As she ran, Aetria ripped her dark gray Hermanian robe off. She thanked the Power she had had the forethought to order her group of Novices to wear their actual robes underneath the Hermanian disguise. The red of her robes did not blend well in the darker greens of the woods, but she preferred the risk of being seen over that of dying by mistaken identity, as she had just narrowly avoided doing.
Aetria paused her flight for a moment, listening to the sounds of the forest. She did not hear anything behind her. Either the Hermanians had given up the chase, or they were as skilled as the Sorcerer Guard was. From in front of her, she heard twigs snapping and muffled curses—some female. She moved cautiously in that direction. In a few minutes, she found the remnants of her Novices. Her appearance in the midst of the Novices brought yells of joy and shrieks of fear.
"Power, Sorceress, you scared the life out of me!"
"Jalista, and the rest of you, keep your voices down! I could hear you a hundred paces away. Now, calm down. I don't think our pursuers are that close, but you can be sure they are after us."
Tracilus looked back down their trail which was fairly obvious despite their efforts to avoid leaving one. He came over to Aetria and put his arm on hers, tugging her away from the others for a moment. “I can't tell you how much your return means to me, Sorceress. I'm afraid an ordered retreat turned into a rout, despite my leadership. Thank the Power you are back."
Aetria put her arms on his shoulders and gave him a little shake. “You did fine, Tracilus. You kept them together and moving away from the enemy. If it had been a rout, my Illusionists would be scattered in all directions and probably captured or killed by now."
Turning back to the rest of the Novices who now stood quietly as ordered, watching the two of them, Aetria issued orders. “Take off the Hermanian robes. Quickly! Hide them as best you can in the bushes. When we run into the Guard pickets securing the return path to the Company, I don't want us killed, mistaken for the enemy."
The Novices did as bade, grateful to be doing something other than fleeing, glad to be under orders again.
"Sorceress Aetria,” Jalista asked in a subdued voice, “Novice Recanlin, is he—"
"Dead? Yes. He gave his life throwing that fireball, and thus saved ours. Honor his memory, Novices, and the memories of the other Aggressors who died. Inhestia has paid dearly today."
Aetria did not speak her next thought. Her heart ached for the loss of so many young sorcerers—and for what purpose? Crusher's vaunted weapon was flawed. Before they exploded, he may have been proving they could work, but something must have gone wrong. What had he gained from their losses? No enemy source. No victory to claim over the enemy. Nothing to give back to the Order, or the army, for the lives lost.
"All ready to go? Good. Does anyone know which way to go?"
The Novices looked sheepishly at each other. They had been fleeing away from the enemy, but not necessarily towards anything. Aetria was glad they had instinctively fled in the right direction.
"Poor assumption on my part, Novices. I thought you knew you were going in the right direction. Next time you go into battle, pay attention to the way in. As you have learned today, you may have to go out in a hurry. Follow me, and try not to make so much noise."
* * * *
Sliding down an embankment, Aetria and her Novices burst through a hedge and abruptly came face to face with a squad of four Sorcerer Guard, arrows notched into bow strings and pointed at the sorcerers. Aetria called out the password to the squad's leader. “Inhestia, Sergeant."
The sergeant's response was to pull back his arrow and aim at Aetria's heart. His men followed his lead. “Inhestia, Sergeant Maneles. It's me, Sorceress Aetria!"
Aetria felt completely helpless for the second time that day. There was no possibility of spelling them out of danger. She would be dead before she could toss a spell. She awaited the arrow, knowing that even with her Tierian Thief training, she might dodge it, but would die by the sword that followed. Sergeant Maneles slowly lowered his bow, gently releasing the tension on the bowstring. Aetria's tension seemed to flow out of her body at the same speed the feathers of the arrow approached the handgrip of the bow. Her knees wanted to buckle, and she tightened her muscles to keep herself from collapsing in front of the Guard.
"Any pursuit, Sub-Commander?"
"None that I can detect, Sergeant."
"Guard Beltes, you and Garles remain to make sure. We will leave the horses for you to follow us and will proceed to the wagons on foot.” Sergeant Maneles gestured for the sorcerers to follow the point Guard, who was moving off quickly towards the east. The sergeant moved up beside Aetria, touching her arm and slowing his pace so the others moved ahead. In a low, quiet voice he spoke to her.
"I was told the Hermanians would attempt to penetrate our rear guard by impersonating you and the Novices. I was also told to expect they would know the password, as it was very likely you had been captured and tortured to reveal it. My orders were to shoot first."
Shaken, Aetria almost stopped to stare at the sergeant, but his urging hand on her elbow kept her moving. “So, why didn't you, Sergeant?"
Maneles had been scanning the area continuously as they walked. He fixed his eyes on her face for a moment, a slight smile on his face. “Three reasons, Sorceress. The first is that I was told you would be in Hermanian robes. The fact you weren't stopped me for a second. How would the Hermanians know to get Delmathian uniforms and clothe their impostors with them? The second is that you knew my name. That is a piece of information the Hermanians would probably not try to torture out of you. Who would think to ask for the name of a rear guard leader? Lastly, Novice Jalista is from my village and was unconsciously making our warding gesture. I could not make myself kill you—despite my orders. You had to be our sorcerers."
"I am most glad you went against your orders, Sergeant. Who gave you those orders?"
"Adept Pleates, Ma'am."
Aetria did stop this time. The sergeant stopped beside her, his anxiety building with the delay. “When did he give you these orders, Sergeant?"
Maneles paused in his scanning and looked directly at her. “As he and the surviving Aggressors passed through my squad. The commander was riding Lieutenant Nemos’ horse. He told me he had sent Lieutenant Nemos after you, and if the lieutenant was not with your squad when you showed up, then I was to kill all. He took two of our horses for the wounded Novices, and they rode off for the wagons."
"Lieutenant Nemos died defending me from an attacking Hermanian force. That leaves you in charge of the Guard, Sergeant."
His face momentarily showed his dismay at hearing the news. He quickly regained his composure. “Perhaps not for long, Ma'am, when the commander sees I have disobeyed his orders. I am sorry to hear about the lieutenant, Ma'am. He was one of the best commanders I have ever had."
They started after the others who had moved on out of sight.
Dreading the answer, Aetria managed to ask the sergeant in a calm voice, “Who were the Novices that Commander Pleates had with him?"
The sergeant pressed her to walk faster. “The commander said Novices Grivel, Idona, Moldos, and Elina had died under the counter assault by the Hermanian sorcerers. Novices Fernonia and Belanar were burned, but able to move on their own. They looked badly shaken. It must have been a terrible bombardment they took."
Aetria's heart sank. She thought about never seeing Elina's graceful dance again and mourned the loss. Five Aggressors dead—and for what? And what was this counterattack by the Hermanian sorcerers? The only one she had seen was dead with her knife in his heart.
"It was terrible, Sergeant. Do not worry about being replaced. I will ensure Commander Pleates does not punish you or your men for disobeying those orders. His caution was well taken, for we certainly were wearing Hermanian robes earlier, and spells of imitation are well within any Illusionist's skills. I can only thank the Power for Novice Jalista's country girl beliefs."
"Yes, who could know
when one's belief can save a life, Sorceress?"
The two quickened their pace to catch up with the rest of the party.
* * * *
The Guards Beltes and Garles rode up behind Aetria and her squad at almost the same time they reached the assembly point. The point Guard, Prostosi, had alerted the four-man squad of Guards left behind at the clearing of their coming, and they were already on horses when the footsore Illusionists left the trees. Aetria looked around and saw only the tracks of their wagons leading away from the edge of the forest. Crusher had left the horses he had borrowed behind. He must have decided that, if the Illusionists did make it back to the assembly area, they would have to ride double with their escort. At least she gave him credit for that thought.
As the Novices were assisted up behind the Guards, she asked what Beltes and Garles had seen.
Garles looked at Beltes, who motioned with his head to tell his fellow Guard to make the report. “No movement of any kind in our direction, Sub-Commander. If I had been the enemy, I would be swarming all over us by now. We even rode to the edge of the trees near the hills. We could see movement on the top of the hills’ clearings—looked like sorcerers, but we did not try to get any closer. Only movement we saw in the encampment was striking of tents. I bet the commander's last fireball convinced them we were too powerful."
"We still should leave here as soon as we can, Sorceress,” Sergeant Maneles urged. He had brought over Lieutenant Nemos’ horse as the two Guards were briefing her. “We should catch the wagons in a couple of hours, even riding double. Can't say I am sorry about the lack of pursuit, but I still think it is very odd there isn't any. Maybe Garles is correct."
After she had mounted, he signaled with his arm, sending the Guard moving away from the assembly area at a trot. The Novice Illusionists hung on as best they could.
* * * *
The arrival of the Illusionists at the wagon caravan was heralded by the rear Guard element as the nine mounts of the riders cantered into sight. Pleates must have been so concerned about a counterattack that he refused to stop the wagons until Aetria rode up alongside his command wagon and yelled to him that there was no pursuit. As the wagons braked to a stop, the Novices poured out of their transport and rushed to meet their Illusionist brethren. Their reunion was much more emotional than the public one between Aetria and Crusher. He pointed into his command wagon with a jerk of his head and disappeared into its interior. Aetria rode to the back of the command wagon and dismounted. She took a moment to smooth her robe, collecting her thoughts before walking up the rear steps of the wagon. She didn't bother to announce her presence.
He slouched back in his chair, his eyes fixed on her as soon as she entered. His face was blank, devoid of any expression. If he had any welcome for her, it didn't show.
"Lieutenant Nemos was not among your group."
"No, Sir. He is dead—killed while I made my escape from the hill. He took a lightning bolt from an enemy Aggressor, and while able to get to his feet, was badly disoriented. I attempted to help him flee, but he mistook me for a Hermanian and attacked me. Before he could shake off the confusion, he was hit multiple times by arrows. As I escaped, I saw him turn to face an oncoming squad of infantry. I assumed he was killed by them, if he wasn't dead already from the arrows.” Her report of Nemos’ death elicited only a frown from Crusher.
"I sent him to get you and the Novices back safely. That was his mission. The fact you did so without his help does not override his failure in that mission. How did you make it through the Guards without his presence? I know I ordered them to kill anyone following us who was not escorted by Nemos. His appearance could have been imitated as well, but the Guards have silent recognition signals only they know and would never divulge under torture."
The lack of compassion for his lieutenant's death, and any concern for possibly causing theirs, did not surprise Aetria at all. She felt only disgust that his main concern was the disobedience of his orders by the rear Guard. But she had foreseen that.
"Ironically, there are other signals Sergeant Maneles understood. Novice Jalista unconsciously made warding signs as she faced the Guard's arrow, and he recognized them. Only a fellow villager would have. Otherwise, we all would have been killed. Your caution is understandable, Sir, but it could have cost you seven more lives."
"We will discuss that topic later, Sub-Commander. This is not the time or the place. Get your company back into their transport and the Guard organized to protect us from the rear. Just because you don't think there is any pursuit does not mean there won't be. We will drive through the night to get as far as possible away from the Hermanians. After that, I will determine whether we need to take further precautions."
Aetria turned to leave. Crusher stopped her before she had a chance.
"And Sub-Commander, I do not want you to talk to anyone, including the staff and Novices, about the new weapons or the battle. This is a forbidden topic of conversation until I release you to speak of it. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir.” Aetria left the command wagon.
* * * *
Crusher's plan for the evening did not come about. They had just reached the original road they had been traveling north on, when one of the forward pickets rode back to inform Aetria that a squadron of Delmathian cavalry was coming down the road towards them. She had him report the same to Crusher, while she rode forward to meet them. As they came into sight, she could see the red robe of a Sorcerer beside their commander. As they came closer, she could see it was a woman, Halista, her former Company commander.
The shock of seeing a friendly face almost made Aetria cry in relief. She settled for a frantic arm wave of recognition and rode at a gallop to greet her. The squadron commander, a wide grin on his face, halted his troops while the two women dismounted and rushed to hug each other. As the lead transport reached their position, the commander sighted Pleates in the aft-most command wagon and rode to meet him.
The arrival of a full squadron of cavalry changed Crusher's mind about riding through the night. The commander of the squadron, Gantnos, offered to escort the wagons north until they had reached the squadron's base. From there to the army's encampment was another two days.
The squadron even escorted the wagons north for several more miles until they reached a crossroads with a large field beside it. Aetria asked the handsome cavalry commander where the road led, as it appeared to head into Hermania. He told her it did indeed, but was no longer traveled because of the war. Aetria thanked him and ordered Sergeant Maneles to secure the area while she set in motion the now-normal routine of camping for the night.
* * * *
"You're pregnant!"
"Aetria, you make it sound like I have a disease."
"But, but—"
"But why am I still in the army? The Corps desperately needs sorcerers. I cannot use the Power, but I can still command those who can."
Aetria ushered Halista over to one of the two chairs in her tent and all but pushed the older woman into it. She was looking around for a cushion to put behind her when Halista waved her away and told her to sit down herself. Aetria poured two wines and brought one over to her friend before sitting down as ordered. Aetria had canceled all evening classes and study to give the tired and battle-shocked Novices a longer night's rest. She was spending the precious time with Halista, her first and only commander, and friend.
"You answered a question I was going to ask, Halista, but not the one I was trying to. Let me try again. Who is your life-mate, and when did you make the decision?"
Halista laughed heartily; she always had had a happy disposition. “Why, excuse me, Sorceress Aetria. I assumed you were still the serious professional who saw all things in relation to the army. I didn't think you would focus on such minor matters as life-mates. But since you asked, he is Commander Gantnos—you know the grinning fool I was riding with. Such a wonderful man, and so easily led. Don't tell his men that!"
Aetria sipped her wine and felt more
relaxed than she could remember. The things she missed most were pleasant conversations with caring people.
"He is very handsome, and young to be a commander. How did you meet him? We weren't allowed to associate with the real troops when I last served under your command."
"That was the old days. My, you have been out of touch, Aetria. Right after you left, the sorcerer companies were broken up into smaller support units. Each support group was assigned to an infantry regiment. The idea was to provide the regiments with a cadre of Aggressors, Illusionists, Provisioners, and Healers still under sorcerer command, that would respond to the needs of the regiment in their area of the battle. Rushing companies of sorcerers back and forth to meet threats was proving to be too hard.
"I was assigned to the 5th Support Company as its commander. The regiment I supported, the Albetlor Loyals, named after the Gem Guildtown that raised the regiment, was the same one Gantnos’ cavalry squadron belonged to. After three years of fighting side by side, and with each other, we decided to combine our efforts and took the vow."
Aetria was astounded by the news. “You mean we are under the command of non-sorcerers and subject to their whims? You live with non-sorcerers in their units?"
Shaking her head, Halista wagged a finger at Aetria. “You were not listening, Sorceress. I said we were still under sorcerer command. The commander of the support company advises the regimental commander on all things magical and participates in planning the defense and offense of the regiment. We are still bound to take orders from the sorcerer regiment in the event the Hermanians try a concentrated attack by sorcerers which they haven't yet.
"The regimental commander, Adept Pleates, still reviews all plans concerning sorcerers and approves them, but he has left the daily offices of Healer, Provisioner, and Illusionist pretty much alone. He has an iron hand on the Aggressors, though. That is his true power base, and we all know that. And no, we don't live with the units we support. We still are encamped by ourselves because it is a lot easier to protect one group of sorcerers than it is over ten companies."
Wild Sorceress Page 10
