Dark Destiny by M. J. Putney

Author:M. J. Putney
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2012-07-03T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 19

The march back to Carmarthen was even slower than the march out, but there was an air of triumph. The troops were singing General Blakesley’s praises, though a few complained that they wouldn’t have a chance to kill any Frenchies. Tory suspected those comments came from men who’d never been shot at. Having dodged bullets on several occasions, she prayed this invasion would end without bloodshed.

As part of the general’s staff, Tory and the other girls had to maintain their false identities until after the expected surrender. Most of the troops were camped outside of Carmarthen, but the officers and various officials were staying in the town, which was packed to bursting.

An efficient former sergeant in the regular army had taken on the job of assigning quarters and rations. He told Tory, Elspeth, and Cynthia they were lucky to have a room at all, sent them to a tavern for supper, and assigned them an attic room in the mayor’s house, which the mayor had offered as headquarters for the general and his staff.

The tavern offered a basic meal of bread, cheese, and beer. After, they returned to the mayor’s house. Allarde and the other senior officers were conferring in the drawing room but unfortunately weren’t talking loudly enough for the girls to be able to eavesdrop.

As Tory followed her friends up the stairs, she wished she could have private time with Allarde, but that wasn’t possible. She sensed that he was patiently dealing with an endless string of requests, complaints, and demands. She hoped Bran would be able to fill in any gaps in Allarde’s military knowledge.

Ordinarily the attic rooms were for servants, and the last stairway up was narrow and twisty. Cynthia led the way with a candle. She had to duck to get through the door into the tiny attic room. As soon as Tory and Elspeth entered, Cynthia doused the candle and replaced it with a mage light.

The ceiling slanted down so sharply that the only area where Cynthia could stand straight was by the door. A narrow pallet lay against one wall and a wider one on the opposite side. There were no other furnishings except for a chamber pot and several pegs on one wall for hanging clothes.

“I’ve had closets that were larger,” Cynthia said gloomily. “We’ll have to take turns breathing.”

“Not quite that bad,” Tory said. “But it’s certainly an advantage to be short!”

“I’m a major and outrank you two, so I’ll take the single pallet,” Cynthia announced as she hung her bag on one of the pegs.

Tory laughed as she hung her bag on the next hook. “Ah, but I’m the chief mage of the South Wales Army. Surely I deserve the single bed.”

“And I’m the army surgeon,” Elspeth pointed out. “My job is to heal your wounds if you try to scratch each other’s eyes out.”

“Will you accept the argument that I need more space because I’m taller, and whoever I’d share a pallet with wouldn’t get any sleep?” Cynthia said sweetly.

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