Valour and Victory (19 page)

Wagons full of
supplies accompanied the army as it marched, an endless train
departing full and returning empty except for the refugees.

With the other
Garda Officer Trainees Hilla Talansdochter marched and marched some
more. The Academie Battalion was a small one but it had a
reputation to uphold. The Academie trained the officers who led the
battalions. Even the Militia officers attended courses at
Settlement. Many of the Militia were time-served members of the
Garda.

“Oof, it’s
hot,” grumbled Hilla to Jen Durand who was her file partner. “Hope
there’s a rest stop soon.”

“Shouldn’t be
long,” Jen replied, “but Villy said Major Bellahouston wanted to
reach the assembly point before it gets dark so he was going to
pick up the pace.”

“Villy?”

“Leftenant
Villiers then,” said Jen, referring to their own officer who
commanded the Senior Staticum, the second and therefore senior year
Officer Trainees. “Honestly, the man takes himself so seriously I
just
had
to think up a nickname.”

“Don’t let him
hear you,” Hilla warned, “he’s sure to take exception.” Leftenant
Villiers was not noted for his sense of humour.

“People that
can’t take a joke on themselves represent a sad facet of humanity,”
retorted Jen. “I’m sure it’s a sign of inner insecurity and he is
boringness personified too. I wish Robain was still our officer.
You knew where you stood with him, he could laugh with us and it
didn’t affect his authority one whit.”

“Leftenant
Villiers is another kettle of fish,” agreed Hilla, trying not to
think of the missing Robain.

The two girls
marched on in companionable silence.

They reached
the reserve lines behind the ridge as dusk was falling. All the
Trainees were tired, footsore and very thirsty.

First they were
directed to the cook tents. There they ate with gusto large
portions of army stew from their mess tins and drank their fill of
mugs of kala. Only the very rich could afford tea. Tea was only be
grown in a small area in the southern continent where climate and
conditions were right. Jen, from an old and wealthy Argyllian
family, had tasted it a few times, Hilla never.

The Trainees
marched off to the section of the camp assigned to them and made
haste to erect their tents, delivered by wagon earlier, twelve to a
tent. It did make for a bit of squash (they were designed to take
eight) especially when arms and equipment was added.

Hilla grimaced
as she surveyed the small space that was hers.

She had just
finished arranging her belongings when Leftenant Villiers popped
his head inside the tent. “Settle in and be quick about it. You
know where the latrines are?”

The twelve
assured him that they did.

“Early bed,” he
added in a no nonsense voice. “Durand and Talansdochter, you’ve got
first watch.”

Hilla
groaned.

She and Jen had
optimistically thought that for this first night at least they
would be watch-free. All Hilla wanted was to lie down and rest her
weary legs. With a sigh she bent down, picked up her helm, sword
and shield.

“Yes sir,” she
replied, straightening up.

“Where do we
report?” asked Jen.

“Large brown
tent in the middle of this section,” answered Leftenant Villiers.
“You can’t miss it. It’s the one with the big blue flag on top.
This is the blue section of the camp. Warrant Officer Taplin is
duty N.C.O. He’ll tell you what to do. Rest of you settle down and
get some kip. You’ll be woken if you’re on watch. Hurry up you two,
he’s waiting.”

With a last
wistful look at her empty sleep bag, Hilla followed Jen past the
Leftenant and out of the tent.

* * * * *

Rilla

Susyc Julia and
her Alyei had spent many a long bell discussing with her commanders
how best to organise the army. She knew that she would need to
arrange for ‘a defence in depth’ along the entire length of the
ridge, making optimum use of the different types and abilities of
her troops, catering for their strengths and weaknesses and taking
account of the experience of each, many of whom had never worked
with any but their own kind before.

There was also
the language problem. Most of the Lind (and the more so the further
west their rtathlians were situated) did not speak or understand
any tongue but their own.

Jim Cranston,
the very first human Susyc, had encountered the same problem and in
his day had solved it by allocating each Lindar a young vadeln-pair
from the embryo Vada. His solution had worked well and since then
each Susa of the Vada had incorporated this into his or her
battle-plan.

Julia had
decided to do the same, with one change. Every Lindar, even the
large Lindars from the other continent and the vicious-looking
Avuzdel Lindar were allocated not one but two cadet duos, one
junior and one senior, to manage the telepathic web-link between
them and the command post. Other cadet vadeln-pairs were allocated
to other command units along the ridge.

Rilla and
Zawlei, to the former’s consternation, were assigned to the section
of the ridge under the command of the Duke of Duchesne. She would
have much rather been given a placement with one of the northern
segments. Shona and Danei had been given the Seventh Garda Foot and
Toinette and Wlei had departed to take up their post with the
Stewarton Militia with unconcealed glee.

But orders were
orders so Rilla packed up her kit and set off along the ridge to
the right wing where the Duchesne levies were camped.

She and Zawlei
weaved their way though the straggling encampment, past the ordered
tent-lines of the Garda then through the not so well ordered lines
that belonged to the various Militias.

They passed
through the indefinite boundary that marked the final tent of the
last Militia battalion and entered the part of the ridge allocated
to the Duke of Duchesne. Rilla and Zawlei spotted the difference at
once and one of these differences was the feeling of being watched.
As Zawlei threaded his way through the men looked up and stared. A
few called out a greeting but most stood in wary silence.

What struck
Rilla was that virtually none of the men (try as she might she
espied no women that first day) were dressed alike. These were
farmers and townsfolk, trained in arms but had neither a uniform
nor felt the need for one. Their fighting leathers were of no set
type and some looked to be of ancient design and make.

: They wear
what is comfortable :
Zawlei mentioned, aware as always of what
Rilla was thinking
: it all helps :

Rilla felt very
self-conscious dressed in the standard battledress and armour of
the Vada, with the silver Lind head on her breast and the three
white Cadet year-stripes on her sleeve. As she rode she could hear
low-voiced southern-drawling conversation behind her as the
southerners made free with their comments not realising that Rilla
had very sharp hearing and what she couldn’t make out Zawlei
certainly could. He passed on all the nice comments and kept the
not so nice ones to himself.

“It’s a
girl!”

“Little slip of
a thing.”

“Do you think
she knows how to use that sword she carries?”

“Shouldn’t
think so. Must be for show.”

“I wouldn’t be
so sure about that if I were you.”

An embarrassed
Rilla tried her best to ignore them.

At last they
reached the bizarrely decorated tent Weaponsmaster Jilmis had
described (in lurid detail) to her as the Duke’s headquarters when
he had informed the dismayed Rilla of her assignment.

Rilla took a
deep breath. She knew she was expected and right enough she spied
the person who must be the one detailed to wait for her. He waved
and beckoned her and Zawlei over. He had been briefed. He welcomed
them by name.

“Cadets Rilla
and Zawlei?” he said, “we’ve been expecting you this last
candle-mark.”

“We were
delayed,” Rilla apologised. She dismounted with the ease of one
‘born in the saddle’ and the young man grinned in appreciation. The
heir to the Duchy of Duchesne knew skill when he saw it. He was
twenty-eight, married to a cousin of the late Crown-Prince Paul and
had four children and another on the way.

: He looks a
most capable person :
telepathed Rilla to Zawlei.

: He has a
nice face :
he agreed.

: Strong,
rather than handsome :

The younger
William had been his father’s choice to greet their ‘communications
link’.

“They’re
sending us a girl,” the Duke had told him. “I still can’t get used
to the idea of women fighters, doesn’t seem natural somehow. Whole
Vada seems to be filled with them and some are quite pretty. You
greet her and bring her in to me soon as she arrives. The earlier
she gets used to the way we work the better. Her Lind comes in too.
He’s the one who does the actual transferring of messages. Got her
accommodation ready?”

“Yes Father.
I’ve set up a tent next to yours.”

“Good, she’ll
be safer close by not that I think any of the men will try
anything. These giant Lind of theirs are sure to deter all but the
most ardent but let’s not take any chances. I don’t want any
incidents.”

“I’m Duke-Heir
William,” the young man introduced himself. “If you, Cadet Rilla
and you, Cadet Zawlei will come this way? My father wishes to meet
you.”

“Rilla and
Zawlei will do fine,” said Rilla as they followed the young noble
into the tent. Zawlei had to duck his head as he passed through the
opening.

The Duke was
standing round a map table in the centre of the tent with some
other men as Rilla and Zawlei came to a halt inside.

He raised his
head and looked at them, a penetrating look but he must have liked
what he saw because his face broke into one of his rare smiles
although he didn’t waste any time on a superfluous welcomes.

“Rilla and
Zawlei Father,” said his son.

Rilla stepped
forward. “Cadets Rilla and Zawlei reporting for duty My Lord Duke,”
she said, coming to attention. The Vada did not salute.

“About time,”
he growled. “Expected you a candle-mark ago.”

“I came
immediately I was informed of my assignment,” said Rilla, refusing
to be intimidated and she recognised the approving glint in the
Duke’s eye for what it was. One or two of the men around the Duke
gasped.

A Duke was an
all-powerful person within his own demesne and they were amazed at
the temerity of her reply; that a young woman could stand up for
herself in this way was as unexpected as it was unusual.

“Come over
here,” Duke William ordered.

Rilla took up
the indicated position. Zawlei took up position beside her, to
where the Duke’s vassals had vacated a
very
large space.

Rilla barely
came up to his shoulder though Zawlei’s head was on more of a level
with the Duke’s.

“Now,” began
Duke William, stabbing at the map with his forefinger, believing he
would need to explain the intricacies of a military map board to
the girl. “This is our section of the ridge.” He stabbed again,
“this is us.”

Rilla
identified the red triangle as the token denoting the Duchesne
troops.

“To our right
is Lindar Hanei, to our left the foot soldiers of the Militia. You
understand?”

“I
have
studied tactics sir,” Rilla replied in a firm voice. “I understand
what the tokens represent.” She pointed to the round green one
behind that of the Lindar. There were more gasps from the men
around the table and the Duke’s son only stopped himself from
laughing with a great deal of effort. As he told his father that
evening once they were alone, the sense of outrage and astonishment
on most of the vassals’ faces was like as if they had been told
that the heavens were about to fall in. He turned his incipient
laugh into a cough.

Rilla glanced
at him as she continued, “that’s cavalry, it’s got a white dot on
it, which means it’s the Garda Heavy Horse. They’re trained to
fight with the Lind. That’s good. They’re about two-hundred and
fifty strong. Behind them, that black square is more Militia in
reserve.”

Duke William
cocked an eye at her. “You’ll do,” he said and continued with his
interrupted briefing.

: I think he
likes you :
Zawlei mentioned and added
: do I establish
contact with the communications web now or wait until the man has
stopped talking? :

: Best do it
now :
Rilla replied.
: Who are our counterparts with Lindar
Hanei? :

: Charles and
Wlya. I’ll make contact with Wlya first. She is the nearest and
then we can both merge in to the web :

: Go ahead
:
answered Rilla as she concentrated on what Duke William was
saying. A lot depended on her ability to understand how the Duke
intended to defend his sector of the ridge so she listened very
hard.

Susyc Julia had
divided the ridge into eight sectors, or divisions, each under the
overall command of one senior officer. Each division contained
elements of each type of soldier under her overall command,
Infantry, Vada and Lindar and as many evenly distributed reserves
that she could manage.

The majority of
the Lindars and the Vada she retained in the centre where, if the
Larg attacked true to past form, the initial waves of the kohorts
would attack.

The Horse
Cavalry she placed at each end, intending the army should form one
unbroken line along the ridge and there were Lind stationed in the
forests at either end to secure the flanks.

Duke William
Duchesne commanded the First Division, the right wing, at the
western edge. He had never commanded any troops but his own kind
before and was finding the experience quite a challenge. After the
tactical planning meeting broke up, he asked Rilla and Zawlei to
stay behind. “I need to pick your brains,” he said by way of
explanation.