Chapter 23: Training Days

Tanda Havra saw Tazi talking with her favorite Hostigi trooper, Hestius. They were sitting on a table on the portico of the palace, well away from the sun. She walked close to her young friend and nodded to her. Tazi jumped up and ran to her. "Sister?"

"Sister," Tanda acknowledged. She motioned to Hestius and he got up and joined them.

She spoke to Hestius. "I've heard you are from the live oak country, north of the Big River."

"Yes, Lady Tanda," he replied.

"And you don't like Mexicotal?" she asked.

He looked around the square. "I think I was wrong all those years. There are Mexicotal and there are monsters. I hate the monsters. These people are fine, just fine!"

"I saw you talking to some of them this afternoon."

He nodded. "We too have those who run away, who have escaped to us from the God-King's lands. One of the women who helped in our house was one. She taught me the language when I was little."

"I have talked to Lord Tuck and Lord Gamelin today," she told him.

"About what, elder sister?" Tazi asked, curious.

"About trooper Hestius. About you, about Lady Judy. About me."

Tazi regarded Tanda carefully and repeated nervously, "About what, elder sister? Is he sending us home with the others?"

"Only about two thirds of the Ruthani were sent home. There are a lot of hard feelings, but none of the Hostigi care what the Ruthani think any more. Lord Tuck told them to do something and they did something else. He told them to put it right and they refused. Most of them. He told those who wouldn't work as commanded to leave."

"What about you can't dump bodies in the river didn't they understand?" Hestius said, mildly outraged. "When we march south we'll be drinking from that river! If they poison the water, we'll get thirsty!"

Tanda nodded. "It was bad when they were told to put the bodies in a particular spot -- and they didn't. When told to clean up the mess they made, they refused. I can't believe your father and Old Man and the others died for such as them! They are fools!"

"My father and the others died for the village," Tazi reminded Tanda. "Not the fools!"

Tanda bobbed her head. "You speak truth, sister! These men are so stupid. Three more who had said they would stay left when they learned they still had to clean up the mess."

"If we are not being sent back, elder sister -- what of us then?"

"Lord Tuck is going to assign Lady Judy to take charge of gathering field intelligence; mainly asking prisoners questions, searching a battlefield for important information. Lord Tuck has told her to recruit from the Mexicotal of the city here who try to enlist even though they are not sixteen, which is the youngest age Lord Tuck wants to enlist in the regular army.

"She will train them and then lead them in their duties. She doesn't speak Mexicotal. I don't, you don't, sister. Trooper Hestius does. Trooper Hestius, if you wish, you could be Lady Judy's second in command -- and would be promoted to corporal."

Hestius slammed his fist into his other palm. "By Galzar! Yes! A corporal! That's eight hundred paces of lands like this, Tazi! Eight hundred paces! Imagine that!"

"And me, elder sister?" Tazi asked again.

"Sister, it would be easier for all if the rules were the same for everyone and that you went with Lady Judy."

Tazi contemplated that. "You are not sending me away?"

Tanda shook her head. "No sister, this is your choice. You do not have to agree; if you don't all will remain as before. But do not mistake this sister: if you go with Lady Judy you will be sneaking around the desert trying to capture Mexicotal soldiers -- that is dangerous! Searching a battlefield -- that is very dangerous! Not all of those left on the field are truly dead or even wounded. You might find you have to kill some of the God-King's soldiers.

"And, sister," Tanda went on, "if I need someone who can run, I will know just where to find you!"

Tazi nodded, glancing sidelong at Hestius. "Yes, I will do it, sister."

"Good!" Tanda exclaimed. "Lord Tuck said that if you agreed, it would mean you too would be a corporal, although junior to Corporal Hestius."

The two young people exchanged looks. Sixteen hundred paces by eight hundred paces! Better than good!

"Thank you, elder sister!" Tazi said, pleased.

"Thank me, Tazi, one day when the war is done and we are all alive and together again."

Tazi smiled. "You are always gloomy, elder sister!"

"Lady Judy is in the presence room, talking with Lord Tuck and Vertax, the former Mexicotal officer. Go and tell her, both of you, that you have agreed."

The two ran off, running hand in hand. Tanda smiled a small smile, and then she went across the square towards where Lieutenant Gamelin's troopers were camped.

Vosper looked up when she appeared and nodded. "Lady Tanda."

"Sergeant, Lieutenant Gamelin gave me a message for you. Send four men to the palace to see him. They will be shown the storeroom where the Mexicotal have powder horns, patches and balls. They will return with a party of Mexicotal, hitch up a wagon and return to the palace and then load it with that gear. They will take it outside the walls to where Captain Andromoth is working on the camp for the Mexicotal trainees."

"Yes, Lady Tanda."

"Have another group of men hitch up a fireseed wagon and take it to Captain Andromoth. That should all be done by sundown. Before then, Lieutenant Verneil of Captain Andromoth's company will report with thirty men. Show them the guard posts, the routes and all. Once they have taken over, your men are free until tomorrow, sunup."

"Thank you, Lady Tanda!"

Tanda smiled at him. "Sergeant, Captain Andromoth reports that working in the hot sun with a hangover is exceedingly unpleasant... as most of his men can attest."

"I'll say something to the men," the old sergeant said, "but it won't change anything."

"We must make the effort -- as the Ruthani learned this afternoon."

"That was really stupid," Vosper agreed.

"Lord Tuck has placed me over them, those that remain," Tanda said, looking at Vosper, interested in his reaction.

"Slittin' a few throats would be good for them!" Vosper laughed.

She smiled slightly. "Lord Tuck has asked me not to slit any throats that don't need to be slit."

The look the old sergeant gave her wasn't much different than the one Tanda had given Tuck. That wasn't an answer so much as permission to do as she wished.

Tanda walked back to the palace and as she stepped inside she pressed herself against a wall, a dark corner where none could see her. She rested for a finger-width, a short nap taken while standing.

When she awoke, her eyes were adapted to the dark. A few feet away, Tuck also dozed, his hat down over his eyes.

"A nap seemed like the thing to do," Tuck said, without lifting his hat.

Tanda laughed. "Someday, Lord Tuck, you must teach me your magic."

"Simple arts, arts I can teach anyone. When you get tired enough, you can sleep standing up while talking to someone. Alas, you do tend to become a little incoherent. The trick is to talk to someone as tired as you. That way you make perfect sense, and when they reply, you understand them as well."

Tanda could only shake her head. "And tonight, will we dance again?"

"Of course. I will demonstrate more reasons why you should marry me."

"Ah! Of course!"

Tanda turned serious. "Hestius and Tazi have gone to tell Lady Judy of their decision."

He nodded. "And you, have you talked to your new command yet, Lady Tanda?"

"No." She looked at him steadily for a second. "You understand that you are insulting them?"

"They insulted me," Tuck said brutally. "I told them what they had to do. They agreed. Over and over again, they agreed -- and then did something else. They will do this or they can all go home."

Tanda nodded. "I shall do as you command, Lord Tuck!"

She walked out to where Xenos and less than fifty of the Ruthani sat in the shade, talking among themselves. They were tired, dirty, and not very happy.

"I come to you to speak the words of Lord Tuck," she told them. "Gather around."

They did, obviously curious.

"Lord Tuck is a patient man. He is new in the lands of the Hostigi and new in his position. It is not his desire to alienate allies of Outpost or Hostigos.

"He is, though, the Field Commander. All here will obey him. If he tells someone to do something, it must be done. If he says something is not to be done -- don't do it. Some of your brothers are going north now because they didn't understand.

"Lord Tuck has appointed me over you."

The quiet vanished as men exchanged startled glances then hushed whispers.

"A few moons ago Lord Tuck had never seen a Hostigi, a Ruthani, a Zarthani or a Mexicotal. He has seen us all now," Tanda went on. "Both Lord Tuck and Lord Gamelin had responsibilities. They talked, in spite of every reason not to trust each other. Lord Tuck gave himself up to Lord Gamelin's mercy, then later, that of Count Tellan of Outpost.

"I tried to kill Lord Tuck with a knife. However, I forgot my name and came at him from the front."

There were a few guarded smiles; everyone knew the story. "I would have killed him, even though he is the best fighter I've met. Except Lord Gamelin called out in the High King's name and I let Lord Tuck go. They did not kill me. We talked, we became friends."

Someone spoke up, "Is it true, he wants you as his wife?"

"He's asked. I didn't answer.

"Tazi, a girl of Mogdai village was with me. We offered to scout for the Hostigi and they agreed. At first, I was like you. I did as I pleased. Then Lord Tuck humbled me. He tied me up and carried me helpless back to his camp. I learned my lesson! After that I did as I was told.

"I know we aren't brothers, but cousins! Cousins! Listen to me! We killed many Zarthani! We killed many of the God-King's soldiers! Always, I did as Lord Tellan or Lord Tuck bade me. Tazi, maiden girl of Mogdai village, did as we were bid.

"I saw the Zarthani fireseed god eat many men when we attacked their fort! I was not there when Lord Tuck faced ten times his number of Zarthani and almost as many servants of the God-King -- but cousins, those men fled! The Mexicotal dropped their burdens and fled as fast as their feet could carry them away from the battle! And then Lord Tuck slaughtered the Zarthani! A hundred of them died for every man he lost!

"And now Lord Tuck has come here. The Hostigi lost barely a handful of men, and killed more than two thousand. Two hundred to one, cousins! And you! What did you do? You attacked fifty men and killed them all. Yes, a great victory! You killed eight to your one! Is that how you want your women to sing your funeral lament? They will say 'My man could have killed hundreds of the God-King's soldiers, but was content with barely a handful! I am proud of his sacrifice.'"

"It is insulting to be commanded by a woman," one man said. "I won't."

Xenos stood up, walked up to Tanda, and then sank to one knee, holding his rifle up over his head, parallel to the ground. "I am yours to command, Tanda Havra!"

The man who had spoken before spoke again. "You are Manistewa's man. Her uncle."

Xenos rose and walked to face the man who'd spoken. "I am my man! No one commands me against my will! Not High Kings, not counts, not my employer, not Lord Tuck, not Tanda Havra, not the old men of our villages. I came here to kill the servants of the God-King! Not my brothers and cousins!"

Xenos laughed in the man's face. "You! You are a spoiled child, who apes his betters as they march off to war, but can't take the march! Listen to me! I've heard Gamelin's men talk about Lady Judy and the girls who came with her. They did not know running! They did not know horses! And still, they walked and rode from near Mogdai to Outpost!

"Lord Tuck and Count Tellan: they don't care about what you want -- they want people who do as they are told. Ask questions? Yes! Speak your mind, even if you disagree with the plan? Yes!

"One Hostigi officer was like you! He wouldn't do as he was told! In a finger-width he threw away four hundred lives! In a finger-width he lost 20 times more men than Lord Tuck has. And he gained nothing. No one knows if he killed any Zarthani. Probably, but not many. He didn't slow them down for more than a palm-width!

"Decide, brothers! Decide! Do you want to kill soldiers of the God-King or return to the mountains to shelter with the old women and the children?"

One by one, the men came up and offered their rifles in her service.

When it was finished Tanda spoke her last piece to the men. "Lord Tuck has appointed Lady Judy to command his intelligence in the field. That should have been our job, cousins! A girl who isn't husband-high replaced you! And whom does Lord Tuck want to help her? The maiden from Mogdai who ran with me and did as she was told. A Hostigi corporal who speaks Mexicotal... and Mexicotal children not old enough to fight. But who promise to do as they are told.

"I do not know Pinyon well, but I knew Old Man of Mogdai. He would be flushed with shame right now, seeking to find a way to regain the respect of our allies. You had better all start thinking about how to regain that respect!"

Judy listened to Tuck explain what he wanted and nodded her acceptance of the assignment. Then Tazi and Hestius came and told her they wanted to serve with her. She asked Tazi if it was her true wish; the gleam in the girl's eyes when she talked about how much land she and Hestius would be able to step off told Judy that Tazi was serious.

Hestius, on the other hand, was willing to do anything to help Tuck, particularly if it meant he could be close to Tazi. After they left, Judy went up to the palace roof, and sat in a patch of shade, even though it was mid-afternoon and scorching hot. She thought about a lot of things.

Easy things: should she say anything to Tazi or Hestius about their feelings for each other? The answer to that was no, not unless they did something that affected their work even a little. Tuck had been quite clear.

"I have fought many small battles. Raids and ambushes, I've been raided and ambushed as well. I have commanded more men than what we had on the raid against the Zarthani road, but not many more. The battle for Xipototec was something else again. I planned it as a raid, then an ambush, and then another raid. At a certain point in time I'm going to have to move away from that concept and fight regular battles. I've never fought a standup battle in my life. I've read books, I've been taught just a tiny bit about what needs to be done, but I've never done it.

"Learning on the job as a soldier is a good way to get yourself and a lot of others killed. There's no good way to put it, Judy: there are going to be a hell of a lot of regular soldiers of the God-King coming at us over the next few weeks."

She'd nodded. "I tell myself I can do the things you ask me, so it can't be that hard. Then I realize you don't ask me to do something until you're pretty sure I can do it, then I go back to being humble again."

"Humble is the best strategy for staying alive," he agreed. "The American army would spend four years training most officers, just to be second lieutenants. Four years at West Point or four years of college ROTC. For Vietnam they also sent people who weren't in ROTC for six months in OCS, then they went into the field.

"Judy, it didn't matter where you learned the trade: the rank where casualties were the highest was second lieutenants. An infantry second lieutenant had less than a fifty-fifty chance of making first lieutenant in Nam. That came automatically after you'd been in the Army six months.

"You've been in a couple of battles now. You've done what you were told, you kept calm and listened and learned. Stay humble! Don't get cocky! You stand out in a crowd, so when you're in a fight you're going to want to run in a crouch so you don't stand out as much.

"I'm still going to keep you on a short leash... but you are going to have to deal with a lot of problems, even so. People problems are as tough as battle problems!"

"The Ruthani," Judy said, nodding.

"The Ruthani, our Mexicotal allies, even our Hostigi allies. Do you know why I have as much authority as I do?"

"Because they think we're like their High King."

"Exactly. If they didn't have a shining example to look up to, I'd probably have about as much authority as Gamelin, and you'd still be at Outpost. It is like climbing on the shoulders of a hungry tiger with a hundred pounds of raw beefsteak in your hands. Everything we do is watched. If we get it right, not only will we be heroes, but we'll be mentioned in ballads and held up for babies and small children to watch as we parade past. If we get it wrong, we'll be dead, and so may those babies and small children. It's not all that nice of a burden."

"I understand," Judy told him.

"Good. Now understand this: I'm not going to help you. No advice, no hints, no nothing. Everything you do will be what you choose to do. I will tell you things I want you to do, and I want you to command your people to do them. If you do something wrong, I will tell you. I will call you aside and we will talk privately about what you've done wrong, but there will be no hiding it from those under you.

"I'm doing this for two reasons: one, this kind of mistake you will make only once and that's a good thing. The second thing is that if you learn to turn to me when you have a problem, we'd both be making a mistake if I helped you. Think about everything!"

So that's what she was doing. She'd marveled before at how Tuck kept so many details in his head. But really, how could you write them all down and know where to look them up again? There would be pages and pages of notes!

But that didn't mean she shouldn't make notes! She pulled out a ballpoint that she carried in her pack, an item that was irreplaceable. A sheet of notebook paper from home, also irreplaceable. The Hostigi had paper but it was relatively expensive and came in large and jumbo sizes. Large was about twice the size of a notebook page, and the jumbo size about the size of a full newspaper page.

She mentally chided herself for getting off track, and then wrote down a single word on the sheet. "Recruits." She laughed then. Actually, for now, that was all she needed to concern herself with. Until Tuck was confident they could do what he asked, he wasn't going to ask.

She had Tazi and Hestius. How many others? She was sure that was going to be the first test. How many had Gamelin had? Twenty-six, she thought, including the Ruthani scouts. Two sergeants and two corporals. A veteran sergeant, a veteran corporal and the other two were new NCOs. She had Tazi and Hestius.

She stopped and backtracked. She had Hestius and Tazi. In her mind she gave Tazi precedence, but Tuck had been clear: Hestius was next after Judy in command. Her original thought had been to note that both of them were new corporals.

From that, she guessed she should have perhaps ten people. She contemplated a little of what Tuck had told her they would be doing. No, that wasn't enough to do the job she had been told was theirs to do. Thirty or so, she decided. Except there were only three of them in charge, and only Hestius could talk to them. Thirty, Judy thought. She would start out with no more than thirty.

Thirty. That was about Tuck's age. She sighed. Age. Age was another question. Tuck had said that she was to pick from those younger than sixteen. Another moon-quarter and she would be fourteen; it wasn't going to happen a second too soon! How could she say no to someone her age? Because Tuck wouldn't like it. Sixteen is the lowest age, she thought. Unless someone gives me a really good reason why someone younger should be considered. And she'd have to listen carefully to those reasons and be fair in her decisions.

She underlined "really good reason" in her notes. What kind of reason? They had to be able to run. They had to be strong and intelligent. How would she know these things? Have Hestius ask them? That didn't seem likely.

She made a note. "Ask Tuck about physical qualifications for the recruits." Would he answer a question? He said he wouldn't help her, but he hadn't said anything about questions. Maybe she should couch it in terms of what he was going to do? She grinned. Yes, it was true, wasn't it? There are questions and there are questions. She wasn't going to be asking how, she'd be asking what. And she was pretty sure "what" questions were more likely to be answered than "how" questions.

She moved slightly, uncomfortable from the heat. She felt the drag of the pistol in her purse. Tuck had made it very clear: never leave home without it. Better, have two.

How did she want to arm her recruits? And with that came the next question: how should those recruits be equipped? Which brought another smile, her biggest yet. "You dirty so-and-so!" she said softly, to herself. She'd have heard about it, wouldn't she, if tomorrow evening she had a hundred vagabonds with no place to stay, no equipment and nothing to eat! Oh, how she would have heard about that!

For that she could legitimately talk to Tazi... she stopped herself once again. Hestius and Tazi. They would have advice and in this case, Hestius would have the best advice. Her recruits were going to have to be able to run, they were going to have to be able to sneak around in the dark. They were going to need to be able to defend themselves. A rifle, for sure. What would Tuck say about a pistol? She knew they had captured a lot of rifles, but no one said anything about pistols. One pistol or two? Two, she decided.

She got up and went downstairs. Hestius and Tazi were still sitting on the veranda, talking. "Corporal Hestius, what is the basic equipment of a Hostigi trooper?"

He smiled. "A back pack, six pair of pants, six shirts, a belt knife, a shelter half, two lengths of rope, a rifle, a bayonet, a powder horn, cleaning rod and ball pouch. Boots and socks, twelve pairs of the latter, two of the former. A belt with hooks to hang things. Two water bags, a fork, spoon and bowl. Two blankets and a shelter half.

"When troops are going to be in the field, they are further issued special items. Each section of ten men will have two saws, two shovels, and two large water bags. Each man is issued ten pounds of parched grain and two pounds of jerky. Those are not expected to be used, except in combat, where the logistos can't follow. In a camp, the logistos is there with cooking utensils, more food, resupply on powder and shot, patches and all of the other gear of a soldier. It is the practice to give each man who fights in a battle another set of shirts, pants, boots and half dozen pair of socks. The High King thinks good boots and good socks are very important."

She explained what she wanted for small arms. Hestius thought it a good idea, but Tazi didn't. "Running with all of that, Lady Judy! You couldn't go far! Water, a little food! A blanket! Your basic weapons! That is all."

"We also issue the men a wooden box to put their things in for garrison duty," Hestius told Tazi. "They don't carry but a few things, as you say, on patrol. Again, it depends on the patrol. With Lieutenant Gamelin, we had pack animals and a lot of gear along. We brought quite a bit with us here.

"I think we should arm the recruits as Lady Judy suggests. Two pistols, a rifle and bayonet. When we go out, we will have a particular mission in mind. Those that can, can carry their rifles, for instance, when we search a battlefield. But two pistols, at least, for that. Maybe more, if possible. I've seen officers who carry four pistols!"

They talked more, then Judy decided to talk to Tuck. She found he was on the walls by the main gate, so she started walking across the square towards the gate, a quarter of a mile away.

She stopped before she reached the edge of the square. The Mexicotal former officer, Vertax, was standing in front of a young woman about Tazi's age. He was dabbing her face with something like paint. The girl already had strange designs on her cheeks and forehead, now he was working on a design around her mouth.

Judy stopped and watched, fascinated.

She noticed there were several dozen Mexicotal watching as she was. At first they were quiet, saying nothing. One old woman finally approached Vertax and said something. He spoke quietly, patiently to her, and then after a bit, she hugged him, then in a fashion that reminded Judy of how they did it in France, the old woman kissed Vertax on each cheek.

The woman shouted something to the crowd and there were audible murmurs of surprise. Vertax had, in the meantime, gone back to painting the girl's face. It was fascinating to Judy. She didn't know what he was using for paint, but it left deep purple marks and he dabbed elaborate patterns of dots and dashes.

He finished her face, smiled at the girl and then turned to the people who were watching, now numbering several hundred, with more gathering every moment. He gestured at the girl and said something short. There was another murmur from the crowd, and Vertax repeated the same words. This time, the crowd repeated them. Then again, much louder. More and more people appeared and they too joined the chant, until finally the square was full and thousands of people screaming the simple words, repeating them over and over.

Hestius and Tazi fought their way through the crowds to her side. "Are you okay, Lady Judy?" Hestius asked.

"Yes. What are they saying?"

His eyes stopped on the girl with Vertax. He stared, obviously stunned.

"What are they saying?" Judy repeated.

Tuck appeared, as if springing from the ground. "I'd like to know that myself," he told Hestius.

Hestius looked at Tuck. "They say, 'Never again!'"

Judy let out a squeak; Tuck's face hardened to stone.

Vertax stood behind the girl now, and placed his hands on her shoulders. The screaming of the crowd intensified.

"The girl," Hestius said, "is painted like they paint those to be sacrificed to the God-King. None, Lord Tuck, none painted like that see the sunset of the day they are painted. Never." He sobbed. "They painted my little brothers and sisters like that -- then they killed them. We tried, Lord Tuck! Oh, bless Galzar! How we tried! But we could not save them!"

Vertax raised his hands over his head, and the sounds from the people dropped off almost at once.

He started speaking, and Hestius, tears streaming down his face translated. "I was a man of privilege, a man lucky enough to have a fine daughter born to him. My wife gave me a fine son!

"Then came the lung sickness and my wife died; my son died. My comrades told me how terrible it was, that a man should suffer the death of his wife, his son! That I had to take heart, believe in the God-King and all would be well, too bad all I had left was a daughter. They felt pity for me.

"But the next day I saw mothers and sons, fathers and daughters ascend the pyramid. I saw their blood run down the gutters and stain the ground. I saw living hearts, still beating, raised in praise of the God-King.

"I knew then, the lie for what it was. I was exempt. I did not fear sacrifice to the God-King, so long as I did my duty. My daughter was exempt, my wife and son would have been exempt, except the gods claimed them, even so.

"I went north, later. I found the men of Hostigos, who I was supposed to spy upon. Instead, I told them I wanted to make common cause with them. So that one day what happened here would not happen to another father, another mother, another son, another daughter. Never again!"

The crowd in the square started chanting the words, over and over and then some more.

Vertax raised his hands, this time it took longer before he could speak.

"So, I have painted my daughter. You know what these signs are. They don't wash off; they stay for days and days and days, as the dye-makers can attest. This I say to you: if the God-King's men come among us, they will see my daughter. And she will go first! And the only way they will see my daughter is if I'm already dead! I pledge to you, people of Xipototec. Never again!"

Again the chanting started.

Tuck took a few steps forward and leaned down and kissed the girl on the forehead, then kissed her father on both cheeks. Judy grinned. Where had he learned that?

Tuck raised his hands over his head too, and when the crowd quieted, Judy heard Tuck say to Vertax, "Translate for me."

"Yes, Lord Tuck!"

Tuck spoke. "I have come to you to bring you freedom from these crimes." Vertax spoke the alien words and Tuck continued. "I pledge to you, while I have breath left in my body, so long as one of my soldiers holds a rifle in his hands, we will defend you!"

There were prolonged cheers, and again Tuck raised his hands.

"As I said yesterday, tomorrow we will need many men to help defend your town. As many as wish can volunteer. We will take only the best. We will, though, train as many as we can with fireseed weapons.