"A private verbal message, young master."

I pulled open the tent flap and gestured he step inside. When we were alone I asked him what he wanted.

He glanced at Meran, looking him up and down. "Your father does not approve."

"You are reporting to my father," I said.

"Of course. You will never have a n.o.bleman of the city in your clientele Your father thinks this is a serious error of judgment. Foolish and immature." He said this without inflection.

I shrugged. "He may be right. But it's done. Anything else?"

He didn't say anything for a moment, then. "How rusty are you with a sword?"

My turn for a moment's silence. "Very," I admitted.

"In as little as four days there will be a battle. You may have to fight. If you will allow me I will help you practice. In private."

"Father's orders?"

"My own judgment. I have wide lat.i.tude."

"You have practice swords?"

"With the edges dulled," there was a hint of disapproval in his voice.

I thought about that. It seemed that I had better. "When?"

"What is wrong with now?"

I almost sighed. Just when I was starting to feel relaxed. "Now it is then. Extend my regrets to Lentro," I told Meran. "Tell him I may be late for the evening meal."

Without another word Sapphire turned to go and I joined him, grabbing my armor in a bundle as I left.

Neither of us had mentioned the letter.

Inside the walls there is a wide bare area unused for any purpose. It is there so that missiles lobbed over the walls don't hit anything. It was here that we practiced. I'd brought Kerral with me to field questions from the sentinels and keep people off our case. Other than that he was to watch and do nothing more. I wanted his opinion on my skill and Sapphire's. I'd ask him later.

Sapphire set up four burning brands in a square, grabbed one of the dull edged swords and turned to face me. "Put the armor on," he said, relaxing the point of the blade to the ground.

"What about you?"

"I won't need armor."

"That's a bit arrogant isn't it?" Even a dulled blade can break a bone, crack a skull, and kill. So can a club. Go figure.

"I won't need it."

To h.e.l.l with you, then. I put the armor on and we went to it.

After an hour I was spent and Sapphire was as fresh as a daisy. I hadn't touched him and he had bruised me all over, apart from my head and face and neck. I was breathing deeply and covered in sweat. My arms hurt. I'd used a shield and he had not. I decided I hated him.

It was he who stepped back and lowered his sword, a.s.sessing my condition.. "Enough for tonight. More tomorrow. I want a token so I can pa.s.s the ward freely."

I stood there, breathing like a bellows and hurting for a second or two as I thought about it. Then I glanced at Kerral and he nodded back.

"I'll see to it you have access to the one we have. You know the wagon we guard?"

Sapphire agreed that he did and left, just like that. Not another word out of him.

"I don't know how much he was holding back, but I suspect a lot."

Kerral and I were walking back to my tent and I'd asked about Sapphire.

Well, Kerral was walking. I was more staggering, using the same concentration to move as you do when really drunk and not wanting to show it. Felt similar too, oddly enough.

"He was holding back?"

"Quite a lot I suspect."

"How can you tell? I couldn't tell."

"Experience. You should have Pakat watch next time. Two reasons."

"Well?"

"One, Pakat is a lot better swordsman than I am. Two, if he has to kill Sapphire he'll need any advantage he can get."

"Well. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Depressed, I think."

"He was teaching you the right things for battle. Don't become a victim. Hit him anywhere. Don't duel with him."

"Never planned to."

Kerral looked at me coldly and for just a second I saw a hint of Sapphire's coldness in his warm brown eyes. "Do plan on it. Anyone can become an enemy."

I was back to hurting in the mornings again and I didn't like it (Oregano).

That day we met the first refugees coming the other way. They didn't look much like refugees. They had wagons piled with possessions, livestock, horses, their wealth intact. They were ahead of the game, making sure they kept what they had, taking no chances. There weren't that many. Less than a dozen such groups. Clearly landowners who should be taking up arms. The moral dregs of our society, in other words. Doubtless Hadrin Ichal Merindis, the patron of the Geduri, had ordered troops raised to defend his lands. If not, he should have, should be on his way or have the best general in the family on his way, but may have just issued an alert to the potential danger and ordered the chieftain to deal with the problem. Of course, these were city people, not bound to this location by any really strong ties or duties. If Hadrin had not ordered a raising of troops they were blameless and the blame was with their patron. Still, a moral coward is as bad or worse than any other type.

A little after noon my attention was s.n.a.t.c.hed from my general reverie by a messenger thundering past me, heading the same direction. A thunder of hooves, a quick glimpse of movement as he pa.s.sed, and then faded away. Not that unusual, but he had been beating the horse and shouting it on, and he was already here. Urgent news then. Urgent news in a war is always bad news. Always.

I caught Kerral's eye and he nodded grimly. Something bad.

A few minutes later battle horns sounded and were repeated down the line and the whole army came to a halt. More horns, reinforced with the shouts of centurions, and the whole army about turned. Including us.

"What the h.e.l.l?"

More horns. March. Repeated. Quick march. Repeated. At the double.

In far less than a minute we were turned around and heading back the way we came, and faster. "I'm going to find out what the heck is going on."

"Yes sir," Kerral approved.

Tul was in conversation with an officer I vaguely recognized as one of Orthand's as I caught up to him, so I didn't have long to wait.

"The Alendi have stolen a march on us. They are across the border behind us as much as twenty or thirty thousand strong, maybe more."

"d.a.m.n. What about my cohort?"

"What about them?"

"Sorry sir. I meant, what about the Orduli?"

He frowned and I let him think, fearing to press the point. I would but I could also wait first.

"I'll go make the case for it. You and me to go ahead with the original plan. If he says no, how do you feel about doing it anyway?"

"Going it alone?"

"Exactly."

h.e.l.l. Not what I had in mind, but the idea had a certain appeal. I said yes before I rationalized myself out of it. Equal numbers we could handle.

He went and I worried at it. There was historical precedent. Two cohorts, or more if Sheo had got them, against potentially twenty thousand. Even if it were that bad we could do it. I groaned softly and stretched my back. I was suddenly glad of the pain Sapphire had inflicted, the lessons learned, and that my body was being reminded of what is needed to be a swordsman.

He was back before I knew it.

"He agreed after I made it clear I was going anyway. Pa.s.s the word by mouth, he doesn't want any confusion with signals. Gatren, Pel, Shendoko!" The three commanders called were there in seconds. "Pa.s.s the word to the centurions, no signals, peel off the road and circle about and it better be smooth! Why are you still here?"

Good question. I went.

The maneuver didn't go nearly as fast as when the full army had turned about, but in a few minutes we had marched in a half circle and were back on the road behind the rearguard. Messengers flew about and the new order of march was organized and made to happen. Equestes, Tulian, me, the mules and servants, more equestes.

"Wagons. Kerral, compliments to the commander and I respectfully inquire if we have remembered to inform our portion of the baggage train."

"You send me with the stupid question?" He muttered it so lightly that I could pretend not to hear him, and did.

In a while he was back. "He's doing it."

I resisted the urge to ask if he was doing it now or had already done it. It didn't matter. I was still trying to think if there was anything I had forgotten. Didn't think so. Didn't stop thinking.

That night we didn't make a fort, we didn't stop moving either. Our scouts had located Sheo and we were headed for the protection of his fort. We slowed the pace in deference to the men's lack of food and the darkness of the night. Before midnight we were there, Kerral supplied the pa.s.sword and we were taken into the protection of the fort. My fort.

Sheo limped around the desk on his stiff leg and gripped my arm as I gripped his. We were glad to see each other and said so.

"How many?"

"Two full cohorts, starting on a third and up to three hundred there. Plus fifty equestes. Young and untried, Knight's sons, but keen enough."

I nodded. Good. "Stores? Wait! Get me a drink, we are going to be a couple of hours at this, then sleep, then at it again before dawn. Might as well get comfortable. Who's this?"

"Lebbo, my aide."

He was young. "Go find my first centurion Kerral and tell him he is in charge of everything until I relieve him."

The boy hesitated and glanced at his commander. Sheo nodded and the boy left.

"I'll sort out the pa.s.sing of command in the morning if that is acceptable, sir."

"It is." Oh yes. My command. And bigger than Tulian commanded. Ha! Then it occurred to me that I would lose the crossbowmen and the mages and the healers. Well, I would miss them. Especially the healers. And the mages. d.a.m.n. I'd ask Tul if I could borrow some. There weren't near enough to go round. Buy spells? I had two stones, that's two healers. I needed twelve. d.a.m.n! Money! The colleges were five hundred or more miles away so I wasn't going to get the healers in a hurry. d.a.m.n. Command is a pain.

"Where is the nearest town?" I might get lucky.

I had no idea.

"Isn't fun is it?"

Tulian was grinning from ear to ear. He'd sized up my dark and hollow eyes as I entered his tent (Ostrich or Elderberry depending on who you asked, him or me) and knew I'd not slept for things that needed doing and decisions that needed making. Here was one.

"We need to talk."

"We are."

"Alone."

"Sorry, you'll have to wait. First things first." He indicated his commanders, waiting for their orders. I nodded and settled to wait. "Get the commander a chair," he said to no one in particular. One appeared and I sat in it, gratefully.

I paid attention to everything he said, wishing I had had a mentor, or time as an aide to watch and learn. Well, I'd had the opportunity and declined it several times. No one to blame but me.

"Money," I said when we were alone and he laughed.

"No way."

I sighed, thought he might say that. What was his motivation to help me support a larger force than I could afford? "Thought you'd say that. My force is bigger than yours.."

"But I know how to use mine, and can afford it," the barbs went home, "and we had an agreement, remember?"

I did. "I'll honor it but it was worth a try."