Rebellion of the Black Militia by Richard Nell

Author:Richard Nell [Nell, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2017-10-29T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

Celeste was gone when Lamorak kicked the door and growled.

“Get up, and wake the men.”

Johann grunted but stayed in bed long enough to smell her scent on his sheets, pillows and skin, then rose to the pre-dawn gloom. After brief hesitation he packed away his apprentice robes, setting aside the lighter and more comfortable uniform of a Fort Tyne Regular. He set his inks, quills and needles on top, wrapping them in the heavy fabric before finding space for books, drawings and his pistol.

When he was finished he stopped and stared at the two dark outlines of Sazeal and Amondras, both marks now etched concisely on his shaved chest.

“Are you afraid?”

Lady Tolly had trailed the ink and tender flesh with her finger as they lay in their first post-coital glow.

“The creature I mean to capture is within my strength,” he’d said, as if unconcerned, thinking yes, I’m terrified.

He could feel her eyes on him though, so he smiled. “Anyway, I could die in battle, or to one of Lamorak’s rages, and then I need not worry at all.”

She’d smiled back at him and drawn closer, as if for protection and comfort. But as he draped an arm around her shoulders, he’d wondered who was comforting who.

“Hurry the hell up.”

Johann jumped as Lamorak kicked the door. He pulled the tie to close his bag, tossed it onto his back, and grasped his gun.

He found the knight fully dressed in traveling clothes outside his room, already chewing old bread and greasy chicken at the dining table. He looked up, and winked his milky eye, and Johann saw the good one was red and bleary, as if he hadn’t slept.

“First, the men, then eat your fill. You’ll need the strength.”

With a nod Johann obeyed and walked through the empty hall and corridor, using a candle to light his path. He shouted into the barracks first, then walked through counting to make sure every man roused.

“Where is Hagan?”

He found one bed empty, and knew the men well enough now to know who was missing. Hagan’s bunkmates glanced and shrugged, seemingly not concerned or interested.

“Stow your gear and muster in the courtyard. We collect water and rations and then march. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

The verbal salute rose sleepily down the line, and Johann wondered in amazement again that suddenly he was a ‘seargent’.

God damn Scribery. God damn Lamorak.

But he smiled a little as he walked back to the courtyard, which was now dimly lit by a rising dawn.

His pace slowed as his mind wandered to logistics and the journey ahead. The carts can bear most of the water, powder and shot, but perhaps I should have the men carry extra ammo.

Also he didn’t really know if they would stick to roads, or if they had to cross fields or woods. Perhaps they couldn’t even bring the damn carts at a certain point, so perhaps the men should carry most of the ammo.

Dark shapes flickered and mixed with Johann’s shadow to disturb his thoughts. He squinted and idly glanced up.

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