“That it is,” Edmund said, shaking his head. “No, it will be Kane or Gunny. Of the two I think Kane. He won’t like it but Alyssa’s patrol is back and she can handle the cavalry well enough. And Kane has worked the most with the militia.” He paused on the doorstep and smiled. “The good news is that I’ve hired a cook. Daneh is… a little encumbered and Rachel has many virtues but her cooking is not one of them.”
He led them into the house and Herzer was oddly comforted. The house where he had convalesced was as much home as the barracks, more so. He realized, not for the first time but perhaps for the first time so forcefully, that he had not had a true home since his parents “gave him his freedom” at fourteen. Edmund’s house was as close as it got.
“First, let’s get you out of that armor,” Edmund said. “Then you can have a cup of wine and a bath.”
“I think there are some things around that might fit you,” Daneh said, sitting down in one of the chairs and cradling her stomach. “Oh, I thought if I had to walk one more step I was just going to have the baby right then. I cannot wait to have this thing out of me!”
“I’ll get the stuff for Herzer,” Rachel said.
“I’m first for the bath,” Bast said, starting to strip off her limited clothing as she walked towards the bathing room. “Saving boy-toys is sweaty work!”
Edmund helped Herzer out of his armor and then unstuck the leather and cloth from the wound on his side. “That’s the problem of articulated armor; a well-placed thrust can get up under it.”
“Why do we use it, then?” Herzer asked, grimacing as the baron applied a pungent and stinging salve to the wound.
“It’s better for marching and digging forces,” Edmund said. “Bending to do anything in plate or even just a full cuirass is a pain in the ass. This is armor for working infantry. And in battle most enemies don’t get a chance for a measured upward thrust.”
“What about putting mail underneath?” Herzer asked.
“Well, you can get some if you want the additional weight,” Edmund nodded as he finished tying the bandage around Herzer’s ribs. “That’s up to you.”
Herzer thought about all the weight the Blood Lords already carried and grimaced. “Good point.”
“No armor is perfect,” Edmund said. “It all involves compromise. All you can do is figure out which compromise is better or worse.”
“A bit like life, then,” Herzer chuckled.
“Well, I’m glad you find something funny,” Rachel said as she entered the room, her arms full of clothes.
“Things could be worse,” Herzer said.
“How?”
“I don’t know,” he replied with a grin. “But I’m sure we’ll find out.”
“Men,” Rachel said with a shake of her head. “Next I suppose you’ll go jump in the bath with Bast.”
“Well, I’ve jumped in the bath with you before,” Herzer pointed out.
“That’s different,” Rachel snapped, then left the room, her feet slapping the tile as she walked.
“What was that all about?” Edmund asked then shook his head. “Never mind. Which reason for her to be upset was that about?”
“All of them?” Herzer replied. “I think much of it is that you might have forgiven me for running out on Mistress Daneh, but Rachel will never forgive me for letting her mother be raped.”
Edmund’s jaw worked for a moment before he nodded acceptance. “Maybe not now, but in time. I know that you’re… friends.”
“Yes, that is exactly what we are,” Herzer sighed, looking at the door through which the girl had retreated. “Friends.” He shrugged his shoulders and then grinned. “But, on the other hand, she’s such a good friend she made an excellent suggestion. So if you don’t mind, sir, I’m going to go take a bath.”
“Supper’s in about thirty minutes,” Edmund pointed out. “You’ll have to be… quick.”
“I’m far too tired for anything but a bath,” Herzer replied with all the dignity he could muster.
“Sure,” Edmund chuckled. “Like I don’t remember being seventeen. And, you forget, I knew Bast before you were born.”
Realizing he was defeated, Herzer shrugged his shoulders, picked up the pile of clothes and headed for the bath.
By unspoken consent the conversation at dinner avoided the topic of the impending battle. They talked about the increase to the sawmill, in which Herzer had a stake, and the expanding smithies and foundries. There were iron deposits on Massan Mountain still, despite its being heavily worked in the past, and some people were considering opening them, but Edward wasn’t convinced it was worth it.
“Angus has access to already refined steel; all he has to do is rework it. And that mountain of his is shot through with ores. For that matter, the deposits in the valley are of an ore that is hard to form; it requires much higher heats and forging times than the western deposits. The trick is, we need a better system to access Angus’ supplies.”
“He lives near some rivers, doesn’t he?” Herzer said, recalling a map he’d seen of the area.
“He does, but the river runs far to the north and into lands that are neutral at best and some of them are held by Paul’s supporters. But there’s an old road that contacts the Poma River. And that leads to the Shenan. I think getting that road up and running and a good system of boats is the better answer.”
“There’s not a town at the joining of the rivers,” Herzer mused. “It would be worthwhile to start one there.”
“I think we’ll see what comes on its own,” Edmund said as the cook brought out the deserts. “Oh, lovely.”
“And thank you, mistress, for that delightful meal,” Herzer said, nodding at the cook who was probably thrice his age but looked no more than twenty. “What was the meat? It was wonderful.”
“Emu,” the cook replied with a wink. “It’s hard to cook because it’s tough as nails. But if you put it in my special sauce and stew it well it’s fine.”
“And what is this?” Herzer asked. The small cakes were golden brown on the outside with a small white star on the top of each.
“Semolina,” the cook replied. “Rough milled grain, that is. Cooked with honey and butter and mixed with pine nuts.”
“Delicious,” Bast said, her mouth full. “And I’m glad to see that you’re eating well as well, Daneh.”
“Oh, everything I can get,” the doctor replied, taking one of the cakes and licking a drop of honey off her hand. “But it gives me some terrible indigestion sometimes. I swear, sometimes it feels like this kid’s hair is in my stomach, I have no idea why.”
“Thank you, mistress,” Edmund added as the cook set out a pot of herbal tea. He sighed as she left and he filled a cup. “This is a damned poor substitute for real tea,” he grumped. “I swear, if it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to take ship to the far Indies and find a tea plantation. Or found one if I must.”
“I think we need you too much here, dear,” Daneh said with a chuckle. “Some day, maybe, someone else will take up the quest.”
“Speaking of forlorn quests,” Rachel said. “What are you planning?”
Edmund hesitated and took another sip of tea, then shook his head. “I generally don’t talk about my plans, Rachel. Even to friends.”
“Why?” Herzer asked.
Edmund paused again and then shrugged. “You’d be surprised how much intelligence plays a part in successful operations. I don’t want there to be any chance for the enemy to know what I plan, or even how I plan it. Look at that rabbit coming in with their plans. The rest… I think you’ll learn in time.”