Wayward Soldiers (6 page)

“Yes.”

“So, it’s likely they won’t come our way until morning, if they come at all. That means we have the rest of the evening and all night to get ready for them, maybe even part of the morning if they really drink it up. That’s not a lot of time, but much better than what we could have had. If you want to get ready in time, then you need to do what I say without any questions. I don’t have time to explain myself. I’m not going to sugar coat anything. Many of you are going to die if we fight, but I promise a lot more will die if we don’t, and that’s after the raiders have their fun.”

Pale faces and hollow eyes stared back at me. Everyone had a look of disbelief and bewilderment. I probably had the same look as I realized these were the people I was going to have to send against seasoned soldiers.

Leave it to Jareb to break the tension. “Who in the name of Prax died and made you leader? We still don’t know for sure if you won’t just join in with them when they get here and—”

Jareb’s head went sideways in an awful way as Ira’s fist connected with the side of his jaw. Jareb struck the ground hard. I didn’t fail to note that no one had made an attempt to catch him.

Ira’s boot caught Jareb in the side. A few gasps of surprise followed. A grin tugged at my mouth. Good old Ira. He had no qualms about kicking a man when he was down. Certainly not one like Jareb.

“Was that really necessary?” asked Rezub.

“I thought so,” said Ira.

“For once, I agree with him,” said Ava from behind me. “In fact, kick him a few more times.”

I shook my head at Ira. Most people generally don’t like beating a defenseless man, even if that man was someone like Jareb.

A few of his men slunk over, picked up their boss and walked him out of town. A part of me wished they’d stay. The extra bodies would be a huge help. But I knew I wouldn’t be able to trust them. It was better to let them go.

“Before we start the preparations you have in mind,” said Rezub, “I have a question. If there’s a chance that you and your friends might know some of these men, doesn’t it make sense for one of you to go talk some sense into them, tell them to leave us alone?”

“It’s a good point. But a lot of problems can come from doing that. You see, the people I traveled with were men I would have thought incapable of raiding. So if those men are indeed among the raiders, something’s changed them. That means they might not be as open to hearing me speak. Plus, just because a few decent men might be among them doesn’t mean the man leading them is one. If I go into their camp, they might kill me on the spot. That would leave everyone here worse off. Plus, it would alert them that not only are we nearby, but we’re aware of them, and likely better prepared than their previous targets.”

“The best thing to do,” I continued, “is to treat them as a hostile enemy. My time would be better spent preparing for the worse rather than traveling over there and hoping for the best.”

Rezub lowered his head in resignation.

I spoke to the crowd while pointing at Jareb. “Now, we don’t need people with his attitude if we want this to work. Either you’re in or you’re not. If you aren’t, then leave and get out of the way of the rest of us. Understand?”

Heads nodded.

“Good. Let’s get to work.”

CHAPTER 5

Unfortunately, they didn’t really understand.

At least not at first.

People pushed, shoved, moaned, and cursed while providing their input on how best to make our stand. And that was just from those who had decided to join together in defending Denu Creek. Several unfortunately slunk away with Jareb to his property after he came around and promised that they’d be safer there under his protection.

Those who remained eventually settled down when they realized they needed to listen if they were to have any hope of surviving.

I spoke only then, barking orders at those I thought might try to argue with what I had to say and talking in calm, stern tones to those on the verge of sobbing from the weight of the situation. One of the things I had learned commanding men was that a leader needed to be whatever the situation called for. In Denu Creek, I needed to be a bit of everything. I handed orders out to a shriveled old woman, a boy younger than Abigail, and everyone in between. If you had at least one working arm, there was plenty to do.

And we did plenty.

I made Dekar, Ira, Ava, and Nason squad leaders of sorts, overseeing their own smaller groups of townspeople. I pitched in where necessary while tweaking my plan along the way. With the night sky never fully darkening, we were able to be almost as productive as during daylight.

Myra stayed at Ava’s side while Zadok became my shadow. The boy was sharp. His questions and observations helped me work through what I had rolling around in my head.

I threw my spade into the dirt as we finished the last of five crisscrossing ditches that spanned from one side of Main Street to the other while taking into account the fissures in between. I grabbed some of the tan and orange material Sivan had salvaged from his tailor shop and helped others lay it over each ditch. People came in behind us sprinkling dirt, ash, and dead grass so the material would blend into the ground.

“Not too much,” I said, watching several women camouflage the ditches by the light of flickering torches. “Just enough to break up the color and texture of the surface. Like this.” I joined them in the work. “You add too much and the weight will cause the fabric to dip and sink. We don’t want to alert the raiders that something might be wrong.”

I looked at the sky. Dawn would be coming soon and my palms began to sweat just thinking about it. I had at least until then before the raiders would come, but how much time afterward, I had no way of knowing. Though I sent Sivan off to keep an eye on their movement, he’d only make it back with just enough time for everyone to get into position.

I thought about all that still needed doing and hoped again that the alcohol the raiders obtained from previous efforts had not run dry.

“C’mon Zadok, let’s go check on the others.”

We stopped at Nason’s group first. He oversaw the construction of various barricades and half walls throughout town. The small barriers were created out of the loose boards and beams scrounged from the debris of broken buildings. The barriers would funnel the raiders to the parts of town we wanted them to go. In order to do that without alarming them, I had instructed Nason to do his best to keep the small blockades ugly with a thrown together look that made it seem their location and size resulted from the wind and destruction that followed the second eruption.

Building an ugly, natural-looking barricade was no easy task. However, after quick examination of his latest effort, I’d say Nason had the craft down. I put a hand on the closest one and threw my weight against the wood. It didn’t budge.

“Not bad, huh?” he asked.

“All this time, it looks like your skills were wasted as a tanner. You should have been an engineer instead. If nothing else, the smell would have been better.”

He laughed. “Have you figured out where we’re going to place our people?”

“Yes. Just a few in the center. I want to reduce the risk of anyone loosing arrows that might hit our own. Most will be stationed just outside of the chokepoint we’re bringing them to. That way we can add pressure as we bring them farther inside. Then we can also batter them from behind once they start hitting the traps and are distracted with archers stationed on top of our few standing buildings.”

“How many at each station on the ground?”

“Two. Any more will just draw attention to those spots. But it’s always better to have at least one person watching the back of another. It’ll help keep everyone calm in the beginning.”

“All right,” said Nason. He looked up to the roof of the old theater. His wife was up there, preparing to pitch in with a bow.

I laid a hand on his shoulder. “I’m going to check on Dekar’s crew next. I’ll let her know you send your love.”

He forced a smile. “Thanks.”

Zadok and I left Nason and quickly walked to the theater. With the night sky so much different than before the second eruption, it was actually much darker inside the theater than outside, even while carrying a torch to light our way. We climbed the three flights of rickety stairs that led us to the roof.

Dekar had managed to craft several crudely constructed platforms enclosed with empty ale barrels and loose planks. He did a good job with the cover as I hadn’t even noticed them from the ground.

He stood at the largest platform with bow in hand, giving instructions to a group of townsfolk as a light breeze blew his blond hair.

I listened to him wrap things up. As in all things, Dekar was a stickler for details and no one could ever claim he’d only done “good enough.”

He looked my way. “You want to add anything, Tyrus?”

“Just one thing. I know that you’re all good hunters or have been great in contests. This is going to be much different. The excitement and anxiety will be a hundred times stronger than what you’ve known before. You’re going to see people die, some of them friends or even loved ones. You’re going to want revenge. Don’t let yourself fall into that trap. Keep your emotions in check. Mourn, wail, and curse after this is over. If you allow your emotions to get the best of you, you’re going to hurry a shot and miss the target. That means you’ll be giving the raiders more time to harm someone else you care about. I know it’s easier to say, but keep your head.”

They exchanged glances amongst each other, then bobbed their heads in grim determination. Sometimes a reminder of the obvious is all a man or woman needs to ease their mind.

“Everyone get to your stations and look over your equipment. Once you’re satisfied, grab something to eat and drink to settle your stomachs,” said Dekar.

The group of ten dispersed, some moving to other platforms on the roof, a few going downstairs to the second story where they’d take their aim from open windows. Nason’s wife was one of those people. I stopped her as she passed.

“How are you holding up?”

She pushed aside her straight brown hair with one hand. I hadn’t noticed her piercing, blue eyes before. They were deep like the color of a clear summer sky. Well, at least how the sky once looked. No one would compare anyone’s eyes to the orange hue hanging above us now.

She tried to smile. Anxiety prevented her from succeeding.

“Just worried about my family. I’m sure I’m not alone. Nason’s probably driving himself crazy thinking about me up here.”

“He’s not thrilled about it, but he also understands our options are limited. I just saw him. He’s doing well and sends his love.” Her smile came natural this time. “I’ll do my best to keep an extra eye on him too.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“I’ll let you get to your post. I need to have a word with Dekar. Take care.”

“You too, Tyrus.”

Dekar came up, leaned over and patted Zadok on the shoulder. “Learning anything from your old man?”

“A lot. Though it feels like I’m missing twice as much as I think I’m picking up.”

“Your father has that way about him. I’m still learning from him myself.”

I cocked my head and studied Dekar’s expression. At first I thought he said that for my benefit as a way to further the bond that was developing with me and Zadok. However, he seemed serious. For some reason, I found that hard to believe. Dekar wasn’t formally trained like the High Mages or other high-ranking officers I ran across in the military, but I’d still bet money on him in any contest of intelligence. Dekar just seemed to inherently know things. And his ability to recall information accurately was uncanny.

“How we lookin’?” I asked.

“As good as we can be. I’m about to run across the street and check on those stationed at the tavern. Afterward, I’ll have everyone bar the remaining first-story doors and windows. Then we just wait.”

“Why bar the doors and windows, Pa?” asked Zadok.

“To reduce the entry points to each building. It won’t stop any of the bandits from getting inside if they really want to, but it will slow them down. Hopefully long enough for someone to take them out.”

“What if they just get angry and decide to torch the places instead?”

“Shh,” I said, looking over my shoulder to make sure no one else on the roof heard. I didn’t need people more upset than they already were. I bent down and lowered my voice. “That is a possibility.”

“Then how will the people up here get out?”

“We’ve got rope by the windows and at the platforms on the roof,” Dekar said.

“Won’t they be easy targets climbing down a rope? And won’t that be dangerous if there’s a fire?” The worry in his voice was evident.

I put my hand on Zadok’s shoulder. “Son, we’re all taking large risks today. You can’t have a battle without them. We just have to force the enemy into taking greater risks than us.”

He frowned. I straightened and followed Dekar as he made his way downstairs, Zadok on my heels. He kept his head down, face lined in deep thought, no doubt mulling over my words. It seemed that with each passing moment, I continued to shatter everything he had come to believe happened in war. His fantasies of heroism had begun to fade and in their place reality found life.

It was a heck of a thing to crush my son’s dreams. Especially when I replaced them with what many would consider nightmares.

Across the street and up the road at the remains of the old feed store, Ava and Myra worked with several others on stuffing clothing with straw and feathers while adding long pieces of wood to support the limbs. Each team stationed at Nason’s barricades would have one decoy with them. Others would be placed at the edge of windows in the buildings still standing or possibly on the rooftops. The remaining decoys we’d position randomly throughout the downtown area.

The decoys wouldn’t exactly strike fear in the minds of any of the raiders up close, but from a distance it was my hope that they would give the illusion that there were a lot more of us. Maybe they’d decide Denu Creek wasn’t worth the effort.

I knew it was wishful thinking.

I skipped checking on Ava and Myra. I’d already heard a report they were ahead of schedule. Besides, I wanted to stop in on Damaris and Ira one last time before sunrise and that hour was fast approaching.

We made our way to where we had the children, elderly, and injured secured—those who could not contribute in the fight or even in the preparations for it. On our way, we stepped over and around several cracks in the ground, including the large fissure caused by the second eruption. The intermittent puffs of steam that smelled of rotten eggs might warn the raiders of its presence, but the holes at least narrowed the approach one could safely take into town.

At Sivan’s request and Damaris’s protest, I placed her in charge of overseeing the most vulnerable of Denu Creek’s citizens. She was to make sure everyone stayed safe and calm. Ira’s crew had set traps and strengthened the camouflage around the shelter.

“Where is the entrance?” Zadok asked as we neared.

“Good question.” I looked at the pile of debris that had once been the blacksmith’s shop.

It was one of the only places in town that still boasted a reinforced cellar we could safely use. However, the place where the cellar door resided was no longer easily visible.

I knelt and scanned the ground, squinting in the dim light. I wished I had thought to bring a lantern or torch. I was ready to send Zadok for one or the other when I saw the first sign of what I had been looking for.

“Step only where I step,” I said while rising into a crouch.

Carefully, I traversed the space leading up to the rubble, moving in a zig-zag pattern that doubled back on itself twice. The journey took three times longer than it would have walking in a straight line, but it was better than the alternative of suffering through one of the traps.

I knew Ira’s traps well enough that anything he had set would not simply slow an opponent, but likely maim or kill. Knowing this, I had issued an edict that no one was allowed within one hundred feet of the blacksmith’s place until Ira sprung each trap personally.

The last thing I needed was casualties caused by our own side.

At the end of the twisting path, the door to the cellar became more clearly defined. I rapped my knuckles lightly. Moments later, Damaris opened the door.

“How are you holding up?” I asked.

She sighed. “Dying of frustration. It’s no easy thing to keep children occupied for this long.”

“I thought they’d be asleep.”

“They slept for a few hours. Not much more. They know something big is going to happen. Besides, it’s hard to sleep with the really young ones crying and the elderly complaining about the glory days when Turine was a land flowing with milk and honey.”

“Turine has never been a land flowing with milk and honey. They’re just too far removed from their youths to remember correctly.”

She moved aside and gestured below. “Would you care to tell them that? I’ve tried and have been called a silly young girl who doesn’t know anything.”

I chuckled. “Uh, maybe another time. I got too many things still left to look into.”

Her voice softened. “I’d rather be out there helping.”

“You’re helping here. More than you realize. We all have our part to do. None of them are glamorous.”

She sighed. “I know.” A loud crash sounded and Damaris whipped her head around. Several sobs and a few rough scolds from an older woman rose up from the cellar. “I guess I need to get back down there and quiet them down,” she said.