William nodded. “I fed the safe ones to my rabbits; I’m waiting for the others to dry so I can burn them.”
“Good. Tea?” He offered both William and Maya steaming cups. William sipped and the morning cold melted away as Cairns continued. “William, I need you to lead an expedition to help Maya find the source of the poison that is damaging the river.”
William barely avoided spitting out his tea, and Maya took advantage of his delayed response. “Will,” she said. “I know you don’t think this is serious, but it is. We have our experimental data, but there have also been reports of sickness right here in Marshland.”
William swallowed his tea. “It’s winter, Maya.”
“Yes, I know people get sick in the winter, but this isn’t the same. I’ve seen enough colds to know what one looks like. At least give me credit for that.”
William remembered she worked at what Cairns had called the most famous clinic on Esper; she knew the difference between a cold and a case of poisoning, even if she didn’t know what kind of poison was involved. “Okay, fine,” he said. “Something is poisoning the river. How do we know it won’t get better on its own?”
“We don’t,” she said. “Look, since we first noticed it, the problem has only gotten worse. Yes, maybe it will get better, but we can’t afford to wait.”
“Why not?”
“Because if it gets worse, what then? Either cities and towns move away from the river, or everyone gets sick and dies.”
“Maya, I don’t mean to disrespect you—”
“Then don’t!”
“—but I think you’re exaggerating.”
Cairns interrupted. “William, Duke Vincent has requested this expedition. In fact, he insists upon it.” He slid a piece of paper across the table. “And he asked for you specifically.”
William’s eyes bugged out, and he looked between Cairns and Maya to see if they were joking. “Me? Why?” he asked.
“Because he’s crazy, obviously,” said Maya.
“No, I agree with the good Duke,” said Cairns. “William, he commended your bandit report, and he trusts your ability to assess the situation. I wasn’t sure if you were ready for this task, given your youth and inexperience, but there it is.”
William’s face flushed, but he did not dare talk back to his employer. He calmed himself and slowly lowered his cup. “When do we leave?” he asked.
“I’ll leave that to you and Maya.”
William glowered as they left Cairns’ office. “What are you smiling about?” he said to Maya.
“Me? Nothing,” she said. “Did I smile?”
William ignored her smug smile as he cleared the pots of dead lettuce from the table. “So what’s the plan?” he asked.
Maya sat and consulted a book. “Well, we need to recruit a couple of people. First, we need someone who can hunt.”
“What on Esper for? We can bring food.”
“We don’t know how long this will take. Also, my equipment will take up space.”
“Can’t we use a pack mule?”
“Will, we don’t know where we’ll end up, and there’s no guarantee a mule can follow us the whole way. Do you have a spare mule you don’t mind losing?”
“Okay, fine. We need a hunter. Where do we find one?”
“Well, I have a friend arriving tomorrow who’s agreed to join us.”
His eyes narrowed. “You’ve already arranged this?”
“Yep. We also need someone from the Guard.”
“The Guard? Why?”
“Because the Duke is serious about this. And he wants us to come back alive. Well, he wants me to come back alive, anyway.”
William ignored the barb. “Look, if we can’t afford a mule, how can we afford to hire a Guard? The Earl won’t let us have one for nothing.”
“Actually, he will. The Duke has sent orders to that effect.”
“But he sent no orders for a mule?” asked William.
“Afraid not.”
“So that’s already been arranged too, then.”
A hint of a grin appeared on her face as she nodded. “Yep.”
“So this wasn’t a planning session so much as…I don’t know…a briefing?”
Again she nodded. “Pretty much.”
“And supposedly, I’m in charge?”
“That’s right,” she said, no longer hiding her smile. “If it’s any consolation, I think you’re doing a great job so far.”
Cairns, at least, left William in charge of one item. “I need you to go to the Guard Hall and speak to Sir Hendrick,” Cairns told him the next day. “I would go myself, but…” His voice trailed off.
Was his boss embarrassed? “What happened?” asked William.
“Sir Hendrick joined our poker game last night.”
“Oh? Who else plays?”
“The Earl of course, and whomever he invites. The richer, the better.” Cairns absent-mindedly jingled the coins in his pocket. “I always make sure the Earl does well, which takes some doing, but I have no qualms about taking money from his friends.”
“Uh-oh…”
“Sir Hendrick, it turns out, is a bad poker player. The more he lost, the angrier he got. And the worse he played. Unfortunately, I don’t take kindly to angry people.”
“So…”
“I took everything he had.” Cairns dropped a small sack of coins onto the desk. “I suspect he’ll eat at the mess hall until next pay day.”
William’s eyes widened, and he stifled a laugh. “I bet he’s still angry.”
“Which is why I’m sending you to have one of his Guards assigned to your venture.”
“Wait…won’t he take it out on me?”
“No, he may be bad at cards, but he’s not stupid. Besides, pride won’t let him direct his anger at my subordinate—he holds hierarchy in too much esteem.”
“Does he know we’re taking one of his soldiers? I don’t want to be the one to break the news to him.”
Cairns nodded. “The Earl gave him the paperwork last night. That was the good Captain’s only acquisition of the evening.”
William felt a rush of anxiety. This would be his first time meeting Sir Hendrick, and the Captain would remember him as the rejected would-be Guard. Also, he knew William was Sir Kevin’s protégé, which would win him no favors either. Add to that the sting of losing money to William’s employer, and he was bound to be ornery toward William.
The Guard Hall was not far from the Library, and mere minutes later William stood outside the Captain’s office summoning the courage to enter. After several nerve-wracking moments he knocked. A voice from inside told him to enter. William pushed the door open, and found himself in an office several times longer and wider than Cairns’ own cramped quarters. Shields and weapons of past heroes covered the freshly-paneled walls. Sir Hendrick Mattice sat behind a large desk, reading. He looked up and broke into a wide grin. He pushed his papers aside, came out from behind his desk and shook William’s hand warmly. “William Whitehall, isn’t it? I expected Lester—I hope he’s not ill? He seemed well enough last night. At his age, and such a late hour, he was still sharp enough to beat me at cards. He really is something, isn’t he?”
William was so prepared for a contentious meeting that he wasn’t sure how to respond. “No, he’s well…it’s just…he had another meeting.”
Mattice nodded vigorously. “Of course, of course…the Library is busy these days, so much happening. It must be very exciting.”
“Um…a little bit, yes.”
“Which reminds me, we have business to conduct ourselves, don’t we?”
“Yes, sir. We—”
Mattice raised a hand to stop William. “I hope you don’t mind, but I would like to take care of some personal business between us first, if that’s all right.”
William’s stomach knotted. He wasn’t sure what was coming, but he knew he wouldn’t like it. He held his tongue and nodded. Mattice took William’s arm and led him towards the
far wall. “William, I’m aware you had your heart set on becoming a Guard. Sir Kevin put in a good word for you, and believe me, I was aware of your training. But matters were very much out of my control. Earl Bradford is very particular about ensuring all the Town’s departments are well staffed. While you would have made an excellent Guard, none of the boys we selected would have made half as good a Librarian as you.” He lowered his voice. “In fact, I don’t think any of them can read.” Mattice grinned at his own joke and continued. “So you see how it is? There was no slight intended.”
William’s chest swelled at having his honor restored, even if only in a private meeting. “Thank you, Sir Hendrick. I think I understand.”
“I’m glad, William. That means a lot to me. But there is something else I want you to see.” Mattice gestured toward the wall of shields; in the center hung a shield with the device that William knew so well: the white fist. “Of course, you know this is not your father’s actual shield; that was lost when he died defending those poor farmers. I took the liberty of having a replica made in his honor. I hope you don’t mind.”
William choked back the tears. “I…I don’t mind at all. My mother will be honored. Thank you.”
“He deserved the honor, believe me.”
“I do.” All was right in the world. He was vindicated, not just for himself and his own failed ambition, but also for the lost years with his father. He had never felt so at peace.
“And now to business,” said Mattice, startling William back to reality. The Captain called for his assistant. “Garcia, bring me Charlie Walker.” The assistant nodded and left, and Mattice continued. “William, I wanted you to meet Charlie before you sign this document acknowledging the transfer of personnel. It’s not fair to ask you to sign before you decide he’s suitable.”
“That’s…courteous. Thank you.” William had heard the name before, but he could not remember where.
The office door opened again, and a figure stood just out of sight. “Ah, Charlie, there you are. Come in,” said Mattice. “I’d like you to meet William Whitehall. You’ll be assigned to his company until further notice.”
William shook hands with the biggest man he had ever met. He stood a head and a half taller than William, and looked twice as wide. His reddish-blond hair seemed to have been plastered onto his round head, and his significant belly made him appear soft. Only his arms were muscular. William remembered where he knew him from. “You’re the smith’s son, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir. Alex Walker is my father.” His soft voice contrasted strangely with his enormous bulk.
“How is he?” asked William.
Charlie shrugged. “Not much iron these days. Mostly he bakes bricks now.”
“Charlie is the largest recruit in living memory, aren’t you?” said Mattice. He reached up and gave the young man’s shoulder a friendly shake. Charlie turned red in response and looked at his feet. “This is an important mission, William; only the best will do.”
William hesitated. Cairns had warned him about something, but as he looked back at Charlie he dismissed his fears. Mattice was being overly generous. He signed the paper and handed it back to Mattice.
“Very good,” said Mattice as he placed the document in his desk drawer. “Charlie, draw out your armor and gear and report to the Library.”
Charlie saluted. “Yes, sir.”
“William, do you have any orders for Charlie?”
“Oh…uh…not right now. We’re still making plans. We’ll fill you in on everything tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir,” said Charlie.
As they left the office, William thought he caught Mattice smiling to himself. Unsure of what it meant, William ignored it and turned to Charlie. “How long have you been in the Guard?”
“This is my third year.”
“You were drafted the year before last?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Charlie, can you try not to call me ‘sir’?”
“Oh…yes, s—” Charlie blushed at the near mistake.
“Look, I’m not a Guard, and you’re older than me. It feels strange to be called ‘sir.’”
“What should I call you?”
“Well, my friends call me Will.”
Charlie turned to look at William directly. “We can be friends?”
Charlie’s gentle simplicity disturbed him, and he didn’t know how to address it. He tried humor. “Look at the size of you. I’d hate to be your enemy.”
Charlie nodded, and said nothing. As they approached the exit, William noticed several Guards looking towards them and either smiling or laughing. A few even pointed at them. Something about it reminded him of the way Oz and his gang treated him. “Charlie,” he asked, “Is Sir Hendrick an honest man?”
Charlie bit his lip and hesitated. “He’s always been honest with me.”
William nodded. “Okay. See you tomorrow.” As he walked the path toward the Library, he knew he hadn’t gotten the entire story. Despite his misgivings, William reported favorably to Cairns. “Charlie is a third-year Guard, so at least he’s not a rookie. Big as a house, too. Big as mine, anyway.”
“No one can be as big as a house, William. Besides, that’s not what I wanted to know. Your life will be in peril, not mine, so I trust you to make the right decision in that regard. No, what I want to know is…is he still mad at me?”
William laughed until he realized his boss was serious. “Why would you worry about that?”
“William, the thing to fear about people like Sir Hendrick is not their swords, but their words.”
“Huh? How so?”
Cairns sat back in his chair. “Are you aware of how he came to be the Captain of the Guard when the position was already occupied by an able, willing and honorable man?”
“You mean Sir Kevin.”
“Yes. Has Sir Kevin ever given you the idea that he retired willingly?”
William shook his head. “I thought the Earl let him retire early based on his service.”
“Yes, that’s what’s said by those who would have you believe it. But what does Sir Kevin say?”
“I’m not sure. Actually, he never talks about it.”
Cairns raised an eyebrow. “You can learn much from what a person doesn’t say.”
William recalled the times Sir Kevin had coached him. It wasn’t as though he never spoke of the past; he had discussed the times he had gone on patrol with Orrin often enough. But it was true: he never spoke about how he came to retire. In fact, he now realized that every time he brought it up, Sir Kevin would change the subject. “So how did he lose the position?”
Cairns nodded. “Lose. Yes, that’s the right word. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say it was taken from him. After the attack that killed your father, some people questioned Sir Kevin’s leadership. Mattice was not one of them…at least not out loud. Instead, he and the Earl conversed privately, during which they discussed—among other things—Mattice’s ideas on how to improve the Guard.”
“What sort of improvements? And if they were private, how do you know about them?”
“Poker is about more than money, William. As for what improvements: armor, training, patrols…things I know little about. But of even more interest to the Earl, Mattice also told him how to save money. While he never did criticize Sir Kevin directly, Mattice’s suggestions were an indictment: they implied that Sir Kevin was doing less than he should have. Soon after these discussions, Mattice was knighted and named Captain of the Guard, the youngest in Marshland’s history. Mattice even requested Sir Kevin be given the option to retire rather than be forcibly removed.”
“So Sir Kevin lost his position, and he can’t even criticize the man who replaced him because he’s the one who saved his honor.” William admired the way the coup had been carried out.
Cairns nodded. “No swords. No bloodshed. Just words.”
William stared at the ceiling and shook his head. “Wow…I hope he never wants anything from me.”
“Look again. He may already have. But now at least you understand why I don’t want him mad at me.”
“So you think Charlie might end up being useless?”
Cairns sipped his tea before answering. “Do you still have your sword? The one Sir Kevin gave you?”
“Of course.”
“Sharpen it before you leave.”
William pondered this as he walked home. A chilling thought occurred to him: what if Charlie wasn’t useless, but was actually planted by Mattice to ensure they failed in their mission, or worse, got killed? William reminded himself Mattice had no reason to want him dead. He considered appealing to Earl Bradford, despite the fact Mattice was the Earl’s friend. But then he remembered signing the paper confirming Charlie’s acceptability. Why on Esper had he signed it? The memory stung as he realized Mattice’s compliments had not been honest; they were intended only to cloud his judgment, and it had worked. No swords. Just words.
When he arrived home, three of his rabbits were dead, and two others missing. He cursed under his breath at the weasels that frequently robbed them of food. But when he searched the bodies for signs of violence, not only were they still warm, but none of them had so much as a scratch. William’s stomach sank as he remembered what Maya had said about the poison. Perhaps it hadn’t been such a good idea to feed them that lettuce after all. He buried the dead ones in the garden, and went inside and inhaled the aroma of Emma’s his mother’s stew. “That smells amazing! Mother, did you notice—”
Emma slammed her ladle on the table. “When were you going to tell me?”
William jumped. “I—just now. I only found them when I got home—”
“Found what?” She tossed the ladle into the soup pot. “This trip you’re going on, you ungrateful—”
“Mother, have you been crying?”
“Of course I have. Wouldn’t you if your only son ran off into the wilderness without saying anything?”
“That’s what you’re upset about? It’s not dangerous, Mother; we’ll have a Guard with us. Charlie Walker, he’s…”
“I know who he is, William. It’s not the danger that upsets me. I’m upset because you tried to hide it from me!”
It was true. He had kept it from her. He had even avoided speaking to her last night, and had gone to bed early, blaming long hours at the Library. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. There was no way out of it. “You’re right,” he said.
The Defender of Rebel Falls: A Medieval Science Fiction Adventure (The William Whitehall Adventures Book 1) Page 6
