Savage Legion
Page 45
“I’m your wrangler!” he announces in a voice that sounds as though he’s speaking through a mouth full of wet seaweed. “My name is Erazo. You call me ‘Tasker’ or ‘Freemaster,’ and nothing else! You don’t have a name anymore. D’you hear? From right now until you die bloody fighting the enemies of Crache, your name… is Savage.”
Erazo emphasizes that final statement by pointing the butt of the short club in his hand at Taru and then sweeping it back and forth across the line.
The full impact of what’s happening bats the retainer upside their head in that moment.
Savage.
Taru has been conscripted into the Savage Legion. Did Brio stand in this very spot, listening to this man strip away his identity? Did Ashana experience the same thing in her drunkard persona of Evie?
“Look to the spires of this field…”
Erazo continues his cruel welcome speech, but Taru ceases to listen to the man’s garbled voice. The space between the retainer’s temples is burning. Taru’s only thought for the past several days has been escape, returning to Lexi’s side to guard her from their enemies. Every moment that thought has become more dire and desperate and painful within the retainer’s mind.
Now, however, Taru knows there will be no escape. Taru has the chance to follow the path of those they’ve lost, Brio and Ashana, and bolstered by the message Spud-Bar delivered, Taru has to believe they are still out there somewhere, awaiting their opportunity for freedom while fighting to stay alive. Taru must find them and aid them in both of those things.
Taru is no less concerned for Lexi, but that concern cannot magically change the world. The retainer is here and Lexi is back in the Capitol. Besides, there’s Daian. If the Aegin recovers he can protect Lexi, and Taru knows he will. It’s obvious that affection has grown between them. Taru saw that immediate connection the first time they met. While the retainer doesn’t believe Lexi would ever betray Brio’s heart or his trust, that affection could save her life in Taru’s absence.
“There’s rebellion brewing in the east!” Erazo announces, and those words bring Taru’s attention back to bear on the tasker. “A small band of renegade B’ors and a few runaway Savages have joined with the Sicclunan scum to seize a keep along the border.
“We’ll be moving you out sooner than we would otherwise, and chances are you’ll be fighting mutts just like you. You might even know some of them from the rat holes you’ve called home. Remember what you are and the nation you serve! As a reward, when this rebellion is put down, and it will be put down, you’ll all be given your freedom! And a big bag of gold to live a proper life when you return to the cities!”
Taru wants to laugh at that, but banishes the very idea.
There’s rebellion in the east? That’s an intriguing notion, and one that gives Taru even more reason and motivation to seek out Brio and Ashana among the Legionnaire ranks. If they’re still alive and conscripted, this rebellion could provide a safe haven for them far more easily reachable than attempting to return to the cities. If they’ve already joined the rebellion, then they will need Taru even more.
The retainer sets a hard stare upon Erazo, and up at the few disinterested Skrain idly stalking the walls around them.
They don’t know Savagery, Taru silently promises them. They’ve never seen what a true Savage looks like. But I’m going to show them. I’m going to show this whole damn nation what they’ve made.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The book you’re holding in your hands or reading upon your chosen screen represents the end of a very, very long road. It has been, in fact, the longest journey any finished work of mine has ever taken. I doubt I will ever publicly admit to the exact number of years it took me to finish the first draft, but saying those years were plural is enough. I never would have reached the end of this road without a lot of help, and I am grateful beyond my insufficient command of words to every one of those folks. The first and ever the foremost is my wife, Nikki. This book would not exist without her. In point of fact, I would not exist without her. My agent, DongWon Song, believed in this story when it was nothing more than a badly composed pitch in a hotel bar, on the strength of which he also signed me as a client. My mother, Barbara, remains my most tireless advocate and the best unpaid publicist in the business. Helljack has been my longtime friend and webmaster. Nicolette Barischoff was an immense help to me in preparing to write this book, and I’m grateful. Thank you to the brilliant and impossibly kind Sarah Gailey for their support. Kameron Hurley also provided pivotal counsel (whether or not she will admit it was pivotal) that helped me reshape important aspects of this entire thing. My editor, Navah Wolfe, is a taskmaster worthy of the Savage Legion who is tempered by a compassion no Savage tasker could ever fathom. Her insights and ruthless campaign against plot holes, faulty world building, and clunky prose made this book and this story infinitely better. My copyeditors, Jeannie Ng, Lauren Forte, and Alexandre Su, chiefly aided her in that. My marketer/publicist, LJ Jackson, kicked down doors to make people aware of this book. Joe Monti, editorial director of Saga Press, has been a longtime supporter of mine who also taught me about the shrimp in New York City’s water supply. There are several other folks under the Saga Press banner who also deserve shine, including Kaitlyn Snowden, Kathryn Barrett, Jennifer Bergstrom, Jennifer Long, Sara Quaranta, Caitlin McCreary, Caroline Pallotta, Allison Green, Rosa Burgos, and Madison Penico. It takes a village that’s more like a pirate ship that crashed into a circus to raise a novel, much less put it on your shelf/screen.
And if you’re reading this now, thank you.
Now go tell a friend.
Matt Wallace
Los Angeles
June 28, 2019
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MATT WALLACE is the Hugo-nominated author of Rencor: Life in Grudge city and the Sin du Jour series, and he won a Huge Award alongside Mur Lafferty for the fancast Ditch Diggers. He’s also penned more than a hundred short stories in addition to writting for film and televission. In his youth, he traveled the world as a professional wrestler and unarmed combat and self-defense instructor before retiring to write full-time. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Nikki.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR:
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Text copyright © 2020 by Matt Wallace All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Saga Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. First Saga Press hardcover edition July 2020 SAGA PRESS and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc. For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or business@simonandschuster.com. The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com. Interior design by A. Kathryn Barrett Jacket design by John Vairo Jr. Jacket illustration by Chris McGrath Library of Cong
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