Chapter 15: The Raid -- Execution

Gamelin lowered himself wearily to his favorite rock in the camp on the eastern shore of the lake.

For a moon-quarter Tuck had drilled the men who would take part in the raid. The decision had been made early on that a party of thirty men would take part in the raid, six mortars, each with a crew of four, plus a half dozen others, including Gamelin as Captain Leitnos' deputy and Judy as Tuck's. Tanda Havra was coming along and Tazi with her; they would be scouts.

Gamelin was pretty sure that his father would have raised more than an eyebrow at the thought of having so many women along on a raiding party. He would have cursed and sworn fulsome oaths about even one woman. And what he would have said about the notion that they would take no horses with them on the raid defied Gamelin's imagination.

Starting the third day, every morning before breakfast and every evening before dinner, they ran. Not just any run, but every person carrying the same gear as they would carry with them on the raid. And they didn't run a mile or so, but four miles. They were supposed to keep in formation, but that had yet to happen.

And that had been embarrassing for all of them, except Tuck, Tanda Havra and Tazi and one of Gamelin's troopers, Hestius. The first morning, Tuck, Tanda, Tazi and Hestius had run the circle that every man in the raid had come to hate. Four miles. Gamelin could remember running that far as a boy, without a thought.

But that was without a backpack that weighed more than a hundred pounds, closer to a hundred and fifty. And a rifle. True, the three women carried the smallest packs. Judy's was the lightest, at eighty pounds, followed by Tazi's at a hundred pounds. But Tanda Havra and Tuck both carried hundred and forty pound packs, as did Gamelin and Captain Leitnos. Hestius carried a hundred and sixty pounds.

That first morning, most of the men were walking at the end of the first mile. Lady Judy ran a little further and Gamelin only a little further himself. Tuck must have said something to Vosper, because the sergeant brought up the end of the column, yelling at any laggard. He even yelled at Captain Leitnos, who was slow only the once.

And, having seen a moon-quarter of this, Gamelin understood why Tuck was training a hundred men with mortars, even if only thirty would go. The ones who couldn't run the course by the end of the moon-quarter would be left behind to teach mortars to others. They were going to leave a solid core of skilled people for Count Tellan to use. A clever idea! Not to mention all the troopers who were able to run the miles needed!

At least this day he'd managed to run the entire distance without stopping. Of course, he was so tired he could hardly stand at the end of the day, but he'd kept up with Tuck.

Tuck came back from the lakeside, having washed his face and hands. "Count Tellan wants us," he told Gamelin and Captain Leitnos who was even now swinging his pack to the ground.

"Ah, nothing like a row across the lake," the captain growled, "to finish out the day!"

They walked down the shore and two rowboats took them quickly towards the citadel. It was a blessing from Dralm, Gamelin thought, that others rowed and not those from the raiding party.

The half dozen in their party walked up the hill, mostly silent. At the top, as they were about to go inside, Judy laughed. "I can't believe how feather-light I feel! The first time I had to climb up here, the hill seemed to go on forever!"

"Practice, practice, practice!" Tuck joked.

"Another year or two of practice like this," Tanda Havra said, "you'll probably be able to keep up with Tazi -- if Tazi gets fat and lazy."

Tazi punched the older woman on the arm and everyone laughed. It was also true, that this morning Tanda Havra and Tazi, backpacks and all, had run at their own pace instead of the one Tuck used. They ran the course twice in the time it took the rest of them to go around once. It was a sobering reminder of what they would face if they came up against Mexicotal infantry, Tuck told them later.

Count Tellan and his staff were drawn up in the Council Chamber. All of Tuck's other charges were there as well, each sitting next to an officer. Count Tellan had been blunt. "These officers have assistants now and we have three additional junior officers who can serve in the field. I don't want to hear complaints."

Count Tellan pulled a cover off an easel, showing a large map of the lands he commanded or watched over. "I have sent out many three-man patrols into the area to our west and south. So far, only one of these had been intercepted. The others are reporting now, fairly regularly. They signal in the early morning or late afternoon, then move on before the Zarthani can respond."

He pointed to a line on the map that started at the Mud River, far to the west. "This is the Zarthani road. They must have been working on it over the winter. They have bridged a number of sandy washes. Clever bridges. They don't bridge water; they bridge the sand, so that wagons can be drawn across without bogging down.

"The road ends here," he marked a spot on the map, about twenty miles from where Mogdai had been. "There are about two hundred men working on it, and they should be up to this spot here," he touched a star drawn on the map, "in a moon-quarter.

"This spot is where they are building some sort of fort. They are building a low stone wall to circle it; there are two stone buildings under construction. Most of the Mexicotal the scouts have seen are being used as labor. The reports are that there are about three thousand Mexicotal infantry and a thousand Zarthani cavalry there, another five thousand Zarthani infantry."

Gamelin saw Tuck frown for a second, then suddenly jerk his head, as if he'd suddenly understood something.

"Captain Tuck?" the Count asked, having noticed the same thing.

"I was wondering why with that many soldiers they weren't more effective against your patrols. You just told me. Odds are, the guy in charge is cavalry," Tuck said. "We had the same problem in my king's army."

"They have a dozen field guns," Count Tellan went on, "and Tanda Havra was correct: those guns are being serviced by the Mexicotal. If Styphon has armed the Mexicotal with fireseed and cannon that mistake dwarfs all the others. We will pay for that for a hundred years."

The room was silent as everyone digested the information.

"It sounds like we could attack the road construction crew," Captain Leitnos spoke.

"No," Tuck said. "By the time we could get there, they'd be nearly to this fort. Better, by far, not to get them thinking about the road. Not just yet. When we hit it, we want to tie them in knots, cut it in a dozen places. Until then, we want traffic on the road, traffic that we can attack.

"No, we'll hit their fort, as planned."

Gamelin had nodded at everything Tuck had said, right up until he spoke the last three words.

"Captain Tuck! Count Tellan just said there are nearly ten thousand men at that fort! Thirty against eight thousand?" Gamelin couldn't keep the disbelief out of his voice.

"It will depend. I'll grant you my original thought was to ambush a very strong patrol. But the fort offers too tempting a target."

"You call thirty against eight thousand tempting?" Captain Leitnos asked, his voice a little more neutral, but as concerned as Gamelin had been. After all, he'd be in command of the attack.

"Sure. Odds are, those men are sitting around the fort, pulling guard duty, just going through the motions. When you have eight thousand friends around you, and all you've seen of the enemy are a few small patrols and the backs of the largest patrol -- all of two dozen men -- well, you're not exactly going to be shaking in your boots." Tuck grinned nastily. "We'll show them the error of their ways."

Tuck gestured at the map. "Even so, we'll have to be quick. What do you know about further south, towards the Mexicotal lands?"

"If there is a Mexicotal road, the scouts have not found it. They have found no large numbers of Mexicotal troops moving northwards, either. The scouts continue to search, though; there is a lot of rough country down there, to the south and east.

"I sent six of my people, along with two of Manistewa's, to enlist the aid of the village folk, in their mountain fortress. They would make excellent scouts. My men carried bags of signal mirrors and will teach them to signal. Not many are literate, so that will be a problem, but Manistewa tells me not as big a problem as it could be."

Tuck nodded. "Then, what we need is to get some good eyes on that fort, as soon as possible. We need to know the terrain, the layout, guard schedules, patrol schedules... every last little thing."

"I will go," Tanda Havra spoke up. "Tazi and I can leave tonight, there is enough light for us to travel to the Barrier. Tomorrow we will descend, and then travel fast. Morning, day after next, we will be there. I know the spot, so does Tazi. It isn't far from Mogdai, although across the river."

She turned to Count Tellan. "Do your scouts tell you where their scouts are? Particularly east of the mountains?"

"They haven't seen anything on this side of the mountains. Their patrols, what few of them there are, are going north, on the western bank of the Wen'rotos. I believe they will try to come at us from the west, instead of directly up the Barrier," Count Tellan spoke.

He turned to Tuck. "And you, Captain Tuck, what do you think of Tanda Havra's proposal?"

Tuck sighed. "I did say we needed eyes there fast." Tuck looked up at the count. "Sir, Tanda can get there in two days, she says. Two days watching, another two days back. Six days, just for the scouting trip. Then three or four days for the patrol to march on their fort, another day to make a final check. Nine or ten days in all. I think that's too long, Count.

"I say let Tanda and Tazi leave tonight; the raiders will leave tomorrow morning, before High Sun. We should be close to the mountains by the time we stop tomorrow evening. Another day to march closer, perhaps part of a second; then lie up until night. Launch the raid that night. The moon will be nearly full and rises just after sunset. We'll hit them, disengage and return. Call it four nights from now, for the attack and we'll probably return a little quicker than we went, having much lighter packs."

The count turned to Captain Leitnos. "Your thoughts, Captain?"

"If they aren't on this side of the mountains, we can probably approach safely enough. But they would certainly patrol heavily around this fort."

"Count Tellan?" Tuck asked. "What sort of patrols have they been sending out from their fort?"

Count Tellan stared at Tuck. "Every morning a mounted patrol of about thirty men goes north, along the river. Every evening a patrol returns from the west. We think they patrol for a moon-quarter, half out and half back."

"And how far back from the river is this fort?" Tuck asked.

"The scouts say about two hundred paces and that it sits on a small rise. The camp is about a three hundred paces long and half that wide, they have their horse lines up against the river side of the fort."

Tanda Havra nodded. "Yes, I'm sure I know the spot. Tuck, there are some bluffs across the river, a mile from the fort."

Tuck smiled. "And at a mile, we can put a mortar round inside something as large as the fort easily. We won't be very accurate, but with eight thousand men packed into a camp that size, accuracy isn't a factor."

"Don't forget a thousand horses," Judy Bondi added.

Tuck grimaced. "Judy, the sound a mortally-wounded man makes is a terrible thing. The sound a mortally-wounded horse makes will give you nightmares."

Gamelin saw Judy look around the table, at the stony faces that lined it.

Judy stared at Tanda Havra. "And you've heard this?"

Tanda nodded, but it was Tazi who spoke. "We eat horses, Lady Judy. The squeal a rabbit makes when you kill it isn't pleasant either. We do what we must to eat."

"And I will do it, too," Judy said defiantly. "You say I have a choice. Well, I've made my choice; stop trying to get me to change my mind."

Judy stared at those around the table. The only way, she was sure, that she'd be able to get them to accept her was to do what she had to do.

Later she talked for a bit with Becky and Lydia, who had interesting stories of their own to tell. When Judy was walking back to the landing to get a rowboat back to the camp, Elspeth was waiting.

"I wanted to talk to you," Elspeth said.

Judy nodded and stopped walking. Elspeth looked around and then spoke quietly. "The logistos and I have gone over your supplies; tell Tuck that overnight the last of what he's requested will be brought over."

"Okay. Thanks, Elspeth."

Elspeth ran her hand over her stomach. "If I didn't have this growing inside me, I'd be out there with you."

"Everyone says it's stupid," Judy told her.

"Maybe. But I'm like you and Tuck. I believe in paying my debts. I also have to think of the baby. Not only can't I go out, I won't be going out for some time to come. I don't want my child to be an orphan like that baby from Tanda's village."

"I understand."

"Understand this, too," Elspeth went on, "The logistos is a nice man, a widower. His wife died in childbirth three years ago. He and I..."

Judy smiled slightly. "You two get along, eh?"

Elspeth smiled slightly back. "Yes, we get along."

Judy shook her head, fighting a sigh. "At least you're husband-high."

Elspeth chuckled. "Judy, you've got that guy so wrapped around your little finger, he'll do anything you ask." Elspeth reached out and took Judy by the shoulder. "Girl, listen to me! If you want to be a wife and mom, why, you go ahead and give in to your urges. But Judy, if you want to do the things you say you do, you can't get pregnant. There are no rubbers here, Judy.

"I wasn't a virgin when I was raped. I had a couple of boyfriends and a couple of times we went all the way. It was a crapshoot, each and every time. I thought I was ready for it, but the reality isn't something you can prepare for. And even then the preparations fell apart."

"In other words, keep my legs shut, even if I like Gamelin," Judy told her.

"Keep them shut particularly because you like him. At least until you're husband-high. Then you can make a choice. Go my route or keep on with your notion of trying to be Super Girl or Wonder Woman. If you want those last choices, you're going to need a very, very long engagement."

The two stood silently for a moment, and then Elspeth hugged Judy. "You be careful! Keep that knife handy! Come back!"

Judy found one man at the small pier where the small boats were kept. The man gave her a gap-toothed grin and tossed the line into one of the smaller rowboats. Judy took one oar and he took the other. They sat side by side as they rowed.

Judy wasn't sure which fascinated the man more: her breasts or her knife. When they reached the shore, there was no one around the landing. Judy thanked him and started towards the camp, a very dark several hundred yards away.

She wasn't surprised to hear a furtive footstep behind her. She whirled, her knife out, just as the man lunged at her.

She was head and shoulders taller than he was, and she found in the next few seconds, stronger than he was too. She was also about a foot or so higher on the trail -- it all combined to mean the man never had a chance. He stumbled backwards and fell on his back. Judy leaned down, the point of her knife touching the base of his throat.

His throat worked, his eyes were filled with fear. "You never want me to see you again, do you understand?" Judy told the man quietly. "If I ever see you again, I'll kill you."

She pressed a tiny bit with the knife, bringing a tiny bead of blood from his skin. "Good night, now." She turned and walked away, not hurrying.

She found Gamelin, Vosper and Captain Leitnos talking by a small fire. She joined them and Vosper looked at her and smiled and spoke. "You didn't see Captain Tuck? He said he was going to wait for you down by the lake."

"Maybe I actually found him asleep," Judy joked. All of them laughed, because so far, no one had found Tuck to be really asleep with his hat pulled down.

"I don't see Tanda either," Judy said. "Maybe they went for a walk?"

Tanda appeared out of the darkness. "I thought I was good in the dark. Tuck... he is a ghost."

"You don't make much noise either," Tuck said appearing a few yards away. He turned to Judy. "Your boatman slipped and hit his head. I helped him collect himself."

Judy tried to fight the burst of bright anger that filled her instantly. "I don't need to be protected!" she said in English, as angry as she'd ever been.

Tuck replied in English as well. "And if you'd said what you just said in their language, you'd have killed that man! Have a care, Judy!"

"But I didn't, did I?" she demanded. "So maybe I'm not as stupid as I look!"

"Judy, your attitude is dangerous, do you understand? There are going to be thirty people on the raid. One person who can't control their temper could get everyone killed and make us fail in our mission. One person who is so full of herself that she won't listen to advice or take commonsense precautions."

"What did you do to that man?" Judy asked.

"Why, nothing. I helped him up, told him how lucky he was not to have been hurt much worse in a nasty fall like that and that after this, he probably shouldn't run on the trail at night, it could be really dangerous. Last I saw him, he was rowing back towards Outpost."

"I don't need to be watched, okay?"

Tuck smiled. "Judy, you are going to have me, want it or not, hovering. As Tazi will have Tanda and Gamelin has Vosper. There's a reason why veterans hover around youngsters at first, Judy. Just relax, listen and learn. You have good instincts, girl. Don't go getting so wrapped up in yourself that you stop listening to the advice we give you."

Tuck turned to Tanda. "If you two are ready..."

Tanda Havra grinned. "Yes, we are ready. One of these days I have to find out if you can run like you sneak around in the dark."

Tuck shook his head. "I learned to ride before I learned to run. I'm spoiled."

A few minutes later Tanda and Tazi vanished into the darkness. For a few moments all they could hear were soft footfalls, then there was nothing.

Judy turned to Tuck. "We still have a hundred men in the camp."

Tuck nodded, his eyes alight with mirth. "Yes, and it took a whole lot of persuading to get Captain Leitnos not to pass the word to get ready. Nope, tomorrow morning, right in the middle of breakfast, we tell them to pack and be ready to go in a palm-width. In a palm-width, we'll see who's ready. Vosper and Gamelin have been making a list of who has done the best on the runs. We'll be on the trail two palm-widths after sunrise."

"Then, I should pack my things," Judy said, nodding.

"You bet. You'll be inspected too, by Vosper. I inspect Gamelin and Vosper and Captain Leitnos will look over my pack. Piece of cake!"

Judy had been carrying her own tent, strapped to her own pack frame, but on the raid she was taking just a pad and a blanket instead of her sleeping bag.

Tuck had explained how things were split up among the men. Each man had his basic combat pack, with food, shelter half and other items. They carried rifle ammunition and powder, enough for fifty shots. Their rifles were short, what Tuck called cavalry carbines, but every fifth man had a long rifle instead of the shorter one; altogether it weighed about sixty pounds.

Then there were the mortars. The mortars came in three parts, a flat piece of metal that was the base plate it sat on, and which could be leveled. Then there was the tube, and then the bipod legs. The base plate was the heaviest part, weighing about forty pounds. The legs were the lightest, about twenty pounds, and the tube about thirty pounds. A single mortar shell weighed nearly fifteen pounds.

Thus, three men on each crew carried a part of the weapon and the fourth carried just mortar shells. The men carrying mortar parts carried two mortar shells each; the fourth man carried four, for a total of ten rounds per tube. There were six guards who also carried four rounds, plus the three officers each carried three rounds. Each of the women carried one round, thus there were a total of sixteen rounds per tube. The plan was to fire eleven rounds from each tube into the enemy fort, fall back to their own camp, and if they were being hotly pursued, fire the remaining rounds at whoever was chasing them.

From what Tuck and the others said, Judy had long since figured out that they believed that they would be hotly pursued, because almost all of their planning assumed that the men would be forty to sixty pounds lighter on the return trip.

Judy checked her own things, and then lay down and looked at the familiar stars. It was surprising how quickly she fell asleep.

Tanda followed the trail down the Barrier carefully, taking her time.

Tazi had followed silently, until they reached the bottom. "That wasn't a very fast run, sister!" Tazi kidded her.

Tanda just laughed and started running in earnest. There was enough light to travel fast, even if the country wasn't well known to her. They made good time and stopped only briefly, twice, to drink from streams. In the early morning light Tanda slowed and started moving much more carefully.

"Ready to rest, sister?" Tanda asked a little past mid-morning.

Tazi held her gaze. "Elder sister, I could go until my feet bled and I was cross-eyed with tiredness."

"They expect us to be in better shape," Tanda replied with a laugh. "Sister, I am not you. You are not me. Don't push too hard, Tazi! And I have a pebble in my boot and I have to stop for finger-width. I should have stopped before."

Tazi nodded and they rested for a short time while Tanda worked at relieving her problem. Tanda glanced at Tazi when she was ready and Tazi nodded. The two of them were up and running again. Just past midday, they were both in country they knew well and were going very carefully, but still fast.

Just before they crested the ridgeline they slowed to nearly a crawl. From then on, they went slowly, sticking to deep cover. In the heat of the mid-afternoon they stopped and rested in the shade of some rocks.

Before the sun was down, they were sitting on a hillside, overlooking the busy camp almost two miles away. The first thing Tanda did was take out a piece of paper she'd been given and made a quick sketch map, with her estimates of the distances. Tazi made some comments about things she noticed that Tanda included.

Just before the sun went down a short column of cavalry came up from the southwest. Tanda counted them and made marks on the map. As the evening progressed there wasn't much more to see. There was a fire in the center of the camp, plus a few smoke-belching chimneys around the perimeter.

Tazi nodded off to sleep, and Tanda stayed awake another palm-width, but there just wasn't anything going on in the camp. She slept herself, fitfully, never completely asleep.

Long before first light she was ready. For nearly a palm-width after it was light enough to see, there was nothing but smoke from fires. Then, when the sun was well up, another small band of cavalry departed the fort, this time going north.

As the sun reached its zenith, three Mexicotal officers arrived on horseback, riding at a trot. Tanda turned to Tazi.

"Tuck should be at the meeting point two miles to the east. Go fetch him. Be careful! Just because we don't see any Mexicotal scouts, doesn't mean they aren't out here!"

Tazi nodded, patted her pistol and squirmed away.

A palm-width later, Tuck appeared, with Tazi leading him.

They lay in the full sun, Tuck with his binoculars scanning the camp while Tanda explained what she'd seen. The sun started down and Tuck put the glasses away. "Why do you do that, Tuck?" Tanda asked, knowing why, but wanting to sound curious.

"It's impossible to hold them still. The sun will glint off the glass, like the glass was a signal mirror. We don't want them coming up here, looking for one of our scouts."

Tanda nodded in understanding. A bit later both Captain Leitnos and Gamelin joined them, studying the area.

"There, I think," Tuck pointed to a wash that came down from the hills, and for about three hundred yards, paralleled the river, before turning one last time and running down to the water. "Plenty of room to set up, out of direct sight from the camp. We can pull back to there," Tuck pointed to a low ridge a mile from the river, "and if they pursue, hit them at the ford. We'll have to use direct fire from there, and they'll see the flashes. We will have to discourage the pursuit firmly."

Captain Leitnos grunted in agreement as he too studied the area.

As the sun was setting, Vosper and Tazi were watching the camp; the rest of the officers and Tanda sat in the shade of a bush, discussing the attack.

"A palm-width before midnight," Tuck said. "That will be best. We'll be able to rapidly pull back, see any pursuit and hit it, and then head back east as quick as our feet will carry us.

"The men should be rested enough," Captain Leitnos added.

"Yes, and we should spend the evening resting ourselves," Tuck added.

"You, Tuck, will stay on the ridge with Lady Judy, Tanda Havra and Tazi. I will command the guns in the center and left, Lieutenant Gamelin on the right."

"I would think," Tuck said evenly, "that the best place for the commander of the attack would be back on the ridge, where he can see the battlefield."

Captain Leitnos grinned. "If you want, I can dig around in my pack and find the written order for you to be back from the battle, Captain Tuck. None doubt your courage, not any more."

"None ever doubted," Gamelin growled, a little angry.

There was more discussion, then Captain Leitnos and Gamelin headed back to the camp. Tuck settled down next to Vosper, and Tanda sat down next to Tuck.

"Before the men take positions," Tuck said quietly to Vosper, "I want to speak to them."

Vosper glanced at him. "That is Captain Leitnos' duty, Captain Tuck."

Tuck chuckled. "No, not that. I want to teach them how to register fire in the dark, while still preserving something like volley fire."

Vosper looked uneasy. "I don't think changing the training now would be good."

"Not much of a change. The mortar closest to the fort fires first, then the others down the line, firing on a two-count. The spotters can keep track of the rounds that way and adjust as necessary. Once they get on target, they can fire for effect."

"And what will we be shooting at?" Vosper asked. "We won't be able to see anything."

Tuck grinned again. "Shortly, you can watch me make a template. In fact, since you're going to be there, you all can help me make templates."

The word template was in English, Tanda tried not to show any particular curiosity, but she was indeed curious.

"Template, Tuck?"

"Aye. Watch." Tuck had been holding a stick he'd found, idly, Tanda had thought, shaving pieces off of it. She'd made a mental note to bury the shavings before they left, but she hadn't said anything.

He held up the stick at arm's length. "You measure the stick against the fort, by eye. Hold the stick as far away as you can. Put the left end of the stick on the left edge of the fort and then roughly mark the right edge of the fort on the stick. Measure it long, in case you make a mistake. It's easy to shorten a stick; harder here to go find a new one if you have to start over."

Vosper nodded in understanding. Tuck measured and lopped off the end of the stick, measured again and took off a bit more. "Now, what you do is line it up as you did before, then mark on the stick where targets are." He pointed at the fort. "There is a stone building there, it is tall, with a flat roof. Odds are, that's their headquarters."

Tuck held the stick out and measured off the right distance and marked the headquarters. "Off in one corner is another stone building, this one much lower. I think that's the fireseed store."

Vosper grunted acknowledgement as Tuck marked that building. "In the middle, a great clear spot. We don't want to shoot at that, because there's nothing there."

Vosper nodded in understanding.

"Now, how to use this. The template is unique, it depends on how far away from the target you are, how long your arm is. The thing is, if you start from further away, it looks smaller. The closer you are, the bigger it looks, right?"

Vosper nodded, but he looked unsure. "You can hold the template closer to your eyes. Until the template once again is the right width. Then the line to the targets is right once again."

It took a special miracle for Tanda not to drop her jaw. She'd had some military training, but it had been cursory and mainly directed at being able to report back to the Paracops militarily important information. This was a practical application on a scale the Hostigi would understand easily.