Steel And Flame (Book 1) (38 page)

“Ooh!  Damn it, I think they really are shot!”

“There’s a log over here.  Take a seat.”

“Thanks.  What’s news?”

“Nothing for the last candlemark as far as I can
tell.  I think they may have retreated with night falling.”

Probably.  It would just be my luck to have gone
through all that when they’d already left!
  “Anything else?”

“Fraser says we’re pulling back regardless once all of
you have been rescued.”

Hating the implication he had been helpless, yet unable
to refute it, Marik said, “Then that should be soon, right?”

“We need to get Ashlin too.  We don’t want to leave
him behind if we don’t have to.  And Sennet would kill us himself for leaving
his equipment to rust.”

“Who cares about equipment?  Was he the only one?”

“Only one of us I know about.  There might have been
others since him, but no one’s told me if that’s the case.”

“Where’s Fraser?  I should go report if he’s waiting
for us.”

“Don’t rush off.  He’s set up checks every quarter
mark so you can leave with the messenger.  I need to stay here.  He should be
along soon.”

“Fine.  I hope tomorrow goes better than today.”

“It wasn’t so bad.  We took a decent toll on the enemy
and only lost one man for the ten or so we took down.  Plus we kept two rover parties
entertained and away from Dornory’s group.”

“They’d be better equipped to handle these small
groups anyway.”

“If they stood and fought, then Dornory’s force would
be, yes.  But they don’t.  Rovers strike and run and can take quite a toll on a
large force, especially with several groups working together.”

“So we did good then?  I don’t feel like celebrating a
victory.”

Landon laughed quietly.  “A victory is the
accomplishment of your objectives.  We needed to keep the rovers away from
Dornory’s primary force, and we’ve done exactly that.  We don’t need to kill
them all to do so.”

“Then I hope the other units were as successful as
us!”

Marik had meant it as a sarcastic remark, but Landon
replied, “So do I, my friend.  So do I.”

They encountered a different rover band the next day,
or it might have been the one that had joined the first in the woods.  This
group traveled alertly, ducking under cover before Fraser could get the unit
moving with any speed.

Six bows with quivers had been recovered from
yesterday’s skirmish.  With the five men carrying bows as part of their regular
arsenal it meant half of the twenty-two remaining unit men plus the sergeant
were now so armed.  The original five had been able to recover most of their
arrows, meaning their quivers still held nearly their thirty arrow capacity. 
Unfortunately, even with the shafts recovered from the rover fighters whose
bows had broken during the fighting, the allotment for the six newly armed
archers worked out to seven meager arrows each.

Still, it increased the unit’s capability so they
would be better prepared to take out the next rover party.  Marik only wished
they had extra arrows.

“Are you all right, mate?”  Dietrik’s concern was
palpable.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“That was the first time in battle for you, wasn’t
it?”

“If you’re wondering whether I’ll start throwing up
because I saw a man get killed, don’t bother.  I’m fine.”

“Then what’s got you down?”

“Nothing, like I said.  I’m just thinking.”

“Thinking, eh?  About what?”

“Something Landon told me back at Dornshold.  Dornory
wanted to keep quiet about the fact he was hiring mercs, right?”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“But Fielo is sure to know about it by now.  Probably
he knew a long time ago.”

“That’s no surprise.  What’s the point?”

“Dornory hired us because he knew there’d be
fighting.  We’re taking the point in dealing with Fielo’s men so Dornory and
his own forces can get to the dam unmolested.”

“And?”

“So if Fielo knows all this, then why isn’t he sending
his men out to deal with us and Dornory?  Is he going to let us trespass across
his land with nothing to say and waste his men?”

“Not at all.  These harassment troupes are trying not
to engage us in close combat.  That’s their purpose as strike and run forces.”

“But that still means we’re going to arrive at the dam
and cause trouble.  I’ve been wondering if Fielo’s planning a massive battle
against us there.”

“His own men do outnumber Dornory’s.  I gather that’s
why he had the brass to put the dam up in the first place.”

“Which is why Dornory hired us, remember?  But if
Fielo knows about the contract with the Kings, then would he still be confident
in an all out battle?”

“Hmm.”

“I’ve been wondering.  Landon told me both of these
barons are sure to have spy rings and information networks set up against each
other so they know what the other is up to.”

“Intrigue,” Dietrik shrugged.  “It’s nothing new in
the upper classes, or the armed forces of the upper classes for that matter.”

“But it depends on secrecy.  If Fielo discovered Dornory’s
network, he might be able to do what he wants and keep it secret.  Or make them
think a fake operation is going on to mislead them.”

“That’s called disinformation.”

“Whatever you call it, it means Dornory might not have
all the cards he needs to win this hand, even with the Kings.”

“Perhaps, but people who spy on their enemies usually
also spy on their spies to prevent them from turning double.  The redundants
can usually ferret out that sort of mischief and get word back to their
employer.  And with the Kings’ forces here, the numbers should be about equal.”

“Then why is he letting us march across his turf with
only bee stings to annoy us?”

“Well, I must admit that is a separate issue
altogether.  Now you’ve got me wondering.”

“He must have a plan working,” Marik stated with
conviction.

“I suppose, but you always have to be ready for
anything in this line of work.  You can bet both Fraser and Earnell aren’t
taking Dornory’s word on Fielo’s forces for granted.”

“I only want to be prepared.  That’s all I ask.”

“We will be, mate.  This isn’t the first campaign for
either of those chaps.  They know their onions.”

“Hmmm.”

“Now what?”

“Nothing.  Thinking about onions.”

“Next meal isn’t until sundown when we dig in for the
night.”

“What?”

“Well, I thought—“

“Never mind!  Forget it!”

“If you say so.”

*        *        *        *        *

“Men to the north!”  A Fourth Unit man Marik did not
know well called this out loudly.  Marik squinted, unable to see them at first
before finally spotting their movement.

They were in the open fields, the nearest forested
area six miles behind them.  A tree line decorated the distance.  It would
require an entire day’s march to reach it.  The Fourth Unit followed a dry
streambed that would have flowed to the south except for the years of drought. 
Fraser figured to rendezvous with Dornory’s force in two days.  That would
place them a full day’s march south of Fielo’s dam.

Though farmers had planted several of the fields they
walked past, no road existed which meant a rough march across uneven ground. 
No buildings were visible and except for the earthen rows striping the plowed
fields, Marik could have believed themselves a hundred miles from
civilization.  The only landmark visible, other than the farmers’ fields, was a
wide rock promontory jutting up to the west.  It stood alone, only thirty feet
tall, looking like a bread crust dropped by a careless titan.

The entire Fourth Unit watched the men to their
north.  It soon became apparent they were being pursued by a separate force. 
Unable to make out any markings or heraldry that might identify them, Marik’s
muscles tensed, preparing for anything.

Fraser watched like a hawk.  Suddenly he shouted,
“Everyone with a bow to the front!  Hold them visible, but not at the ready! 
Everyone else get behind the archers and line up in a loose marching
formation!”

Marik hastened to secure a position behind Landon in
the rough five-by-four configuration the unit formed.  Two rows of bowmen, then
two rows of hand-to-hand fighters with the remaining two men taking up the rear. 
Fraser walked in front.  In the third row, Marik peered between Landon and
Edwin.

After a minute he saw what Fraser must have spotted. 
The lead group all carried bows wrapped around their torsos.  The crests on
their tunics were indistinguishable from this distance, but they had to be one
of Fielo’s rover bands.  Which meant their pursuers were most likely a Ninth
Squad unit.

The rovers were being chased from the north and had
changed direction, angling south once they spotted the Fourth unit.  Fraser’s
placement of the bows to the fore seemed to have fooled them.  Fielo’s men
believed them to be another rover party so were heading toward what they
thought were reinforcements.

But the rover leader was no green fighter new to
combat.  He sent a runner ahead to check on their allies.  Fraser ordered the
Fourth to greater speed, hoping to draw close before being discovered.  When
the runner neared, the absence of Fielo’s device and the eclectic armor array
told him what he needed to know.  The runner sped as fast as he could to report
to his commanding officer.  A quarter-mile still separated the Fourth from the
rovers when they abruptly turned west in a race for the promontory.

Sergeant Fraser cut northwest in an attempt to
intercept, except the bad angle and the rovers’ hard drive defeated them.  The
rovers swarmed up the stone face before the mercenaries caught them.  Fraser
called a halt to rest the men, then sent Duain as runner to the other unit who
still had a half-mile of ground to cover.

“Well, this’ll be some kind of fun,” Edwin muttered
under his breath.

“Do you think the good sergeant will try and take the
hill?” asked Dietrik, who rejoined Marik once their run had stopped.

“I hope not.  That’s a nice position they have there.”

“With the other unit, we could form a ring around the
perch,” Marik thought aloud.  He amended the notion before either could point
out the error.  “Except it would be thin.  They could break through it with
hardly any effort.”

“Indeed, mate.  There’s no cover around here, so I
think one unit is going to take a position to the east and the other to the
west.  With the ridge running north to south, the only good routes away would
be through us.”  Dietrik held his chin as he always did when lost in thought.

“They’re going to fend us off for the rest of the day
and make a break tonight after dark,” Edwin stated.

“Why do you think that?” Marik inquired.

“It’s their only chance.  No way to escape in the
daytime with all this open space.”

“Then Fraser’s probably going to order an assault.”

“He better not, unless it’s a damn brilliant one. 
Twenty or so men up there with bows at an elevated position?  They’ve got fifty
yards longer range on us, and if they’re all loaded heavy there might be five
hundred shafts aimed at our heads!”

“If that’s First Unit over yonder, Lieutenant Earnell
will be with them.  I’m sure he wouldn’t let Fraser do anything foolish.”

“Doesn’t matter if he orders it or not.  If he says to
charge up there, I’m not wasting my skin that way.”

“This is one benefit of not being in the army,”
Dietrik mused with a wry smile.  “If you refuse to follow the orders of a
simpleton, the worst they can do is kick you out of the band.”

“Right!  There’s other bands around.”  Edwin paused a
moment before adding, “Though I like this one better than the others I’ve been
with.”

“You know,” Marik thought aloud again.  “If we built
piles of wood, we could light bonfires around the rock to keep it lit after
dark.  That would make it harder to escape then.”

“The nearest tree’s about six miles back that-a-way. 
Feel free to make the round trip with a heavy load of tinder.”

“Maybe not,” Marik allowed.

“The other unit is arriving,” Dietrik informed them. 
He looked for the commanding officer and identified Sergeant Bindrift.  “Looks
like the Second has been keeping busy.”

“Good thing it’s not Dove,” Edwin commented.  “He and
Fraser mix like oil and water, even when Earnell’s around.”

The two sergeants met briefly and, true to Dietrik’s
prediction, Fraser soon ordered the Fourth to move around to the west side. 
They had to walk north around the tip but were soon in position.

Fraser broke the unit into halves, positioning them a
few hundred yards apart to the north and south so as to better cover the
promontory’s length.  He left orders with his men to only engage in the event
of an escape attempt, then quickly retreated to the eastern side to discuss
strategies with Bindrift.

The rovers spread across their perch.  They seemed to
have settled in to watch their adversaries.  Marik took his pack off, settling
down in the brown grasses with his water skin and a handful of dried meat to
wait for whatever would happen next.

*        *        *        *        *

Fraser spent the day with Bindrift on the outcrop’s
east side, finally returning when the sky turned the bright orange preceding
sunset.  Despite the extended time he had spent in discussion with his peer
sergeant, they had not crafted an impressive plan.

The southern groups on both sides were to pull back
north, rejoining the other half of their units.  Leaving the south open gave
the rovers an easier escape route they should take advantage of.  Once the
darkness had grown thick enough to move without being seen, the rovers should
begin their decent.  At the same time the two units would creep south to wait
for the rovers.  Once their targets touched the flat land, both units would
fire into them.  They would take down as many rovers as they could.  No pursuit
would follow any that managed to escape.

“Which will be most of them, I’m betting,” Landon
muttered to Marik.  “Have you ever shot in the dark?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Don’t worry about arrows,” Fraser continued.  “We can
re-supply from the rovers we take down and recover most that go wild.  At dawn,
we’ll break camp and continue to the rendezvous point.  Anyone heavily loaded
needs to share their arrows with the others.”

Marik looked to the sky, saying, “I think we have a
little over a candlemark before it’s dark enough.”

“Too bad we can’t cook a hot meal.”

“Why not?”

Kerwin studied him as if only then realizing he
traveled with a simpleton.  “Because the idea is for them not to see us in the
dark, remember?”

“Actually, the idea is for them to think we’re up here
on the northern front.  If we have a cook fire burning, they’ll see it and
think they’re safe escaping through the south end.”