Scepters (48 page)

“Is
it true… you’re the third highest officer in the Northern Guard?”

“Actually,
I was talking faster than I thought,” Alucius admitted. “I’m the fourth most
senior.”

Jultyr
chuckled. “That’d make you a majer-colonel or a submarshal in the Southern
Guard.”

“We’re
a little smaller. Just twenty companies of lancers.” Alucius considered. “But
the Iron Valleys were only about a quarter the size of Lanachrona before the
union.”

The
west road fort had not been built to house large numbers of lancers or their
mounts. Even before he reached the gates, Alucius could tell that the stables
could not have held more than a company, and the narrow barracks perhaps twice
that. The walls were of an old graystone, and there were more than a few places
where stones had been replaced. Then, as Alucius recalled, at least three
different lands had ruled Southgate in the past five centuries.

The
courtyard looked to be so small that he ordered the column to halt just outside
the gates and rode inside with Rakalt. Once inside, he dismounted, leaving the
gray’s reins with the scout. He walked up the two steps and through the
archway.

Once
there, Alucius didn’t wait for a reaction, but used his Talent to pour
authority at the two lancers standing guard duty just inside the narrow arch.

“I’m
looking for Marshal Alyniat. Is he on the second level?”

“Ah…
yes, sir. But…”

“Thank
you.” Alucius reached the second level, a long marshaling hall. Groups of
officers were gathered around tables. One was piled high with maps.

A
quick study indicated that the only guarded door was halfway down the hall on
the west side, and Alucius set out with a purposeful stride. He almost made it
to the pair of guards before he was intercepted by a tall black-haired colonel.

“The
marshal’s busy… Majer.”

“I’m
certain he is, Colonel.” Alucius smiled pleasantly. “My name is Alucius. The
Lord-Protector sent me here to provide special assistance to the marshal. I think
you should usher me in.” Alucius projected friendly firmness, and some
authority.

“I
said he was busy.” Impatience colored the colonel’s words, and Alucius could
tell the man was put off by the assumption of authority. “Field majers report
to Colonel Hubar.”

“I’m
not a field majer, Colonel,” Alucius said politely. “I was sent by the
Lord-Protector to report to Marshal Alyniat for a special mission.” He showed
the orders.

“He
said he was not to be disturbed.” The colonel ignored the sheet.

“Colonel,
why don’t you announce me, and we’ll see.” Alucius didn’t know what else to
project. It had been a long ride, even the last part from Zalt, and he wasn’t
thinking as well or as quickly as he should have been. And he could feel his
blood beginning to boil at yet another insistent and overbearing colonel.

“Majer…
we’re going to be under attack tomorrow, the next day at the latest.”

“That’s
why you should announce me, Colonel.” Alucius was getting very tired of
imperious colonels, but he told himself that they were probably tired of
arrogant and pushy majers. “If you would, please?”

“Come
back late this afternoon.”

“It
won’t wait that long, Colonel. He needs to know that I’m here, and why. It won’t
take long, but he should know.”

“I
said later, Majer.”

Alucius
touched the man’s lifethreads hard enough for the colonel to topple forward
onto the hard stones. Then he looked at the two guards. “I’d appreciate it if
you’d announce me.”

The
two exchanged looks.

“Majer
Alucius, from the Lord-Protector,” Alucius supplied. “Just say that. If he
doesn’t want to see me, I’ll leave.”

“Ah…
sir. Know you asked not to be disturbed, but there’s a Majer Alucius. Northern
Guard, sir. Says he’s from the Lord-Protector.”

“Show
him in.”

Alucius
smiled, but he held his Talent ready as he stepped through the door that the
surprised guard opened.

Amazingly,
Alyniat was alone in the small chamber. He turned from the window and smiled. “Majer!
I had hoped… What happened in Hyalt?”

“The
prophet had five companies. We destroyed most of his men, but the revolt isn’t
anymore. We set up a council of the older women and a few graybeards. Almost no
one else was left. Then we set out for Southgate.”

“You
make it sound easy.”

“Getting
here, after we finished in Hyalt, was easy. Getting to see you wasn’t. I’ve
pushed my way past two of your colonels. One wanted to shunt me and my forces—”

“Forces?”

“I’ve
got three companies with me, but they’re for a special mission.”

Alyniat
raised his eyebrows.

“Taking
out the crystal spear-throwers.”

After
a split second, the marshal began to laugh, shaking his head. “Only you… a
majer… taking on colonels…”

Alucius
smiled. “The Lord-Protector sent specific orders. I report only to you. If
anything happens to you, I’m on equal footing with your successor.” Alucius extended
the order sheet.

Alyniat
read through the sheet and handed it back, nodding thoughtfully. “It doesn’t
mention that mission.”

“Do
you think that the Lord-Protector would put that in writing, or Marshal
Frynkel? The level of authority…”

“Frynkel
never did like paper trails… and under these circumstances…” Alyniat pursed his
lips, then ran his thin fingers through his silvering blond hair. “How do you
propose this mission?” The fingers of his left hand began to tap on the table,
if intermittently.

“There
are two of the spear-throwers, I’ve been told. It seemed to me that we’d try to
deal with the one posing the most difficulty first. But… we just got here, and
I’ve no idea of the tactical situation.”

“We’re
stretched too thin. They’re coming down the high road from Fola.” Alyniat
coughed, then cleared his throat. “They could attack as early as tomorrow, or
wait for days. My best judgment is that they’ll attack either Sexdi or Septi.
They haven’t waited long when they’ve attacked before.”

“They’ll
have to move the spear-thrower into position. It’s heavy.”

“What
do you know about it?” asked Alyniat.

“The
projectiles are more like short spears, half a yard long, and made of a hard
crystal. They can fire in any direction, but only in one direction at a time.
They can turn it across a field so that it slices through everything in its
path. It can dig through earthworks, and even thin stone walls. Those take
time, though.”

“You’ve
fought against them before.”

“Yes.”

“How
do you propose to take something that fearsome out? If I might ask?”

“Very
carefully,” Alucius replied. “To do it, it will have to be operating, and that
means we’ll need to do some scouting to find out exactly where it is and will
be. I’d guess it will be used to lead an assault.”

“Do
you need all three companies?”

“Do
you want me to take out the spear-thrower, sir?”

“Fair
enough.” Alyniat lifted his thin blond eyebrows. “You mentioned some difficulty
with colonels… What colonels and what difficulty? I should know.”

“Hubar
was the first. He was difficult, but not impossible, not after I explained to
him that… well… who I was and why he really shouldn’t get involved. I don’t
know the second. Tall, with black hair. He was just outside here. Kept telling
me that you weren’t to be disturbed. I offered to go away if he announced me
and you told me to depart or come back or whatever. He wouldn’t announce me.”

“Do
I want to know how you got announced?”

“He
fainted and fell onto the stones. Might have broken his nose.”

“You
didn’t touch him?”

“No,
sir.”
Not physically
, Alucius qualified to himself.

The
marshal shook his head. “You’re hard on our officers, Majer.”

“Just
the stupid ones, sir. We don’t have time for that.”

“You
don’t have time for that. We in southern Lanachrona need to put up with some of
it, because if we eliminated them all right now we couldn’t fill their billets.
They’re already complaining that I’ve elevated too many senior squad leaders to
captain. It won’t help me, but it might help the marshals to come. Enough of
that.”

Alyniat
walked to the door, but did not open it. “Was Colonel Sarthat the one who tried
to stop the majer?”

“Yes,
sir.”

“If
he’s well enough, send him in.”

Several
moments passed before the door opened and Sarthat walked in, holding a cloth to
his nose, a very bloodied cloth. He did not look at Alucius.

“Sarthat.”

“Yes,
sir?”

“Did
you ask to see the majer’s orders?”

“No,
sir.”

“Why
not?”

“Every
majer wants to see you, sir. Everything is urgent…”

“How
many are Northern Guard majers?” Alyniat paused. “I’ll make this very clear. As
I am certain he told you, Majer Alucius is here on a special mission. His
orders make him the equal of any officer here, except me. He is to be given
every assistance, no matter what you feel personally. This is not because I am
favoring him. If he succeeds, we will win. If he fails, it is likely he will be
dead, as will many of our officers and men. In case you don’t recall, Majer
Alucius is the one who defeated over a hundred companies of nomads and those
Talent-pteridons in Deforya several years ago. He took command when the senior
officers were killed, and he managed that with three companies. He got the Star
of Honor for that. He just put down the rebellion in Hyalt with three
companies. He’s used to doing the impossible. His methods are not suited to
regular chains of command. Don’t make it harder on him. The Lord-Protector,
Marshal Frynkel, and I all would take it amiss—if you lived that long.”

“Yes,
sir.”

Alucius
looked at the colonel, who was both chastened and furious beneath his frozen
features. “I’m a herder, Colonel. I can sense every feeling you have before you
can recognize it yourself. I don’t want your job. I don’t want your authority,
and I didn’t really want to hurt you. I’ve ridden over a thousand vingts in the
last two seasons, and I did it at the Lord-Protector’s personal request. I have
no desire to remain in southern Lanachrona. I just want to do what I was sent
to do so that I can go back to the Iron Valleys and not worry about the Regent
of the Matrial.”

Some,
but not all, of Sarthat’s rage subsided, followed by a sense that perhaps all
was not lost. At least, that was how Alucius read him.

Alyniat
cleared his throat. “Make sure that his companies have a bivouacking space, and
feed and water for their mounts, and standard rations for the lancers.” Yes,
sir.

“There’s
no mess here,” Alyniat added, “but officer’s rations are laid out before
morning muster, and at the sixth glass of the afternoon.”

“Thank
you, sir.”

“You
know Captain-colonel Omaryk?” asked the marshal.

“I’ve
met him before, sir.”

“He’s
in charge of intelligence… the third table in the hall. I’ll make sure he knows
that you’ll be seeing him. When do you expect… ?”

“Overcaptain
Feran can handle billeting, sir. The sooner I know…”

Alyniat
nodded. “You introduce the overcaptain to Colonel Sarthat, and by the time you
get back, Omaryk will be expecting you.”

“Yes,
sir.”

“And,
Majer… I expect a short verbal report in the morning, just after muster. Very
short.”

“Yes,
sir.” Alucius understood Alyniat’s last words, and the reasons for them.

He
and Sarthat left the small chamber and walked silently to the south end of the
marshaling hall, then down the steps and out to where the companies waited.
Rakalt rode behind them, leading Alucius’s mount.

Feran
had moved up to the front, his mount beside Jultyr’s.

“Colonel,
this is Overcaptain Feran. Feran, the colonel will be working with us to
arrange space, feed, and water, and whatever else he can. You’ll have to stand
in for me. I’m expected to meet with Captain-colonel Omaryk.”

“Yes,
sir.”

Alucius
turned to Sarthat. “I apologize, Colonel, and I appreciate your aid and
forbearance.”

“I
understand, Majer. We’re fortunate to have you.”

As
Alucius walked back to the main building of the fort, he understood all too
well that Sarthat’s forbearance would vanish the moment Alucius was vulnerable
in any way. With some people, that was always the way they operated. His legs
hurt slightly as he made his way back up the stone steps and along the side of
the hall, looking for Omaryk. It had been a long day, after many other long
days. The captain-colonel was at the third table, but it was the third table
from the north end.

Alucius
stepped toward the older officer.

“Ah…
the warrior-leader.” As Alucius recalled him, Captain-colonel Omaryk still had
freckles and a long narrow face. The red hair was thinning and washed with
silver, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

“Just
a majer, sir.”

“You
were never just anything, Majer. Technically, with those orders, you’re
probably a breveted sub-marshal. Now… what do you need to know?”

“Where
the closest spear-thrower is… how many sand wagons are following it, if there
are easy places to get sand near where you think they’ll station it for the
attack here… I’m sure you’ve thought all that out.”

“I
have, as best I could. Only you and the marshal have asked.” Omaryk nodded
thoughtfully. “Will nightsilk protect you against the spears?”

“Against
one or two… it might, but they’re fired with such force and so quickly that you
don’t usually get hit with one or two. The impacts would probably end up
breaking every bone in my body.”

Omaryk
spread out a small map. “The last position we could see, and the scouts had to
use a long-glass for it, the wagons were ten vingts north. They’d stopped at
the dry creek here…”