Scepters (31 page)

Alucius
had thought about taking captives or prisoners, but the way the rebels fought
so far, trying that would have been near-suicidal for any lancer who tried. He
turned the gray toward fifth squad. One lancer was on the ground.

Zerdial
shook his head.

“Get
him over his mount,” Alucius ordered. “We need to get out of here before any
more of them show up.” He could sense others climbing the escarpment behind the
rebel camp, but they would not reach the top for another quarter glass, he
judged. Already, the sky was filling with the hazy smoke from the fires below,
and he could smell the burning thorn plants.

In
moments, the dead lancer—Hylik—was fastened over his saddle, and fifth squad
was on the trail back to meet up with the other companies.

As
they rode westward along the trail, Alucius frowned, thinking. What was going
on in Hyalt? It was one thing for a single armsman to try an ambush or to fight
back when cornered, but to try a suicidal charge against mounted lancers on an
open trail? To climb a hundred yards up an escarpment and attack a larger force
without even trying to use cover?

Behind
him, the fires continued to burn, sending smoke higher and higher, and from
what he could see looking backward, it appeared as though some of the fires had
spread from the spiky thorn patches into the cedar and juniper groves as well.

Midafternoon
came and went before Alucius and fifth squad rode across the last few hundred
yards to the road, passing Waris, standing scout on the trail.

“Anyone
come this way?” asked Alucius.

“No,
sir. No one on the trail but you, and no one at all on the road. Spooky, if you
ask me.”

The
more Alucius saw of Hyalt, the spookier it was.

As
Alucius rode up, Feran gestured toward the east. “You were successful, I see.”

“We
got the fires set. We didn’t stay to see if they burned the way we planned. We
took out close to a squad of defenders. They attacked exactly the same way—just
a blind rush at us, firing their rifles. We lost Hylik. An unfortunate and
lucky shot. The rebel was running full speed downhill.”

“They
weren’t good shots?”

“Except
that one shot… no.”

Alucius
looked back to the east, where the hilltops were a mass of fire. Gray and black
smoke rose into the hazy sky. With the harvest dryness of the spiky
thornbushes, when the fires burned out, the thorn cover that had protected the
approaches from the west and northeast would be gone. So might some of the log
walls and palisades, although Alucius doubted that the heat would be intense
enough for long enough to fire heavy logs.

On
Septi night, the three companies had made camp some five vingts directly
southwest of the rebel encampment, but a distance closer to fifteen by the
roads, if the maps were accurate. Even so, there had been a glow in the sky for
a time after sunset.

Octdi
morning dawned hazy, and the scent of smoke remained in the air, carried by a
gentle breeze out of the north. Shortly after dawn, the lancers were back on
the road that had turned southeast and would eventually circle Hyalt to the
south, then to the east—that was, if the maps were correct. So far they had
been, and the reports from the lancers scouting the road ahead had confirmed
that for the next few vingts, at least, the road and the map agreed.

The
road dust and dirt showed signs of patrols, but only by a few riders and not by
squads or larger groups. As he rode at the head of the column beside Captain
Jultyr, Alucius wondered how soon
it
would be before
that changed.

“You
think the rebels will come after us?” asked Jultyr almost idly, as if to open
conversation.

“After
what you’ve seen so far… what do you think?” countered Alucius gently.

“They
seem like hornets. You know what I mean. You hit the nest, and they all take
off, all at once. Never seen an outfit charge like that squad the other day.
Not even the Matrites. Have you, sir?”

“No.”
Alucius shook his head. “Even the grassland nomads didn’t do that, not where
every man charged superior weapons and positions without taking some evasive
action or using cover.”

“Word
is that there’s Talent here.”

“There
is. I’m a herder, and I think any herder would feel what I’ve felt. Nothing
like it anywhere I’ve been.” Alucius offered a laugh, partly forced. “It hasn’t
stopped them from getting killed.” He would have said more, except he could see
a lancer scout riding toward them, almost at a gallop.

Alucius
kept riding, waiting until the scout—Hikal, used only for road scouting—pulled
in and swung his mount into a walk beside Alucius.

“Sir…”

“Lancers
headed our way?” asked Alucius.

“Yes,
sir. Looks to be a full company ahead—same maroon uniforms—and they’re riding
hard this way.”

“How
hard?”

The
youngish Hikal flushed. “Quick trot, but they’ve got their rifles at the ready.”

“How
far are they?”

“Two
vingts, sir. No more than three.”

“What
else?”

“They’re
quiet, sir. Real quiet. No talking. No singing. They’re just riding. Seems
strange.”

“They
see you?”

“Don’t
think so, but I moved back quick.”

“Any
wagons or any foot with them?”

“No,
sir. Just looked to be a company of horse. That’s all.”

Silently,
for a moment, Alucius studied the terrain. To the left of the road were
lowlands, ground that would have been marshland with more rain and perhaps once
had been. To the right were the same rolling hills, with only a gentle slope
and the heavier grass that seemed to grow closer to Hyalt. A line of thorn
olives that might once have been a windbreak blocked a clear view of the road
to the south, but there was no sign of the stead that might have planted the
windbreak.

Alucius
turned to Roncar, one of his messengers, riding just behind Jultyr and him.

“Call
the other officers forward.”

“Yes,
sir.”

While
he waited for Roncar to get word to Feran and Deotyr, Alucius went over the lay
of the land again, matching what he saw against what he had in mind.

Once
Feran and Deotyr had ridden up, Alucius ordered the column to halt.

Then,
facing the other three officers, he began to explain. “We’ve got a rebel
company headed toward us. They’re in battle dress and looking for a fight,
according to the scouts. We’ll give them one.” Alucius paused, letting the words
sink in before continuing.

“We’ll
form an arc. Fifth Company will take the forward part—right behind the trees
over to the right. Then Thirty-fifth Company, running from the flank of Fifth
to within twenty yards of the road. Twenty-eighth will cover a span of about
fifty yards, centered on the road. Staggered formations so that every lancer
can fire. And targeted shooting—each man in each company aiming at his
counterpart. I don’t want a hundred rifles aimed on the first rank. When the
rebels come around the curve, all companies will open fire at my command. We’ll
take down as many of their men as we can until they get abreast of the trees. I’ll
order ‘Cease, fire,’ and Fifth Company will charge through. If a second charge
is necessary, I’ll call on Thirty-fifth Company. Twenty-eighth Company is to
hold the road and allow none of the enemy through. I’ll be with Fifth Company.”
Alucius looked from Feran to Jultyr, then to Deotyr. “Is that clear?”

“Yes,
sir.”

“Form
up as directed.”

Alucius
and Fifth Company continued on the road for another hundred yards before
swinging southward over the rough land that had once been pasture, but now
looked merely neglected.

“Column
halt! Left oblique! Stagger spacing!” Feran called out. “Ready rifles!”

Fifth
Company re-formed swiftly into a staggered double file firing line by
companies. Alucius looked back to see that the other two companies were also
formed up as he had ordered. Then he looked to the southeast to the point where
the road curved more to the east, just past the windbreak of thorn olives.
There was no visual sign of the rebels, although he could sense riders farther
away through his Talent.

A
quarter glass passed. The feeling of the oncoming riders was stronger, and that
feeling held the vague purple overtones detected by his Talent, but the riders
had not yet appeared on the small section of road visible from where Alucius
waited on the gray gelding.

Abruptly
a pair of riders appeared at the end of the curved section of the road, riding
westward. Within moments, the forward part of a column of maroon-uniformed
lancers also came into view. Neither of the outriders looked to the side as
they rode forward.

Then,
one of the riders stopped just short of the windbreak, and the other turned and
rode back toward the column.

“You
think we’ll need to charge them?” asked Feran, his voice low.

“They’ll
regroup and charge us,” Alucius predicted.

Yet,
for almost a tenth of a glass, nothing happened. The single outrider remained
in the middle of the road, looking straight in the direction of Twenty-eighth
Company, seemingly ignoring Fifth Company and Thirty-fifth Company, and the
column of rebel lancers continued to ride closer, but neither faster nor more
slowly, until they were within yards of the eastern end of the thorn olive
windbreak.

Then
there was a single barked command that Alucius could not make out, and the
entire column, still in two files, began to gallop pell-mell down the road
toward Twenty-eighth Company, totally ignoring Fifth Company and Thirty-fifth Company.

“Prepare
to fire!” Alucius judged the distance, waiting.

The
rebels were within fifty yards of the nearest lancers in Fifth Company when
Alucius ordered, “Fire at will!”

“Fire
at will!”

The
command echoed down the ranks of the companies, followed immediately by the
sounds of rifles, first the heavier weapons of Fifth Company, then the sharper
sounds of the Lanachronan rifles.

At
the first volley, close to twenty rebels sagged in their saddles or toppled
onto the dusty road, but the rebel column charged past Fifth Company.

Alucius
almost wanted to call off the attack as the veterans of Fifth Company picked
off rebel lancer after rebel lancer. The shots from the Thirty-fifth and
Twenty-eighth Companies rained more destruction on those remaining.

The
remaining rebels, less than a squad’s worth, now unsheathing blades, were less
than a hundred yards from Twenty-eighth Company.

“Cease
fire! Cease fire! Fifth Company, charge!” Alucius slipped his rifle into its
case and drew his sabre.

The
sound of rifles died away, to be replaced with the drumming thunder of hoofs on
the weary pastureland and road as Alucius led the charge toward the depleted
rebels.

He
would have expected the rebel lancers in the rear ranks to have turned as he
and the lancers from Fifth Company bore down on them from behind. Not a one
did.

Alucius
cut down two men from behind, his guts churning as he did.

Within
moments, not a single rebel remained mounted. One rebel, his arm mangled,
struggled to his feet and raised a blade, staggering toward a Guard lancer
looking the other way.

Crack
! A single rifle shot brought the rebel down.

Alucius
glanced to see Egyl holding his rifle.

Several
more shots rang out, cutting down rebels who tried to bring blades or rifles
from standing or sitting positions on the road. Then there were no more shots.

“Fifth
Company! Re-form on me!” ordered Feran.

A
good thirty rebel mounts milled among bodies and the Fifth Company lancers as
they moved to the southwest side of the road.

“Captain
Jultyr! Set a detail to capture the rebel mounts!” Alucius called out.

“Yes,
sir. Third squad! Get those mounts and form them up behind fifth squad.”

Feran
eased up beside Alucius. “One man got a shallow slash. No other casualties.”

“No
casualties in Thirty-fifth Company,” reported Jultyr, riding by and supervising
his third squad.

“Thank
you.” Alucius paused for a moment. “Well done.”

As
the chaos began to sort itself out, Alucius glanced from the fallen rebels,
bodies strewn everywhere, and the riderless mounts to Captain Deotyr, who rode
toward him.

“Two
men killed, sir, three wounded. No captives.”

“Thank
you, Captain. You did well to hold there.”

Neither
Thirty-fifth Company nor Fifth Company had suffered any casualties. None at
all. Twenty-eighth had lost two more lancers, and three others had taken wounds
from which they should recover. Alucius’s force had been through three
skirmishes, or perhaps a small battle and two skirmishes, and he’d lost
something like ten men, with slightly more than that wounded, and they had
killed close to two hundred rebels. So why was he so worried?

Because,
once again, the rebels had fought to the death? In the heat of battle, Alucius
hadn’t wanted to order a capture, not when it would have risked his own men in
such an effort to capture a fanatic.

Deotyr
remained motionless, looking at Alucius.

“You’re
wondering why I set the companies as I did?” Alucius asked.

“No,
sir… well…” Deotyr didn’t quite meet Alucius’s eyes.

“There
were several reasons. First, Twenty-eighth Company had taken the most casualties
before today.” Alucius offered a bitter laugh. “I put your company farther away
than Thirty-fifth, with the hope that you wouldn’t suffer as many casualties. I
was wrong. The rebels seem to attack directly along the road.”

“I
don’t think any of us would have seen that, sir.”

Alucius
should have, but he let that pass. “Second, Fifth Company is more experienced,
and third, your rifles have more range.”