Cadmians Choice by L. E. Modesitt

Author:L. E. Modesitt
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-04-30T04:00:00+00:00

50

Mykel blotted his forehead as he stood in the late-day shadows of the old garrison’s west wall. Summer had indeed come to Hyalt, and with it, cloudless days where the white sun burned down out of the sky with an intensity that reminded Mykel of Dramur, although the air in Hyalt was drier, so dry that unprotected skin exposed to the sun for more than half a glass burned and cracked. At least, Mykel’s did, and that was one reason he stood in the shade. He had another report to write, and he needed to inspect the stables, such as they were.

Culeyt stood beside Mykel in the shade. “Hottest day yet.”

“They’ll get hotter.” Two long weeks had passed since Mykel had sent off his last report to the colonel, and he needed to write and dispatch another, but little had happened—except for the continual, if intermittent, attacks by the giant cats at the quarry. So far, none of the Cadmians or quarrymen had been injured, but Seventeenth Company had lost one mount in the last attack. Mykel had observed and supervised, as necessary, various exercises and drills where the three more experienced companies had worked with the Hyalt companies. He had tried to keep the more strenuous drills earlier in the day, when it was generally cooler.

“I can hardly wait, sir.”

Both turned as a wagon pulled up outside the garrison gate posts. Mykel read the sign on the side—Troral, factor—and blotted his forehead once more before stepping out of the shade toward the gate.

The council chief stepped down from the bench seat on the wagon, then turned to the driver. “I won’t be long.”

Mykel walked toward the factor and stopped. “Factor Troral.”

“Majer.”

“What can I do for you?”

“When you arrived, you talked of insurgents and that sort of thing.” Troral looked hard at Mykel.

“We’d had reports, but we haven’t found much,” replied the majer.

“One of my men ... his sister and her husband have a stead out to the northwest. He went out there yesterday night. No one was there. Part of the roof beams of one of the goat sheds had burned through and brought down part of the roof, and there were burned patches of ground, but no sign of anyone. Strange thing is that most of the flock was still there, and nothing seemed to be missing from the cellars.”

“That is odd.” Mykel didn’t like that at all. It sounded like the miniature pteridons had attacked the stead, but he’d have to see to make sure. It had been two days since any company had been out northwest. Seven companies sounded like more than enough to patrol at once, especially if he had reduced patrols to individual squads, but after the incidents in the quarries and on the road, he had the feeling that the creatures might well overrun a squad—except for those under Rhystan. Even they would have suffered high losses, and he didn’t like the idea of losing some of his more experienced troopers to the various creatures.

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