The Sword of the Lady c-3

by S. M. Stirling

  His name was McGinty, and he had a bullhide breastplate with his own Bar Z brand pyrographed on the boiled leather. The horsehair plume on his helmet bobbed as he chuckled.

  He?s younger than me, too. So many are these days. Forty?s not old! Well, forty-two.

  That thought marked her age itself. These days, forty was fairly well along. Not many people beyond their first youth had survived the generation since the Change; she?d been eighteen then, herself. It was some consolation that she looked a lot younger than her age by today?s standards, since she didn?t pass her days in field labor. ?Get your people heading east to camp,? she said to the Mackenzie. ?Don?t get settled in there, either.? ?We?re leaving?? he said.?After this fine and glorious thrashing we gave them, and the kicking of their arse so hard their teeth came marching out like little pikemen on parade??

  Signe nodded towards the fort; a century of Boise infantry were double-timing out of the gates… and they had a fieldpiece with them. ?With that as a base, this isn?t a healthy locality,? she said grimly.?Move. We?ll accompany and the Bar Z men will cover us both. Eat, get your gear packed, get on your bicycles and clear out to the next rally point. And could you get that so-called musician to stop torturing that poor agonized pig?? ??Tis scarcely war at all without a piper!?

  The clansfolk moved in a ground-eating trot that made it easy for the cavalry to hang behind them. The allied force?s hasty encampment was four miles up the road-where another small bridge had spanned a gulch that scored the rolling plain, muddy save for patches of snow now, potentially a torrent. There was no glimpse of the Cascades on the western horizon… not quite, unless you used binoculars. Her horse picked its way across the streambed, hooves clotting with temporary boots of black sludge. The Mackenzies took the stretchers with the wounded on their shoulders, cheerfully trudged through the glop themselves, and manhandled the empty ambulance carts over.

  They even found energy to sing, as they strutted into camp with their piper sounding off, a rollicking tune with a chorus that went: ?Gather the sheaves of harvest-time lightly

  Many a day will they strengthen our kin;

  Gather the sheaves of arrow shafts tightly

  Many a battle their feathers will win!

  Call the names of the clansmen who?ve fallen;

  Let them be carried like seeds on the wind!?

  The bridge had been as thoroughly destroyed as thermite, metal saws and enthusiastic sledgehammers could manage in the time they?d had. ?That?ll delay them,? Will said as their mounts surged up the low slope on the other side of the stream.

  Rock rattled down as hooves pushed them out of the damp sandy earth. His cousin snorted. ?Yah. Just as long as it takes Thurston?s engineers to bring up materials to build a replacement,? Mike said.?While they also bring up enough troops to hold us off.?

  His face turned to her.?Moth-I mean, Ma?am, why aren?t we bringing up enough force to stop this? They?re nailing down Highway 20 like someone tacking down a strip of carpet. At this rate, they?ll be at the gates of Bend by springtime. After that there?s nothing to stop them short of the forts in the passes over the Cascades.? ?Trooper, we?re not doing that because they?re doing something like this in half a dozen other places as well. If we put more troops here, they?d push west faster somewhere else.?

  Greasewood fires were burning under big aluminum kettles cut down from old trash barrels; the smell made spit run into her mouth as her stomach unclenched. Signe swung down from her horse, wondering where several suddenly painful incipient bruises and wrenched joints had come from-except for the ones under her shield arm, and the wrist of her sword hand, which she knew about full well. Military apprentices attended to the Bearkillers? chores, taking the barding off the A-lister horses, packing it on mules, handing out food. They were young men and women of Will and Mike?s age, and this was part of their training.

  Was this really more exciting when I was campaigning with Mike? she wondered.

  She quickly spooned down thick barley-and-mutton soup, gnawing on a tasteless wheatcake with alternate bites from a raw onion and a lump of rocklike cheese that bit back at the inside of her mouth. Then she used the last of the flatbread to mop out the bowl before she tossed it back.

  Or am I just getting nostalgic? Nostalgic for a war, of all things. Frigga witness, I was a fucking vegetarian before the Change, and the next thing to a pacifist. Though that didn?t last long after I met Mike. ?Was this ever better, Aaron?? she said aloud.?I remember it as being… fresher back in the War of the Eye, and before that. Not as boring, not as uncomfortable, not as frightening either.?

  The slim sixtysomething physician didn?t look up from his work with splint and bandages, his hands moving with a swift, impersonal gentleness as the man whose leg had been pulped by a war hammer stirred and moaned beneath the drug. He hadn?t taken the field lately either, having been the Outfit?s chief doctor since before they arrived back in Oregon in the first Change Year. Supposedly his jobs were training and administration. ?No, it was mostly about like this,? he said shortly.?You?re just remembering being young and hormonally optimistic and in love, and retrospectively you know we won. More or less. So yes, you are just getting senile nostalgia. Enjoy the mild case now. It gets steadily worse as age and sagging bits and tits and those wrinkles at the corners of your blue, blue eyes accumulate.? ?Fuck you, Aaron,? she said, smiling. ?I?m afraid not. You were never quite butch enough for me, Signe darling,? he replied. ?And they call me a superbitch!? ?Unjustly. Women just can?t manage bitchery with any style, so I?ve got you outclassed. Besides, I was always madly jealous, which justifies it.?

  She laughed; that was a running joke between the two of them, and actually true. Aaron Rothman had been hopelessly in love with Mike Havel too, from the day he?d been rescued from a band of Eaters not long after the Change; not that that unrequited longing had ever kept him from a love life surprisingly varied for their staid little rural community at Larsdalen. He finished off, signaled to the stretcher-bearers and limped over to her-the cannibals had made a start on him by taking his left foot off a few days before the nascent Bearkillers arrived. He was looking over her shoulder. ?Oh, oh, oh,? he murmured.?It?s our stylishly brutal neofeudal friends, with their banners unfurled.?

  She turned, and recognized the colorful split-tailed pennant of a high PPA noble at the head of the party coming down from the northwest, almost before the outposts reported it. Her brows went up as she removed her helmet and tucked her armored gauntlets into her sword belt and waited. They went higher as she saw the blazon on the forked pennant and the quartering on the big kite-shaped shields northern knights used-the Portland Protective Association?s Lidless Eye with sable, a delta or over a V argent.

  The Grand Constable herself, she thought, keeping her lips from showing teeth. After the loathsome Sandra Machiavelli-in-a-skirt Arminger, my unfavoritist of all our dear Associate allies. A lance of bodyguards, Baroness Tiphaine d?Ath, some hangers-on, and two other nobles. Wait, no, that?s a knight-brother of the Order of the Shield of St. Benedict with her. And I know the other guy?s face. He?s Sir Ivo Marks. ? Hell -o,? she murmured.?Ivo is seneschal of Castle Campscapell out east of Walla Walla these days,? she said quietly to Aaron. ?That?s on the front lines, and Boise is pushing hard there. What the hell is he doing back in the West?? ?Lady d?Ath,? she said courteously as they drew rein and dismounted, handing the reins to their followers. ?Lady Signe,? came the reply in that water-over-ice voice.

  The four men-at-arms and eight mounted crossbowmen in half-armor looked as if they?d come far and fast; so did their horses, despite the short string of remounts and sumpter mules.

  D?Ath never shows much sign of wear; you have to give the bitch that.

  The knight-brother and Ivo looked like they?d come a lot farther, and they both had the fading bruises and minor cuts that told of a serious fight not long ago. Ivo Marks looked like he?d lost his fight, too; something about the eyes. He was a thick-built man of Tiphaine?s age, four years younger than Signe but with his brown ha
ir just beginning to go gray at the temples and starting to recede a bit. There were a few red veins in his cheeks as well.

  Brawling thug with a veneer of manners, she thought again. Typical of that generation of Associates. Not quite a Changeling, but a lot closer than me. At fourteen you?re a kid; eighteen is a borderline adult. Or it was. He?s not stupid, though. ?I am Brother Jerome,? the warrior-monk said.?Currently assigned as a liaison to the Portland Protective Association forces in the northeast. We have not met, Lady Signe.?

  Though that didn?t matter much. Mt. Angel seemed to have developed some sort of injection-molding process for turning out its knight-brothers a little after the Change. They differed only in complexion, and even that was uniformly weathered. Jerome?s bowl-cut tonsured hair was medium brown and his eyes were hazel, and his face was long and lumpy and horse-like; the alert stance even when exhausted was the standard, and the expression of mild, calm attention. ?You?ve been in action?? d?Ath said, looking around and at the spray of blood drops smeared on Signe?s face.

  The Lady of the Bearkillers bit back: No, we just had a really rough game of football.

  D?Ath always annoyed her, made her feel halfway between angry and off-balance. Part of it was the personal history. They?d crossed swords a few times during the wars against the Association, and there had been that business in Corvallis where Tiphaine had made them all look like complete idiots just before the final conflict. Part of it was just the woman herself. Signe Havel could be as ruthless as necessary when she had to be, but d?Ath just had something missing in there somewhere, as if being a human being day to day was something she did as a conscious decision.

  And be honest with yourself, Signe, gay people creep you out a bit , she thought. Then with a glance at Aaron. No, be even more honest. Gay men are restful. Gay women creep you out a bit. ?Skirmish at their latest roadside fort,? Signe said aloud.?We beat them, more or less. They pulled out part of their cavalry once their fort was finished so we tried drawing them into an ambush. We inflicted a lot more losses than we took but they can replace theirs and we can?t. Technically we won. And then had to retreat. Hurrah.?

  The Grand Constable nodded.?They can match our numbers everywhere and still keep a central reserve to switch around,? she said.?That means they can outnumber us whenever and wherever they feel it?s important. It?s… difficult.?

  It?s a recipe for fucking disaster, Signe thought but did not say. Unless they start making a lot of big mistakes. Which so far they haven?t. Neither have we. Absent idiocy on either side or the Gods taking a hand, numbers win. ?Well, your castles are holding them up in the Columbia Valley and the Palouse,? she said instead.?Which goes a long way to compensate for their numbers.?

  That had the virtue of being true, as well as complimentary. The only way to hold the Corwin-Boise alliance out if this open plain would be a pitched battle… and they?d tried that at Pendleton last year and lost.

  D?Ath frowned; if possible, her pale gray eyes grew chillier. ?We need to speak in confidence,? she said.?That?s why I?m here in person. I?ll be moving on to Bend to consult with the CORA leaders next, then back west to stop in Corvallis and Dun Juniper.?

  Signe nodded.?Did anyone say stop working?? she asked the air, and the curious onlookers within eavesdropping range withdrew.?I want us to be ready to pull out of here, soonest!?

  Tiphaine looked at the doctor, who showed no sign of retreating with the others. ?Aaron is one of my closest advisors,? Signe said.?You can tell him anything you tell me.?

  Nobody mentioned Will and Mike Jr.; they were family, and learning the family business. Signe looked at the Association commander?s followers in turn. ?Armand and Rodard are my squires,? Tiphaine said.?And confidential agents. Sir Ivo and Brother Jerome were involved with the matter personally.?

  She took a deep breath and paused before speaking; Signe was surprised, and felt a trickle of alarm.

  What could be upsetting the Ice Dyke of Castle d?Ath?

  It wasn?t like her to hesitate to spit the truth out, however disagreeable. They?d had as little as possible to do with each other, but she knew that much. ?Castle Campscapell fell six days ago,? the Associate said bluntly.

  Signe managed to control her impulse to grunt as if belly punched; her sister, Astrid, was operating her Ranger deep-reconnaissance and sabotage teams out of there right now, and her brother, Eric, was backing her up. They?d been running weapons to the Mormon guerillas and harassing enemy logistics in occupied New Deseret, as well. Aaron whistled almost silently. ?That… was a very strong keep,? Signe said, and glared at Ivo.

  Ivo Marks had been a protege and vassal of d?Ath?s since the War of the Eye. Commanding a major castle was a plum job, too. She went on: ?How in hell did that happen? They certainly didn?t sit a fucking great army down in front of it for a siege or assault, that I heard of!?

  The monk intervened:?A postern gate was opened late at night. By a priest. A joint force of Boisean and Corwinite special forces took the gatehouse, raised the portcullis and let down the drawbridge. They held it long enough for a fast flying column that had approached in stealth to punch through and take the castle as a whole.?

  Signe?s breath hissed out. The gate of a big castle was a mini-fortress in itself. They?d known that the enemy alliance had good special operations troops, but this was a nasty confirmation. ?Bribe?? she said.

  Brother Jerome shook his head.?I don?t think so. It was a rather elderly Dominican; a harsh man, one of Antipope Leo?s appointees, but not a corrupt one. I knew him slightly.? ?Why not?? Signe said.?It wouldn?t be the first time a priest of your Church caught gold fever. And knew? He?s joined the majority?? ?No, it would not be the first time a priest was bribed, my lady,? the monk said, with that steady courtesy that was more irritating than irritation.?All men are sinners, and priests are men. However, the priest in question then cut off his own testicles and stabbed himself eight times in the belly before he died. And the first enemy through the postern was in a red robe-a High Seeker of the Church Universal and Triumphant. He killed armed men with his hands and they did not resist.?

  For once the monk?s trained calm seemed to waver.?I… was there. I saw it. I… fought him. Not so much with my sword… I have never felt anything like it. Never anything so strong, or so foul. As if I were prisoner in my own mind, and my mind was in Hell. Only by the grace of God was I able to give the alarm and close the inner doors to the bailey long enough for the garrison to arm.?

  A chill silence fell; they?d all heard the rumors about the Corwinite adepts. Several made the protective signs of their various faiths. Then Ivo spoke, his voice shaking slightly: ?That?s all that let any of us escape.? ?Ivo got most of the garrison out,? Tiphaine said crisply.?Given the initial situation, he did quite well. But that unhinges our position in the western Palouse and it gives the enemy another foothold on the navigable Snake River. It?s… troubling. We?ve been counting on our fortifications to even things up.? ?If we can?t rely on the castles to keep them off the Columbia, what the hell can we do?? Signe said, looking around for a moment as if armies could be conjured from raw need.

  One of the squires blurted:?Artos has to return with the Sword. Only that can save Montival!? ?He?s right, Mother,? Mike Havel Jr. said, before Tiphaine could blast her subordinate for speaking out of turn.

  Gray eyes met blue. Tiphaine spoke slowly and reluctantly. ?I have a horrible suspicion that may be correct.?

  And the Gods alone know what Rudi and the others were doing. Mary, Ritva, is it well with you?

  A Bearkiller couldn?t show weakness.?It would be a help,? she said.?An army or two with it wouldn?t hurt either.?

  FREE REPUBLIC OF RICHLAND SHERIFFRY OF READSTOWN (FORMERLY

  SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN) NATIONAL GUARD DRILL FIELD OCTOBER 10, CHANGE

  YEAR 24/2022 AD

  Being impatient and not showing it is even more of an unpleasantness than being impatient alone, Rudi thought.

  He suppressed an impulse to jig from foot to foot, like a small child in sc
hool bursting to ask permission to visit the jakes.

  The best cure for it being some sweat. Luckily that also serves our purposes, since we want to be well remembered here. Not just remembered kindly, but remembered well, as folk worthy of respect. Worthy of alliance against a common foe.

  He kept a smile on his face as he strode out to the drill field. Partly that was natural to him-he liked most places and most people he met-and partly it was politics.

  The which I will never be able to escape, now, all my life. Fortunately I?ve been assured that won?t be overlong…

  Most of the drill field was exactly that: fields, now reaped and empty of crops, but busy with the local folk. Some of it spilled up into the forested edges of Readstown, to give a realistic variety of ground. Only parts of it were permanent, like the row of oaken pells-thick posts used as targets for practice with sword and ax. Mathilda and Odard were at a pair of them. ?How?s the arm?? he asked. ?Healing,? Mathilda said shortly.?Nearly healed. Still hurts a bit, but it needs to be stretched or it?d heal tight.?

  What?s got into her? he thought. Aloud: ?Well, careful while it?s still weak, acushla -you always did push yourself too hard when you were injured.?

  She nodded without meeting his eyes and continued the routine she?d started with a light wooden practice blade. This was an overcast day and chilly, but sweat was still running down her face, and doubtless down her flanks beneath the mail hauberk and the padding. He didn?t bother repeating the warning to Odard as the baron slammed his own drill sword into the pell again, smashed at it with his shield, set himself and repeated the pattern. The young lord of Gervais worked conscientiously at maintaining his skills at the warrior?s craft, but he didn?t have Mathilda?s driven will and was less likely to overwork.

  Over to the archery range…