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Council tariffed
the small crafters and holds, they wouldn’t have the coins to buy the goods of
the large merchants. Either way, the merchants and traders who control the
Council lose coins.”
    “There’s
another thing,” Faisyn pointed out. “Conscripts don’t get paid much for the
first year.”
    “So…the
Council waits until everyone knows there’s a problem, then conscripts more
troopers?” concluded Anslym.
    “And
they hope that the experienced companies can hold off whoever attacks until
they can train and bring in more conscripts,” Faisyn said. “That’s why the
colonel could persuade the Council to keep Twenty-first Company. Our pay is
less than that of any other company with as much experience.”
    “We’re
about to earn it,” Alucius pointed out. In the stillness and the winter cold,
his Talent reached farther, and he’d been sensing something ahead. He’d finally
been able to determine that somewhere ahead were riders—more than the ten to
fifteen whose tracks Twenty-first Company had seen almost a week earlier.
“There’s a hint of mist or fog over the river to the east, and I think there
are tracks there. I can’t be sure yet, but I think we’re going to run into
those riders.” Alucius looked through the dimness first at Anslym, then at
Faisyn.
    “What
do you want us to do?” asked Faisyn.
    “We’re
less than a vingt from Tuuler. You know the back lane on the north side of the
town?” Alucius asked the older squad leader. “The one that goes to the north
and right below the bluff?”
    “Yes,
sir.”
    “You
take third squad on that lane. It joins the river road about a vingt east of
the hamlet. It’s likely the raiders will probably have passed you coming west
by the time you get there. If there are tracks on the river road showing that,
you turn west and follow them. You’ll need to be ready. If they haven’t reached
you, you wait well back until they do pass, or until we come east on the river
road. We’ll set up an ambush in Tuuler. If we’re successful, the stragglers
should come back toward you. If you can, make sure none of them escape.”
    “Yes,
sir.”
    Alucius
turned in the saddle toward Anslym. “We’ll take second squad into Tuuler—all
the way through the hamlet to the eastern side, just short of the low rises on
the road there. Half the squad will set up with you on the southwest side, and
the other half will be with me. There’s enough snow that the raiders should
stand out against the white, even before dawn. We’ll set up an angled cross
fire and charge them.” Alucius smiled, grimly, although he doubted either man
could fully see his expression in the dimness.
    “Charge—”
Anslym broke off his involuntary exclamation.
    “There
are two possibilities,” Alucius replied. “They’re truly raiders, and they’ll
ravage our people. Or they’re someone else’s troopers posing as raiders. If we
can catch them by surprise, do you think it’s a good idea to let either one
go?” He paused. “I’m going up to talk to the scouts.” Alucius urged Wildebeast
forward.
    Behind
him, Faisyn laughed, softly. “That’s what captains are for, Anslym. That’s what
they get the golds for. If he’s wrong, he has to face the colonel. Even if he’s
right, and I’d never wager against him, he’ll have to explain.”
    As
he drew his mount up toward the two scouts acting as the vanguard, Alucius knew
that Faisyn had said what he normally wouldn’t, in an effort to make things
clear to the younger squad leader before they encountered the raiders.
    “Sir?”
asked the younger scout as he saw Alucius ease up beside him.
    “Karstyn,
I want you to move out to a good vingt on the main road. Be quiet. We’ve got
reports of raiders, and there are signs that they may have crossed the river.
If you see or hear anything, move back here, but silently. If you don’t hear
anything, wait for us at the crossroads in the middle of Tuuler, and watch all
the dwellings