Walk Through Fire (16 page)

* * *

When Jonrell entered camp, the sun had dropped below the horizon. A clear sky allowed the moon and stars to cast an eerie light on their sorry excuse for a camp, illuminating the soldiers’ questionable activities. Jonrell didn’t like what he saw. Men joked, drank, and did just about everything but ready themselves for the next day.
The fools have grown just as overconfident as Melchizan.

Jonrell shook his head in disgust as he harkened back to the days when he and Cassus had first left home and joined the Hell Patrol. They were led then by a man named Ronav, a hard but fair man who had taught Jonrell what it meant to truly lead an army. Jonrell was forced into command after Ronav died and kept the group’s survivors together while rebuilding what Ronav had started.

But now? He would bash my teeth in if he saw us working for Melchizan. What was I thinking these past couple of years? I should have cut our losses long ago.

As he made his way through camp, Jonrell stopped to speak with a few of the men at several fires. The soldiers had the sense to appear as if they cared about his advice regarding the impending battle, but Jonrell saw the truth of things behind their eyes.
Melchizan called this my army? It doesn’t matter what I say or do because he will come in behind me and undermine my authority. This has never been my army.

A man with short black hair waited outside the command tent. “I take it you tried to talk some sense into them again?” asked Cassus.

Jonrell gave the man a frustrated look but ignored the comment. “Is everyone here?”

“Almost. What’s going on?”

Jonrell clasped Cassus on the shoulder. “You’ll have to wait like everyone else. Who are we missing?”

“Just Hag. She said not to wait for her. She…uh…well, let’s just say she and one of the Byzernians are a little busy right now.” Cassus let out a shudder after finishing the comment.

“You’re joking. I didn’t think there was anyone here old enough or desperate enough?”

“Apparently, she was quite convincing.”

The remainder of Jonrell’s scowl vanished, replaced by a grin. “Well, maybe it will improve her disposition.”

“Ha. It couldn’t hurt it,” said Cassus as he opened the tent flap. Jonrell entered first and Cassus followed after, securing the flap behind him.

The command tent was packed. Never meant to comfortably hold more than twenty men, fifty soldiers now filled the space. Jonrell made his way through the press, heading toward the back of the noisy tent, interrupting conversations along the way. He did no more to greet those he passed than offer a nod or a quick clasp of the arm. He wasted no time with small talk. Cassus remained by the tent entrance, ensuring no one uninvited snuck in.

At the back of the tent, Krytien waited next to a stool. “I figured you might want to use this.”

Jonrell took a step up and looked down at Krytien. “Are we good?”

“Yeah. People outside the tent can still hear our voices but no longer clear enough to understand what’s being said.”

Jonrell raised his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Alright, that’s enough.” He paused until everyone settled. “We’re moving out tonight. We’ll leave after everyone is passed out or asleep. There’s a more pressing job ahead for us.”

Conversations erupted amidst a press of questions. Jonrell raised his hands again for silence, “I know you have questions so let’s make this quick and I’ll answer what I can for now. The rest will have to wait.”

A man leaning against one of the tent poles was the first to speak. He held a small dagger in one hand, cleaning his fingernails. The man didn’t look up when he spoke but his words were clear and to the point. “I know things are looking pretty bleak out there but it’s not like us to renege on a contract, Boss. Doesn’t help our rep, you know,” said Kroke.

“Aye and some contract it is. We’ve been moving around this continent for over two years now with Melchizan and haven’t been paid half what he owes us. The way I look at it, he broke our contract a long time ago. I take the blame for letting things get this bad. But trust me, thanks to his spending habits the man is penniless. He’s counting on tomorrow’s battle to bring in the cash he sorely needs. That’s not a situation I want to be a part of. As far as our rep goes, I think staying and getting crushed along with him would do more harm than leaving now, don’t you?” He paused and then glared at everyone around the tent.

“It’s about time you came around, Boss,” said Kroke, cold eyes flashing. “We were starting to wonder about you. Its one thing to die if you’re leading us, but another thing entirely to fight under Melchizan. I’d rather cut my own throat and be done with it.”

Jonrell looked around the room. “Does he speak for everyone?” Heads nodded and a few grunted in agreement. “Good. What else?”

Usually too shy to speak up in front of others, the young woman surprised Jonrell. “I know that army out there isn’t much, Commander, but there are a few we could use that’d be willing to come with us. Some might even be Hell Patrol material after a couple of real battles.” The deep color of her tight red ponytail contrasted against pale skin and blue eyes.

“Is there something specific you’re asking?” said Jonrell.

Yanasi shifted the black long bow from her right hand to her left, whispering. “Can we take those who are interested in coming with us, Sir?”

“If you’re looking for someone to warm your bed at night, I’d be more than happy to oblige. We don’t need to bring another squad aboard for that, do we?” said the man next to her as he flashed a dirty grin.

Yanasi turned and jabbed him in the groin with her bow. The ragged man fell to the ground, hands between his legs, groaning in pain. “Raker, if you open your mouth one more time, I’ll cut off what little you got, do you hear me!”

The commander had witnessed the scene far too many times. The comments toward Yanasi used to bother him since he took her in as a young girl, treating her like the sister he left behind. But over the years, she had proven more than once that when pushed, she could take care of herself. So he learned to let those comments go, knowing no ill was meant by them.

Just the way Raker is anyway, always knowing how to get under people’s skin.

Her voice quieted again as she turned back to Jonrell. “It’s not like that, Sir. Rygar is one of them and he’s one of the best scouts we’ve ever had. I just think it’d be a waste to leave anyone behind if they could help us on the next job is all.”

Ah, now I see. I’ll have to talk to her in private then, and perhaps Rygar for that matter.
Jonrell answered her question by addressing everyone. “If you can actually find someone out there that is worth taking along then so be it. I’ll trust your judgment. But don’t bring it up until we are about to leave. I don’t want our plans to reach Melchizan. If anyone looks like they’ll be trouble, end it quick. I don’t want someone flapping off the second we turn our backs.” He paused. “Anything else? We need to wrap this up before the camp starts to get suspicious.”

“One more,” said Cassus, still standing in the back of the tent. “What’s the job?”

Jonrell smiled, eyeing the man who had been his best friend since they were both boys. “We’re going home, Cassus.” There were several questioning looks and grunts at that. Jonrell paused to let them die down before continuing. “We’re going to Cadonia. The princess, soon to be queen, is hiring us, only she doesn’t know it yet,” said Jonrell, watching as his friend’s face went white.

* * *

“Where are Cassus and Krytien? They should be here by now.”

“You got me, Boss,” said Kroke, again cleaning his nails.

“We’ll give them ten more minutes and then we head out. They can catch up later.”

“Whatever you say.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Is what necessary?”

“That,” said Jonrell pointing at the dagger. “How can they be dirty if you’re constantly cleaning them?”

“They aren’t. Just habit I guess. Like the way a blade feels in my hand is all.” Kroke sheathed the knife and looked up. “Don’t sweat it, Boss. They’ll be here.”

Jonrell sighed.
They better.

“See, that’s them coming out the camp now,” said Kroke with a nod. He pulled out a different knife, picking at the nails on his other hand.

Jonrell shook his head and turned toward the encampment. He squinted and saw some movement but couldn’t make out more than a few shapes in the night. The distance was too great. “How can you tell it’s them?”

“I can’t.” Kroke shrugged his shoulders. “Just trying to be positive is all.”

“You’re unbelievable, you know that.”

“Thanks.”

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

Kroke sheathed his blade and pulled out another that he started spinning in his hand, a small grin crawled across his face and he watched the blade dance in the moonlight.

“How about you do something useful and grab Yanasi? Something’s up and I need her eyes. That’s definitely Cassus in front but there is no way that many soldiers were worth bringing with us.”

“Sure thing, Boss.”

Jonrell watched the line continue to creep along, ending with several wagons in tow.
One Above, there must be over two hundred horses in that group. That’s near half the cavalry.
Jonrell twisted his head around as he heard a soft voice. “Kroke said you needed me, Sir?”

“I thought you said only a few men were worth bringing along?”

“Well Sir, the number was probably closer to fifteen.”

“Then I need you to get up that hill and tell me what’s going on because there are a lot more than fifteen soldiers coming this way.”

“Yes, sir,” said Yanasi.

Jonrell watched her scamper up the hill. She took a moment to position herself.

Jonrell gave her a few moments then asked, “Well, do we have trouble?”

“I don’t think so.”

“I need something more than that.”

“Well, that’s definitely Cassus in front and you can tell that’s Krytien way in back by the way he can barely stay on his horse. So if it was a trap, I don’t understand why Melchizan would let them ride unguarded. The real issue is what’s going on with everyone else.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, they look more uncomfortable than Krytien on those horses, almost like they never rode one before. They’re all pretty small too and don’t carry themselves like a bunch of soldiers.”

Jonrell squinted into the night, thankful for the clear sky. His eyes weren’t nearly as good as Yanasi’s but now he knew what to look for and what she said made sense. He realized what was going on.

“Sir, is everything all right? Do I need to ready the rest of the men?”

“No, everything isn’t all right. But we aren’t in any trouble just yet,” snapped Jonrell. He sighed as Yanasi flinched from his tone and he realized he was taking his anger out on the wrong person. “Good job.”

Even in the dark, he saw the young woman blush. “Thank you, Sir. But I don’t understand what’s wrong.”

He muttered a curse. “Those aren’t soldiers in that train. Those are Melchizan’s slaves.”

Jonrell waited at the bottom of the small rise, watching in silence. With each step the horses took, he saw how awkward the riders were. Cassus came up to Jonrell. Neither said a word.

The commander watched each brown-skinned slave make their way past, noticing not only men, but women and children, tucked away in the covered wagons. Jonrell waited until Krytien neared before speaking. “You two. Come with me.”

The three men rode off and stopped just out of earshot of the others. Jonrell’s eyes went back to the slaves trying to keep control of their animals. His men were in the midst of the chaos, doing their best to manage the situation. The commotion could wake the dead. Jonrell’s face hardened. He spoke, ice lining his voice. “Start explaining.”

The plump mage cleared his throat and started to reply, “Well, you see…”

But Jonrell cut him off, scowling at the two men. “I wasn’t asking you.” He glared at Cassus. “I know this was your idea.”

“Well, you said we could take anyone who was interested in coming with us,” said Cassus.

Jonrell cut in again. “Don’t give me that. These people aren’t soldiers. What were you thinking? They belong to Melchizan and so do the horses and wagons.”

“Well, I figured he still owes us quite a bit on our contract. We could sell the horses and wagons when we make it to port. That should cover most of it.”

“And leave the cavalry even weaker than before? Very compassionate. What about the slaves?” said Jonrell.

Cassus spat, growing agitated. “That’s what I think about Melchizan, his cavalry, and his army. He was going to send the Byzernians to their deaths tomorrow.”

“What do you mean?”

“I overheard him talking to one of his captains. They were planning to have the slaves in front of the infantry. They were going to give them some crude weapons, and use them as human shields. He said it was becoming too costly to keep them alive.”

“And so you thought to take them with us?”

“Seemed like the right thing to do.”

“Maybe. But it definitely wasn’t the smartest. This continent has kept Byzernians as slaves for decades. No one would find fault with Melchizan for doing what he liked with his property.”

“That doesn’t make it right, Jonrell.”

Jonrell shook his head. “He may have overlooked the Hell Patrol and a few deserters leaving, but almost three hundred slaves besides? Not likely.”

“I wasn’t going to leave them to their deaths,” said Cassus.

Jonrell sighed. He looked up into the night sky, speaking to no one in particular. “Why do you keep testing me?” He met Cassus’s eyes. “Then they’re your responsibility. You’re in charge of their organization, their needs, and their final destination because they aren’t coming with us to Cadonia and I won’t have them place us in any unnecessary danger.”

Cassus nodded. “I expected as much.”

Jonrell turned to Krytien, jabbing a finger at him. “You’re going to help him the entire way to port.”

“What? I just happened to be leaving camp at the same time as they did,” said Krytien.