"Right then," said Fin, "here's how we'll do it. Luan you take the right, me in the centre, Brenn on the left"
"Who put you in charge?" Luan asked.
"Oh sorry!" retorted Fin sarcastically, "I forgot that you were our glorious leader. What is your will o mighty one?"
"I was only asking?" replied Luan mildly. "I just think I should go centre, I am the biggest."
"You are not! You're just lanky! I'm the strongest!" Fin was getting quite worked up.
"I'm the smallest and the weakest!" interjected Brenn. "Can I go now?"
"NO!" Fin and Luan shouted simultaneously. There was a pause.
"I'm just saying that I know this stuff," said Fin in a more reasonable tone, "I've been doing it since I was a kid."
"You're still a kid!" interrupted Brenn unhelpfully.
"Since I was a lot younger!" Fin continued, "and I've got a plan, Listen..."
Sargent Salech had been checking on Drustan. He had got the big youth to his feet and was encouraging his two sidekicks to walk him round. Drustan looked puzzled and then angry but the Boar praised his strength and courage and Drustan was soon looking like his usual overconfident self. The Boar turned his attention back to the three novices.
"Come on boys, we're not here for a nice chat. Shield wall!" The command got the boys attention. They formed up, and with Fin in the centre their wall had a pronounced slope. Luan was uncomfortably aware of other boys pointing and even a few sniggers. His attention was soon diverted however, in front the Boar was readying himself. Then Fin shouted.
"Ready Sir!”
"Sir!" The Sargent turned red. "You ignorant young..." And with a roar he lowered his head, raised his shield and charged.
"Steady boys," Fin muttered, then louder, "Ready!" At once Brenn dropped to one knee and grounded his shield, crouching behind it. Fin and Luan crouched knees bent. Just before the moment of impact Fin shouted "Now!" Luan threw himself forward, dimly aware of Fin exploding upwards at his side. There was a resounding crash, louder even than the previous bout, Luan heard Fin shouting and was aware he was screaming, the Boar fairly roared as the shields clashed. The shock slammed down Luan’s shoulder and arm and he had a moment's awareness of pain to come, but he didn't care. They were still up and Salech had been momentarily thrown back. The veteran was far from giving up though. He tried the same trick of spinning round but this time Fin and Luan had the momentum and followed him round pushing hard, right into Brenn who was still crouched behind his shield on the ground. The Boar's leg hit the shield and he desperately tried to keep his balance, but it was too late. Still shouting, he went down in a heap with Fin and Luan on top of him.
Silence reigned over the practice field. Brenn stood, grounded his spear and saluted the Cadre who stood, open mouthed, at the edge of the field. Then one of the boys cheered and suddenly they all were cheering and shouting as Brenn saluted again and then bowed. Luan rolled off the pile choking and coughing. Fin pulled himself to his knees.
"What are you doing?" he asked Brenn incredulously.
"Stealing all the glory!" he answered cheekily.
Fin spat out a mouthful of blood. "Bloody officers!"
"Too right lad!" The Sargent agreed sitting up next to him. "What a grand little scrap that was! Where did you get a stunt like that from anyway?"
"My Da was a Sargent in the Clanbrae like you. He had us drilling shield wall as soon as we could walk."
"Good for him!" The Boar grinned delightedly "Well you held against my charge, and you won't face many stronger than that!"
"Oh I don't know about that," replied Fin, "you should have seen my sister when I hid her favourite doll!"
The Boar's roar of laughter could be heard half way across the guild. Luan smiled and pulled himself painfully to his feet. His eye caught a movement by the trees at the side of the field. For a moment he saw it clearly. A black dog, looking directly at him before turning and disappearing behind a trunk. Still staring he reached out and tapped Fin on the shoulder.
"What?" The stocky boy was still on his knees, leaning heavily on his spear.
"Did you see that dog?"
"Dog?" Fin spat again and looked at Luan with disbelief. "What are you on about?"
"There was a dog! I think I've seen it before!"
"Did you get a bang on the head?" Fin asked, "or are you just going crazy?"
"Neither, I just thought I saw a dog."
"Will you shut up about bloody dogs!"
"There was only one, it was black!"
"Enough!" Fin almost shouted. "Just get me up off the floor." Luan, shrugged off the feeling, gave Fin his hand, and pulled him up.
"SO WHY DID YOU CALL him 'Sir'?" asked Brenn. The boys had just finished soaking in the hot bath, trying to relieve some of the aches from the day's training. Now they were sitting in the changing room with towels across their shoulders, reliving the day's events.
"Hmm?" replied Fin
"You called the Boar 'Sir'," Brenn persisted. "I don't understand why."
"Yes," Luan joined in, "you're not normally that polite!"
"Get out of it you!" said Fin to Luan, and then, "I was trying to wind him up."
"I don't get it." Brenn looked puzzled.
"Ah well," continued Fin, "you need to understand your ordinary soldier. Only officers get called 'Sir'. Salech is one of your old school sargents, he hates officers on principle. To soldiers like him it's practically a religion, the worst insult I could use was to call him 'Sir'."
Brenn continued to look puzzled, "still doesn't explain why."
"I wanted to make him angry. An angry man makes mistakes. He charged right into our trap.”
"Clever!" said Luan appreciatively.
"I agree," said Brenn with a grin, "you're brighter than you look!"
"Thanks," said Fin without thinking, and then, "hang on.."
It was at this point that Drustan walked into the changing room, the Ghost and the Weasel close behind.
"Oh look, it’s farmer boy!" said Drustan in his most derisive tone.
"Yeah!" The Weasel attempted to match Drustan for sarcasm. "And his friends, the tall one and the little one!"
"Nice nicknames Weasel." Fin smiled with entirely fake friendship. "How long did it take you to come up with those?"
"Well," the red haired boy thought for a moment, "not that long really..."
"Shut up you idiot!" Drustan turned on his sidekick. "Can't you see he's mocking you?"
The Ghost said nothing, just stared in a particularly unnerving manner.
"Anyway farmer boy," continued Drustan, "bet you think you're really smart! Your little trick on the practice field is just the sort of thing I would expect from someone like you!"
"Someone like me is it?" Fin was starting to get cross. "What do you mean by that?"
"Just that you don't belong here. You're a Clanbrae, a footslogger, you should stay down in the dirt where you belong instead of pretending that you can be a Klaideem."
Luan put his hand on Fin's arm, but the boy shrugged it off.
"I'm here because my Da broke a shield wall at Banduan!"
"Broke a shield wall?" Drustan laughed. "Broke wind more likely!" He laughed more loudly, delighted at his witticism. The Ghost joined in with a dry snigger, followed, after a slight delay, by the Weasel's high pitched screech.
"Well maybe I should show you how he did it," replied Fin in a dangerous tone and he suddenly charged, shouting at his three tormentors, taking them utterly by surprise.
"Axed the one on the right!" he shouted, slamming his forearm down across the Ghost's face.
"Shield on the one on the left!" as a wild swing of his left arm sent the Weasel reeling.
"And the one in the middle with his head!" he screamed and threw himself head first at Drustan, butting him in the stomach so that they both went down in a heap. Then it was chaos. Drustan and Fin were shouting and rolling around on the floor, the Weasel was pulling himself up against the wall and the Gh
ost was wiping blood from his nose with a look of disbelief. The pale boy recovered first and dived in, snarling, pulling Fin away and aiming a nasty punch at his face. The blow fell short, as Brenn dived forward, catching the Ghost's arm and pulling him away. Both boys slipped and fell kicking and punching before Brenn scrambled for his feet and ran, the Ghost hot on his heels. Meanwhile the Weasel was dancing round the edge of the fight looking for an opening. He spotted an opportunity and was about to kick Fin in the back when Luan leaped over the wrestling boys and tackled the Weasel round the waist, knocking him to the ground. The ginger haired boy wriggled and kicked furiously trying to get free. Luan held on tight but felt the lithe body twist beneath him. Suddenly the boy's feet found purchase on the floor and his legs pumped hard as he tried to escape. Luan found himself being dragged across the floor but before he could respond the Weasel's heel caught him in the stomach, knocking the air out of him, and his grip relaxed. Luan struggled to his feet but his opponent was up and out of the door, heading for the plunge room. Fighting for breath, Luan staggered after him, reaching the door and grabbing the frame for support. The scene that met his eyes threw him into confusion. Instead of fighting, Brenn, Easoch and Tavdi were standing in silence at the edge of the pool, staring at something in the water. Trying to see what they were looking at, Luan took three painful steps forward. In the centre of the pool a body hung in the water, face down and absolutely still.
Five – In the Forge
When you make a weapon you hold a man's life in your hand. Not the life of the man it is used against, but the one who wields it. The sword is either right or it is not good enough.
THE GOLDEN GLOW OF the molten bronze was almost too bright to look at. Fin worked the bellows, sparks flying at every blast of air to die in the gloom above.
"Steady!" The smith was watching intently, heat tanned arms folded over his leather apron. The cadre were witnessing the last stage of a long process, the clay mould had been gradually brought up to temperature, the crucible of bronze sat nearby in the red hot coals of the furnace. The boys watched as they waited their turn at the bellows, unable to guess when the moment would come. Behind them stretched the long low workshop, empty forges interspersed with sand pits where larger items could be cast. Luan looked at the wooden patterns on the wall. Some of them he recognised, wheel hubs and shield bosses, others were strange, obscure parts whose functions he could not guess.
"Pay attention lad! Not long now."
Luan was one of the boys with a special task which, while it meant he didn't have to pump the bellows, was causing a certain amount of nervousness.
"Here we go, grab these Drustan."
Suddenly all was action. Drustan stepped forward, proud to have been picked out, and took hold of the ends of the two staves; green willow soaked in water to resist the heat. The boy and the smith worked together, holding the staves arms crossed, then when the wood was either side of the mould uncrossing their hands so that the staves gripped tightly. Together they lifted the lumpy clay from the furnace, dripping pieces of charcoal as they carefully carried the mould over to a prepared hole in the floor. Back they went for the crucible while some of the boys packed the hole with sand to keep the mould upright. Again they came, their precious burden glowing white hot. As they raised it to the lip of the mould Luan leaned forward and held a stave of wood across the rim to catch any pieces of charcoal that floated on the surface of the molten bronze. If even one tiny piece got into the mould then the casting would fail. A bright stream flowed from the crucible. Steam spluttered from the mould. Sight, smell and sound joined into one searing image that was eternity in an instance.
THE DAY HAD NOT STARTED well. Luan had stood with Brenn and Fin in the passageway outside the Captean's office, trying to ignore the bitter cold of the early morning. Lines of frost made a surreal tracery across the rough stones of the wall like a stretched and distorted spider’s web. From inside came the muffled sound of talking and the occasionally raised voice of the Captean. Brenn had tried to start a conversation, nervously talking about the night before, but eventually the small boy's scurried words died away. Fin had just hunched his shoulders and frowned. Luan looked at his friend with concern, remembering the endless, idle conversation of their meeting just a few weeks before. Then with a clunk the door opened and Drustan, the Weasel and the Ghost trooped out parading a trio of smug expressions.
"You're for it, farmer boy!" whispered Drustan as he passed Fin. Then the Captean appeared in the doorway.
"In!" he commanded and returned to his desk. Fin walked straight in leaving Luan and Brenn to exchange nervous glances before following. The three boys stood in a line as the Captean's single eye unhurriedly inspected them.
"Well?" he said, after what seemed like an eternity, "would you like to explain why you were brawling like common drunks?"
The voice was deceptively quiet but the cold anger it contained was unmistakeable. Luan found that his mouth had gone dry and next to him Brenn was making noises like a gasping fish.
"It was my fault sir, I started it." Fin's voice sounded almost confident although his usual bantering tone had disappeared.
"Yes," the Captean replied, "that's exactly what the other boys said"
“That’s not true!” The words burst out of Brenn but then he quailed under that piercing gaze and fell silent.
“He means it's not fair...” Luan said.
“That's right!” Brenn interjected
“They called him names..." Luan continued.
"Like farmer boy..."
"...said he had no right to be a Klaideem..."
"...said he belonged in the dirt..."
The two boys' protestations tailed off under the furious glare of the Captean. He turned to Fin.
"Is this true?" he asked in a dangerous tone.
"Yes sir," replied Fin, his voice much more quiet than before.
"They ridiculed you," the Captean continued, "said you didn't deserve to be here."
"Yes."
"And so you proved them right!"
Fin flinched but the Captean wasn't finished, his anger no longer cold. "You stupidly let them goad you into attacking them! You did exactly what they wanted you to do! What do you think you are here for? If I wanted idiots with more muscle than sense I could find all the men I need in the taverns a stone’s throw from the wall! It's brains I need!" He stopped, his single eye glaring furiously at Fin, then let go his breath in a long sigh. "If you act like that in a battle you'll get half your men killed, I should send you packing right now."
Fin stared at the floor, his face red.
"Please sir, don't..." Brenn got no further, the old warrior turned to him furiously.
"And as for you, I thought you had more sense!"
Brenn choked back his words and turned pale as the Captean switched his glare to Luan.
"What about you? Do you think your uncle would be proud?"
Luan, stung by the words, could not keep silent. "He would expect me to stand up to bullies."
"He would indeed!" the Captean replied, "but that does not mean rolling around on the floor like a pack of dogs!"
The boys stood in silence, enduring the glare of that single eye and waited for their fate.
"You!" the Captean pointed at Fin, "Two weeks kitchen duty. Take your anger out on some vegetables. You!" Brenn jumped visibly, "A week's extra guard duty. Learn some patience. Now get out of my sight the pair of you!" He turned his glare on Luan. "You stay. I want a particular word with you!"
Fin marched out and Brenn, after a sympathetic glance at Luan, followed.
The Captean's manner changed the moment they left the room.
"Did you see anything?" He asked.
"No" replied Luan "We were in the dressing room for a while before the others came in. I knew nothing about it until I followed Easoch into the pool room. Who was the boy?"
"His name was Gill" A flicker of emotion showed on the craggy face. "What a waste!"
"What happened?"
"Slipped and fell is the official line." The Captean grimaced. "Sound familiar?"
Luan nodded, his suspicions confirmed. "Just like the other one."
"I'm afraid there can be little doubt." In the light of the window the veteran warrior's face looked old and grey. "We have a killer among us, and one who is unlikely to stop until he achieves his goal."
"His goal?" Luan had not thought beyond the horror of death. He could not conceive of the motivation behind the act.
"Yes. His goal," replied the Captean. "If we knew what it was we would have more chance of catching him, but it could be anything; a desire to spread fear and mistrust, to undermine the morale of the Klaideem, even to convince parents to not allow their sons to come here. We have many enemies who would see that as aiding their cause. Or he may have some sinister reason of his own." He hesitated and looked up at Luan as if trying to decide whether to continue. Then abruptly his tone changed to become more business-like.
"Yes, well...be careful Luan. Keep your wits about you and your friends close. Especially Fin. If he can take out three lads on his own he'll be handy in a fight. Oh, and that reminds me, a week's cleaning duties for your part in last night's foolery!"
The Captean took in the boy's expression of dismay and grinned. "Come on Luan, you can't expect me to let you off! What a giveaway that would be!"
Painful as it was, Luan had to admit there was some truth in that.
Luan turned left out of the guard office and walked along the passageway, mulling over the Captean's words. Beyond the shadow of the wall a sudden splash of bright morning light dazzled his eyes just as two figures threw themselves at him. Luan had little time to defend himself but he lashed out as best he could, feeling at least one blow land before he went down in a confused mass of flailing limbs. The fall knocked the breath out of him and before he knew it he was flat on his back with one assailant sitting on his chest holding his arms while the other was lying across his legs. He struggled in vain and then squinted upward at the face of his attacker, silhouetted against the sun.
The Guild of Warriors Page 4