they took much longer to reload than the lights.
One man of each squad carried something they called a resounding crossbow, which essentially was a portable ballista. It was a huge crossbow and was carried in two parts. One man couldn’t pull it back by hand, it had to be cranked with a special wind-up mechanism, and it used longer ammunition.
The cross section was made with multilayered wood in a laminating process, and although heavy, the action was fast. It was somewhat unwieldy for a man to use at hand, but it was equipped with a fork rest to stabilize it on the ground. The range was incredible for its size and had some wicked knockdown power. It could penetrate any armor used of the time at three hundred rods, and every operator had to qualify four in five marks into a human target at that range.
Merle carried a Resounder, as it was referred to, and I had seen him practice with it hand held. He was strong enough to do it, and he was in Ander’s platoon. It was Ander’s first time out as a buck sergeant. Dudley was
over another platoon and Izner was with him. The third platoon sergeant was Montao, a seasoned soldier from West Gate Barracks who came to the pub often. He was big, strong, quiet, and had been at the pub the first time I played. He always requested the Red Haired Girl song.
And thinking about red haired girls, I saw Riana before leaving. She had heard about the fight outside the pub and I had worried how she might react to it, she was always telling me how sweet I was and all. But she told me how proud it made her; that I would stand up for an older person like that, in spite of the odds.
Her real concern, however, was the fact that I was going into war. Things were more dangerous than they had been. Her father had been a soldier before his hand had been mangled, and her oldest brother and sister’s husband had been killed fighting the cognobins years ago. Her thirteen year old brother was sure to have to go and fight in a couple of years, if this wasn’t resolved soon, and it didn’t look like it would be.
She was having a tough time of me going out, but she understood and was being brave. We stood for a long time, that night, just looking into each other’s eyes. It was with a heavy heart that I left, and she stood tall and proud as I did. But I heard her begin to cry as I rounded the corner out of eyesight.
My band brothers gave me a package of forty ceegars, as the Dom called them. I humorously remembered the first time I tried smoking one. Let’s say I had to learn they were not to be inhaled, but puffed upon for flavor. Handsome also handed me a trinket and said, “Here you go, Fonshune, I been carryin’ that for many yahrs an’ it’s brought me good luck.”
It was a small, slim, silver colored casing which had a flip top. He showed me how when you thumbed a little wheel, fire would ignite from a tiny wick. When you closed the casing it put the fire out.