plus some carrots they'd gotten from the
dwarves, to the communal stew pot. As the sky went dark and the
stars came out, the firelight flickered on the palisade and the
compound became almost cheery. Except for a pair of soldiers on
guard duty, everyone sat in a circle around the fire, eating and
chatting. The men took off their breastplates and helmets, and
instead of menacing, anonymous soldiers, they became a bunch of
young men, some as young as Tam, with easy grins and hair standing
up in tufts.
A couple of
soldiers set out to amuse Lina and Sari, telling stories and silly
jokes. On the far side of the fire, a man let Mikail try out his
sword, and told stories of battles while the boy listened, eyes
shining.
Carmody
assigned men to sentry duty, two men at a time in rotating watches,
then stood. "Dawn comes early," he said. "Let's-"
There was a
flicker of motion in the darkness, and a sudden spray of sparks
from the fire. Carmody sprang back, his hand going to the hilt of
his sword, and several of his men got to their feet.
"Is that an
arrow?" Tam said.
A long shaft of
pale wood jutted from a log in the fire, the feathers curling and
blackening in the flames. Carmody stared, then kicked the log,
scattering the fire and half extinguishing it. The palisade became
much darker.
"First squad,
to the walls," Carmody snapped. "Second squad, into your armor.
Fletcher, Quince, what do you see?"
"I didn't see a
thing, Captain," one sentry called.
"Me either.
Nothing out there but darkness."
"Well, keep
your eyes open," Carmody said, scooping up his helmet and putting
it on.
Tam and Tira
led the children to the cart. "What's going on?" Mikail asked.
Tira thought
about it. "I'm not sure."
"Are we being
attacked?" He sounded scared, but also eager. Well, he would learn
soon enough that excitement came at a price.
"I don't think
so," she told him. "Not yet, anyway. I think the arrow was a
warning."
"A warning
about what?"
"I don't know,
but I want us to be ready. Saddle the pony."
She strung her
bow first, put the quiver across her back, and then saddled her
horse. Then she looked at the two mules. Daisy was better rested
and probably stronger than the other mule. She and Tam hitched
Daisy to the cart. Then Tira planted her hands on her hips, frowned
at the girls, and said, "I want you two in the cart."
To her surprise
they didn't argue, just nodded and climbed inside.
She turned to
Mikail. "I have a job for you, and it's important. Can I depend on
you?"
His shoulders
lifted. "Yes, absolutely."
Tira handed him
the horse's reins. "You're in charge of the animals. If we are
attacked, we're going to need them. It won't be easy keeping all of
them under control if something comes over the walls, but you have
to do it. Understand?"
There was a
glimmer of suspicion in his eyes. He had to be wondering if it was
a trick to keep him out of the way while she did something more
interesting, but he nodded, his expression serious. "You can count
on me."
"Good." She
looked at Tam. He had his captured sword belted on, and he put the
axe on the roof of the cart where he or Mikail could reach it
easily.
"What now?" he
said.
"Now we wait.
And we hope that all this preparation was for nothing."
It didn't take
long. An urgent flap of wings in the darkness outside told of birds
disturbed by something. A sentry called out in a low voice, "I see
movement."
"If it's the
undead," said a soldier on the wall behind Tira, "save your arrows.
It's axes and swords for them. You don't have to cut the arms and
legs right off, just break the bones and it slows them right
down."
She remembered
him from dinner. He'd had Lina giggling helplessly with a
ridiculous story about a magpie that wanted to steal his helmet.
Murf, she thought his name was. There was a dusting of freckles
across his nose that made him seem boyish, but he was old enough to
have children Lina's age. Maybe he did.
Mikail was
breathing in short, sharp pants, and Tira reached
dwarves, to the communal stew pot. As the sky went dark and the
stars came out, the firelight flickered on the palisade and the
compound became almost cheery. Except for a pair of soldiers on
guard duty, everyone sat in a circle around the fire, eating and
chatting. The men took off their breastplates and helmets, and
instead of menacing, anonymous soldiers, they became a bunch of
young men, some as young as Tam, with easy grins and hair standing
up in tufts.
A couple of
soldiers set out to amuse Lina and Sari, telling stories and silly
jokes. On the far side of the fire, a man let Mikail try out his
sword, and told stories of battles while the boy listened, eyes
shining.
Carmody
assigned men to sentry duty, two men at a time in rotating watches,
then stood. "Dawn comes early," he said. "Let's-"
There was a
flicker of motion in the darkness, and a sudden spray of sparks
from the fire. Carmody sprang back, his hand going to the hilt of
his sword, and several of his men got to their feet.
"Is that an
arrow?" Tam said.
A long shaft of
pale wood jutted from a log in the fire, the feathers curling and
blackening in the flames. Carmody stared, then kicked the log,
scattering the fire and half extinguishing it. The palisade became
much darker.
"First squad,
to the walls," Carmody snapped. "Second squad, into your armor.
Fletcher, Quince, what do you see?"
"I didn't see a
thing, Captain," one sentry called.
"Me either.
Nothing out there but darkness."
"Well, keep
your eyes open," Carmody said, scooping up his helmet and putting
it on.
Tam and Tira
led the children to the cart. "What's going on?" Mikail asked.
Tira thought
about it. "I'm not sure."
"Are we being
attacked?" He sounded scared, but also eager. Well, he would learn
soon enough that excitement came at a price.
"I don't think
so," she told him. "Not yet, anyway. I think the arrow was a
warning."
"A warning
about what?"
"I don't know,
but I want us to be ready. Saddle the pony."
She strung her
bow first, put the quiver across her back, and then saddled her
horse. Then she looked at the two mules. Daisy was better rested
and probably stronger than the other mule. She and Tam hitched
Daisy to the cart. Then Tira planted her hands on her hips, frowned
at the girls, and said, "I want you two in the cart."
To her surprise
they didn't argue, just nodded and climbed inside.
She turned to
Mikail. "I have a job for you, and it's important. Can I depend on
you?"
His shoulders
lifted. "Yes, absolutely."
Tira handed him
the horse's reins. "You're in charge of the animals. If we are
attacked, we're going to need them. It won't be easy keeping all of
them under control if something comes over the walls, but you have
to do it. Understand?"
There was a
glimmer of suspicion in his eyes. He had to be wondering if it was
a trick to keep him out of the way while she did something more
interesting, but he nodded, his expression serious. "You can count
on me."
"Good." She
looked at Tam. He had his captured sword belted on, and he put the
axe on the roof of the cart where he or Mikail could reach it
easily.
"What now?" he
said.
"Now we wait.
And we hope that all this preparation was for nothing."
It didn't take
long. An urgent flap of wings in the darkness outside told of birds
disturbed by something. A sentry called out in a low voice, "I see
movement."
"If it's the
undead," said a soldier on the wall behind Tira, "save your arrows.
It's axes and swords for them. You don't have to cut the arms and
legs right off, just break the bones and it slows them right
down."
She remembered
him from dinner. He'd had Lina giggling helplessly with a
ridiculous story about a magpie that wanted to steal his helmet.
Murf, she thought his name was. There was a dusting of freckles
across his nose that made him seem boyish, but he was old enough to
have children Lina's age. Maybe he did.
Mikail was
breathing in short, sharp pants, and Tira reached
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