The Falcon in the Barn (Book 4 Forest at the Edge series) (33 page)
Read The Falcon in the Barn (Book 4 Forest at the Edge series) Online
Authors: Trish Mercer
Tags: #family saga, #christian fantasy, #ya fantasy, #christian adventure, #family adventure, #ya christian, #lds fantasy, #action adventure family, #fantasy christian ya family, #lds ya fantasy
Perrin shook his head. “I’m not the one who’s
exceeded recruiting goals every year for the past twelve years. And
I’m not the one who’s consistently trained the most disciplined and
talented soldiers in the world. You earned that new rank all by
yourself, soldier, and you’re the youngest man to ever do it.
You’re practically a general. There’s only one rank higher—Command
Sergeant Major, equivalent to High General—and that was bestowed
only once, during the Great War. Since it likely it won’t ever be
again, I can’t help but wonder what you will do with yourself in
the army for the next thirty years.”
Shem shrugged meekly. “Keep you out of
trouble, I guess.”
“
And I’m sure that’s
precisely what some men in Idumea hope you’ll do,” said Perrin.
“That new rank’s really your reward for controlling me this past
year. You realize that, don’t you?”
Again Shem shrugged.
Perrin smiled at his friend’s modesty. “How
was your afternoon yesterday?”
“
Not as exciting as yours,
I understand,” Shem chuckled.
Perrin sat back in his chair. “Idumea’s
following me. If that jam were caused by anyone else besides that
timid old rector . . .”
“
Well,
my
afternoon
was quite successful, as you saw in that report. The men seem eager
and ready, we tried all the patterns you detailed, and had no
problems executing any of them. On a larger scale it should be
quite effective.”
“
Good. Now, what I really
need to know is,” he lowered his voice and glanced briefly at the
wall, “how did our little Thorney friend out there do?”
“
I hate to admit it,
Perrin, but he did well. I was hoping he’d be a complete disaster,
but when the pressure was on—even though it was pretend
pressure—the men listened to him, and he thought well on his feet.
I’m sorry I have nothing worse to report. I tried to make things
difficult for him, really I did.”
Perrin chuckled. “I’m sure you did. Thank you
for your attempts. Yordin wanted a report. I think Gari’s a little
concerned about leading so many untested men. I’m going to
recommend that Fadh be out there bringing up the rear. No need for
him to sit with Karna and me warming our backsides in the
tents.”
“
Good idea,” Shem nodded.
“I’m a little worried as well. But how else will they ever be
tested?”
“
At least you, Rigoff, and
some of the older officers will be in the field with Yordin. That
makes me feel a little more confident.” Perrin slapped the desk
lightly. Thinking about Yordin always made him do that. “So,
everyone will be back here in two days with their reports. Shem,
I’m telling you this now because I want you to be prepared. I will
call for the attack three days later.”
Shem’s eyebrows rose. “You don’t think there
are children in Moorland?”
“
No. I just feel the
answer’s no. But there
is
something there that needs to be
taken care of as soon as possible.”
Shem nodded, but it seemed to Perrin that he
was a bit uncertain. “You think you’ll be ready?” his new sergeant
major asked.
“
The forces are ready.
We’re wasting time, every day. Who knows what the Guarders are
planning. It needs to happen now.”
Shem thought for a moment. “Maybe I should
restate my question. Perrin, do you think
you
are ready? The
past season you’ve done so well, but being so near the action . . .
you may even come in contact with a retreating Guarder, and I’m
concerned that—”
“
No, Shem,” said Perrin
with as much determination as he could express. “It must happen
now. We can’t wait. I know that, of a surety.”
The thoughts had been pouring into his mind
for several days and nights. Timing was most important, but Perrin
had no idea why. However, he saw it clearly in his mind, even the
date when the offensive should take place: the 59
th
Day
of Planting Season. The information came to him in a steady, calm
manner so he was sure it was inspiration from the Creator.
“
And it’s not my old
paranoia talking, Shem, I promise. I’m feeling quite solid, and I
even have a long run scheduled with Offra soon. Sounds like I’m
doing well, right? So do you trust my judgment?”
Shem studied him for a moment before
admitting, “Honestly, in the past year it’s been a little hard to
do that. But lately you’re the same Perrin I’ve always
trusted.”
“
So who am I at this
moment, Sergeant Major?”
“
The commander of the
offensive on Moorland, sir,” said the sergeant major
cagily.
“
And do you trust the
commander?”
Shem offered a faint smile. “I really want
to, Colonel. But to be honest, this sergeant major still thinks
it’s too soon.”
Perrin leaned forward. “Then what about my
brother? Does my brother believe I’m doing the right thing? Be my
Guide, Shem.”
Shem’s smile turned downright embarrassed. “I
could never be worthy to be a Guide, but Perrin—I’ve always trusted
my brother.”
“
Then I’m ready for the
offensive, Shem. Are you?”
Shem nodded. “You keep yourself prepared, and
I’ll make sure
everyone
is ready for the attack in five
days.”
---
Later that evening Shem knocked on the back
porch door of the Shins’ home using a rhythm—very unlike
Thorne’s—that they would know it was him. A moment later the door
opened and Mahrree beamed at him.
“
Sorry to bother you so
late, Mahrree,” Shem apologized as he stepped into the kitchen.
“But I saw your light was on. Is Perrin still up?”
“
No, he’s asleep,” Mahrree
said. “Should I wake him?”
Shem scoffed. “Since when would I ask you to
wake up Perrin when he’s sleeping soundly? No, it’s nothing too
important. He wanted a report on movements east of Moorland, but I
can just leave him a message on his desk.”
“
It’s not bad news, is
it?”
“
No, actually quite good.
Everything is quiet.”
“
Good,” Mahrree sighed.
“You know, I think Perrin overdid it today racing Lieutenant Offra.
I’ve never seen him so worn out. I think he was trying to impress
the younger men.”
Shem grinned, partly at the idea of Perrin
running himself to exhaustion. “That’s what I heard, too. A
sergeant told me they stumbled back to the fort pale and wheezing.
I think poor Jon Offra overexerted himself, too. But they were also
both smiling.”
Mahrree closed her eyes. “Shem, you have no
idea how pleased I am to hear that he’s having
fun
again.
Sounds so silly, but it’s so important.”
“
Not silly at all. I agree.
It’s wonderful to see him back to normal again. I need to get back
to the fort. My shift’s not yet up—”
Mahrree took his arm. “Can you give me just a
few minutes?”
He looked down at her small, soft hand on his
muscled arm, and he tensed.
“
I wanted your opinion: do
you think he’s ready for this? Can Perrin handle being so close to
the action? I know he won’t actually be in Moorland, but he’s going
to see wounded and bloodshed and—” Her chin began to
wobble.
Shem saw no other option but to put a
comforting arm around her. “I’m worried about him too. He may
witness soldiers that appear to him to be manifestations of his
nightmares. But I can’t convince him to delay this.”
Mahrree rested her head against his chest and
sniffed. “Nor can I. But I’ve also noticed he seems quite himself
again. Still, I can’t help but worry.”
“
I know,” Shem said,
pulling back from her and removing his arm from her shoulders. “But
he’s the colonel, and he’s in command, and we just need to trust
him again. Well, I shouldn’t keep you any longer—”
“
Shem,” she gripped his arm
again, “before you hurry off unnecessarily, just one more
thing—this has been on my mind for some time, but . . . I haven’t
thanked you yet. Not properly.”
“
For what?” he said, a lump
building in his throat.
She rolled her eyes. Her green-gray eyes
that, for the first time in nearly a year, were sparkling again.
She focused them solely on him. “For what? For this past year!
Shem, you’ve done everything for us!” Her grip on his arm
tightened, and she stepped closer.
Shem held his breath.
“
For so many nights, for so
many days, for staying by our side no matter what he did. For being
his best friend—”
Shem tried to swallow down the lump.
“—
for comforting our
children . . . for comforting me.” She released his arm and took
his face in both of her hands.
Shem froze.
She looked at him with such sincerity, such
sisterly love.
“
I don’t know how we’ll
ever be able to repay you. You’re truly one of the greatest men
I’ve ever had the privilege to know. I hope someday we can be
worthy of your friendship.” She stood up on tiptoe and kissed him
on the cheek. “Thank you.”
Shem nodded dismissively and said, “I
really
need to go—”
She released his face and smirked. “You can’t
take it, can you?”
“
Pardon?”
She folded her arms and glared good-naturedly
at him. “Someone thanking you? You’re too humble to accept even
gratitude, aren’t you?”
“
Yeah, that’s me.” His
chuckle was strained as he said, “Mr. Humility. Good night,
Mahrree.”
He turned abruptly and jogged out the back
garden, Mahrree’s chuckles following him. He hopped over the fence,
took the reins of his waiting horse, and mounted it without looking
back to see if his best friend’s wife was still watching from the
back porch. He rode up to the fort, returned his horse, jogged up
to the command tower, left the note he promised he would on
Perrin’s desk, told the sergeant on duty that he was ending his
shift early for the night since the forests east of Moorland were
quiet, then headed straight for the washing rooms. He undressed and
stood in a stall underneath one of the showering pipes, turning on
only the cold water. He closed his eyes and let the chill pour down
on him, waiting for it to work.
Someone took the stall next to him. “Good
evening, sir,” said one of the newest recruits. “Sir, that looks
cold. Is the warm water pipe clogged again?”
“
No, Private,” said Shem,
not opening his eyes. “Plenty of warm water for you to wash off the
day’s grime. I just prefer the cold.”
“
Really, sir?” chirped the
eager-to-learn soldier. “Do all sergeant majors prefer cold
water?”
Shem didn’t want to acknowledge the
ridiculous question, but he felt the young man waiting for his
response. “Only the ones trying to be their best, Private.
Especially before turning in for the night. It’s . . . restful.
Distracting. Takes one’s mind away from
other
thoughts.”
“
Interesting, sir.” He
sounded worried.
“
Been doing it off and on
for fifteen years now, Private.”
“
And it really works to
relax you, sir?”
Shem sighed and opened his eyes. “Actually,
no. Never has worked.” He reached up to turn off the water. “But
someday, it just might. Good night, Private.” Shem grabbed a thick
cloth, wrapped it around himself, and left the stall.
The private looked up at the water pipes,
shrugged, turned on the cold, and shivered for five seconds before
shutting it off.
---
Perrin rolled up the map and tucked it under
his arm, ready to head for home. Everything was
prepared—
perfectly,
he’d dare say—for tomorrow, and every
last man was enthusiastic about the army’s first offensive.
Except for one.
Perrin sighed when he saw him come in his
door. “And what do you want?”
Shem closed the door behind him. “Perrin,
just tell me one last time: are you absolutely sure about
tomorrow?”
“
Yes, Shem,” he tried to
say patiently. “Has anyone ever told you you’re like a mother
hen?”
His friend began to smile. “Well, not
exactly—”
“
It’s
NOT
a
compliment!”
Shem’s smile disappeared.
“
You’re sounding like
Mahrree now,” Perrin said. “You’ve been talking with her, haven’t
you?” he accused with a twinkle in his eyes. “Alone? I can always
tell, you know.”
Shem held his hands up in surrender. “She
talked to me about some concerns about you.”
Perrin groaned. “Enough already. Would you
two just trust me again? I’ve been put in charge of this endeavor,
and I promise you, I take my orders only from the Creator.”
Shem dared to smile again. “You know, I
actually believe that.”
Chapter 13
~
“And then by tomorrow, we’ll have some very
fascinating results.”
“
S
eriously,” the older balding man sighed loudly at the
men gathered around him, “how difficult is it for you to put it all
together? I sent
you
,” he pointed at a hefty man who
blushed, “one section to accomplish, then I told
you—
”
A slender man looked down at his feet and
fidgeted.
“—
specifically what
materials to gather, and sent an order to . . . where are
you?”
He looked around until he found the offender
hiding behind a taller man who also wore a sheepish expression.
“
Ah, yes
you
—sent an
order to you with timings and . . .
you
!” He jabbed an
accusatory finger at another man who tried to appear stoic. “I
explained personally to you how it all goes together! Now, how is
it that one brilliant man like me can figure all of this out,
create detailed descriptions, and send it to semi-competent
creatures who then bungle it all up? Does this mean that ten of you
aren’t equal to one of me? Fascinating,” he mumbled as he sifted
through the confused notes. “May have to create some speculations
about the ineptitude of committee work when I finally get this mess
straightened out. Look,” he announced to the men again. “It’s
really quite simple, and you
nearly
have it all
correct—”
“
Why didn’t you just send
us all the entire plan to begin with?” asked the
attempting-to-be-stoic man.
The balding man looked up at the ceiling.
“They really are that dense, aren’t they?” he asked the building.
Dropping his gaze to those surrounding him he said, “What do
you
think? All of this information in the hands of just one
man? Or several? What if it were intercepted before it reached
here?”
“
No one would have been
able to figure it out,” someone bravely murmured.
The balding man squinted. “An
intelligent
man could! Now, since some of this was done
correctly, I can salvage this. And then by tomorrow, we’ll have
some very fascinating results.
Very
fascinating indeed. We
just might change the entire world . . .”
---
On the morning of the 59
th
Day of
Planting Season, 336, Perrin tried to leave the house early in the
morning by the kitchen door but was held back by his wife.
“
I promised you already
that I won’t go beyond the border of the farm, I’ll be miles away
from the fighting, and nothing—absolutely nothing—will go wrong,”
he told Mahrree as she kept her arms wrapped around him, her face
pressed against his chest.
“
Just let me go with you,”
she pleaded. “I’ll stay back at the farm and help the surgeons with
the injured. You can’t promise nothing will go wrong. Shem warned
me that—”
“
You need to stop listening
to Shem, Mahrree!” He held her at arm’s length and stooped to look
at her straight in the eyes. “When the two of you start nattering
together—”
Her chin quivered.
“
I didn’t mean it like
that
. But I’m tired of being pecked at! Karna will be at my
side the entire offensive. He knows what to watch for, and he’ll
send you a messenger if I go berserk, all right?” he said, shaking
her a little. “And honestly, a little berserk might be exactly what
this offensive needs. Ever consider that?”
To his surprise she chuckled sadly. “All
right, all right, Colonel Berserk. Go play. I’ll sit here with your
children for the next three days fretting and worrying, but you
have fun now.”
“
I love you. You know that,
don’t you?” He shook her again.
“
You have a strange way of
showing it, Mr. Shin.”
He pulled her in for a kiss long enough that
Peto, who was walking in for his last goodbye, grimaced before
turning around.
“
Give them a few minutes,
Jayts. You don’t want to come in here—trust me.”
“
Poor boy,” Mahrree laughed
to her husband as she reluctantly stepped back. “He has the worst
timing in the world. By the way, I do know you love me. I love you,
too.”
“
I know. And I will be
fine.
”
Mahrree sighed. “Please come home to me.”
“
You can’t get rid of me
too easily, woman.”
After good-byes to his children he mounted
his horse waiting in the alley and rode to the fort with two eager
sergeants.
He took only a moment to run up the stairs of
the command tower. He smiled at Hycymum’s purple banner with the
word Edge stitched in brilliant yellow, took it off the wall, and
bundled it under his arm. “This offensive is for Edgers, after
all,” he murmured.
He jogged over to the supply building, took a
pole he prepared earlier, and attached the banner to it. Grinning,
he positioned it in the saddle bag on his horse where it could flap
for everyone to see.
“
Don’t want anyone getting
lost now, do we?” he said cheerily to a corporal who eyed the
bright and slightly garish banner.
An hour later two hundred men rode from the fort
straight to the west and the staging area for the offensive.
Nothing could wipe the smile from Perrin’s face. Not even Captain
Thorne who rode on his right and frequently looked behind him to
make sure the soldiers stayed in formation. The fort didn’t have
enough horses for each man going to Moorland, so many were borrowed
from the village, and Thorne—being the horse man he claimed to
be—was put in charge of making sure none was lost. Perrin noticed
that Sergeant Major Zenos, on his left, however, kept watching
Perrin from the corner of his eye.
As they neared the barren farm waiting to be
flattened under so many boots and hooves, Perrin spotted a cloud of
dust rising in the southwest. Soon it revealed several hundred men,
led by a beaming Major Fadh. Before Perrin had the chance to absorb
the fantastic scene of three hundred men plus their horses and
wagons, to the south arose another massive cloud, eventually
producing Major Yordin and Lieutenant Colonel Karna, who combined
their six hundred men and rode together, trampling all kinds of
terrain for several miles, and grinning all the way.
The only one not grinning, Perrin
noticed—besides Thorne—was Shem, who kept eyeing his commander. But
Perrin didn’t care. By dinner time a tent village was erected three
miles from the village of Moorland and the more than one thousand
men were happy, eating, and eager to go hunting.
Perrin spent only one moment of the hectic
afternoon to pause and take in the scene. Men, horses, tents,
shouts, and swords; a farm turned into a camp for an army the size
of which hadn’t been seen in generations; a nervous farmer and his
wife cowering in their house, their curtains flickering as they
watched column after column of soldiers turn their rich dark fields
into a mucky mess—
Perrin’s chest swelled and burned with pride.
“Father,” he whispered when he had an uninterrupted minute, “I hope
that you’re in the part of Paradise that will let you see me
breaking your rules, because I think you and Grandfather Pere would
love this!”
---
“
Hum-hum . . . this doesn’t
look right . . . ho-ho, what’s this? A crevice. Hmm. Not good, not
. . . good.”
Beneff stretched his leg over the gap in the
ground that presented no discernible bottom. He grasped hold of a
tree limb above him, used it to stabilize himself, then jumped over
the crack in the earth. Safely on the other side, he chuckled
smugly.
“
Still know my way around,
hee-hee. Younger men learn a thing or two from me still, hum-hum.
Just need to bring them to where my true expertise lies. After all,
the wood knows how to grow and burn. And Gadiman thought I couldn’t
do any of this anymore. Well, is he in for a surprise!”
He looked around at the trees.
“
Seems thicker than some
years ago. Taller, too. Suppose forests have a way of growing, you
see, ho-hi. Thicker . . . denser . . . hmm. Oh my. This isn’t quite
. . .”
He stopped and stared off into the distance
which, at that point in the forest, was only about three feet in
front of him.
“
I think the wind’s about to hit the droppings.
The question is, Am I the wind, the droppings, or what’s about to
get hit?”
After another ponderous moment he said, “Now
where the slag did that mountain go?”
---
After dinner twelve men stood around a large
detailed map of Moorland in the command tent, studying the marked
houses and the directions outlined for the assault.
Everyone except for Shem, who looked around
the tent. “Colonel, where’s Beneff?”
Perrin waved that off. “Said he wasn’t
feeling too well, some hours ago. We really don’t need him now. He
got his section of the camp set up so I told him to go lay down for
a while.”
Shem shifted nervously. “Permission to go
check on him?”
Perrin looked up from the map. “You think
that’s really necessary?”
The look in Shem’s eyes was undeniable.
Now several other officers looked up from the
map and stared at Zenos.
“
Sir, I know the map and
your plan as if I wrote it myself,” the sergeant major told him.
“Please give me just a few minutes to check on Beneff.”
“
Of course, Zenos,” Perrin
said, unable to decipher the veiled look in his friend’s eyes. It
was something he’d never seen before, and that was rare. “But get
back soon. You don’t know
everything
.”
Shem nodded and darted out of the tent.
Yordin looked at Perrin for an explanation,
but Perrin shrugged. “Zenos will just have to catch up. You all
have had the past two days to review the attack plans. I’ve worked
in your suggestions, and now I have one more announcement to
make.”
Each man looked up from the map at
Perrin.
“
We don’t attack at dawn,”
he said quietly. “We hit Moorland after
sundown—tonight.”
“
Tonight!” Karna cried,
saying what every other man would have said if his mouth were not
hanging open.
“
I’m sure Colonel Shin has
a good reason for attacking tonight,” said Thorne
loyally.
Perrin fought the urge to roll his eyes. “I
do. We now all realize that even the most trusted soldier might be
an agent for the Guarders. Should there be any other Tace Riplaks
among our men, they will still believe the attack is in the morning
. . . until they find themselves in the middle of it, incapable of
sending an early warning to his partners in Moorland.”
The expressions on the other commanders’
faces suggested they had considered the same possibility.
“
We now have only eleven,”
Perrin continued, “who know the attack will begin in just one hour.
If the Guarders at Moorland have been warned in any way, they’ll be
preparing right now to ambush us while we sleep. So we’ll just have
to get them first.”
Yordin grinned. “Then what are we waiting
for!” Slap. “Call in the rest of the officers, and let’s mount
up!”
Perrin smiled. Sometimes, his job was just so
easy.
---
Shem didn’t know this part of the forest as
well as he did the forest above Edge.
Actually, he didn’t know it at all. It had taken
him several minutes just to circle back far enough to find a route
in without being noticed by any soldiers. And once he was in the
trees he felt for the first time the nervousness every other man
must have felt about the forest. He didn’t know where anything was,
not even Beneff. He wasn’t in his tent, and none of the men from
Edge had seen him for the past three hours. And now Shem, just
thirty paces into the unfamiliar trees, smelled a hint of sulfur.
Not knowing its source made him jumpy.
The whole day was making him jumpy. But he
couldn’t reveal that to anyone, especially Perrin.
The colonel was in rare form. As hesitant as
Shem was about the offensive, Perrin was enthusiastic. A part of
Shem was thrilled to see his friend so engaged in something besides
his paranoia. Watching Perrin sit astride a willing brown stallion,
directing their 200 hundred soldiers, 30 wagons and teams, and 150
horses as they rode in massive formation from the fort was
breathtaking. Hundreds of villagers had rushed to see the spectacle
heading west.
Perrin, riding at the front with Shem by his
side, was . . . well, the only word Shem could think of was
glowing
. He had something to do and he was on fire to do
it.
But he was almost frightening. Perrin’s
countenance shone with what Shem could define only as ferocious
joy.
And all of the men felt it, too. If any were
apprehensive, they simply looked at their commander and were
instantly infected with his determination to rid the world of its
most vexing neighbor. The thirty men left behind at the fort with
Radan and Offra—some ill, some injured, some timid—looked almost
envious they weren’t joining the throng.
Shem saw the same joyful ferocity contaminate
the other armies that met them at the farm. Yordin, Fadh, and Karna
broke into grins at the sight of the massive army. The four
commanders shared conspiratorial winks as if they were teenage boys
who were just about to pull off the greatest prank in the history
of the world.
And in a way, Shem thought to himself, they
were.
