Rangers at Roadsend

by Jane Fletcher

  The figures of Ellis and Bo were visible atop a rock ledge overhanging a deep pool. Ellis had her hands on her hips as she examined the scene. Bo was looking down at the water.

  Katryn’s mouth was dry. Tina had emerged from the undergrowth some way upstream and stood on the bank, seeming to be looking for a way to cross back. There was no sign of life in the gully except for the three women. And then Katryn saw a patch of shade on the opposite bank mold itself into a sleek, muscled form before flowing into another dark shadow under a bush.

  “Agosta! Watch out! Behind you—cats!” Katryn shouted at the top of her voice.

  Tina looked up at the cry, shading her eyes from the sun. But instead of moving, she twisted to look downstream, the palms of both hands held up in an exaggerated shrug, as though she were seeking guidance from Ellis on how to respond. It was not frozen inaction due to fear, Katryn realized. Tina simply did not believe her.

  The cat was moving closer to Tina through the brushwood. And now that Katryn’s eyes were attuned to the shape, she could pick out two more, crouched on the slope above.

  She started to nock an arrow, but now the cat stalking Tina was under cover. It would not be visible from above until it was upon its victim. Katryn needed to get lower for the shot.

  She launched herself down the gully wall, her feet skidding wildly, arms thrown wide for balance. Her uncontrolled descent ended when she crashed into the same rocky projection that Bo had hit earlier. The impact jarred every bone in her body, but Katryn did not have time to notice. Somehow, she had kept hold of the bow. She clawed her way back up the slope until she was above the obstruction; braced one knee against the ground, one foot on the top of the rocks; nocked an arrow; drew; and took aim.

  Tina might have been unmoved by Katryn’s shouted warning, but the sight of an arrow pointed in her direction produced an immediate response: She ducked and threw herself sideways. In the bushes just behind where she had been standing was the cat, crouched and ready to leap.

  The distance was at most thirty meters, but Katryn did not have the chance to test her range or the wind.

  “Nagata! What the fuck do you think you’re…”

  Katryn was scarcely aware of the sound of Ellis’ voice. The cat’s body surged upward. She loosed the arrow and watched it arc through the air, hitting the cat in mid-leap. The animal yowled and crumpled, writhing, to the ground. Its cry screeched over the rushing of the stream, cutting off Ellis’ words. Tina scrambled to her feet, staring at the dying beast. Then she leaped off the bank without bothering to identify stepping stones and waded through the knee-deep water.

  Another cat broke from cover. It reached the bank and hunkered down, gathering itself to pounce on the fleeing Ranger, until Katryn’s second arrow hit it square in the chest.

  Ellis and Bo were racing up the riverside. They reached Tina just as she got to the bank and helped pull her out of the water. Then the three of them, swords drawn, began a slow retreat toward Katryn on the rock.

  On the gully wall opposite, Katryn could see the shapes of six more mountain cats. Suddenly, she heard a noise to her right, on her side of the water. She twisted around and saw a cat bounding down toward her.

  Katryn did not have the time to draw or aim properly. Instinctively, she loosed the arrow half-set, her bow horizontal. It was only by the grace of the Goddess that the arrow hit its target and the cat’s charge became a tumbling roll down the slope.

  She pulled the last arrow from her belt and nocked it on the string. She raised her head. The situation was grim. They were outnumbered by the beasts and in a poor defensive position on the exposed, unstable gravel. Fortunately, the cats did not think that way. They had seen three pack members struck down, and that was enough to scatter them. On the other side of the gully, the animals were going, fading away into the dappled shade of the bushes.

  The other Rangers also saw the cats depart and sheathed their swords, freeing their hands to help them in the tricky climb. Katryn kept in position with the last arrow on the string until they reached her.

  Ellis’ face was twisted in a snarl. “I ordered you to stay with the horses.”

  Katryn could not believe her ears. Her anger flared. “Was I supposed to stay there and watch Tina get killed?”

  “You’re supposed to obey orders, you’re not supposed to desert your post, and you’re supposed to say ‘ma’am’ when you speak to me.”

  “Fuck you! I—”

  The back of Ellis’ hand cracked hard across Katryn’s face. “What did you say?”

  “I said…” Katryn’s voice died, jolted back to common sense as much by the violence of Ellis’ tone as by the blow. Regardless of the justice of the initial charge of disobeying orders, Ellis had snared her into insubordination. The sergeant’s triumphant expression showed that she knew it as well. Katryn swallowed her words. “Nothing, ma’am.”

  “Oh…nothing? Well, for that ‘nothing,’ you can lose all your free time for the week. It’s a shame Takeda’s girls have grabbed all the sentry duty. But you can start tonight by polishing the saddles and harness for the whole patrol, and we’ll take it from there,” Ellis snapped out savagely. Then she jerked her thumb, pointing up the slope. “Come on. We don’t want to hang around until the cats regain their courage.” She set off on the rest of the climb.

  Katryn did not move. She waited until the sergeant was out of earshot. “I’ll kill her. I swear it. I’ll kill her.”

  Tina also had not moved. Her eyes traveled to the spot where the bodies of the two cats lay and then back to Katryn. “You had me worried at first, but that was a neat shot.”

  “Thanks,” Katryn said listlessly.

  “I think I’m the one who should say ‘thank you.’” Katryn looked up. Tina’s expression held genuine appreciation and commiseration. She held out a hand to help Katryn out of her half-kneeling position. “We’d better not keep Ellis waiting.”

  “True. I wouldn’t want her to get really mad at me.”

  Bo had been dithering to one side. She joined them as they started to climb the hillside. Tina continued talking. “You’ve rattled Ellis; that’s why she was such a bitch just now. She’s got you pegged as useless, and then you go and preserve her injury record. You can’t expect her to be grateful…but I am.” Tina paused as they negotiated a steeper part. “You know why she hates you?”

  “Jan told me. It was letting her know I’d turned down promotion to lieutenant.”

  “You turned down…?” Bo joined in. It was obviously news to her.

  “Only in the Militia,” Katryn said.

  They reached the top of the gully. The horses were a few meters away. Ellis was already mounted and waiting impatiently.

  Tina dropped her voice. “My advice is to get out of B Patrol. Ask to be moved next time there’s a place in one of the other patrols. Val Bergstrom should be sympathetic if you make your request via her. It was how she got away from Ellis.”

  *

  They headed back to Roadsend as quickly as possible, but by the time they reached the barracks, it was midafternoon and too late to return to the gully with a larger force of Rangers. The two sergeants and Jan Sivarajah were summoned to meet with Bergstrom to make plans for the next day. The other Rangers were assigned to various preparatory tasks. Katryn was detailed to work with Bo in the stores under the supervision of Gill Adebayo, the Roadsend quartermaster.

  A long scar puckered the side of Adebayo’s face, making it hard to be certain of her age, although Katryn judged her to be younger than forty. The quartermaster also walked with a pronounced limp; her left leg scraped across the ground as she approached the entrance to the storeroom. Her shoulder badge bore the single star of a lieutenant, but because she was a member of divisional staff, the identification Eastern rather than a squadron number was embroidered below it.

  Quartermasters were responsible for buying supplies, hiring civilian workers and supervising the maintenance of the buildings. Unlike most Rangers, who lived
nomadic lives, they were assigned permanently to one town so that they could establish good working relationships with the local businesses. Invariably, the post was filled by a Ranger who had retired from active service or, as Katryn guessed was the case with Adebayo, been invalided out.

  Adebayo took a key from the pouch on her belt and unlocked the main door. She led the way to the back of the stores and used the same iron key to repeat the action at the rear entrance. Katryn looked out. The doorway opened some way above water level, and a vicious row of spikes protruded from the wall below to deter anyone from climbing up. An expansive view of the river was on offer, with a barge moored to the loading wharf. Between the doorway and the wooden jetty was a gap of nearly two meters; however, just inside the door were four long planks, designed to form a removable bridge.

  The quartermaster pointed to the barge. “Everything on it is for us. Pile it all there”—she indicated an empty spot in the storeroom—“and I’ll be back shortly to check it against the invoice.” Her voice was authoritative but vague, as though she were thinking about other, more important things.

  Katryn and Bo positioned the planks and began to unload the barge. None of the crew were onboard to help, but because there was not a vast amount of goods to be carted off, it did not take long to empty the hold. Adebayo had not returned by the time they had finished and dismantled the bridge. Katryn found a comfy seat on top of a pile of sacks containing oats for the horses. Bo shuffled around, seeming uncharacteristically self-conscious, and then sat down beside her.

  “You were amazing with the cats. I didn’t know you were such a good shot.” Bo launched into speech.

  Katryn pulled a bitter, humorless smile. “The assessment from the tests at Fort Krowe is in my records. I doubt Sergeant Ellis has bothered to read it, and even if she has, it’s not surprising she hasn’t spread the news around.”

  “Ellis can be a complete bitch.”

  “That’s one of the politer words for her.” Katryn was slightly confused. Bo had never made any attempt at friendliness before, but now there was no mistaking her eagerness to talk.

  Bo gave her a conspiratorial grin and said, “Even the less polite words don’t really do her justice. There’s always one member of the patrol she picks on. It always used to be me…except when it was Sal or Nikki. Pat sleeps with her to stay in favor, Jan’s too useful, and I think Ellis is a bit scared of Tina’s temper. Of course, she’d never admit it. But with me…” Abruptly, Bo’s voice struggled as the good humor failed. “I’d go months on end without doing a thing right and lose half my free time. And I know when you’re in that position, it seems as if the whole patrol is laughing at you. But it’s just...” She swallowed. “It’s how Ellis works—keeping you isolated. And there isn’t much anyone else can do.”

  Bo looked so unhappy that Katryn had to say, “I understand,” although she wasn’t sure that she did.

  A weak version of Bo’s grin returned. “Ellis has canceled your free time, and it isn’t fair, given how it was. If you want to appeal to Bergstrom, I’ll back you up, and Tina will as well. You saved her life.”

  Katryn toyed with the idea for a second and then shook her head. “If she’d accused me of disobeying orders, I might stand a chance of appealing, but I swore at her. I think I got off lightly.”

  “Ellis deliberately provoked you. She’s virtually admitted she was in the wrong by not taking things further. She’s grounded you for a week because that’s the most punishment she can dish out without referring it to Bergstrom or Dolokov. She knows she’d never make a charge of insubordination stick.”

  “It’s not worth causing trouble over. Hopefully I won’t be serving under Ellis for too much longer. I can hang on for a few more months. But thanks for the offer.” It occurred to Katryn that by being so vindictive, Ellis had done her a favor. At last, she might be able to make some friends in the squadron.

  “Everyone hates Ellis, you know—except Adebayo.” Bo interrupted Katryn’s thoughts.

  “I guess not serving in the same squadron as Ellis would help.”

  “She used to.” Bo paused. “Has anyone told you about the trouble with the Mad Butcher?”

  “Yes, Jan did.”

  “Adebayo was badly hurt in the battle. She couldn’t return to active service, so she joined divisional staff. She was promoted to quartermaster here a few years back. But even though she’s got the scar and the limp, she reckons that she owes her life to Ellis.”

  “And she must remember Ellis from when she was a private. Maybe Ellis was okay before she got promoted.” Despite Katryn’s words, her tone was skeptical.

  “You’re more charitable than me. Some people even think Adebayo…” Bo’s voice died.

  “Pardon?”

  Bo shrugged. “Just rumor, but I’ve heard some say that Adebayo sucks up to Ellis because she’s being blackmailed.”

  “Over what?” Katryn asked.

  “Well, she’s a quartermaster. People are always saying quartermasters skim the accounts. There’s no evidence I know of, but maybe Ellis has—”

  The sound of shuffling footsteps made Bo break off guiltily. They both jumped to their feet as the quartermaster hobbled in through the main door.

  “Someone misfiled the invoice.” It was a criticism, not an excuse. Adebayo unfolded the sheet of paper and began to read. “Seventeen sacks of oats. Two barrels of weak beer. Five rounds of cheese.” She carried on down the list, counting off the items.

  Bo and Katryn stood a little to one side, waiting until they were dismissed. While Adebayo’s back was turned, Bo whispered, “Did she say seventeen sacks of oats? I’m sure we carried in more.”

  Katryn met her gaze and then moved forward to a spot where she could surreptitiously count the sacks in the pile. Bo joined her just as Adebayo finished running through the invoice but said nothing until they were dismissed from the stores and heading toward the bunkhouse to get ready for dinner. Adebayo stayed behind to lock up.

  “You counted the sacks?” Bo asked.

  “There were seventeen.” Katryn’s lips twisted in a wry grimace.

  “Oh, well.” Bo pulled her widest grin. “Sorry.” There was an unexpected depth of emotion in her voice.

  “That’s okay.” Katryn said, although she was not sure whether the apology was for sowing false doubts or for a lack of friendliness in the past.

  Chapter Fourteen—In the Storeroom

  When they reached the bunkhouse, Pat was the only one in sight, sitting on the edge of her bed. She had several sheets of paper spread out in front of her—presumably, a lengthy letter. Yet instead of reading, her eyes were fixed on the floor. Her frown made her appear confused rather than annoyed, but it changed to a quizzical smile at the sound of footsteps.

  Bo gave a quick wave of greeting but for once said little. She undid the buckle on her knife belt, pulled open the door of her locker and thrust the belt inside. “I’ve…just remembered,” Bo mumbled, backtracking toward the door. “I’ll catch up with you in the mess.” She turned and darted away.

  Katryn removed her own knife more carefully and hung it on the peg inside her locker. After the long ride and the work in the stores, she felt in need of a good wash, but there was no time before dinner, and she would be busy afterward.

  “I hear you’ve impressed Tina with some fancy shooting,” Sal called out.

  Katryn stuck her head around the door of her locker, for the first time noticing the other Ranger lying on her bed. Sal’s bunk was the one below Katryn’s, diagonally opposite Pat’s. “I…er…yes. We had some trouble with mountain cats. I was the only one with my bow at hand.”

  “And you know how to use it.”

  Katryn shrugged. There was no point in false modesty.

  “That must have put Ellis in a nice mood,” Sal said casually.

  Katryn grinned and wandered over to stand by the bunk. “Oh, it did. I’ve lost all my free time for the week.”

  “Of course she couldn’t adm
it you’d done well without admitting she’d made a mistake. Our sergeant isn’t very good at humility.”

  “I know. I wasn’t expecting congratulations.”

  “So how good are you with a bow?”

  “I scored 528 on the field test at Fort Krowe.”

  Sal’s lips shaped into a soundless whistle.

  “You’ve kept that quiet,” Pat joined in.

  Katryn looked back over her shoulder. Pat had put aside the letter and was standing by Katryn’s open locker, peering in at the contents as though she expected to see something remarkable there. Katryn felt a ripple of irritation at the blatant snooping, but there was no real privacy in the Rangers. The lockers did not even have locks, and Pat was incapable of understanding that her behavior might cause offense. Katryn let it go. “It’s not the sort of thing that crops up in conversation. And Ellis insists we always practice on our own at the butts.”

  Sal grinned broadly. “That’s because she couldn’t hit a barn from the inside and doesn’t want to be shown up. I’m afraid she isn’t going to love you at all.”

  “And who’d have thought Wisniewski would be right for once?” Pat interjected.

  Katryn made a half shrug. “I think that was my advantage. If it had been the twentieth time I’d been dragged out to Three Firs Ranch, I might have not paid any attention to the smell.”

  “Smell?”

  “Something Jan warned me about. The sign of a pack of cats. It was what alerted me and made me string my bow.”

  “So Jan was indirectly responsible for your getting one up on Ellis,” Sal said. “That will please her when she finds out.”

  “Jan?” Katryn was surprised. “I thought she got on okay with Ellis.”

  Sal gave a bark of laughter. “She probably hates her more than any of the rest of us.”

  “She hides it well.”

  “She hides a lot of things.”

  It was an unexpected insight, but before Katryn had time to question Sal further, the bell for dinner rang out over the barracks. Sal swung her legs off her bed and stood up. Katryn pushed the door to her locker shut and then followed the other two out and across the parade ground.