crucial as they would be stretched over thirteen hundred miles. They had a thousand men to command and to control initially. Once defence posts were set up, more would follow, and yet more would sweep across the continent to bring the law of Kuprij, once Darshek fell.
Even the first thousand soldiers needed a lot of lem flour, equipment, and pack animals, all of which had to be squeezed through this new pass through the mountains. Arman wondered if it would not have been better to put that manpower to clearing Kurlik pass, even if their engineers were unable to divine a method of doing so at this moment in time, but the army were committed now to the present course of action. Time and the will of the gods would tell if Her Serenity’s judgement was correct.
He pulled back the hood of his cloak before approaching his tent and got a perfectly ordinary salute from his watch. Inside, all was orderly and quiet, his pallet tidily made and ready for occupancy, his papers stacked neatly on a travelling desk, Loke waiting patiently for him in welcome. He had to admit that despite his misgivings, having his page with him was a wonderful luxury. He felt much more at home in this rough army tent than he ever would in a house run by Mayl, and here he had warm eyes and a welcoming smile to greet him. Here he was wanted for himself.
Supper waited for him too. Loke took his cloak from him, and gave him a cloth to wipe his hands and face before he sat down to a meat stew, fresh bread and a mug of the local honey beer which smelled inviting and tasted even better. Loke, serving himself and sitting cross-legged on the rug to eat, had colour in his cheeks and fell on the food with a good appetite too, apparently none the worse for the long day on the boat and his seasickness. At least they would all eat well for the next few days, until the fresh meat and vegetables were replaced by hard rations for however long it took to obtain new supplies from the villages and farms on the other side of the mountains.
“So, are the men ready for the march?”
“They seem in good heart. Some fanciful notions about the Darshianese, which you might expect. Tell me, if I said I’d seen a man throwing fire, would you believe me?”
Loke grinned and put his chin on his hand to look at him. “No, but I would believe you believed it. I would then be forced to find Lord Blikus and ask him to have you taken into custody for your own protection.”
Arman grunted, amused by the cheeky but honest response. “The foolish things people believe never fail to surprise me. Gods are the gods, men are men. As if Lord Niko would permit a man to steal the power of the gods, especially a heathen Darshianese.”
“It’s just the superstitions of the simple-minded. I’d be more worried about falling off an urs beast into a ravine than whether someone was going to cast fire from their fingers, or make the winds carry me away.”
“Don’t,” Arman said, his voice gruffer than he meant it to sound, not even liking to joke about Loke being hurt. He just couldn’t shake the feeling of foreboding he’d had about this march ever since Loke had said he would go with Arman this time and that was the end of it. “You should finish up and get some sleep. It’s another early start. Better get used to it.”
“Yes, Arman,” Loke said mournfully.
“I warned you.”
“Yes, Arman, you most certainly did.”
~~~~~~~~
It rained during the night, and the gentle patter on the roofs, and the trickling of the water into the deep storage cisterns was a restful sound for Kei, lying comfortably in Reji’s arms. Somehow it always made him feel more cheerful, knowing their water supply was being fortified, the crops assured. Not that having noisy, enthusiastic sex with a willing, talented lover wasn’t guaranteed to make him sleep like a baby to begin with, but the rain was a nice addition to his morning. It had stopped by the time he stretched extravagantly, and turned to
Even the first thousand soldiers needed a lot of lem flour, equipment, and pack animals, all of which had to be squeezed through this new pass through the mountains. Arman wondered if it would not have been better to put that manpower to clearing Kurlik pass, even if their engineers were unable to divine a method of doing so at this moment in time, but the army were committed now to the present course of action. Time and the will of the gods would tell if Her Serenity’s judgement was correct.
He pulled back the hood of his cloak before approaching his tent and got a perfectly ordinary salute from his watch. Inside, all was orderly and quiet, his pallet tidily made and ready for occupancy, his papers stacked neatly on a travelling desk, Loke waiting patiently for him in welcome. He had to admit that despite his misgivings, having his page with him was a wonderful luxury. He felt much more at home in this rough army tent than he ever would in a house run by Mayl, and here he had warm eyes and a welcoming smile to greet him. Here he was wanted for himself.
Supper waited for him too. Loke took his cloak from him, and gave him a cloth to wipe his hands and face before he sat down to a meat stew, fresh bread and a mug of the local honey beer which smelled inviting and tasted even better. Loke, serving himself and sitting cross-legged on the rug to eat, had colour in his cheeks and fell on the food with a good appetite too, apparently none the worse for the long day on the boat and his seasickness. At least they would all eat well for the next few days, until the fresh meat and vegetables were replaced by hard rations for however long it took to obtain new supplies from the villages and farms on the other side of the mountains.
“So, are the men ready for the march?”
“They seem in good heart. Some fanciful notions about the Darshianese, which you might expect. Tell me, if I said I’d seen a man throwing fire, would you believe me?”
Loke grinned and put his chin on his hand to look at him. “No, but I would believe you believed it. I would then be forced to find Lord Blikus and ask him to have you taken into custody for your own protection.”
Arman grunted, amused by the cheeky but honest response. “The foolish things people believe never fail to surprise me. Gods are the gods, men are men. As if Lord Niko would permit a man to steal the power of the gods, especially a heathen Darshianese.”
“It’s just the superstitions of the simple-minded. I’d be more worried about falling off an urs beast into a ravine than whether someone was going to cast fire from their fingers, or make the winds carry me away.”
“Don’t,” Arman said, his voice gruffer than he meant it to sound, not even liking to joke about Loke being hurt. He just couldn’t shake the feeling of foreboding he’d had about this march ever since Loke had said he would go with Arman this time and that was the end of it. “You should finish up and get some sleep. It’s another early start. Better get used to it.”
“Yes, Arman,” Loke said mournfully.
“I warned you.”
“Yes, Arman, you most certainly did.”
~~~~~~~~
It rained during the night, and the gentle patter on the roofs, and the trickling of the water into the deep storage cisterns was a restful sound for Kei, lying comfortably in Reji’s arms. Somehow it always made him feel more cheerful, knowing their water supply was being fortified, the crops assured. Not that having noisy, enthusiastic sex with a willing, talented lover wasn’t guaranteed to make him sleep like a baby to begin with, but the rain was a nice addition to his morning. It had stopped by the time he stretched extravagantly, and turned to
Similar Books
