by Rachel Ford
His repeated mention of my castles rather put the color in my cheeks, not least of all because none of them were mine. But Callaghan’s curious gaze in my direction at each reference embarrassed me. I was here, desperate for a temporary place and entirely dependent on her good will. Continually reminding her of my family’s wealth seemed tacky at best.
Phillip was oblivious to my discomfort, though. And I knew he didn’t mean any harm by it. He was just genuinely dazzled by his surroundings.
The truth was, on my own, I was rather immune to the charms of the old castle. I’d seen finer places elsewhere, and with enough regularity that I hardly noticed it here. But his wide-eyed wonder and unfortunate commentary did make me stop and take a second look.
And it was a nice place. Its gilding was sparse, its ornamentation limited. Finery seemed slipped in where it could be fit after the fact, rather than designed in from the first.
The keep’s appeal was more rustic and less polished than the estates I’d known. But there was an appeal all the same.
“So,” Callaghan said after a space, “I thought we could discuss our expectations. And, if they were agreeable to all parties, I’d talk to the commander tomorrow morning.”
I nodded, feeling my heartbeat pick up anxiously. Phillip, too, curtailed his explorations and joined us. So far, our conversation had been light and pleasant. Now, we were about to learn what was expected of us – and if we had any hope of making the cut.
She cleared her throat. “I would like to start with yours.”
I blinked, and Phillip turned confused eyes to her. “Ours?”
She nodded, and I said, “Oh. Well, umm, I guess, for myself, uh….well, Ilyen was letting me plan patrols, lead investigations when we got reports of trouble. That kind of thing: expanding my responsibilities. I’d like to keep doing that. Once you were comfortable with entrusting missions to me, I mean.”
“I was training,” Phillip said simply. “A lot of training.”
She nodded slowly. “Well, I’ve got a training yard here. And a range. We can certainly continue that.
“As for patrols…we don’t do much border watch here. That’s the base’s responsibility.
“But I – we – do handle a lot of enforcement for the shire. We keep the peace, police banditry, that sort of thing. Sheriff O’Brien handles the petty theft, public drunkenness, domestic disputes…but we back him up when he needs backup.”
She studied me for a moment, cautioning, “It’s not the most exciting work. But as soon as you feel you’ve got the lay of the land, I’m comfortable letting you take point.”
“Oh.” That was easier than I’d expected. “Well, uh, what are your expectations, KP?”
She shrugged. “Well, I’m not overly particular. I don’t plan to be one of those knights that polices your every move.
“But I am Knight of the Shire. That makes you Squires of the Shire, and representatives of House Callaghan.” She caught my gaze now. “I know that’s not a name that means much outside of the shire. But it means everything to me.”
“Of course, KP,” I said. Phillip was agreeing fervently, but it was me she watched. I felt my cheeks flush under her scrutiny, and I wondered what she thought she saw when she looked at me. I supposed she saw a Derel, too focused on the pride of my own family to respect the name of my knight. “It would be my honor, ma’am.”
She nodded slowly. “Well, then, if you think we’ll be a good fit, I’ll put in a formal request tomorrow morning.”
Chapter Fourteen – Callaghan
Lidek’s shit-eating grin was no way to start a morning. And yet, that’s exactly how I started mine the next day: staring straight into that smug, toothy smirk.
“So, Callaghan, I hear I should congratulate you on finding not one but two squires.”
“Don’t make me regret doing the right thing, sir.”
His smile broadened a little, but he did confine himself to the topic at least. “I assume the fact that you’ve graced me with your presence this early in the morning means you have made up your mind, though?”
“I have. Since they’ve no one willing to step up, I’ll do it.”
“With more enthusiasm than that, I hope.”
I frowned at him. I did, actually, feel some measure of enthusiasm. It was tempered with dread, but there was no denying a little excitement too. But I’d be damned if I let on in front of him. “There’s paperwork I need to fill out, right?”
“I’ll just need a signature, actually. I had the rest drawn up already.”
My frown deepened. “Really?”
He shrugged. “I knew you were going to do the right thing.”
I snorted, he smiled again, and I signed the papers. “Now this just has to be approved. And as long as the approving officer thinks you check out, it’s official.”
I rolled my eyes. Lidek was the approving officer. “Well, hopefully he doesn’t. Then I’ll be free.”
He, however, was already signing the papers. “Congratulations, Callaghan. You’re the proud new babysitter of two squires.”
“With respect, sir –”
He held up a hand to preempt me. “Careful now: I don’t want to have to write you up for insubordination on your big day.”
“Look, I’m going to be working with the taskforce all day. I won’t have time to oversee their move. Can you make sure it happens?”
“They’re grownups, Callaghan. I think they’ll manage a move.”
He was enjoying this far too much. I just shook my head. “Great. Well, I’m going to get some breakfast. If you need me between now and whenever the party wagon leaves, you know where to find me.”
I’d left home early in case I needed the extra time. That meant skipping Claxton’s breakfast. Seeing as how quickly Lidek had made everything official, and how odious the offerings usually were at the base, I repented that choice as I headed to the mess hall.
I waited my turn, tray in hand. When I reached the first station, a harried line cook tossed two slices of cold, overbrowned toast onto my plate and waved me on. The next man dumped a scoop of thick, chunky gravy onto each slice. I grimaced and walked on. Shit on a shingle. That’s what we’d called this particular culinary masterpiece, at least back when I was in Academy.
The recipe varied depending on the sadist in charge of the kitchens. It always contained some type of meat – chipped, minced, or ground beef, buried in gravy. Cragspoint’s cook opted for a white gravy, but I’d had tomato-based ones in the past too. And it was, somehow, worse than white gravy.
I took a seat by myself at a far table and stared dolefully at my plate. I managed to distract myself with a sip of coffee, wrinkling my nose as soon as the flavor hit my tongue. I could have chewed grounds and enjoyed the experience more.
But it was breakfast that held my attention. It had been a long time since I’d had shit on a shingle. It was one of those dishes that was almost legend, it was so bad; it became something of a rite of passage. But I’d passed and had no desire to relive the experience.
“KP?” a voice cut into my thoughts. I glanced up to see Derel, tray in hand. She was smiling expectantly at me.
“Morning.”
“Did you talk to the commander?”
“I did. And he approved the assignment. He’ll be talking to you about moving today. There’s no rush, of course. I’m just going to be on the road with the taskforce, so…”
I trailed off as Phillip wandered over, seemingly oblivious to my presence. “There you are, Ana. You see what we got? Shit on a shingle. Again. You believe…” He trailed off too, blanching as he caught Derel’s warning look – and then, caught sight of me. “Oh. KP – sorry. I didn’t know you were there.”
I laughed. “Don’t worry about it, Phillip. I’m not exactly a fan myself.” I wrinkled my nose. “Haven’t even touched the stuff yet. The coffee’s bad enough.”
Derel chuckled nervously. “Now you know the real reason we want to live with you, KP.”
They were all smiles at the invitation and pulled up chairs eagerly. Then, they turned their attention to me, as if waiting for me to say something. “Uh…” I searched my mind, seizing in a moment on our last bit of banter. “Well, as long as you don’t go getting any ideas about stealing Claxton away for one of your castles, Derel, I think we’ll be fine.”
Phillip laughed, but she flushed. “They’re not my castles, KP.”
I didn’t quite understand her reaction. That there was bad blood between Ana and her family, I’d guessed already. That she was far less impressed with Castle Callaghan than Phillip had been, I’d gathered too.
I understood. Aaronsen was a farmer’s son. He’d grown up in a two-room cottage with five siblings. For now, in lieu of exposure to better things, my keep would seem remarkable to him.
But Derel was…well, a Derel. The entire Callaghan estate was probably not much more noteworthy than one of her family’s hunting lodges or holiday properties.
It was my home, and I was damned proud of it. But I was neither so vain as to give heed to Phillip’s unreserved praise, or to take offense at Derel’s lack of it.
Still, she seemed to want to avoid the topic of castles, and so I made a note to leave it alone. I flashed her a smile. “Alright then. As long as you don’t poach Claxton, we’ll be good.”
She smiled too. “I promise.”
Breakfast passed in a congenial but otherwise unremarkable fashion. I informed them that they could move in at their convenience. I had plenty of space, and they could choose their own rooms.
“It’ll be a few days before I can really focus on you. I’m sorry about that. I know it’s not an inspiring beginning. But the taskforce should be wrapping up soon.”
“No worries, KP. We appreciate you taking us on at such short notice. Is it okay with you if we use the training yard?”
“Of course. Whatever you need: help yourselves. But – try to stay out of Claxton’s way. She doesn’t like anyone in her kitchens.”
Derel flashed a grin. “Copy that. We won’t mess with the person who feeds us.”
“Well,” I shrugged, “you’ve figured out life pretty well on your own. I think I could play truant a lot more than a few days, and you’d still be alright.”
“I told you, KP: we’re just in it for the home cooked meals. Isn’t that right, Phillip?”
The boy nodded, murmuring his agreement through a mouthful of food.
Ana shook her head at him. “Although I think Aaronsen is more goat than man: he’ll eat just about anything you put in front of him.”
He made a face at her, and I couldn’t repress a laugh. His normally round, youthful cheeks were puffed out with the food he was shoveling into his mouth. Consequently, he looked something like an annoyed chipmunk – even down to the coloring of his red cheeks and light hair.
The particulars of my musings I kept to myself, of course. “Well, Claxton will be happy to hear it. And, knowing her, she’ll probably believe it too.”
The rest of my day was less pleasant. Alduran still hadn’t recovered from his snit; it only got worse when he learned I’d taken on the two squires. And there were more snits to go around. Bella and Adrian seemed to have fallen into one, because they were more than usually hostile to one another.
And Keating and Blake were oblivious to it all, as per the norm.
We spent the next ten hours following the border demarcation, looking for evidence of illegal entry from No Man’s Land. Why there’d be evidence of entry when Agalyn’s rider was airborne, I had no idea. Nor did Alduran care for my questions on the topic. The dragon, he said, might have been a scout. We needed to be sure there were no troops on the ground.
I was pretty sure it had more to do with prolonging his all-expenses-covered tour of the shire as long as possible, to avoid returning to real work, than anything else. But, aside from the occasional sarcastic remark, I didn’t argue.
I didn’t argue the following day, either, when we repeated the same waste of time further down the line. But I was profoundly grateful when the weekend rolled around, and I was free.
The squires had already moved in. We had breakfast together, and sometimes I was home in time for dinner. But other than that, we’d barely had a chance to interact.
Some knights couldn’t wait to mentor squires, the same way some people rushed to have kids. I didn’t know if it was the compunction to leave a legacy, or find meaning, or to change the world. Maybe it depended on the person.
But me? I’d had no interest whatever in taking on squires. I didn’t want the responsibility, and I didn’t imagine I had the patience for it. I didn’t have the ego to pretend my particular contributions were irreplaceable, nor was I so self-sacrificing that I wanted to give up my freedom and take on the responsibility of preparing a young soldier.
What I wanted hadn’t mattered in the end. All that mattered was the circumstance. And now that circumstances had led to my having not one, but two, squires in my charge, my absence felt like I was shirking my duties.
My reasons were solid. I knew that, and they knew that.
Still, I was glad when Saturday rolled around, and I was free. They seemed excited too. I was happy for that. I was happy that they’d settled in and found plenty to occupy their time. I enjoyed the snippets I’d hear over breakfast about Phillip’s marksmanship practice, and I listened dutifully to the gripes Derel offered about her remedial report coursework. But I guess, on some level, I’d started to fear that they’d settle in so well, and find so much to do, that they’d discover they got on just fine without me around after all.
Foolish, perhaps, but their enthusiasm was a bit gratifying all the same. Aaronsen had been amusing himself at the range, mostly. He was a fairly good shot, with room for improvement. Derel, when she wasn’t trying to power through the reports module, acquainted herself with my stables.
We started the day with a ride around the estate perimeter.
Derel had picked out a mare she rather liked and chose it for the ride. Her own horse, she told me, was lost in the dragon attack, along with Aaronsen’s and Ilyen’s. There was a sadness in her eyes as she spoke about the creature, calling it by its name – Megara – that I did not miss, despite her efforts to stiff-upper-lip her way through the mentions.
The horse she’d chosen was one of the younger females, mature but still a bit on the stubborn side. She handled her well, and I had the impression that Derel was something of a natural horsewoman. “Well, look at that. I think Freya likes you, Squire,” I observed as we led our mounts out.
She beamed at the comment. “I like her too, KP. She’s spirited, but smart.”
Phillip snorted. He was riding one of the older mares, a steady mount dubbed Tank, and he leaned forward to pet her neck. “I’ll take reliable over smart any day.”
“They say people choose animals that mirror their own personalities,” she grinned.
“No wonder yours is such a pain in the ass, then.”
It was a good ride, and it was good to be in the saddle again. I’d spent so many days in the back of a skimmer or in an office lately that I was going a little stir-crazy. The ride helped ease some of the tension I’d been feeling in dealing with the task force.
The squires seemed to enjoy themselves too. Derel thrilled at having the day off from coursework. “My eyes are going to bleed if I have to look at another page. Thank the gods you’ve got the day off, KP.”
Aaronsen marveled at the extent of the Callaghan estate. “This is all yours, KP?” He whistled when I answered in the affirmative. “And I thought Cragspoint was big.”
Once we’d made a full circuit of the
property, we headed back. We arrived a good hour and a half before lunch. “Well, we’ve still got time for some sparring. I’d like to see where you’re at. Both of you.”
Training her squires in the arts of fighting was one of a KP’s primary duties. I suspected Derel needed little in the way of instruction, but Phillip was at the beginning of his journey. He’d need more attention.
“I’m not much good with a blade, KP,” he warned me.
I nodded. “Not yet, you mean.”
He seemed a little dubious about my confidence but managed to agree. “Right.”
“What about you, Derel?”
She shrugged in a faux modest way. “I can usually handle my own, ma’am.”
Phillip snorted. “She can do a lot more than hold her own. She used to beat Ilyen, as often as not.”
She flushed at his words, and I laughed. “Well, good. Show me what you got.”
They did, and I was impressed. Damned impressed. Phillip was good. And Ana? She was phenomenal. She was quick on her feet, and seemed to be able to read Phillip’s mind, she could predict his moves so well.
The fact was, I felt sorry for the boy. He was throwing everything he had into the fight, and she was holding back; and he was still getting slaughtered.
I watched for a few minutes, then nodded. “Alright, take five, Aaronsen. Derel, you stay. Let’s go a few rounds.”
She nodded. “Copy that.”
I grabbed my blunted sparring blade, and a set of padded greaves and vambraces. “No vest, KP?” Derel wondered.
I shook my head. “I don’t want a broken arm or leg. But otherwise, if I let you hit me, I deserve to hurt.”
“Well, I’ll let you reconsider once we go a few rounds.”
I glanced up from the vambrace I was strapping into place and caught her cheeky grin. I laughed. I hadn’t meant it that way, but I supposed I sounded a bit full of myself. “Thanks. But that’s how I spar. The better my opponent, the better my incentive to get better.”