Taken: The Life of Uktesh Book 3 (21 page)

The last of the Imperial soldiers were cut down and an angry Belario grabbed her shirt and shouted in her face, “What happened!  How did one of my best fighters die when you, a cripple, lived!”

Before he’d finished his rant six sword tips rested against his skin, two of them drew blood. She calmly said, “Put me down.”  He released her shirt and she continued, “Belial was slain like many of both of our soldiers.  I had just killed a crossbowman when we both went down, I didn’t see what happened, but I’m certain he wouldn’t want us to fight each other after we defeated the enemy.”

Belario stomped away and Laurilli gave the order to continue releasing those in cages.  The people who’d been caged moved slowly, as if they couldn’t believe their luck. Villagers and soldiers stood around, each unsure what to do next. The villagers’ homes were destroyed, their loved ones dead, and their town in ashes. The soldiers felt like they had been the cause of the villages’ misery.  When everyone was freed Laurilli shouted, “We have to return to the battle. You’re more than welcome to come with us, but if you choose not to, know that the Imperial troops most likely won’t return here.”

The villagers stood in a huddled mass while the soldiers prepared to leave.  Bjorn walked up to her and much like Belario shouted in her face, “Just because your mother isn’t here doesn’t mean you can take away our protection!”

Laurilli swallow back an angry retort and said, “I hadn’t been aware that my mother wasn’t here.  If she were I would offer her the same choice, because with or without you, we have to return to the battle.  We’re soldiers. We left the fight to come back here, and I’m certain we’ll be punished for it, but fortunately there isn’t a mountain between us and Jubay so we’ll be able to get to Jubay with only a few days’ delay.”

Bjorn puffed out his chest and said, “As mayor of Manori, I hereby order you to stay.”

Laurilli said, “I suppose you’re willing to take responsibility for why nearly fifteen hundred soldiers didn’t make it to the staging location?”

Bjorn looked worried about that but said, “I would.”

Laurilli said, “Good, because as the representative for a destroyed city your testimony will be most appreciated!  Men let’s get some rest before we move out in the morning!  I want the injured in beds. The rest of us get to enjoy the night sky.”

Bjorn said, “What do you think you’re doing!  I gave you an order!”

Laurilli patted his arm, walked away, and said over her shoulder, “Do you think you have any authority now that your town has been destroyed?  You’re a mayor of rubble.  Get some rest. It’ll be a long three days to Jubay.”

1.                 
   How do we do that
   

Seven months apart from Uktesh

Laurilli wanted to stab the man. 

Scorn continued, “So you understand why we need to take some extra precautions when traveling.”  Bjorn no longer willing to risk his own skin after she’d stabbed him, had sent his brother to her to explain,
again,
why a three-day trip had taken nearly three weeks.  The first delays made sense; carts for the wounded; she had agreed to the daylong delay.  Then the old demanded carts, and she’d agreed to yet another delay.  The Beletarians had been smart. They’d left their injured with Laurilli and had simply jogged away. 

Day after day it’d been one thing or another that caused her troops to become absent from the front lines!  Finally when Bjorn informed her that eight of the wagons had broken wheels she’d lost it and stabbed him in the ass as he shrieked and fled from her sight.  Today Scorn came to inform her that women weeks less pregnant than Laurilli couldn’t handle the rough pace.  Laurilli felt her right eye begin to twitch; something that had only started to happen during this trip, and said, “No more!  Troops!  We’re leaving!  Now!  People of Manori listen up!  If you want the protection that we provide you will keep up or by the nine hells I swear we’ll leave you behind!” 

We’re practically there! It’s no more than an hour or two from here!  Delaying at this point is more dangerous because we’re without the rest of the five kingdom’s armies!
  She marched to the front of the camp and kept going.  In groups of two and three her original company caught up to her. As more people began to realize she was serious and that the bulk of the skilled fighters had already left the camp, they began to follow.  Most of her original fifty were still alive, she was proud to see, but with the mistakes she’d made; first in the cave and then in the battle with the far-superior Imperial troops, she’d lost more than four hundred combined Beletarians and Sinian troops.

As the rest of her army caught up she thought about how close she’d been to death in that last fight.  She still had the scar along her cheek and belly to prove it. 
What I wouldn’t give for a horse!  Or a padded carriage! 
It had only been a few minutes but her feet had already begun to hurt.  The injured wagon caught up to them and Laurilli carefully climbed to sit on the bench with the driver.  “Well, ma’am we had a bet going as to how long it would take you to join me.  I’m happy to say I lost. I thought you were pushing yourself too hard.”

Laurilli patted Nichael on the arm and said, “I just figured that with my passionate speech it wouldn’t be good for me to then collapse and delay us further.”

Nichael said, “Well, you just sit back and enjoy the soothing ride.”  He timed it perfectly as the wagon lurched on a bump.  Laurilli watched as her troops walked and laughed and had a momentary twinge of annoyance at the ease with which they were able to move around. 

As they became able to, most of the injured fled the wagon with statements like, “It’s less painful to walk,” from a man limping with a long wound in his leg. 

Or, “I’d rather walk off a cliff,” from the man who’d lost both of his eyes in the last fight.  She saw him being led by one of the twins and he didn’t seem to mind his escape from the cart at all.  The twin would release him only to ensure that his reaching hands found her breast before she would call him a blind master pervert whose hands never missed their mark.  In truth the only three people left in the cart were so injured that they needed Mother Esrun’s constant attention, and even so it had been a miracle they’d survived so long.

No I don’t…

… talk to her.

Laurilli looked around to see who was talking, but Nichael and Mother Esrun were the only ones awake in the cart.

Shut up!

… told you she could hear us!

The two horses pulling the wagon looked back at her before they both snorted and looked ahead.

That was weird,
Laurilli thought to herself.

Laurilli relaxed as much as she could for the rest of the two-hour trip. When they reached the hill overlooking Jubay they found it occupied by the soldiers of the Five Kingdoms.  She’d expected that. When they passed the staging area only to find it abandoned.  Laurilli made it down from the cart without falling and was ordered to make her way to the inn.  Her men were told to find the quartermaster and get settled in and she was told to meet with the Numbers and the officers in the inn.

Laurilli made her way down the familiar path to the inn. 
Has it only been seven months since I was here last?
  At the inn door a guard held up his hand for her to stop and said, “State your purpose.”

Laurilli didn’t like his attitude, but stated, “I’m Major Laurilli.  I’m here to join the meeting.”

The man looked her up and down with derision clearly etched on his face.  As much as she wanted to release her temper on this fool of a guard she just raised an eyebrow.  The guard peered into the inn and announced, “Major Laurilli here to join the meeting.”

Almost before he stopped talking the door burst open and Thulmann came out, “You’re alive!”  He wrapped her in a bear hug that she returned, but the memory of Three’s confession caused her to push away after a moment.

She lied, “My stomach,” and pointed to herself.

Thulmann jumped back and shouted, “Holy cow!  You’re huge!  Are you pregnant?”

She grinned and tried not to roll her eyes, “Yeah Dad, I’m pregnant.”

He leaned in, looked around, and asked, “Is it because of that dragon?” 

Even through her muted communication with the dragon she felt him laugh.  She sighed and said, “No Dad!  It’s mine and Uktesh’s.”

Thulmann said, “You’ve been fighting pregnant?   With only one arm?  I’ll get them to pin a medal on you if I have to stab it off their lazy chests first!”

Laurilli smiled, “Dad I’m fine, really.  My men did most of the hard work.”

Thulmann squinted at her and her healing cheek and asked, “Are you sure?”

She nodded again and said, “I’m sure, but I’m definitely done for now. Just standing here’s begun to hurt my feet.”

Thulmann stepped back and ushered her inside while he exclaimed, “You just need to speak up next time!”

She walked into the inn and tried not to feel like she was waddling.  She saw a map on a table and found a seat and sat with a sigh of relief.  She saw one of the majors who had been with her during the ambush, but not the second one nor the major general.  The major stood and shouted, “There she is!  Arrest her for dereliction of duty!  If she hadn’t taken her troops and run away we might have won the day!”

Laurilli saw two guards move toward her, but she also felt Thulmann move behind her, and the two backed away.  Thulmann said, “She’s clearly pregnant, something you conveniently forgot to mention.  If that weren’t reason enough for anyone to be excused from a war, she’s still only sixteen!  I agreed to the training, but I was also told that those too young wouldn’t be made to fight in the war. I assumed they, were going to keep the minimum age at eighteen.”  He began to count with his fingers and raised his index finger, “Too young, pregnant, crippled, a girl, and if those weren’t enough of an excuse for her behavior, to add to that it was her first command, first fight, and men older than her broke and ran.”

Laurilli didn’t like that her father assumed that she had run,
even though I did.
  She stood up and said, “Thank you father, but I can handle myself.  Your points are valid, if unnecessary, except for the girl comment.”  She glared at her father, “I am a young pregnant crippled girl, but I didn’t run.  I stayed and fought the ambush, and when we discovered a plot for the invaders to move inland we moved to head them off.  In doing so we saved a village and killed more of the invaders.  I would have been back here sooner, but the injured, elderly, and children slowed us down.  I felt we couldn’t abandon them with invaders known to be in the area.  So if you feel that I should be arrested, Major Mial, I suggest you try it yourself. If you truly believe I haven’t fought and survived twice against the invaders.”

Six, the only female in the room other than Laurilli said, “I agree.  While we all know war is different, she never shied away from a fight in training, and from what I hear even the Beletarians speak highly of her skills.”

A giant man in the corner, that she knew was One said, “Enough of this.” He leaned casually on his unsheathed broadswords’ massive hilt. “Kill her or don’t. We have more pressing concerns.”

Thulmann stepped forward and said, “Aye, like preparing for their next attack.”

Laurilli whispered, “Did we win?”

Thulmann grinned, and nodded, “We stung the Imperials good, and even stole one of their ships.”

The general stood and said, “From what we know it seems to take them about seven months between attacks.  We assumed this was because they traveled so far, but we now believe that they’re much closer and simply take their time in attacking us.  In truth this felt more like a raid than a war.  The Beletarians agree with my assessment and they have also agreed to let our children and theirs train together in the hopes that when they attack again, we’ll have more able fighters than we did this time around.”

Laurilli said, “I may know why they came.”

All eyes turned to her and the general said, “Do tell.”

Laurilli cleared her suddenly dry throat and said, “The first thing they did other than fortify Jubay was leave it to attack my village.  When we got there they’d left most of the villagers, but they’d taken at least one.  My mother.  I know this is a stretch, but what if this whole raid was because of something Uktesh was doing to them on their land?  That all this death was them punishing him, or gaining leverage over him.”

Thulmann put a hand on her shoulder, “They have Heathyr?”  Laurilli nodded and he immediately said, “I move that we take their ship, follow them to their home, and hit them with a preemptive strike!”  The table erupted in cheers!  Thulmann said, “What say you lads and lass; shall we teach these Imperials the same lesson we taught the Beletarians!”

The cheering was louder, but Laurilli felt like it was also more sinister.  The general stood up and said, “I can’t stop you so I won’t try. The ship holds nearly two hundred. We’ll begin loading supplies for two hundred people for three months of travel.  Volunteers only on this trip that is sure to be a one-way direction.”

The Numbers grouped together as the rest of the room exited the inn.  Laurilli walked to the group and said, “I’m in.”

Two, the closest to her, looked back at her and said, “A too-young, too-pregnant, too-crippled, too-new-to-fighting girl?  Yup, that’s what we want.” Then he turned back to the group.