Soldier at the Door (Forest at the Edge)

by Mercer, Trish

  Barker didn’t. He didn’t even taste it as he gulped it down.

  The man looked around slowly, watching the end of the road in the east, then across the way to the west until he felt confident all was quiet. He readjusted the dark floppy felt hat with the wide brim that many villagers wore, even though there was no chance of rain or sunshine that he needed to block.

  “Well done,” he said to the dog, then turned to head east. “Alongside, alongside.”

  Barker immediately walked on the man’s right side for his late night stroll, occasionally watering a bush that seemed in need of attention until the road intersected the alley.

  “Alongside,” the man commanded, and Barker dutifully kept to his side as they turned south onto another road. Amiably the man nodded to two soldiers on patrol, walking quietly on the opposite side of the road. He even employed a friendly dog-wants-a-walk-again-in-the-middle-of-the-night-don’t-you-know-it attitude in his step.

  The soldiers nodded back. They didn’t recognize the exact size and shape of the animal trotting alongside the man whom they also couldn’t see under the shadows of the hat. Then again, that man had been seen walking his dog late at night before. The man softly whistled a mindless tune as Barker stopped to befoul a flower garden. His walker waved casually at the soldiers in a slightly embarrassed manner.

  The soldiers continued on.

  A moment later Barker and the man continued on towards the center of the village. They turned down another alley and the man stopped. Barker stopped right next to him and sat automatically.

  “Well done, well done. Now,” the man said, crouching down and pointing, “Away from me,” and he pushed Barker.

  The dog immediately trotted in the pointed direction, going on without accompaniment. About a minute later the quietness of the air was punctuated by the sound of a squirrel being disturbed. Its high-pitched chipping stopped Barker in his tracks. He turned around and lumbered back to the man in the black jacket, whose ability to mimic animal sounds was uncanny.

  “Well done, well done!” and Barker received another chunk of jerky, which he choked on momentarily in his rush to swallow it whole.

  “Don’t you dare die on me—I’ve spent so much time training you. Best give you smaller bits, I suppose. A few more, all right? Then I’ll leave you for the night. Now,” he crouched down and pointed in another direction, “Away from me,” and Barker performed perfectly again.

  Thirty minutes later the man walked Barker, tired from his excursions, into another neighborhood and stopped in front of a large home at the Edge of Idumea Estates.

  “This looks like the right one. Well done, well done. Halt. End down.”

  Barker sat in the front garden of the unfamiliar home.

  “All down,” the man commanded, and Barker lay down.

  “Remain.”

  Barker put down his head, sighed, and closed his eyes.

  “Well done, well done.” The man in the black jacket scratched behind Barker’s ears, then slipped into the night.

  ---

  “OH!”

  The woman’s loud and annoyed exclamation carried throughout the Edge of Idumea Estates.

  “What is THAT? A dead bear?!”

  In the dim light before dawn it was hard to tell, especially since she was peering out of a crack in the door.

  “It’s Barker!” her son called cheerfully, pushing past her. He bounded out the front door and down into the garden.

  “Poe, get away from that thing!”

  “He’s really gentle!” Poe called back as Barker lumbered to his feet, his whip-like tail wagging, and his jowls drooling in pleasure.

  Mrs. Hili shuddered and grimaced when the dog licked her son. “Well, get rid of it!”

  “So I can visit Mrs. Shin?! There’s no school today,” he reminded her.

  Mrs. Hili nodded quickly. “Yes, right now—before breakfast. Return that thing to the major! And don’t mess your outfit—ew, is that drool on your shoulder?! I’m sending your clothes to the major for cleaning. And stay away from the soldiers! They’re supposed to be swarming Edge today.”

  “But I like the soldiers.” Poe laughed as Barker nuzzled him so powerfully the ten-year-old nearly lost his footing.

  “For the life of me, I don’t know why. If ever I saw you in a blue uniform, I’d just . . . just . . . For the love of silk, get that beast off of you, Poe!”

  Poe pushed Barker down and started out to the road. “Come on, Barker!”

  Barker only sat there.

  “Barker, COME!” Poe commanded again. He shook his head, walked back to the dog, and pulled on the thick fur around his neck. “You still can’t learn any basic commands? ‘Come’ means, ‘follow me,’” he said, tugging on Barker’s neck.

  The dog, feeling his stomach rumble, decided to see if the boy knew where he could find some bacon.

  Chapter 15 ~ “Get To Know Your Friendly Soldiers Day?”

  It was the morning of the 8th Day of Harvest as Mahrree stood behind her husband and put her arms around him. He was sitting in a chair eating his breakfast so early in the morning that the children weren’t yet up. Mahrree kissed his thick neck.

  “No time for arguing this morning, Mrs. Shin,” he said as he swallowed down his eggs.

  Mahrree giggled. “Wasn’t really planning on it. You realize that for the past five weeks you’ve been a complete bear, right?”

  He grunted. “So that’s why everyone within a ten mile radius has kept their distance?”

  “A bear that’s come out of hibernation—”

  Mahrree she kissed his neck again, a strategy that usually mellowed him but didn’t seem to have any effect this morning. Instead, a vein bulged there and threatened to pop.

  “—and sees the village as a beehive. Yes, you’ve been terrifying, my wonderful husband.”

  “That’s because almost 5,000 people—I’ll know the exact number later today—look to me to keep them secure.” He inhaled nearly an entire slice of ham. “And the High General of Idumea has tasked me with improving the army and our defenses,” he garbled formally as he chewed.

  Mahrree sat down next to him. “And your new measures will do exactly that, Perrin. I have no doubt. You’ll change the world with your innovations. Your father will be very proud, and the Guarders will be very stunned.”

  He only grunted again as he gulped down the last of his breakfast. “Is there a purpose to this discussion?”

  Mahrree sighed. “You’re going out in public today. All of the soldiers. Get To Know Your Friendly Soldiers Day?”

  “That’s not the official title, Mahrree.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. You need to ease up a bit.”

  He looked up from his breakfast and twisted to see her. “Ease up?!”

  “Only a bit,” she emphasized. “Perrin, this is going to succeed. All of your changes. Just . . . relax, a tiny bit.” She put a hand on one of his broad shoulders and massaged it. “You’re so tense.”

  “Now’s not the time for relaxing, Mahrree!” he said impatiently and stood up, shoving his chair behind him. “Remember to stay here until you’re visited.”

  “But Perrin, I have a suggestion—”

  He was already out the door.

  “This isn’t going to work,” she muttered.

  “Well,” she said a moment later, “I better make sure it does.”

  She put on her cloak, went next door to ask Mrs. Hersh to sit at her house with the sleeping children until she returned, and headed up to the fort. Only momentarily did she wonder where Barker was that morning, but he’d show up again sometime. He always did. Exactly how he got out of the yard each night, she didn’t know. There were no holes under the fence, and the only other way would be to climb. But who ever heard of a climbing dog? She had far more important things on her mind that an undisciplined, impossible-to-train dog.

  Perrin’s plan was good. Excellent, actually, Mahrree thought proudly as she headed up the
fort road in the cool, dark morning. Far up ahead she could barely make out her husband’s bulky shape as he strode through the western gates of the fort. She still had several minutes before she reached it, and maybe Perrin would have considered her suggestion.

  Otherwise, he would not be happy at all to see her there.

  Today was the first stage of his Plan Edge Awareness. He’d been working on it tirelessly day and night for weeks. Mahrree tried to help him as she could, but after she suggested he try her phrase reducing technique to avoid writing “Plan Edge Awareness” over and over, he quit taking her advice.

  “Ha-ha, Mahrree. Very funny,” he snarled when he wrote the shortened phrase one night. “Yes, I can get the men to rally around ‘PEA’. But not without a lot of sniggering!”

  Normally he probably would’ve laughed at PEA, but she hadn’t heard him laugh since Hogal and Tabbit died. She and the children tried to give him his space as he spent each evening in the study writing and rewriting the plans he then brought to the fort each morning to work on some more.

  Today would be Stage One, as Perrin blandly named it. Mahrree liked her title better, but if she didn’t get to the fort before the soldiers went out, it wouldn’t happen that way.

  For the past week the citizens of Edge had been told someone should be at their homes today in order to meet the two soldiers that would be coming. Names and ages of all occupants in the houses would be recorded to identify if anyone was missing in the future. Each house would be numbered, odd numbers on one side, even on the other. Each road would also be numbered or named alphabetically, as the residents decided, so as to create a system whereby the soldiers could quickly identify a specific house in case of another raid.

  The villagers seemed to warm up to the idea only after they were assured that the numbers assigned to their houses could be decorated in any way they wished. Hycymum had already contacted a blacksmith to create a variety of wrought iron numbers to put up on her house once she received her designation. She planned to give the extra numbers to her neighbors for a “consistent look” in the neighborhood.

  But it was the reaction of the people to two soldiers standing at their front doors that worried Mahrree. True, just last night Magistrate Cockalorum had honored the fort and embarrassed poor Corporal Zenos nearly to tears, but even proclaiming the soldiers as the heroes of Edge didn’t erase the fact that they were coming to houses wearing swords. Ever since the attack, the villagers realized that the soldiers were strong, skilled, and just a bit intimidating.

  But Perrin didn’t understand Edgers’ trepidation, and Mahrree was going to fix that.

  She entered the gates of the fort just before dawn and noticed soldiers pouring into the large indoor training arena, most likely for their assignments. She avoided the crowded main doors and instead slipped into a side door adjacent to a long hallway right outside of the arena, where a few straggling soldiers hurried from the mess hall. She waited for them to pass, then she timidly crept up to one of the open doors at the front of the room and peered in.

  The training arena was the largest enclosure in the fort, constructed of wide planked boards for the walls and high ceiling, but with a packed earthen ground which more easily soaked up the blood, her husband told her—only half in jest—the first time he showed it to her. Dozens of bales of hay that normally stood against the walls were this morning lined up in rows across the room to serve as seating for the soldiers. Usually the bales were positioned to cushion—as far as a bale could be considered a cushion—falling soldiers who were thrown during a wrestling match, or to catch the arrows behind the targets of soldiers practicing their aim. The bales also a few times caught the wildly stray arrows of a group of ten boys, and also became makeshift mazes for them to crawl through and over on exceptionally cold days.

  In the front of the arena was a wide raised wooden platform, where Major Shin demonstrated combat techniques and delivered lectures as brief as he could make them. Whenever she visited or passed the noisy arena she usually heard shouts, cheers, or laughter coming from it, often accompanied by a stern lecture, then guffaws pointed at a less-than-effective soldier.

  But today, the training arena was surprisingly quiet, considering the amount of men it held. That was because in front of the whispering soldiers, many still filing in, stood an imposing Major Shin on the platform with his arms folded and his demeanor stern.

  Mahrree groaned softly. He definitely needs softening, she thought, a bit hopelessly.

  The major noticed her movement at the door and glanced over, then did a double-take. His glower sharpened.

  Mahrree tried to smile, but she found herself whimpering too much to make it convincing.

  The major’s eyes bulged as he strode off the platform and straight for his wife standing in the hallway.

  She froze in place and cringed as he growled, “Mahrree, what are you doing here?”

  A handful of almost-late soldiers passed them and tried not to snigger. Mahrree assumed her presence was almost as bad as having one’s mother show up to school with one’s purposely forgotten jacket. And then having that mother kissing one on the cheek in front of all one’s friends.

  “I know it’s inappropriate for me to be here . . .”

  She bit her lip nervously, but forced herself to find her courage. This was her husband, after all. She’d even seen him out of the uniform!

  “Perrin, this isn’t going to work,” she told him. “They look too, too . . . I don’t know, soldiery.”

  “What?!”

  “Please trust me on this. I know this village—some people are going to feel very nervous about opening their doors to them.”

  Major Shin raised one eyebrow at her. “They’re the Heroes of Edge. That’s why I scheduled this for the day after the Heroes Celebration, while their status is still fresh on the villagers’ minds.”

  “I know,” she said trying to stay calm in the face of an irate bear, “but still, can’t you . . . soften them up a little?”

  “Soften soldiers?!”

  He wasn’t taking this well.

  “Just to make it easier on everyone. It’s one thing to see them come running in the night with their swords drawn to rescue you. But it’s something different entirely to see two of them standing in front of your door.”

  “People respect the uniforms. Besides, they’ll be holding paper, Mahrree, not swords.”

  “People also fear the uniforms, especially if they are wearing swords.”

  “Major Shin?” Karna interrupted, coming to the door. “The men are ready, sir. And Major, she may have a point.”

  Mahrree beamed at Brillen. Karna had been promoted to captain only two weeks ago, and it seemed to make him a little bolder.

  Perrin squinted. “What do you propose? I’ll listen, but I’m not promising anything.”

  “Well,” Mahrree said, “I might need a soldier to experiment on.”

  “What?! Not me! Mahrree, this is—”

  “Sir,” Captain Karna bravely interrupted again, his brown eyes a bit mischievous. “Just let her try? On someone else, of course. Could be kind of fun—interesting,” he corrected himself. “We want the men to be seen as heroes, remember? Nice and friendly gesture to the village, we’re the good men?” Karna bobbed his head with a quirky smile.

  The major gave him a look that told him he was considering rescinding the promotion.

  Mahrree suppressed her snort, but winked appreciatively at Karna.

  Perrin turned to his wife. “Your mother’s not involved with this in any way, is she?”

  “Goodness, no! This is all my doing.”

  “Hmm,” he grumbled, “that may be worse.” He sighed. “All right, come with me.”

  As the major and the captain took to the podium, Mahrree stood along the side of the wall in the training arena. She felt extremely self-conscious as one hundred pairs of eyes tried not to notice her.

  “Men, you know the plan, and you’re here for your road assignments,
but there’s a concern. Some argue that maybe you will appear to be too . . . too . . .”

  Mahrree could tell he was struggling to find an alternative to “soldiery,” and it made her lips twitch.

  “—much like soldiers,” he finally said. “Mrs. Shin believes she has a solution.” He turned and cocked his head for her to come to the podium.

  Mahrree was surprised she was on already, and she took a deep nervous breath as she walked up to the stand. As she gazed down at the soldiers she was amazed at how similar they looked packed into a room, with their short hair and shaved faces and identical blue uniforms. The only one who stood out was Grandpy Neeks, who was posted by a table in the back and scowling, but trying to be polite about it.

  “I, uh, need a volunteer, please.”

  Private Aims was sitting resolutely in the front row, until someone behind jabbed him severely enough to make him leap off the bale of hay. The men laughed and Mahrree smiled kindly at him.

  “I see you’re conscripted to deal with me again, Private. I’m sorry, but I also appreciate your spirit of volunteerism.” She waved him onto the stand as he turned bright red and sent a dirty look to the soldier sitting behind him.

  Corporal Zenos grinned and held up his hands in innocence.

  Mahrree positioned Aims to face the soldiers and analyzed his uniform as she circled him. Several men tittered and chuckled at his nervousness until the major cleared his throat loudly.

  “The sword has to stay at the fort, men,” she announced. “Please remove it, Aims.”

  Aims looked at the major for confirmation.

  “I don’t think any of you will run into any problems out there,” Shin said reluctantly.

  Grandpy cocked his gray head in surprise.

  “And actually, sir,” added Karna, “I think the sword may cause problems. How many of you would have loved to get your hands on one of those when you were fifteen?”

  Many of the soldiers had guilty grins on their faces. Aims removed the sword and handed it to the major.