The Choice of Magic by Michael G Manning

Author:Michael G Manning [Manning, Michael G]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: adventure, magic, cat, young adult, epic, war, sorcery, fae, wizard, coming age
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 36

“You’re here to enlist in the King’s Army?” asked the officer sitting at the desk in front of Will. The officer’s official title was lieutenant, though Will had no idea what that meant, and his name was James Stanton. The soldier outside the tent had told him to address the man as Lieutenant Stanton.

“Yes, Lieutenant Stanton,” Will responded nervously. The office he stood in was actually a tent with a small table and several stools to sit upon. A clerk of some sort sat at another table on one side with several books and a tall stack of papers on it.

The officer sighed. “You don’t have to say that every time you answer. A simple ‘yes, lieutenant’ or even a ‘yes, sir’ will be sufficient.”

Will nodded, which caused the lieutenant to frown, bringing his dark brows together in a steep ‘v’ that went perfectly with his sharp mustache. “Nods and casual replies aren’t acceptable, however.”

“Yes, sir,” he said hurriedly.

“Name?”

“William Cartwright, sir.” The questions went on for a couple of minutes as the clerk recorded his name, date of birth, and where he was from.

When the main questions had been answered, Lieutenant Stanton jerked his head toward the clerk. “Do you have all that? Please add Mister Cartwright to the rolls.” Then he looked back at Will. “Since you’ve volunteered and brought some of your own arms and armor, you will be listed as a voluntary enlistee. This entitles you to a slightly higher pay than the regular conscripts. You’ll receive five silver clima per week and we won’t be taking a fee for armor or sword, though you will still be required to pay for your shield and spear. Do you understand?”

Will was confused, which he quickly admitted. “Soldiers pay for their equipment, sir?”

“Conscripts don’t,” said the lieutenant, “though they are still required to pay for their food and drink, which comes to three clima per week.”

“Would it be all right if I was listed as a conscript then, sir?” asked Will.

The lieutenant gave him a cold smile. “We could do that, but conscripts are only paid four clima per week. After expenses they only net one clima. Are you sure you’d like to do that?”

For the first time, Will was glad that he had learned to do simple sums in his head. If the conscripts only received one clima a week then they’d barely make five gold crowns in an entire year, whereas an enlistee would get a little more than ten crowns. “How much is the cost of the spear and shield, Lieutenant?”

“Five clima each,” said the officer immediately.

Doing the math, Will realized it would take him five weeks to pay for the equipment, at a cost of one crown, leaving him nine crowns for the year, or four crowns more than a conscript would receive. From the point at which he had finished paying for the shield and spear, he would be making double what the conscripts made. “I think I would prefer to be an enlistee then, sir,” said Will.

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