Dragons and Destiny (44 page)

“Not a drill,”
he confirmed. “Return to your billets and think as you pack. Don’t
try any wild experiments, pack exactly what is in your manuals. It
will be inspected and non-regulation items thrown out. Do you all
understand?”

No one spoke.
They were too shocked.

“I’ll take that
as a yes. Once you have packed you will go to the armoury where you
will collect your armour. Those of you with your own long-swords
may sign them out. The armourer has a list of those who are
proficient enough.”

Hilla found
herself hoping that she would be considered competent enough to be
able to take her long-sword with her. Having been a trainee for
over a year she was well trained in the use of the short infantry
weapons, the short sword and the javelin but she did prefer the
longer blade.

She caught
Jen’s eye. She looked worried.

“Once you have
your armour,” continued Leftenant Villiers, “go back to your
billets, dress in full campaign uniform and parade at Noon Bell.
Dismiss.”

The Trainees
began to pack up their class books.

“Leave them,”
ordered Leftenant Villiers and they went in silence, leaving the
dumfounded Captain Dahlson behind. For first time in his life the
Captain had found himself at a complete and utter loss for
words.

As first year
trainees, they had been taught that an officer kept outwardly calm
in all situations and did not run unless at dire need.

Leftenant
Villiers had not called the situation an emergency so all the
trainees walked smartly towards their billets. Once there, although
a passer-by would have heard the muted buzz of excited chatter,
they began to pack their kit bags, ticking off each item as it was
transferred from locker to bag.

That done, they
made their way to the armoury where they were issued with their
battle armour. First year trainees wore practice armour only out of
the common store. Second year trainees, although they still used
practice armour in the salle possessed their own made-to-measure
armour. It was this that was being issued, together with a
regulation shield.

Hilla took
possession of her own long-sword as did Jen. Both girls noticed
that the blades had been sharpened and that they had been fitted
with a point-guard.

“Did you
notice?” asked Jen as the two laden girls marched back to their
quarters to don their campaign uniforms.

“Notice what?”
asked Hilla.

“The weapons in
the back section of the armoury chunk-head.”

“Not
especially. Why?”

“There weren’t
any. Didn’t you see? The sword racks were empty and so were the
shield ones.”

“Now that you
mention it, you’re right. What do you think it means?”

“That when the
Leftenant said that it wasn’t a drill he wasn’t kidding. There is
war in the air. Remember Robain’s last letter? Didn’t he hint that
something was up?”

“He did warn me
to be careful. Why, do you think he knew?”

“Wouldn’t
surprise me,” Jen replied, “Look, there are the Juvenis forming
up.”

“Do you think
they’re going to war too?” asked a surprised Hilla and both girls
quickened their steps. Noon bell was almost upon them and they
still had to finish getting ready.

Jen snorted.
“Shouldn’t think so, they’ll be going on guard duties ‘cos most of
the regulars will be marching out with us. You’ll see.”

“Marching
where?” asked Hilla. “Where is the war?”

The armour of
the Garda was designed around three basic ideas, for infantry,
infantry tactics and for protection and ease of maintenance in the
field. It was made of segmented iron plates. Some senior officers
favoured the muscled breastplate but it offered less protection
overall than the others since it might not always be used in
conjunction with a shield and so it was less popular amongst those
under the rank of Colonel.

The helmet had
open ears and face to allow each soldier to see and hear very well.
This was especially important since Garda infantry tactics stressed
ordered combat and if the soldiers couldn’t hear orders above all
the screaming, the battalion could not work well in formation. The
close order formation tactics of the Garda allowed the units to act
as mobile walls, where defensive combat against superior numbers of
lesser armoured opponents would allow the Garda unit to prevail by
attrition, allowing enemy bodies to pile up in front of the
formation to further hinder the approach of more enemy soldiers.
Holding the line no matter what was a basic Garda tactic.

The shield was
the primary protection and the armour was secondary. The shield was
designed as projectile defence against arrows, darts, javelins, and
sling stones. The helmet had a neck guard primarily to cover the
head from attacked by falling missiles and also to cover those
critical vertebrae at the base of the neck from any other sources
of damage.

There were
different Garda specialities to take advantage depending on
position. Archers fired their arrows from an appropriate distance.
Cavalry was fast and mobile - light infantry able to react to
changes in the battle or to act offensively to drive the enemy into
a poorer position. Most of the Garda cavalry was known as the
‘light’ variety, known as the ‘Light Horse’. There was also a
battalion of ‘Heavy Horse’, the shock force of the Garda, slow but
effective as it tanked through enemy lines.

As Jen and
Hilla helped each other into the armour they could hear loud noises
from the parade ground. “That’s some of the Settlement Militia
arriving,” said Jen to Hilla.

“That means
that an emergency has been declared,” answered Hilla buckling the
buckles that held the shoulder-guards in place.

“Not an
emergency, a war,” Jen corrected her. “Come on of we’ll be late. I
don’t want to start of the campaign with a demerit.”

* * * * *

Elliot

Captain Rand’s
ship, the
Armageddon
made good time as she sailed east along
the Argyll coast. She turned to starboard when the lookout shouted
and headed south.

At the port
rail, Elliot stood watching as the mountain known as Pointy Peak
grew closer. He wondered if Zilla was also gazing at it, perhaps
out for a ride on Lightfoot. He had been standing where he was most
of the day; he might never again be as close to Zilla as he was
now.

Farewell my
Zilla.

This was the
ending of the first chapter of his life, his boyhood. Whatever
happened in the months ahead he would never return to the carefree
days of his first seventeen years. He was Prince-Heir, one day he
would be Crown-Prince. Elliot knew that his grandfather was not a
well man.

And Isobel, his
betrothed, was waiting. She was his wife to be, not Zilla and he
owed it to Isobel to enter into the marriage with honest commitment
if not love.

Of course there
was the Larg and the Dglai to overcome first, but Elliot was
optimistic by nature and was sure the Larg would be defeated and
the way found to destroy the Dglai.

The wind lifted
at the
Armageddon’s
sails and she went faster. Elliot
remained on deck, watching as first the coastline of Argyll
disappeared then Pointy Peak became no more than a faint outline,
then a smudge on the horizon.

He sighed.

“Quarter-bit
for them?” asked James, coming up to stand beside him. “Thought you
might could do with some company.”

“I’ve been
…”

“Saying
goodbye?” smiled James with some sympathy, “or wondering what it is
going to be like when we get home?”

“Bit of
both.”

“Thought so.
Robain said to tell you that he wants us to have a planning
meeting. He thinks we should discuss our first approach to Duke
Duchesne. Philip agrees.”

* * * * *

Robain

As Elliot and
James were talking on the top deck, below, Robain, Philip and Derek
were discussing what Robain was likely to find when they arrived in
Murdoch.

Derek was
calling it ‘a crash course in the murky world of Murdochian
politics’ and Philip had to agree that this summed it up pretty
well.

“All right,”
said Robain, “I think I’ve got it. I can trust Crown-Prince
Paul.”

“Yes,” agreed
Philip, “I’m also going to give you a couple of letters, one to
Paul, the other to Peter Duchesne, the Lord Marshall.”

“Younger
brother of Duke William Duchesne,” said Robain and Philip gave him
a nod of approval.

“Correct, now,
it is when you get to the palace at Fort when your real troubles
will begin. Paul will accept you on my recommendation but no one
else will. Just try to keep a low profile and protect Elliot.”

“You think this
Prince Xavier will try and kill Elliot again?”

“I don’t think
it, I know it, but be aware and careful.”

“In fact,” said
Derek, in his careful drawl, “I wouldn’t advertise the fact that
Elliot is back home at all. Keep it quiet. Duke William will
understand.”

“Last of all,
mind your own back. Don’t trust a soul and listen to Elliot. He was
brought up at court and knows and understands more than you might
give him credit for,” said Philip.

“Once there I
would advise that you should trust not even James,” Derek warned
him sotto voice, “remember that he is a Cocteau.”

“Where the
deuce are the pair of them?” asked Philip.

* * * * *

Elliot and
Robain

“He’ll believe
you all right when you tell him the Larg are coming, I wouldn’t be
surprised if he knows already, it’s the other part of the story
you’re going to have the difficulties with, invaders from
outer-space. You have no concrete proof.” Thus Philip gave his
prognosis of the situation.

“I’ll have to
make him believe,” said Elliot with determination. “Captain Hallam,
Robain, he has a letter from Susa Julia, that will help. She’s
wanting to bring the Vada south.”

“To bring the
Vada into Murdoch,” marvelled James, “why, it’s unheard of.”

“Duke William
will need them if he’s going to hold off the Larg and the Dglai. He
can’t do it on his own, even with Charles Graham’s help, in fact it
might not just be the Vada, perhaps a Lindar or two as well, even
the Garda,” said Robain.

“But that would
be treason,” protested James, “to invite Lind into our country.”
The others ignored him and he subsided.

“I’ve also to
make the offer to Duke William that if he wants to send his wife,
children and any other non-combatants north to safety he can. Susa
Julia suggested that he make use of any empty ships. She invites
them on her and Alyei’s honour. Everyone knows that for the Vada
loyalty and honour are everything,” said Robain.

“It is said
that vadeln are incapable of telling a lie, they may hide the truth
a little but,” said Philip, “now that I have met and come to know
some of them I believe it.”

“Precisely,
Duke William is a realist, he’ll believe enough. If I had the Larg
baying on my borders, I wouldn’t care where the help was coming
from and he’ll be the same. Trust me.” Elliot say back and gazed at
them in the benign fashion that made Philip want to throttle him.
His father looked the same on occasion. Elliot was no longer a boy
but a man.

* * * * *

Julia

Susa Julia was
in her office with her Lind Alyei and Susa Gsendei of the Avuzdel
when the news came through.

Mid-sentence,
Gsendei stopped talking and she raised her head to look at him. His
face had taken on the countenance she recognised, his face
registering that unfocused gaze that told her he was in a
telepathic conversation with somelind.

Julia waited
and watched his face, hoping the news was good. Perhaps the Dglai
weren’t coming after all and she could countermand the orders she
had issued as Susyc.

She was doomed
to disappointment.

Gsendei blinked
as his eyes came back into focus.

“Well?” she
asked, half-afraid of the answer.

“Susa
Zaoaldavdr has managed to get a message through,” Gsendei began.
“It is as we feared, the Dglai scout ship is in the nadlians of the
Larg.”

Julia’s heart
sank.

Gsendei
continued, “he tried to warn the Largan but those he sent were
killed before they had a chance to speak. Zaoaldavdr thinks the
killings were ordered by the Largan. This tells us that the Larg
and the Dglai must have come to an accommodation of some sort. It
is the only explanation the Susalai and the Lai can come up with
for what has happened. There is more. The Largan has issued his
call. The kohorts are on the march.”

“Where to?”
asked Alyei, “do we know that much?”

“They are to
muster at the usual place. At the river, where the mountains
are.”

“The same river
that bisects Murdoch?”

“The same.
Zaoaldavdr has managed to get one of his own to a hidden place
close by and will send us reports when he can. He does not know how
long his operative can stay hidden, he fears he will be found and
killed.”

“So it starts,”
said Julia, wondering why her voice sounded so calm.”

“I fear so
Susyc Julia.”

Julia winced at
the appellation. She was no longer merely the Susa of the Vada, she
was now Commander of the Armies of the North.

“I suppose it
was to be expected,” she said, “what do the Susalai and our Lai
friends think will happen now?”

“The Largan
will gather in his kohorts and we think is planning an attack up
through the centre of Murdoch. They think the Largan will wait for
the arrival of the Dglai ship but that is not certain. They may
attack before.”