Recovered from his encounter with the Faena, Groskin sidled his horse up to the captain’s. “An ambush by a magical would go down much better than us saying we’ve been chasing our arses for the last week. Sir. In plain view of home. Sir.”
Captain Suiden turned and looked long and hard at Laurel, who looked back at the captain, his face calm. Our captain then let out a sigh and kneed his horse.
“Tell the men to move it out, Lieutenant.” He started down the trail, the wind blowing his horse’s tail behind them like a streamer.
Groskin barely got the words out before the entire troop was behind the captain, fighting hard not to be in front of the captain. I let out my own breath, and mounted my horse. As I started to follow the troop, I felt a brush against my palm. I looked in my hand and saw a red feather, then turned and looked at Laurel Faena, who was looking straight back at me. He once more touched his mouth, then heart; then he reached up and touched the feathers remaining on his staff. I had just obligated me and any offspring I’d have forever and ever. Oh, hell. Fiat.
“Eyes forward, trooper,” Lieutenant Groskin said from behind me.
I turned to the front again and Groskin pulled even.
“You’re so sodding heedless, Rabbit,” he began. “That thing—”
“Laurel Faena, sir,” I said.
“—could have had you six ways from Feast Day without raising a sweat—if it sweated.”
“We had pacted a meal covenant, sir.”
“Covenant. With a magical.” Groskin looked over at me and saw the feather. “Is it serious?”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“What have you gotten yourself into, Rabbit?” Lieutenant Groskin frowned. “Will it involve the troop?”
“Don’t know, sir. All of us were lost and now all are going home.”
“Bloody poxy damnation,” Lieutenant Groskin said, running his hand over his face. “We’ll have to tell the captain—and the commander when we get back. After everyone stops laughing.”
“Yes, sir,” I said. I swore I heard the wind snickering.
Chapter Two
It wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be when we got back to the garrison that afternoon. It was worse.
A day or so late and Commander Ebner figured we just got held up by a bit of nature, like a rockslide or sudden storm. Three days late and he worried that we had injuries or somehow lost horses. Eight days late and he knew that there was an all-out war going on in the mountains and he was going to our rescue. He was mounted, having just given the speech to the men about how they rode to avenge our massacre, when we came through the garrison gates into the horse yard. As soon as he saw us, he cried out, his mustache quivering with relief. It stopped vibrating, though, as he saw there were no bandages, bruises or any other sign of our epic struggle to win free so we could warn the town of the massed hordes sweeping down on it. We didn’t even have a shaving nick.
“Captain Suiden,” Commander Ebner said. His voice echoed in the yard.
“Sir!” our captain replied.
“Over a week late, Captain,” the commander stated.
“Yes, sir!”
“Well?”
It was fascinating to see how the laughter started in the far corners of the yard and moved inward, sort of like the reverse of a stone’s ripples in a pond. By the time Captain Suiden finished telling how we wandered the mountains, unable to find the trail home, our would-be rescuers were holding their sides as they gasped and wheezed and swayed in their saddles. The laughter stopped, though, as Suiden got to the part of meeting the Faena and I held my breath until I realized that he was going to leave out the meal covenant. Many of the more straight-laced lads already looked sideways at me because of my Border upbringing. I didn’t want them to know that I’d made a pact with someone they wouldn’t hesitate to call demonic. I curled my fingers around the feather I still held in my hand, praying hard that no one in my troop had overheard me tell Groskin. Or Groskin tell Suiden.
“A magical,” Commander Ebner said. He smoothed his mustache. “This close to town.”
“Yes, sir,” Captain Suiden said.
“Dismiss your men, Captain, and come with me.” Commander Ebner wheeled his horse and noticed the troopers still gathered in the horse yard. He waved his hand at them and the other captains gave orders to stand down.
“Lieutenant Groskin,” Captain Suiden said. “Please dismiss the men.” He then followed the commander to the stables.
We barely waited for Groskin’s bellow of “Dismissed!” before scattering like beetles from under an overturned rock.
It was too much to hope for that the groomers hadn’t heard what happened, but I managed to get out of the stables somewhat whole. (I was a little bruised when I accidentally bumped into Groomer Hedley while he was in the middle of a funny story about blind horsemen. I apologized and helped him up but darned if I didn’t bump into him again. Clumsy me. I got to my barracks and headed for my cot. I needed to hide the feather and I figured the best place for it was in my footlocker. Under the guise of changing out of my uniform, I shoved the feather under a stack of my smalls and for the first time in days I took a deep breath and let it out.
“Sheesh, don’t be such a priss, Rabbit. A little dirt won’t hurt you.”
I looked up and saw Jeffen at his cot next to mine. He grinned at me. “Who’d think that a farm boy from the Border would be such a coxcomb?”
“Heigh-ho, if you’d take a bath now and again, maybe, just maybe, you’d get lucky.” I grinned back as I slipped on my dressing robe and shut my locker. “Then again, maybe not. A bath wouldn’t improve your face.”
“Pound sand, peacock,” Jeff said. “The lovely ladies lust after my luscious, uh, body.”
“Yeah, right.” I turned away, thinking to go to the baths and hide out in the steam. “They’d have to use a shovel to find it first—”
“Border puke.”
Blast. I stopped. Blocking me was Lieutenant Slevoic. Lieutenant Groskin liked to browbeat gentlemen’s sons. Slevoic liked to hit. Anyone. Next to him stood Ryson, and behind them Slevoic’s nasties and hanger-ons.
“Sir!” I said.
“I heard that you were playing pattyfoot with a magic mutant, puke,” Slevoic said.
“Captain Suiden hasn’t given me leave to discuss that, sir!” I watched Ryson drop his smirk.
Slevoic laughed and leaned into me. “He’s not here—”
“Heed Captain!”
At the shout I was very careful not to let any relief show on my face. I looked to the side, expecting to see Captain Suiden at the door and found myself staring into Suiden’s face. Slevoic and friends were so intent on intimidating me that they hadn’t noticed the captain’s approach, and no one felt the need to inform them. I froze where I was and saw the captain’s eyes shift.
“Trooper Ryson.”
“Sir!”
“You will report immediately to the stable master for detail duty.” This time I was careful not to grin as Ryson hurried out of the barracks. Cleaning tack and shoveling muck while listening to Groomer Hedley’s funny stories might curb his appetite for weaseling.
The captain’s eyes shifted back to me and his brows rose at my robe. “Trooper Rabbit.”
“Sir!”
“I assume there’s a reason why you’re wearing that.”
“I was going to the baths, sir!”
“I see. If you would, then, please wait a moment.” He turned to Slevoic. “Is there a reason why you’re in my barracks, Lieutenant?”
“We just wanted to visit with our friends, sir,” Slevoic said.