"Yes sir," Matilyn and Janice said. Eldrin added his voice a moment later.
"That goes for all of you," Jones said, raising his voice to speak to the group as a whole, "Gather up."
The group stopped whatever exercises they were working on and joined the four gathered around Jones.
"This is your family," Jones said again, "And that means more than just knowing them inside out. That means being responsible for each other. When you're out there in the field, there can't be any separation. Your squad is only as strong as the weakest soldier, and that soldier can get everyone killed, or save everyone's life.
"You have to work together," he said, "And you have to trust each other, and more importantly, you have to trust the officer giving you orders. It's not going to be fun out there. This isn't some grand adventure you're setting off on. Some of you are going to die on the field. You're going to give your life for the Arinford Guard.
"But as an officer, it's your responsibility to make sure that your troops are strong enough and united enough to minimize the amount of deaths. I want you to think about that tonight when you're off eating and fucking and sleeping. Think about the amount of trust you're going to need from your men, and the amount of trust you're going to have to extend.
"And if you can handle that," Jones said, his eyes lingering on Matilyn, Janice, and Eldrin again, "If you can handle the responsibility of other peoples' lives, then I'll see you again tomorrow morning. Sun up. Don't be late."
Jones looked out over the men and women gathered in front of him. Over the last week, he'd continued to make them train to the very limits of their physical capability. He'd pushed them past the breaking point, and then pushed them a little further. Several times already, he'd had a recruit burst into tears.
It was important to make sure they were physically capable of surviving out in the field, but it was also his responsibility to make sure they understood basic military tactics as well. He didn't have much time to work with them, and he knew he needed to squeeze in as much training as he could.
"Does anyone here know the basic drop-and-fire?" Jones called out.
Janice raised her hand. She was the only one.
He pointed at her. "Explain."
"Drop-and-fire," Janice began, "It's a military tactic used when you have at least two squadrons working together. One group keeps low, moving forward. During that time, the other unit fires arrows into the oncoming troops, giving their counterparts time to move. Once they've advanced a certain amount, they switch to firing, as the other group then advances, coming equal or even past them. Then they switch again."
Jones nodded, "It can also be used with one squadron, split into two. Or even two people, trying to advance on an enemy target. Today, we're going to be practicing that exact thing. We're going to be splitting into pairs and facing off first, and then you'll group up and face off against each other."
"But sir," Janice said, "We don't have bows and arrows."
"And I wouldn't let you shoot them if you did," Jones said, "It's a soldier's responsibility to make the best out of a situation. Can any of you think of a way that you might carry out this exercise without actually killing one another?"
He waited, hoping someone would speak up.
Matilyn Malevus stepped forward. He appraised her for a moment. She was a quick study, and he thought she made a decent soldier. Too often, though, she allowed herself to get caught up in some sort of drama with Sheldon Eldrin. It made it difficult to take either of them very seriously.
"We can whistle," Matilyn said.
"Excuse me?" Jones said.
"Whistling," Matilyn said, "One group whistles instead of firing arrows. Its something we can see, and hear each other do. It can represent the firing of arrows, sir."
Jones considered this for a moment. He'd expected something different. He gave Matilyn another appraising glance. Maybe she was different than what he thought.
"Whistling," he said, "That's certainly something, Malevus. Can everyone here whistle though? Did you think of that?"
"If they can't," Matilyn said, "Then they should probably figure something else out for themselves, sir. A soldier improvises, sir. When we're out in the field, not everyone is going to be able to always use the exact method of drop-and-fire that we're practicing now. Isn't it better to learn how to make adjustments when we're home instead of when we're out there for real?"
"Yes," Jones said, "That's exactly what I wanted to hear, Malevus. Good thinking. Everyone split up into pairs. We're going to be using whistling instead of arrows today. If you can't whistle, think of something else."
Matilyn and Eldrin quickly fell into together.
"You can't whistle," Eldrin said with a slight smirk, "How are you going to improvise?"
"I'm going to throw rocks," Matilyn said, "You can do it with me. Do you want front or back?"
Eldrin rolled his eyes and fell in behind Matilyn, "I'll take the back position," he said, "Now, are you ready? Because I see enemies approaching. Better get your rocks ready." He let out sharp whistles.
As he whistled, Matilyn ducked low, running forward on the field. Around her, she saw people doing the same. After a few dozen feet, she stopped, dropping to the ground. She grabbed up a handful of dirt. "Go go!" She shouted back to Eldrin.
She began throwing the small clumps of dirt forward, one at a time while Eldrin advanced on her rear.
"Your turn," Eldrin said.
They went through this for nearly an hour, till they were out of breath and sweating. Then Jones called a halt.
"We're going to work in teams now," he said. "So far, it's just been the pair of you, whistling and running against invisible enemies. We're going to have a real drill now. We have water balloons."
"Water balloons?" Janice frowned.
"Water balloons," Jones confirmed, "You're going to be facing off against each other. The water balloons will be your ammo. You get fifteen each, so don't waste them. You're mission is to advance further than the other team. If you get hit, you're dead. Keep that in mind when you're struck. Your goal, however, is not to kill each other but simply to provide cover for your partner to advance."
He quickly began pitting pairs against each other.
Sean and Janice ended up opposite of Matilyn and Eldrin.
"Don't let them win," Eldrin told Matilyn, "Seriously, if you do, we'll never hear the end of it. Janice'll talk about it for hours. Then days. Then forever."
Matilyn rolled her eyes. She jogged over to where Jones had placed the tub of water balloons and gathered up a net of them. Eldrin did the same.
"On my count," Jones said, once everyone was back in position.
When he gave the order, Eldrin began crawling forward as Matilyn threw balloons, trying to keep Sean back away from him. Janice advanced at the same time. On occasion, Matilyn threw balloons towards her, trying to halt her advance.
When it was time to switch, Eldrin was a few yards further than Janice had been. Matilyn quickly dropped down, preparing to move forward as Eldrin threw balloons. When he gave the ready, she began to crawl.
No balloons came near her. Matilyn frowned, looking up as Janice let out a startled cry.
Instead of throwing balloons towards her feet or at Sean, Eldrin was pelting Janice with balloon after balloon.
Matilyn came to her feet, turning, "Eldrin, cut it out."
"I'm just messing around," Eldrin said. He threw the last balloon.
"It isn't funny," Matilyn said, "You messed up my advance. How are you going to keep the enemy off me if you're out of ammo?"
"I killed the enemy," Eldrin said.
Sean threw a balloon at Matilyn. It splashed against her chest. He gave an apologetic smile but said quietly, "Not all of them. I just killed your partner."
Eldrin glared at Sean.
Jones approached, looking between the four, "Sheldon, are you fucking around again?"
Eldrin didn't say anything.
"He wasn't doing
the exercise right," Janice said, "He threw all his balloons at me."
"I can see that from the drenched rat look you have," Jones said to Janice. He saw her cringe, but simply shook his head. It was important to him that soldiers become tougher and stronger.
"Sheldon," he said, "You're going to run five miles. Go."
Eldrin let out a groan but took off in a run.
"The rest of you gather up," Jones said, raising his voice. "Does anyone know the maneuver for scissoring an enemy?"
To nobody's surprise, Janice raised her hand.
Janice sat on the curb, just outside the hotel, chin in her hand. She stared up at the moon, thinking.
Penny sat down beside her, startling her.
"What?" Janice asked, immediately defensive.
"I was just wondering how you are," Penny said. Her voice was unusually low, and after a second look at her face, Janice realized it looked as though she'd been crying.
Janice awkwardly cleared her throat, "Honestly? Well, my legs feel as though they're made of lead and my arms burn and my chest feels tight. I don't think I've worked out this hard since... well, actually, ever. I had no idea what training would be like."
"Are you regretting it?" Penny asked.
"No," Janice said with a shake of her head, "No, I know you disagree, but I'm not. It's just... I'm part of something now. Something bigger than myself."
"You were part of something before," Penny pointed out. "Something bigger. You're a Priest, after all."
Janice laughed, though it sounded unamused. She shook her head, "Do you remember the day, when we first started training, that Eldrin tried manipulating when Father Ashbury was out of the room? He ended up accidentally ripping your chest open, you were bleeding everywhere, and everyone was freaking out."
"How can I forget?" Penny said, "I still have a small scar from it. It's barely visible, but it's there."
"That was the day when you all started to hate me," Janice said, "That was the day when I realized I'd never fit into the Priesthood, that I'd ruined my chances of really fitting in and being part of something."
Penny frowned, "I don't hate you," she said, "Either does Eldrin."
"That's not true," Janice said, "When the instructor came back and he wanted to know where the blood was--Matilyn had healed you, of course--and nobody else spoke up, I did. Eldrin was almost expelled."
"You didn't have to say anything," Penny said.
"I know that now," Janice said bitterly, "Don't you think I've thought about that? Don't you think I regretted it? I wasn't trying to get anyone into trouble. It's just natural. A question asked needs an answer. And he shouldn't have been doing it. You could have died."
Penny looked down at the ground.
"This was my second chance," Janice said, "I thought, hey, I'll sign up for the Guard with Sean. Nobody really knows or cares about me there. I can make friends. I can fit in. I can be part of it, really part of it. Then Eldrin joined."
"I'm sorry," Penny said, "For what it's worth."
Janice nodded.
"You know," Penny said, "I blamed you at first. When Matilyn enlisted, I blamed you because you enlisted first. They were connected somehow, in my head. Then I realized, she would have signed up no matter what. That's kind of who she is. Now I'm terrified for her. For all of you. You're risking your souls out there. Even if you don't believe me, it's still a risk."
"Sometimes what you have to do outweighs the risks," Janice said, "Do you think she'd be happy if she'd stayed here?"
"She'd be with me," Penny said, swallowing.
Before she could say more, a tall, blonde woman stepped forward, interrupting them with a nervous sounding, "Excuse me."
Penny and Janice both answered at the same time, "Yes?"
The woman gave a half-hearted smile, "Is this the Sunburst Hotel?"
Janice nodded.
"It is," Penny said, "Were you assigned a room here? It's a nice place, you'll really grow to like it, don't worry."
The blonde shook her head, "No," she said, "No, I'm just looking for someone. Room D4. Maybe you could direct me there?"
Penny blinked.
"Who are you looking for?" Janice demanded.
The woman looked a little surprised by her question, "Sean," she said, "I need to speak to him. Well... not speak, really. I need to give him something. I need to give him a letter. See, sometimes letters can say more than... well, more than you can, right? Do you know what I mean?"
Janice listened to her ramble, her heart rising in her chest. She swallowed thickly, trying not to focus on how beautiful the woman was with her deep green eyes and ivory skin.
"I do," Penny said, "It's much easier. And you're in luck, we know Sean."
"You do?" The woman looked surprised, glancing between them.
Janice nodded, "We do."
"Oh, so you can take me to him?"
"No," Penny said. She glanced at Janice briefly, and then hurried to speak, "He's actually not up there right now. He's spending some time training. He's deploying you know."
"I didn't know,' The woman said. Her eyes filled with unspilled tears, "This is a mess, really. Why didn't I... why did this have to happen now?"
"What happened?" Janice demanded.
"Nothing, nothing," the woman said, "Nothing's happened. It's nothing."
Penny sighed, "Give me the letter," she offered, "I'll make sure he gets it. Then you won't have to see him. That'd be easier for both of you, wouldn't it? With him deploying and with you..." She made a vague gesture at the woman's abdomen.
The woman put a hand on her flat stomach, wincing a bit at the insinuation. But she nodded, "It would," she said in a small voice, "You'd do that for me? You don't even know me."
"But we know Sean," Penny said, "And we're Priests. We don't judge, we only help."
The woman nodded, digging around in her bag. She came out with a letter with Sean's name scrawled across the front. She offered it out to Penny. "Thank you."
Penny nodded.
The woman looked at the a moment longer, and then turned, hurrying away.
"Sean's not training," Janice whispered, "He's up in his room with Eldrin."
"You care about him, don't you?" Penny asked, "You like him, I can tell."
Janice hesitated. She never thought she'd be having this conversation with Penny of all people. "I do," she finally whispered. "I know it's silly. There's a war going on, and we've both lost so much. Sean lost his entire family. It's not the time for romance. I know that. But I can't get him out of my head."
"If you love him," Penny said, "Or you think you might be starting to, don't give him that letter, Janice."
"What?"
Penny shook her head, "I know a thing or two about love," she said, "And about relationships. I'm telling you, if you give him that, any chance you have of getting together, it's gone. HIs focus will be on her, and her alone. And what good will that do? He'll be deployed and she'll be here, probably getting together with someone else."
Janice considered this a moment. "I don't know," she finally whispered.
Penny held out the letter, "It's up to you," she said.
Janice took the letter, staring down at Sean's name. Even her handwriting was beautiful. She swallowed again. Then she tore the letter in half, and then into fourths.
"You're going to do fine," Penny said with a smile, "Out there, deployed, Janice. You're going to be one of them, and you're going to do just fine."
"Sheldon," Jones barked, "Stop talking while I'm talking or you're going to be running miles until your feet fall off. Understand? This isn't a game."
Matilyn glared at Eldrin as he nodded.
"And Malevus, stop enabling him," Jones called out, "He's dragging you down. Stop letting that happen."
"Yes sir," Matilyn called out. She shot another glare at Eldrin.
"Now that I have your undivided attention," Jones said, "Today we're going to be working with swords. I want you in standard formation.
Then I want you practicing the forms you've been learning. I'm going to call you forward one a time. I want to make sure each of you has a weapon you feel comfortable with. I don't want to catch anyone fucking around while we're doing this. Understand?"
His eyes lingered on Eldrin as the group shouted out, "Yes sir."
"Now," Jones said.
Everyone rushed to fall into formation.
"Can't you ever be serious?" Matilyn asked, taking a spot next to Eldrin.
"Not really," Eldrin said, offering her a smile. She rolled her eyes but returned it. She'd never been able to stay angry at Eldrin. Together, they began practicing sword forms that Jones had showed them a week prior. Without actual weaponry, the moves felt airless and easy. It was the form that mattered though, not the speed.
Matilyn forced herself to slow down, "Seriously, Jones hates us."
"He doesn't hate us," Eldrin said. He matched Matilyn's speed and shrugged a shoulder, "No more than he hates everyone else, anyway. He just looks for a reason to yell. I think he likes it."
"He's right though," Matilyn said, "You've got to take this more seriously. We're going to be deploying soon, Eldrin. You can't act like this on the field."
Eldrin shrugged, "Well, no, not with Janice as our commander-in-chief."
They both glanced over at Janice. She stood next to Sean. Their forms moved in sync, and, as usual, Janice's movements were nearly perfect. Eldrin rolled his eyes, "Jones loves her," he said, "She's definitely going to become an officer. She's going to be an officer of officers. I guarantee it."
"Probably," Matilyn agreed. They'd been spending more time together, trying to help Sean with his manipulation. It was evident, though, that he didn't really need the help. Whatever control he'd lost on the field, he'd gained it back. She'd never seen someone so focused. Eldrin liked to comment that he made the perfect boyfriend for Janice--they were both perfectionists.
"Akins," Jones called out, "Front and center."
Janice made her way to the front. Matilyn continued to work on her form, falling into silence as she watched. He had Janice try out several different swords before finally giving up and leading her to a different weaponry table. There, they looked through a vast array of weaponry. At the end of it, Janice walked away with a bow and a quiver of arrows. She seemed pleased at the outcome.
The Warriors of Valishna (Cartharia Book 1) Page 8