Legacies

by L. E. Modesitt Jr.

  The older squad leader eased his mount toward Alucius. "What did you tell your men?"

  'That we had to take out the cannon before they got them in position to take us out." Alucius shrugged. "What else could I say?" He paused, then asked, "What did you say?"

  'Same thing." Yular grinned. "I also told them you were part of the attack."

  'That… and a bullet… will get them the same grave," Alucius replied.

  'You and I know that, but you've got a reputation. I'll use it."

  Alucius shook his head. "So it'll be my fault if things go wrong?"

  'No. I'll just tell 'em that if you couldn't do it, no one could, and that they did their best."

  'You're most helpful, Yular," Alucius replied with exaggerated courtesy.

  'I know." Yular laughed, then turned his mount back to where third squad was forming up.

  The half glass had not passed when second squad was formed up, and only a bit more time passed before Vylor appeared.

  'Squad leaders, report!"

  'First squad present and ready."

  'Second squad present and ready, sir," Alucius replied.

  'Third squad, present and ready, sir."

  'Column, forward!" Vylor ordered.

  After riding out through the post gates, and directly into the late afternoon sun for the several hundred yards westward along the southwest high road back toward Zalt, the small force turned northward on the north-south road, passing the town on the left. For the first time, Alucius was conscious that people in the town actually stopped to watch the troopers ride past. Absently, he wondered where the auxiliaries might be.

  Once the three squads crossed the culvert bridge where the lower reach of Spring Creek ran beneath the north-south high road, Alucius began to look northeast, out across the fields toward the low mounds, almost lost against the fields from which they rose and the mountains farther to the east and behind them.

  Before long, they neared a lane on the right side, one that was just on the north side of a long line of bushy trees with pale gray-green leaves—the brush olive windbreak. To the north of the lane, the fields showed shoots of green, mostly two spans high.

  'To the right, single file!" Vylor ordered.

  Alucius repeated the command, and the troopers formed a longer line along the narrow lane to the north of the brush olives, whose feathery-looking and heavily thorned branches overhung and thrust out onto the lane. Brush olives, Alucius decided after riding less than two hundred yards, were worse in a way than quarasote, because nightsheep could eat quarasote, while only the redbreasts and a few other birds tolerated the tiny bitter fruit that scarcely resembled olives.

  Feeling more than a little uneasy, Alucius began searching with his Talent when the column was still a good half vingt from the end of the brush olive windbreak. Not a single shot had come in their direction. With the thickness of the windbreak, he couldn't see the Barrow Mounds, and certainly, no one could fire at them—until they charged from behind the olives.

  Alucius could clearly sense the black auras of the Lanachronans—more than a full company, probably foot, since he did not pick up many horses—and all dug in behind berms, waiting for the late afternoon attack—or even for a night-time attack—or so it seemed.

  Less than fifty yards ahead, Alucius could see where the olives thinned and then ended.

  'Column halt!"

  'Squad halt," Alucius repeated.

  'Re-form in double files!" came the command.

  'Double files."

  Before long, Vylor would give the signal, and they'd charge out—and, sooner or later, receive heavy fire from a prepared position.

  Vylor rode down the column, first stopping and saying something to Lokyl, and then riding toward Alucius. "Second squad will take the north side of the Mounds."

  'Yes, sir."

  Waiting, as Vylor continued past to give his orders to Yular, Alucius tried to make sense of what his Talent was showing him. Cannon—widely spaced, each within an earthen berm, and each with a berm behind it. Almost belatedly, he recalled the conversation between Gho-lar and Tymal—and the mention of a Talent-officer.

  Could he use his Talent to set off a cannon's powder? He had to try.

  Alucius reached out, trying to create a sense of fire somewhere… amid the powder bags.

  Sweat poured off his forehead, and his eyes seemed to blur. Just the smallest spark, the tiniest point of fire. He felt like his entire face would burst into flame, and he channeled that feeling into it. Nothing happened.

  He sat on his mount, shaking, and Vylor rode back toward the head of the column. There had to be a way. There had to be. Before Vylor ordered them into certain slaughter.

  If the Matrial could use power for hundreds of vingts and use it to kill those who wore collars…

  He straightened in the saddle. Perhaps that was it. He let his Talent range over Beral, the closest of his troopers, picking out the thin line of purple-pink that linked with other lines and then vanished into the distance.

  The second time, Alucius visualized a thin line of purple, running from him eastward over the brush olives and toward the Barrow

  Mounds, a line of purple carrying the heat of not just a flame, but of red-hot metal, the heat of the hammermill in Iron Stem.

  To his senses, the line of thin purple seemed almost like a flame flashing across the sky, yet no one else saw it.

  Crump! The first explosion seemed distant, although he knew the cannons were little more than two hundred yards away. Even so, Alucius almost started out of his saddle, and Wildebeast whuffed and pawed the hard dirt of the lane. The second Talent-spark seemed easier, as did the others, as he reached cannon after cannon. Still, by the time, he finished the last, he was trembling in the saddle, and could hardly see.

  Crump!… crump… Explosion after explosion filled the late after noon.

  'Charge!" Vylor commanded in a lull in the detonations.

  First squad cantered forward, around the end of the windbreak.

  Second squad followed. Alucius's mouth dropped open as he looked toward the Mounds. There, lines of fire flared into the sky, and clouds of white and black smoke swirled up. His amazement was not because of the explosions themselves—gunpowder was supposed to explode—but because he had actually used Talent to set off those explosions.

  Still, it wouldn't take long for the Lanachronan troopers to settle back in.

  With the Lanachronans spread in an arc, if second squad circled more to the north, the troopers would have to fire over each other. At least, Alucius hoped so. He turned in the saddle. "Follow me! We're going to flank them!"

  Second squad reached the bottom of the northwestern corner of the Mounds before the bullets began to fly past. Almost absently, Alucius concentrated on leading the squad around, brushing away all distractions.

  'Rifles ready! Hold your fire until we make the top! Rifles ready!"

  'Stay close to the squad leader!" someone called out.

  The sound of rifles firing became louder, more obvious, as the explosions of powder died away, although a crackling sound began to rise in the background as Alucius and Wildebeast came over the crest of the mound, right at the north end of the Lanachronan line. Less than a handful of Lanachronans had their rifles aimed northward.

  Alucius aimed and fired, then recocked and fired, still keeping Wildebeast moving, if more deliberately. "Second squad! Fire at will!"

  The command was unneeded, Alucius realized after he'd yelled it out, but it probably didn't matter. He got off two… three more shots. Then he saw a Lanachronan aiming toward a horseman who had appeared in the center of the defending foot.

  Alucius shot the Lanachronan in the back, and then took down those beside him. Hurriedly, he kept Wildebeast moving while he fumbled more cartridges into his magazine.

  Then he wheeled Wildebeast back north, once more firing until his magazine was empty, before unsheathing his sabre. He used it but once, before seeing, a good half a vingt t
o the east, a cloud of dust, dust of a company or more of Lanachronan horse. As his glance shifted to the thin line of second squad, he saw Rhen pitch forward from the saddle. There were only a handful of Lanachronan troopers nearby, and most of them were keeping their heads down. For the moment.

  'Second squad! Withdraw! Withdraw! Follow me!" He waited but briefly, until he saw his troopers turning their mounts, before urging Wildebeast to begin to ride down, even more northward than before, hoping that the angle of the slope would shield them. "Third squad! Withdraw!"

  Alucius heard no commands from first squad. He turned in the saddle and yelled out, "First squad! Regroup on second squad. Withdraw!"

  There were almost no bullets chasing them as they pounded back down the hill. Alucius thought he saw several riders that weren't his troopers trailing behind Armon and Hansyl as his squad swept behind the windbreak.

  He glanced back over his shoulder and counted, trying to take in faces and names. There were nine immediately behind him, and then another group twenty yards or so back.

  'Slow to a fast trot!" Alucius called, once he was sure all the riders had reached the protection of the windbreak. He wasn't about to stay around with at least a full company of horse coming as reinforcements, not when they'd accomplished their mission, but exhausting their mounts wouldn't help, either.

  'Guess that's a good idea," came a dry voice from behind as Yular and five of his troopers rode up behind second squad. Yular eased his mount through the field beside the lane and then up alongside Alucius.

  Alucius shook his head. "You're in command, now, acting senior squad leader Yular. Second squad stands ready."

  'You only lost one trooper. They got Vylor. Only three men from Lokyl's squad left, they're back here with your men. Lokyl wasn't one of them." Yular glanced back at second squad. "You didn't suffer too bad."

  'We went up the side. Caught them between us and the explosions," Alucius explained.

  Yular laughed. "Did something like that, took that little ridge, just enough cover. Figured it didn't matter how we went, just so we did. How many do you think they have left?"

  'Saw more than a company of foot… we got maybe thirty… forty. But they had another company of horse coming in."

  'Don't think we got more than twenty, thirty at the outside. They were waiting for us."

  Alucius nodded. "We were lucky."

  'You mean… with their powder blowing up? Wondered how that happened?"

  'I don't care," Alucius said. "I'm just glad it happened. We'd have been chewed up."

  Yular glanced back. "More than we were, you mean?"

  Alucius suppressed a wince. "Much more."

  'You're probably right."

  The surviving troopers had almost reached the western end of the windbreak, just short of the north-south high road, less than a hundred yards ahead. Alucius did not sense any Lanachronans nearby, or following. That was fine with him. He turned in the saddle. "First squad! Second squad! When we reach the road, let third squad take the lead!" He looked back at Yular. "You're in charge, sir."

  Yular shook his head, a tight and rueful smile on his face.

  Alucius looked westward, half surprised to see that the sun was just dropping behind the trees in the distance beyond the fields on the west side of the north-south high road. Had the fight taken that long? Nearly two glasses? It hadn't seemed that long.

  He also realized something else. Every muscle in his body seemed to feel weak and trembling.

  As second squad—and the remnants of first squad—followed him back toward Senob Post, the smoky orange light of burning power and equipment already fading, the acrid scent of smoke and death trailing them, Alucius could pick up the murmurs.

  '… knows where things are…"

  '… been picked off like targets if we'd gone straight up…"

  '… did the mission, didn't we?… most of us came back… better than first squad…"

  '… not complaining… rather be in his squad…"

  '… don't say anything then…"

  Alucius had to use every bit of concentration to stay in the saddle, every last bit. He hoped he wouldn't disgrace himself by collapsing. But he couldn't do that. He couldn't.

  The next morning, Before breakfast, Alucius was still shaky, but determined not to let anyone know that as the squad leaders met with Tymal. Even the air in the open space felt warm and confining.

  Tymal glanced over the nine squad leaders. "For the moment, the three troopers in first squad will be attached to third squad. I've already let them know. That will bring you up to full strength, Yular."

  'Yes, sir."

  'The scouts have reported that the Lanachronans have set up defense berms around their main camp, and they've pulled back from the Barrow Mounds. There's still smoke rising there." Tymal shook his head. "The first three squads… however it happened, the captain is grateful." The senior squad leader paused. "She wants a personal briefing from you two, Alucius and Yular, right after morning muster.

  'Have your squads stand by, ready to mount and ride out in less than a half glass."

  'Yes, sir."

  'Now… go get something to eat. You might get a midday meal, and you might not eat for days. Make sure your men know that as well."

  'Yes, sir."

  'I'll see Alucius and Yular right after muster, and we'll go see the captain."

  'Yes, sir."

  'What do you think the captain wants?" asked Alucius as he and Yular walked toward the mess.

  Yular shook his head. "Be happier not meeting with her."

  'So would I," Alucius admitted.

  'Probably be all right, now," Yular said. "They need every one of us." He snorted. "More than every one of us."

  For that, Alucius suspected he could be grateful. He did take Tyrol's advice and ate everything that he could stuff in himself. The food helped his shakiness as well. Before he knew it, he was mustering second squad in the courtyard, under a sky that was silvered light green, and promising yet another too-hot late spring day.

  'Second squad. Fall in."

  With all his remaining troopers in place, Alucius turned and waited.

  'Squad leaders, report!" Tymal ordered.

  There was a momentary silence, until Alucius realized there was no first squad. "Second squad, all present and ready, sir."

  'Third and first squad, present and ready, sir," Yular announced.

  'Fourth squad…"

  'Fifth squad…"

  After the reports, Tymal was brief. "You're all on stand-by. Have your mounts saddled and your gear ready. We could be going out to fight in a quarter glass—or not for days. The captain would rather not fight until our reinforcements arrive. We don't know what the Lanachronans will do. They took some losses yesterday. Without their cannon, they may need some time to regroup. We can't count on that. So be ready." After a pause, he added, "Dismissed to stand-by. Saddle your mounts."

  'Second squad, dismissed to saddle up and stand-by." Alucius turned and headed to join Tymal.

  Yular was right behind him.

  The door to the captain's spaces was open.

  'Come on in, squad leaders. Close the door behind you." Captain Hyrlui did not rise from the chair behind her table desk. Even more of her hair was white, Alucius thought.

  Once Tymal and the other two were inside, she began. "Yesterday's raid was more successful than we could have hoped. Yet… I'm a bit surprised. According to the acting full squad leader's report, the Lan-achronan powder supplies exploded just before you began the attack. Is that correct?"

  'Yes, sir," Alucius answered.

  'Yes, sir," Yular concurred.

  The captain looked at the two squad leaders, and then at Tymal.

  'Do any of you know how the powder supplies of the Lanachronans exploded?"

  'No, sir," offered Tymal. "Vylor might, or Lokyl… but they didn't make it back."

  'No, sir," added Alucius, shading the truth, because he didn't know exactly how.
r />   'No, sir," said Yular, "except it happened just before squad leader Vylor gave the command. It was almost like he was waiting. He kept looking at the squad leaders, and then at the Barrow Mounds…"

  'I see." The captain's left hand dropped to her wide belt, and Alucius could feel the slightest pressure on his torque. Not on his neck, but on the torque. Yet he could tell that the captain had very little Talent. Still, she had enough to use the nooses on the belt.

  Alucius felt very chill, and even shakier, inside. Vylor had probably suspected Alucius of something—or Yular thought Vylor had. Either possibility was bad enough, and the pressure from the captain reinforced Alucius's concerns. But why was there pressure on his torque?

  Or wasn't the captain that discriminating in her Talent use?

  'You're not saying that Squad Leader Vylor had anything to do with this?" asked Hyrlui, looking at Yular.

  'No, sir. I'm just telling you what I saw. Could be that I saw more, because I was the squad leader farthest back and where I could see everything."

  Hyrlui nodded slowly. "However it happened, we're fortunate. The Twentieth, Twenty-Fourth, and Thirtieth horse companies are less than ten vingts to the north, and the Fifteenth Foot is less than a day behind. Still… the casualties were…" She tilted her head slightly and leaned forward over her table desk. "Vylor led squad one, is that correct?" The captain looked directly at Yular.

  'Yes, sir. He took the center. That was where the most fire was."

  Hyrlui looked at Alucius. "You had the north side, squad leader?"

  'Yes, sir. The way the side of the hill sloped, we could ride almost halfway up before anyone could get a clear shot at us."

  'So you had more troopers when you reached the top?"

  'Yes, sir. We had a better field of fire, too. We took out close to forty of their foot."

  'How many did you lose?"

  'One, sir."

  Hyrlui frowned, then turned to Yular. "You fared almost as well. Why?"

  'There was a bit of a ridge near the top of the south side, sir. Anyone around it couldn't fire directly at us. So we got most of the way up before more than a handful of their rifles could get a clear shot."