Soldier at the Door (42 page)

Cockalorum glanced out the windows and dabbed his handke
rchief over his pale bare forehead, wiping off sweat he likely generated huffing up the long stairwell to the tower. Perrin hoped he realized that nothing in Edge was beyond his sight.

Chief Curglaff stood behind Cockalorum, his demeanor not nearly as nervous, but his jaw set in determination. In his early fo
rties, the chief was in far better physical condition. His belly paunch wasn’t nearly as exaggerated as the magistrate’s, and his light-soil-brown skin was tanned a deeper brown from his many hours in the sun.

The major rose from his desk and extended his hand without his usual smile. “What brings you all the way up here today, Magistrate? I assume it’s important enough to not schedule my time?”

Mr. Cockalorum shook his hand, then stepped back to let the Chief of Enforcement acknowledge the major.

The chief hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and r
eluctantly took his hand.

The major eyed him. Something definitely had changed. Three weeks ago most the village saw them arm in arm in the morning of the aftermath talking like brothers. But given time, distance, and the power of pernicious thinking, any familial relationship can disint
egrate.

“Well . . . actually . . . Major, there’s something that’s come up,” the magistrate began haltingly. He looked around for a chair and took a seat only after the major did.

Major Shin looked at the chief who remained standing, staring at the lieutenant.

“Does he need to be here?” the chief asked sharply, his brown eyes narrowing.

Karna, who was leaning against a cabinet, stood up and looked at the major.

“I’d prefer that he does, Chief Curglaff, unless you feel othe
rwise?”

“I do,” the chief said flatly. “What we have should be for your ears only.” He sent a withering glance to the lieutenant, who only looked amused at the attempt to intimidate.

“Apparently, Lieutenant Karna, my guests would feel more comfortable if you waited in the forward office. I’ll send for you if I need you,” the major said coldly.

Karna nodded and promptly left, shutting the door behind him.

The major indicated the empty seat and Chief Curglaff sat down with a glower, the purple banner of Edge on the wall behind him acting as a far too colorful background. The chief had a well-practiced gaze, firming the muscles in his tight face and turning his mouth into a subtle scowl.

Shin folded his hands in front of him on the desk in a manner to suggest he was open to anything, but his face said otherwise.

“As I was beginning to say, Major—,” began the magistrate again, automatically wiping his forehead although nothing as there, “—there’s been some, shall we say, that is, that is, that is . . .” Cockalorum stumbled.

Maybe it was the height of the office, Perrin considered smugly. The weight of his words couldn’t quite reach the height of his mouth to come out. All he could manage was froth.

Chief Curglaff sighed impatiently. “Major, there seems to be some . . . some . . .” Now that Shin’s stony look was aimed at him, the chief found sudden empathy for his babbling companion, but he had more fortitude.

“Rumor,” he said in his usually brusque manner.

“
Rumor
,” the major repeated.

“Yes,” Curglaff said more confidently. “Some, Major, have suggested the raids were
convenient
.”

The major leaned forward slightly. “For who?”

“For proving the Administrators were correct in giving you so much power. As a message to the village, for
you
.” Curglaff swallowed hard and waited for the response.

The major’s mouth twitched slightly. “Convenient . . . for
me
,” he stated dully. His hands came together more tightly.

“Yes, well, you see,” the chief continued bravely. “You see, the
rumor
is that what happened was to prove the Administrators were right. Putting you in charge of everything and everybody because of a threat of Guarders from the
inside?
Well, who’s going to believe that? Never happened before. People are upset. They wonder what it means, you and the fort in charge. So the attack proves the decision was correct!”

His shoulder twitched as his tone became sarcastic.

“Certainly the Chief of Enforcement can’t recognize the Guarder threat in the village. The magistrate doesn’t know who to trust. So there you have it! Only the major and the fort, which have been here for only a few years and know next to nothing about the village, can take care of it!”

Major Shin still didn’t move.

“It was the timing, you see,” Curglaff’s voice began to lose a little confidence under the motionless stare. “Convenient.”

“Tell me, Cockalorum—,” the major turned suddenly to look at the magistrate.

The magistrate looked quickly at the chief, wondering how he suddenly became the target. A new bead of sweat broke out on his shiny scalp.

“—was your family in any danger the night of the raids?”

“No, Major. We live on the far south side. The Guarders never made it past the village center. Once they encountered our brave soldiers and enforcement barricade, that was the end of their progress!” He seemed only dimly aware that his answer was sounding like a campaign speech.

“And Major,” the chief said, “wasn’t it fitting you
happened
to be in the village green after the debate—which
you
scheduled—when the Guarder attack was first noticed?” The chief practiced his own rock-hard glare.

“You’re questioning the location of the command center?” Shin scoffed. “We turned the village green into the command center b
ecause you and I were
both
there, remember? It was the most logical and central place to bring the victims and wounded. I don’t recall you offering any other alternatives. And I also saw the readiness of your men. What did they expect to accomplish with their sticks? They were useless until we armed them with long knives. Had the soldiers not arrived when they did, Chief, I doubt there’d be much left of Edge today. Now tell me, Curglaff, how close to your home did the Guarders come?”

The chief knew where the major was going with this, but he had no other answer than, “Two roads away,” he scowled.

The major sat back in his chair. “How many villagers died as a result of the raids?”

“None directly, but . . . Rector Densal and his wife were coun
ted as related losses,” the chief admitted.

“You may not be aware, Chief, but Tabbit Densal was my only blood relative in Edge, besides my children. But you are aware that I killed the Guarder that entered their home.”

The chief’s jaw shifted slightly. He wasn’t going to give up just yet. “And it was
fortunate
you arrived when you did, wasn’t it Major? How opportune that you knew where to go and when.”

The major ignored his implication. “The Guarders also visited
my
home, Chief.”

Curglaff was prepared. “Yes, and you had two soldiers waiting and ready.”

“No,” the major said evenly, “I had three. One was in the house. It’s my prerogative to guard my family.”

He reached to the table behind him filled with files and books, and pulled out a thick stack of tightly bound papers. He tossed it casually on the desk.

“New directives from Idumea, issued last season by the Command Board. The commanding officer of the fort may assign a soldier to protect each member of his family in time of crisis. Actually, the wording is quite a bit longer, but that’s the condensed version. You’re welcome to read it. Page 39. Excellent reading for those nights when sleep is elusive.” He pushed the directive toward the chief in challenge.

The chief only nodded curtly at it.

“They also attacked the house next to my mother-in-law’s,” the major continued. “I admit I, too, find that a
convenient
coincidence. Or perhaps it was a sloppy case of mistaken identity. Both houses are of similar design and use the same gardener.” His voice grew agitated. “So considering the violence with which the Guarders attacked, had we not been prepared, I may not have any family left! How convenient would that
be for the commander of Edge?!”

The magistrate and chief shifted uncomfortably in their chairs as the major slowly rose out of his seat to lean across the desk. With his face dangerously close to theirs he said, “Chief Curglaff, Magistrate, if any man in Edge has reason to suspect the raid was ‘convenient,’ it would be me!”

The magistrate took the bitter tone of the major’s voice, and the fact that he was on his feet, as an invitation to stand up as well. Wetness immediately formed on his forehead.

Chief Curglaff reluctantly joined the magistrate and folded his arms.

The major stood up tall and straightened his jacket with a forceful jerk. “Anything else, gentlemen?” he asked quietly, suggesting they would regret saying yes.

The magistrate simply couldn’t abide disharmony. “You unde
rstand, Major Shin, this wasn’t
our
accusation, it’s merely something we’ve heard. And in Edge, you know we strive for a united citizenry—”

If Cockalorum broke out his ‘Unity in Edge’ campaign speech, Perrin was going to punch him.

And no one would mind.

“—We wanted you to be aware of the accusation yourself, M
ajor, so you can deal with it in your usual effective, no-nonsense approach. Ah, I have it! Another debate. We could schedule . . .”

With both the chief and the major glaring at him it was a wo
nder Cockalorum didn’t collapse on the spot. He just coughed politely and nervously folded his dabbing handkerchief.

Chief Curglaff cleared his throat, his tanned face tightening again. “One more thing, Major.” His tone was cold and calculated. “Consider,
for one moment
, that the young soldier who frequents your home—your selected favorite—also was the first to see twenty Guarders come out of the forest. According to
my
investigation,” Curglaff emphasized, as if it mattered, “he sent his companion back for help while he went on the chase. The Guarders were on foot. He was on horseback. He didn’t catch up to them until the Guarders went their separate ways at the village borders. That could be considered ‘convenient’.”

“Corporal Zenos was severely injured. Even my wife’s mother witnessed that,” the major said just as icily.

The chief nodded. “Of course she did. How
fortunate
. I saw him too. But he also seemed quite jovial as I passed him on my way up here. Amazing recovery for such a traumatic head injury. He’d appeared to be near death only three weeks ago. But appearances, being what they are—”

Major Shin’s eyes flashed like lightning. The air around him was charged like a thunderstorm. But his voice remained in control.

Barely.

“Chief Curglaff, I trust Corporal Shem Zenos as much as I trust you. I leave it up to you to decide just what that means.” Major Shin took a step towards the door. “Lieutenant!”

The door flung open and his lieutenant stood ready with a small but smug smile.

“Will you please see that our guests find their way out of the
fort? And incidentally,
gentlemen
,” Major Shin didn’t mean that title and he made sure his tone reflected that, “later today you’ll both receive a report concerning our plans to secure the village. In the next few weeks soldiers will be visiting each home to find out the names and ages of the occupants. We’ll also implement a labeling system for each home, shop, field, and open hot spring. The next time there’s trouble, and the word comes that Chief Curglaff’s home’s under attack, I want my soldiers to know exactly where to go to rescue his wife and thirteen year-old son. Unless . . . you have any objections?”

Curglaff squinted when Shin mentioned his son, but Cockal
orum saw his opening.

“An excellent idea, Major!” he beamed. “It would be like a map? May I have a copy? I imagine the chief would appreciate one as well. Marvelous idea.”

Chief Curglaff glared at the major, but it was the hollow glare of a man who used to know where he stood in the world, but lately had to acknowledge it was all shaky ground. He pushed past the magistrate and lieutenant.

“I can find my own way out. Good day!” he said without mea
ning it, and he was down the stairs.

The magistrate smiled his best smile practiced for such occ
asions, took the major by the hand and pumped it a bit too eagerly. “Glad to see all is worked out. I look forward to your report!” and he followed after the chief, wiping his forehead as he went.

When their steps left the stairwell, Shin said, “Lieutenant, in here.”

Karna closed the door behind him and stood in front of the major.

“Brillen, what do you think?” Major Shin asked.

“I think it was wise of you to ‘keep forgetting’ to have those two holes in the walls repaired,” Karna smiled. “Place that chair just right, I can hear everything. The purple banner of Edge your mother-in-law stitched hides them quite nicely, doesn’t it?”