The Talented (8 page)

Under normal
circumstances, being summoned to Captain Garrett’s office did not
worry Adrienne. She reported to him on a regular basis about the
new recruits she tested, and he had taken a special interest in
Jeral’s progress over the eight months of the Yearling’s
training.

Still, when the order had
come down that Adrienne was to report to the captain’s office, she
knew that it was not to go over the latest news about the
recruits.

“
Adrienne Rydaeg, reporting
as ordered, sir,” Adrienne said when the page showed her into the
captain’s office.

“
Rydaeg, come in,” Captain
Garrett said, his face impassive. “Sit, if you’d like.”

Adrienne remained
standing, as was her habit when in the captain’s office.

“
How is Rosch’s
progress?”

Adrienne was momentarily
thrown. She had reported to the captain only a few days ago, after
she and Jeral had returned from Red Ridge Keep, and they had
discussed Jeral briefly at that time. Despite her confusion, she
reported. “He is progressing much faster than I would have
predicted eight months ago, sir. He has a natural aptitude for
swordsmanship that lends itself well to our current training, and
he performed well outside of Kyrog.” A sudden and unwelcome thought
occurred to her. “Captain, despite his progress, if you are
thinking of sending him back to Roua at this time I believe that
would be a mistake. A few more months of—”

“
I value your input,” the
captain said, cutting her off, “but it is not my intention to cut
Rosch’s study at Kyrog short. I requested you to come here so that
we could discuss you.”

“
What did you wish to talk
about, Captain?” Adrienne asked, her stomach clenching nervously.
She forced her body and face to appear calm and relaxed, while
inside she was running through anything she had done in the last
couple of days that might require disciplinary action.

The captain had been
pleased with the results of their mission, and surprised that
Adrienne had gone to Red Ridge Keep and met with Lord Neecham
without being told, but had been only mildly displeased that she
had acted outside of her orders.

Ricco’s prediction of
flogging had not come to pass.

Adrienne could think of
nothing she might have done to displease Captain Garrett then or
since her return.

“
You’ve been at Kyrog for a
long time,” Captain Garrett said.

“
Yes, sir,” Adrienne
answered. It had been thirteen years now, a long time for a soldier
in any one place. Even longer than it seemed, considering Adrienne
was barely twenty-one.

“
To my knowledge, you have
never asked for higher rank, or wondered why someone of your
experience is still a private instead of an officer.”

“
I am still young, Captain
Garrett.” She would be lying if she said she had never wondered why
the captain had never so much as hinted at a promotion. “I thought
my age might be a factor.”

“
Age is always a factor to
be considered, but in your case age was never the obstacle. You
became a soldier so young that you have more experience as a
soldier than some men—or women—half again your age. Even before
coming to Kyrog you had experience.”

The lump forming in her
throat made it hard for Adrienne to swallow. Part of her thought
that maybe, finally, she would become an officer. The hope refused
to die, beating madly in her breast, even as a large part of her
was imagining Captain Garrett telling her that there was something
preventing her from ever making lieutenant.

Worse, the idea that he
might ask her to leave Kyrog came to mind and couldn’t be
dismissed. “May I ask what the obstacle is?” Adrienne forced the
words out.

Captain Garrett nodded.
“You are, possibly, the best soldier in Kyrog. You are dedicated—to
your training, to Kyrog, to Samaro—in a way that few soldiers are.
You are an example of what a great soldier should be.”

Adrienne knew there was
more waiting to be said.

“
I have never doubted your
soldiering ability, or your commitment. I have known you would be
great since you were thirteen, awkward and gangly when crossing the
courtyard but completely controlled in the ring. You are a woman,
but no one who is in Kyrog more than a week sees that as a
liability.”

“
I assure you that it is
not, sir,” Adrienne couldn’t help but say. She had met female
officers before. Adrienne knew Captain Garrett to be a fair man,
and she didn’t think he would hold her back due to
gender.

“
Yes. My concern had
nothing to do with your gender, or your skill. It is your ability
to lead that I have questioned through the years, whenever the
question of promoting you came up.”

Adrienne felt as if she
had been punched in the gut. Worse, because she could not
retaliate, or even defend herself from another blow. “I see,” she
said, struggling to sound calm despite the screaming in her head.
That Captain Garrett, a man she liked and respected, should find
her lacking in such an important area hurt far more than she could
have anticipated.

“
Do you? You are very
action-oriented, Adrienne. This is a good quality in a soldier, but
you prefer to act alone. Though you follow orders, it has not
typically been in character for you to take the lead in a group
situation. To my knowledge, you have only one true friend here, and
only a small group outside of that with whom you choose to
socialize.”

Adrienne had not realized
that Captain Garrett knew so much about her private life, though
hearing it now she did not find it surprising. The captain was a
very thorough man. If he was considering promoting someone to
officer, he would look at all aspects of that person’s life, not
just ability in the sparring ring or speed on an obstacle
course.

“
Because you demonstrate
the qualities of a loner, I worried that you might not do well in a
command situation. A leader needs to know more than just how to
fight.”

“
I understand why you might
think that,” Adrienne said. She
was
a loner. For all her skill, Adrienne was aware
that she preferred to be by herself, with Ricco as the rare
exception. Most leaders were more sociable, more
charismatic.

“
I think that you do
understand. However, since you took on Jeral Rosch as your trainee,
of your own accord, I have been forced to reconsider my
thinking.”

“
Sir?”

“
Training someone,
especially with the attention and consistency you have given Rosch
for the past eight months, is not an easy task. Although I know you
to be a determined individual, I sense that it is not only
determination and a sense of commitment that drives you to continue
his training.”

“
No, sir,” Adrienne said.
“I enjoy training Rosch, watching his progress, adapting my own
methods to best suit him.”

“
The results are proof of
your dedication,” Captain Garrett said with approval. “Ricco
reported to me after Pelarion and told me how Rosch performed. From
what Ricco said, Rosch is now a far superior fighter compared to
the recruits who arrived when he did. He has benefited from the
personal instruction he gets from you.”

Adrienne had known that,
but she was proud that the captain had come to that conclusion as
well.

“
I am also pleased that you
have enlisted some of the others here to help you with training.
Although I believe that you still have loner tendencies, it has
become apparent in the past eight months that these tendencies did
not affect your ability to train Rosch, or your willingness to
bring others in on your projects.”

“
Rosch benefited from
practicing with different soldiers,” Adrienne said. “I would not
deny any trainee that, not if I wanted him to excel.”

Captain Garrett nodded.
“There was an incident some months ago that also moved me to
reconsider your career.”

The way he phrased it left
no doubt in Adrienne’s mind that the captain was referring to what
had happened with Lieutenant Nissen. “Captain Garrett, I can
explain—”

Captain Garrett held up a
hand to stop her. “An explanation is not necessary, nor at this
late date particularly welcome.” That kept Adrienne quiet. “What
interested me was the solidarity amongst the men in response to
what happened. The other soldiers regard you as one of them
completely, and maybe as something more. The respect those serving
here have for you is greater and more true than the respect even
some of the more well-liked officers are given.”

“
Let me apologize
for—”

“
Apologies, like
explanations, we can do without at this time. Unless you wish to
make a formal complaint.” The captain’s eyes made it clear that he
did not want one, and it was something Adrienne was not eager to
give in any case. She shook her head. “Very well. Respect is
earned, Rydaeg. It does not come easily, nor do officers
automatically gain respect. You have already earned the respect and
loyalty of the men at Kyrog, just as you have shown your leadership
abilities with Rosch.”

Adrienne waited, barely
able to breathe.

“
You’ve grown since you
began training Rosch. I had you take the lead in sorting out
Pelarion as a test. You chose a solid group of men, Rosch included,
and by all accounts you were a good leader. I was further impressed
by your impromptu visit to Red Ridge Keep. Although I would have
preferred you wait until sent, the fact that it occurred to you to
contact our patron and inform him of what had happened at Pelarion
proved to me that you have vision that reaches beyond the walls of
this camp.”

Adrienne said nothing,
unsure of what to think or feel. The barrage of emotions, from hope
to fear that the captain might find her inadequate, was too much
for her to fully process.

“
Adrienne Rydaeg, as
Captain of Kyrog, I would like to formally offer you the position
of lieutenant.”

Adrienne gave a mental cry
of triumph while limiting her physical response to a nod. Despite
her stoic efforts, she was unable to suppress her smile. “Thank
you, sir. I would be honored.” Her words were heartfelt, and she
knew that the captain could see everything she was feeling in her
deep brown eyes. Embarrassment could not outweigh her joy, however,
and her smile grew to reveal straight white teeth.

Pride that she had reached
the goal she had been secretly striving toward for years swamped
her.

“
In addition to your
promotion, I would like to place you in charge of training all of
the Yearlings,” Captain Garrett said, surprising her enough that
some of the euphoria cleared.

“
Lieutenant Mylig is in
charge of training at Kyrog,” Adrienne said. She had heard no
rumors that Mylig would be leaving, or worse, retiring. He was too
skilled a soldier and teacher to waste his talent growing beans or
whatever soldiers did after retirement. He was meant to teach and
fight, not succumb to old age on a farm somewhere in the
countryside.

Adrienne would rather die
in a fight than spend the rest of her years living such a life, and
she had always gotten the feeling that Mylig felt the same. He was
not the retiring type.

“
He will remain in charge
of the soldiers who will be staying at Kyrog indefinitely; men who
have years to learn and perfect their skills,” Captain Garrett
elucidated. “In light of what you have been able to do with Rosch,
I would like you to continue training him and other soldiers in the
same circumstances as he.”

Adrienne was surprised at
the immediate increase in responsibility that came with her
promotion. “I will need to set up a team to help me,” Adrienne
said, still reeling from the sudden promotion and the new task
before her. Excitement, almost like the tense anticipation she
often felt before a fight, coursed through her veins as she began
making plans.

“
Of course. Although a
one-on-one mentorship will not be feasible due to the number of
recruits, I expect you to assemble a large enough team of
experienced soldiers to help with the training of the Yearlings. I
want to see the same results with the other Yearlings that I have
seen with Rosch.”

“
I will do my best,
Captain,” she promised.

“
Then you are dismissed,
Lieutenant Rydaeg.”

••••••

News spread like wildfire
in Kyrog, and Ricco had already heard of Adrienne’s promotion
before she had a chance to find him and tell him
herself.

“
Congratulations on your
promotion, Lieutenant, sir.” Ricco saluted and his smile was, if
possible, even wider than usual as pleasure and pride vied for
position on his face.

Adrienne allowed her
friend to pull her into a congratulatory hug. His massive arms
squeezed the breath from her lungs, and for a few seconds Adrienne
worried that Ricco might end up cracking a rib in his enthusiasm,
but after a few painful moments he loosened his hold enough to
eliminate that danger. “It’s about time Captain Garrett moved you
up the chain of command,” he said, ending the hug with a slap on
the back in a manner much more typical of their relationship than
the long, close hug had been.