Read Online The Curse in the Gift (The Last Whisper of the Gods Book 2) by James Berardinelli - Free Book Online
Authors: James Berardinelli
Ads: Link
portals, Justin began a routine inspection of the camp. Thus far, he had three-thousand able-bodied men, many of whom were too old to be effective in conventional combat roles, although Justin couldn’t afford to turn them away. Even if he swelled his army by half, he would still have fewer men than Vantok. A few djinn could make up the difference but Justin couldn’t afford to be involved in a prolonged contest. Not only did he need to crush Vantok, but he had to do it without losing a significant portion of his army. This was only the beginning of the war. He was counting on bolstering his forces with defecting militias from Basingham and Earlford, but that presupposed they were cowed by the results of the Battle of Vantok. Justin counted on magic providing the edge, but that edge would be blunted if Sorial wasn’t dealt with beforehand.
As Justin wandered the loosely organized, sprawling site where the diverse group of men who comprised his army were bunking and training, he noted how silent and wary they became as he approached and passed. That was as it should be: fearful respect for their leader. His hand-picked generals, two of whom were recruited from Obis, were in the process of transforming these nomads and city exiles into a respectable fighting force. But he needed more men. The time had come to begin hiring mercenaries. The Bloody Blades, a group of seasoned fighters who roamed the realms to the south of The Forbidden Lands, could be bought but they were expensive. At one gold apiece, it would take a king’s ransom to hire all 200 in the company, but it might be a necessary expenditure. And Justin didn’t lack for funds. Ariel could steal whatever was needed.
There was also the question of admitting women to the fighting ranks, a position Ariel advocated. There were women in camp now but their duties were to service the men, cook, and keep things as clean as possible. At last count, there were about 100 of these whores - one for each 30 men. Still, when she spoke of adding women to the force, Ariel wasn’t referring to those who fulfilled their obligations on their backs. She believed there were women who could fight as well or better than some of the men, especially the older ones, and it was foolish to exclude them because of their sex. At one point, Justin had been against this but when the army didn’t grow as expansively as expected, his resolve began to wither.
He stopped abruptly and looked around with a disapproving expression. There was something wrong. The atmosphere of the camp was too... relaxed. There was too much freedom, and freedom bred laxity. As capable as many of these men were with their weapons, they needed to learn to fight as a unit. The lack of discipline was disturbing. Locating one of the Obis generals, Justin stalked toward the man. Recognizing the storm clouds gathering around their leader, men scampered out of his path.
“General Urgo,” began Justin, his tone deceptively placid. “Why are these men lounging around instead of drilling?”
Urgo, whose toothless face broke into a smile upon seeing Justin approach, seemed unprepared for the question. “Sir... I...”
Justin didn’t wait for a response; whatever excuse the man concocted was irrelevant. He was being well-paid to do a job that was only half finished. “Beginning today, General, I want to see these men drilling. This is an army and it must begin to act and train like one. We’re going to war and I want this force to be stronger and harder than the one we’ll be facing. If the men wish to continue to be watered and fed, they’ll perform their duties. Anyone loitering or not giving maximum effort will be subject to summary execution.”
Urgo blanched. Whatever words he had expected to hear from his commander, they didn’t match the ones that were spoken.
“See to it, General.” Justin didn’t wait to hear the man’s parting comment; he turned smartly on his heels and headed back toward the command
As Justin wandered the loosely organized, sprawling site where the diverse group of men who comprised his army were bunking and training, he noted how silent and wary they became as he approached and passed. That was as it should be: fearful respect for their leader. His hand-picked generals, two of whom were recruited from Obis, were in the process of transforming these nomads and city exiles into a respectable fighting force. But he needed more men. The time had come to begin hiring mercenaries. The Bloody Blades, a group of seasoned fighters who roamed the realms to the south of The Forbidden Lands, could be bought but they were expensive. At one gold apiece, it would take a king’s ransom to hire all 200 in the company, but it might be a necessary expenditure. And Justin didn’t lack for funds. Ariel could steal whatever was needed.
There was also the question of admitting women to the fighting ranks, a position Ariel advocated. There were women in camp now but their duties were to service the men, cook, and keep things as clean as possible. At last count, there were about 100 of these whores - one for each 30 men. Still, when she spoke of adding women to the force, Ariel wasn’t referring to those who fulfilled their obligations on their backs. She believed there were women who could fight as well or better than some of the men, especially the older ones, and it was foolish to exclude them because of their sex. At one point, Justin had been against this but when the army didn’t grow as expansively as expected, his resolve began to wither.
He stopped abruptly and looked around with a disapproving expression. There was something wrong. The atmosphere of the camp was too... relaxed. There was too much freedom, and freedom bred laxity. As capable as many of these men were with their weapons, they needed to learn to fight as a unit. The lack of discipline was disturbing. Locating one of the Obis generals, Justin stalked toward the man. Recognizing the storm clouds gathering around their leader, men scampered out of his path.
“General Urgo,” began Justin, his tone deceptively placid. “Why are these men lounging around instead of drilling?”
Urgo, whose toothless face broke into a smile upon seeing Justin approach, seemed unprepared for the question. “Sir... I...”
Justin didn’t wait for a response; whatever excuse the man concocted was irrelevant. He was being well-paid to do a job that was only half finished. “Beginning today, General, I want to see these men drilling. This is an army and it must begin to act and train like one. We’re going to war and I want this force to be stronger and harder than the one we’ll be facing. If the men wish to continue to be watered and fed, they’ll perform their duties. Anyone loitering or not giving maximum effort will be subject to summary execution.”
Urgo blanched. Whatever words he had expected to hear from his commander, they didn’t match the ones that were spoken.
“See to it, General.” Justin didn’t wait to hear the man’s parting comment; he turned smartly on his heels and headed back toward the command
Similar Books
