Tour of Duty: Stories and Provocation by Michael Z. Williamson

Author:Michael Z. Williamson
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Baen Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

In the morning, pressups and sword drill did nothing to loosen the knot in her shoulder or the ache on the side of her head. Erki looked groggy from shock and fatigue, but he’d stopped crying. He let nothing get close to his hand, though.

It took all day, but by dusk Lake Diaska was visible, the sun glittering off its windblown waves. Gangibrog was at the south point, Little Town, their main trade partner, now part of the Kingdom of Crane, to the north. They pushed on, sore and stiff in the saddle, but with a huge burden lifted.

They stopped, late and exhausted to staggers. The refugees rolled up in blankets where they sat or sprawled, and made snide but quiet comments about the Kossaki setting camp. Riga finished pitching the shelter quickly, despite working alone, tightlipped to their snickers. Tonight would be cold. They’d have to learn if they kept moving north.

Erki looked unhappy, being able to do nothing but hold a javelin while she drove spikes and dug them in. She shooed him in and crawled in alongside, with an extra blanket against the chill.

In the morning, the elders were locked in conference. They didn’t break for long minutes while the mist and dew burned off. Riga secured the gear and handed Erki a bowl of hard cheese and nuts.

“Thank you,” he said, staring at his bandaged thumb.

“I’m sorry.”

“I wonder what it feels like to die?” he asked.

That was the type of question children asked parents. She wasn’t ready for it yet.

Bellan finally came over with a wave for attention.

“We’ll have to split up. Erki will come with us back to Gangibrog. He’ll be fine. These people still need you as Scout. Head northwest for the road just south of Little Town.”

She took a deep breath and forced calm. “How many scouts does it take for a caravan?” she asked. It wasn’t fair to do this to her, not after all this. She’d spent all night nerving up to continue, and now she was being replaced, just a girl again. She did want to go home, badly. She also wanted to finish the job. She’d completely forgotten that she and Brandur might meet, and that chance was also gone.

“They must split up again. One large caravan moves too slowly, eats too much, and is too easy a target. Several small ones are not worth the individual effort.”

“I understand,” was all she could say.

“You’re named well, Sworddancer,” he said with a reassuring smile. “Morle was right to select you. You’ll do fine.”

“I’ll be home soon, Erki,” she said, turning and trying not to blubber. He couldn’t see her tears while her head was over his shoulder. Yes, he’d be fine. She wasn’t sure about herself, though. He hugged her tightly and wouldn’t let go.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.