Demon King (65 page)

This was the surprise Tenedos had planned for the Negaret, a horror weapon that had turned against us. The snow-burrowers — snow-worms if that’s what they were — smashed men down, broke them like frozen twigs.

The Tenth fell back, and the snow-worms turned away, not interested in anything moving away from Oswy.

Now we were doomed. South and east was the empty, man-destroying
suebi
, west were the Maisirians, north were the snow creatures. Then something came, an utterly foolish notion, as I realized we were out of contact for the moment — the Negaret patrols following us had fled even faster from the nightmares than we had.

I summoned my three dominas and the tough regimental guide who was the most senior of Yonge’s skirmishers, and told them we were about to make a one-day forced march, and to put the strongest men at the rear, not to guard against attack, but to make sure everyone kept moving and that we left as few tracks as we could. Put the weakest on horseback, I said, and everyone else afoot.

We had two Chare Brethren, and I ordered them to summon flames to consume any corpses. We were going to try to vanish. This might give us a slight, very slight, chance of life. Otherwise, we might as well start thinking of ourselves as either Maisirian slaves or frozen corpses.

“What direction will we march?” Bikaner asked.

“East,” I answered. “East by northeast.”

Almost directly away from the emperor and our army. The only chance we had was to break contact with the enemy, and then attempt an impossibility: to cross the mountains into Numantia as I’d done once before.

But then I’d had only a handful of men in prime condition to worry about; now I’d cross with several hundred shattered, starving men and some camp followers.

I should have ordered an attack, back the way we came so we could die nobly and uselessly for the emperor.

But I stood by my foolishness.

• • •

Two hours later we stumbled off into the empty
suebi.
I put my Red Lancers at the rear of the formation and told them to obey my command with no bowels, no mercy. No man was allowed the privilege of dying, not until nightfall. I was the last of all, screaming, shouting until my voice sounded as if it were drawn across broken glass.

I swore at men, and they swore at me. I struck them, and they tried, feebly, to hit me. But I always sidestepped the blows, and then taunted them to try again, or were they weak worms? I said I’d call them women, but that would shame the sex, for women were ahead of them — sutlers, laundry maids, whores, who knew, who cared.

I felt no fatigue, no exhaustion, no hunger. I’d become a creature of the snows, of the wilderness, and drew my strength from the wilds around me.

We went on, and on, and slowly the smoke of Oswy’s warm fires slipped back over the horizon, and there was nothing but empty prairie in front of us. It began to snow, and for the first time the storm was the blessing of Isa, of Nicias, of Irisu the Preserver, for it hid our path, and blinded any enemies who might’ve pursued.

Eventually I called for a halt. We collapsed in our tracks, and the long frozen night dragged past.

• • •

I commandeered Balkh’s horse and pushed ahead before dawn. About half an hour distant was a tiny valley surrounded by twisted low trees. A frozen stream ran along one side. I rode back and told my officers to get everyone moving.

An hour later, they did, but there were twenty-three bodies in the snow. I had my Lancers drag them together, but forbade my sorcerers to try to burn them. We could afford neither the smoke, the loss of the magical energies, nor the possibility the
azaz
’s War Magicians might pick up our scent.

It took almost two hours to reach the valley, but we did. I had the men assemble in whatever formations they had left, and it was a pathetic sight. Bikaner and his adjutant did a fast count and reported. We had forty-six of my Red Lancers, one hundred fifty of the Seventeenth, about two hundred of the Tenth Hussars, the same number of the Twentieth, some of Yonge’s skirmishers, three hundred fifty or so odds and sods from other formations, forty-nine women, and even a scattering of children. I tried to hide a wince. Ration strength of the Seventeenth Lancers was over seven hundred, the Tenth Hussars and Twentieth Heavy Cavalry nine hundred each.

I had to do something to make people believe there was the slightest chance of life. I told the men to break ranks and form up around me. The wind blew cold, but it was over our heads, whispering across the
suebi
beyond the valley.

“Well,” I started, knowing better than to sound inspirational, “I don’t know about
you
, but I’m glad to be away from the army.” That brought a shock.

“At least we aren’t wallowing along in their shit and ashes,” I said, and there were a few snickers. “That’s what I like, to be out here where someone can breathe, where there’s plenty of fresh air.” There were a few open laughs.

“All right. We’ve been cut off from the emperor,” I said. “And that fucking Bairan is rubbing his hands together, thinking that he’s got us on toast. I’m going to prove him full of horseshit, and anyone who wants to do the same is welcome to take a little walk with me.”

“Where we goin', Tribune?” somebody shouted.

“We’re going to stroll across the
suebi
until we come to some mountains,” I said. “Then we’ll go up ‘em, and down the other side, and we’ll be right at the borders of Numantia. We ought to be home sometime in the Time of Births, so the weather’ll be fine. Anybody want to go with me?”

Again, mutters, some laughter. But most faces still looked empty, hopeless. “Or do you want to see how many ways a Maisirian clod-knocker has to keep you screaming before you go to the Wheel?”

A hard-faced warrant stepped forward. “Ain’t gonna happen to me, Tribune. I ain’t plannin’ on bein’ taken alive. And they’ll know they been in a pissin’ match when they come for me.”

“Good,” I said. “But wouldn’t you rather stay alive and get your own back another day?”

“Hells yes! But — ”

“But nothing, man. Now, shut the fuck up and listen!”

“Sir!” And he fell back into the formation.

“That’s the spirit we need,” I said. “Because all of us are going to try to stay alive. Look at the man — or woman — on your left. Do you know him? You’d better, because he’s going to get your sorry ass over those mountains. Tell him your name. Go ahead. Right now.”

Silence, then a babble as some, then more, obeyed.

“We’re going to spend the rest of the day here. First we’re going to put everyone into a formation. If you’re already part of one, you’re going to get reinforced. Friends stay with friends when we divide up. That’ll help.

“I’m going to make some men officers, others warrants today. Maybe you’ve never held any rank, and don’t want it, don’t think you can carry the weight. Tough shit. You’ll do it, and you’ll do a damned good job of it. Another thing we’ll do is divide up all supplies. There’ll be no more fat bastards eating while others starve. We all eat or none of us. That goes for officers, warrants, men, civilians.

“Now, I want the Tenth, Seventeenth, and Twentieth on that side of the valley. The rest of you, see if there’s anybody else from your old unit. Get moving. I want to be on the road before any Maisirians wander across our tracks.”

That put people in motion.

There were a surprising number of Yonge’s skirmishers still alive. In spite of their hazardous duties, I had ninety-two of my original two hundred. I took them to one side and told them they were all promoted sergeant.

“The reason I’m promoting you isn’t that I think you’re heroes. Yonge told me better. I know you’re thieves, sneaks, back-stabbers. Like your leader. And I’m damned proud he tried to train me to be like you.”

I waited until the laughter died.

“I’m not promoting you because you’re good, just because you’re still alive. Now I want you to help all these others stay the same. But there’ll be one change. There’s no more of just worrying about your own flea-bitten hides. Each of you’ll have at least a squad, some more. If you don’t like it, my piles bleed for you. You’re welcome to see if the other side can use you.”

There was louder laughter, for the skirmishers were thought bandits, lawless murderers for whom there was no mercy, even from their counterparts in the Negaret. “Now, all of you report to Domina Bikaner of the Seventeenth for your new posts.”

Late in the day, we gathered in our new formations.

“Good,” I shouted. “You almost look like soldiers again.” Even though they were bearded and ragged, and I could smell them from where I stood, they held their weapons ready, and I knew they could use them. “Look again at the man on your left. Now you know his name. You’re mates, whether you like it or not. And my first order is that you’re to make sure that man beside you lives to see Numantia. Because if he doesn’t, most likely you won’t, either. There’ll be no more of this pull for yourself and let the other bastard sweat.

“We’re all in this sewer together, and we’ll all get out of it together. We’re an army again, and warriors once more. No more of this hobbling along, letting any shitty-dicked Maisirian do whatever he wants. From now on, we’ll fight them if they find us, and make them sorry they ever came on our trail.

“You know me, you know how I smashed the bastards every time they hit us. If they find us now, we’ll do the same. Let them get their fingers lopped off to the knuckle, and they’ll go somewhere else, looking for easier targets.

“That’s enough words,” I finished. “Let’s take our walk.”

• • •

I still wished for death, for oblivion. But not yet. First I must try to cross those great mountains. Most likely I’d fail, and we’d all die, for I didn’t believe a thousand soldiers could manage that smuggler’s track.

But I wouldn’t let myself be killed. Ironically, I found myself praying, empty words, but still saying them, prayers to Vachan, my monkey god of wisdom, and to Tanis, asking for the boon of life.

Twice now I’d sworn fealty to Saionji, after Tenedos had brought me back from the fire, and when Alegria had died, and promptly tried to renege on my vows.

The goddess couldn’t be thinking very much of me as a mad juggernaut, I thought, and had to laugh. With the laughter, I felt myself coming alive a bit, coming from under my woe cloak.

Again, I remembered the wizard’s prophesy when I was born, and prayed I had been savaged enough by the tiger, and that again it was my turn to ride him, and that the thread of my life would run on. At least for a while.

I had my warrants and officers up and down the ranks constantly, shouting orders as they’d always done, but now doing something different — showing they deserved their tabs, their sashes. They swore at a man who dropped his weapon, but if he couldn’t lift it, they carried it for him until he got some strength back. If he went down, they bullied two of his comrades into draping the man’s arms over their shoulders and going on.

If they didn’t do this, and thought my words were as empty as the wind — that first day I reduced seven officers and thirteen warrants to the ranks.

Compared to the pace I’d made with Bakr and his Negaret, we were crawling. But we were moving, every day farther away from Bairan and his army.

• • •

I asked the two Chare Brethren to try a spell to contact the other magicians in our army. They’d barely made marks in the snow for their symbols and burned a few herbs when one shouted in fear and kicked the markings into nothingness.

“He’s out there,” he managed to say. “Somebody is. Somebody looking for us.”

We made no more attempts to communicate with the emperor.

• • •

A man fell to his knees, moaning. I was on him and jerked him to his feet.

“Please. Please. Just let me die,” he begged.

“I will, you bastard. But in Numantia. Not here. Get up, you piece of shit! No wonder you’re down, you asshole! Your whore of a mother didn’t have time to give you any heart, did she! Nor did any of the pimps who could be your father,” I raved.

The man’s eyes sparked life, and he swung at me.

“Not close,” I jeered. “Come on. Try again.”

He did, and I let the blow land against my chest.

“I’ve been hit harder by babies,” I laughed, and stalked away. He shouted a curse at me, and I hid my smile. He might make it across the mountains, if for no other reason than to kill me.

• • •

The last two horses died, and were consigned to the pots. Two horses and perhaps a dozen sackfuls of roots we’d scrabbled from the frozen ground, to feed nearly a thousand.

We reached the great river, and Isa was with us, for it was frozen solid. We hastily crossed.

Another miracle — one of the skirmishers found a shallow backwater, and in it were three of the bewhiskered, evil-faced fish, seemingly asleep. We cut a hole in the ice, spears went down, and the fish awoke to lashing agony. But as they wriggled, smashing the ice about them, arrows flicked into their hides, and we had fresh food.

Two were over twenty feet long, the third almost forty, and we devoured them eagerly, half-cooked or even raw. Other fish were found sleeping close to the banks and we broke the ice and killed them as well.

We made several meals from those fish, enough so everyone was heartened. Perhaps it was possible to live in this spare land after all.

Men still died, but not as often. When they did, we carried their bodies until the night’s camp, and then our wizards said the words and tried to summon the flames. All too often they failed, and we had to bury them under mounds of rock. But this was better than letting them lie where they fell. And there was no more cannibalism.

• • •

The country looked slightly familiar, and I thought the weather was becoming milder. We were coming to where Bakr’s Negaret had been camped. It might have been a hundred years ago. I remembered how good that antelope tasted we’d hunted, and if Isa was truly on our side, perhaps there’d be game wintering over here, and who cared if it was a bit gaunt. We could rough-tan their hides, and that would give us better footwear and coats for the icy mountain passes. I put scouts far ahead of the formation to make sure we saw any game before it saw us.