Ashes of a Black Frost

FOURTEEN

Konowa took a moment to adjust his uniform, aware that as second-in-command he had to look the part in addition to living it. He’d never gone in for the whole spit-and-polish routine that so many officers aspired to. He was more of a spit-and-get-on-with-it kind of officer. Still, his uniform really was looking more like a vagabond’s rags these days.

“To hell with it,” he muttered, wrapping the Hasshugeb robe around himself and slinging Grostril’s musket over his shoulder. The cold was getting worse, even if the snow had tapered off for the moment.

“If you’ll hold that pose for a moment I’d like to make a quick sketch,” Rallie said from the wagon bed.

Konowa turned slightly and raised his chin, looking off into the distance in what he hoped was a martial pose. Rallie balanced her sketch pad on her knee and poised her quill above it.

“A little less pompous, please. My readers like you; I’d hate for that to change.”

Konowa let his shoulders slump. “Fine, it was hurting my neck to stand like that anyway.”

“This will only take a moment. Try not to squirm,” she said, her quill now flying across the page.

Konowa felt goose bumps on his flesh and put it down to the wind. He surprised himself by realizing he felt good. Physically he was still more bruise than not, but emotionally he really did believe somehow, someway, they were going to make it. There was comfort in seeing Rallie with her quill. Even if she wouldn’t talk about it, he knew there was far more to it and to her. It was like having an extra cannon along. He would have still preferred to have canister shot for the three cannons they had pulled all the way from Nazalla, but Rallie’s quill and the questionable aid of the dead commanded by Private Renwar would have to do.

“Done,” Rallie said, tucking her quill away into the folds of her cloak.

“May I see it?”

“No.”

Konowa was momentarily perplexed. “Why not?”

“I meant to say I’m done, for now. I will have more work to do on it later.”

That sounded suspiciously mystical to Konowa, but as he was learning by trial and error, sometimes the best course of action was none at all.

“Then I look forward to seeing it. . eventually,” he said. He started to walk forward beside the remaining camels, but caught a whiff of himself and thought better of it. Stupid animals might think I’m one of them. He headed in the other direction. The soldiers were now milling around waiting for orders. Remembered images of Regimental Sergeant Major Lorian, and his successor, Sergeant Arkhorn, shouting and cajoling the troops into order caused a small pain somewhere deep he knew no amount of medicinal elixir would ever cure. He slapped the hilt of his saber with the palm of his hand and smiled as his flesh stung. This was no time to get misty about the past.

The soldiers turned and looked to him for guidance. He set out into the desert a few yards away from the road and motioned for the troops to follow.

Acting Regimental Sergeant Major, Color Sergeant Salia Aguom, and Viceroy Alstonfar stood in the lee of a rocky crag and out of the wind. The two of them were pouring over a map by the light of a small brass lantern. Konowa looked around for the Prince but saw no sign of him.

Pimmer looked up and smiled. “Ah, Major, just the man I wanted to see. The tribal cure seems to have done the trick.”

“Yes, remind me to thank you for that later,” Konowa said, still smelling of camel and finding it did not get better with age.

The Viceroy took that as a compliment and not an implied threat and motioned for Konowa to come closer. Konowa looked at Aguom who shrugged as if to say he was just as puzzled. Konowa looked down at the map and saw why.

“That’s not a map. It’s just numbers and lines of gibberish,” Konowa said, reaching out and gently lifting up a corner of the paper to see if the map was on the other side. No, just more scribbling in a language he couldn’t read.

“Not gibberish, Major, it’s Birsooni,” Pimmer said, gently correcting him. “They were a tribe that lived here over a thousand years ago. Nomads wandering the desert wastes. It was known that they created a unique code for oasis, wadis, water cisterns, and other important features, but little more than fragments of their maps have ever been found. And I found a stack of them in the library!” Pimmer said, his voice rising with obvious joy. “Judging by the discoloration, the feel of the fibers, and the color of the ink-goat’s blood if I’m not mistaken-this one is the most recent by a good two hundred years. Not nearly as valuable as the others, I’m afraid, but in this inclement weather I thought it better to risk this specimen and preserve the others. Still, isn’t it marvelous! Here in my hands is proof that the Birsooni navigated by numeric code.”

Marvelous wasn’t the first word that came to Konowa’s mind. “I certainly haven’t seen anything like it, Viceroy. Does it give you any details about Suhundam’s Hill? Any secret paths or tunnels we might use?”

Pimmer smiled as he nodded his head. “I’m almost certain it does, but I can’t make sense of one single bit of the thing.” He winked at Konowa and lowered his voice as he continued. “Actually, calling the Birsooni nomadic is being rather charitable. Seems their maps weren’t quite as useful as they’d intended. The history of the other tribes of the Hasshugeb are filled with accounts of the Birsooni wandering hither and yon. The nastier accounts suggest they simply couldn’t find their way back home, which is the only reason they become nomadic in the first place. One day they set out on a raiding party against another tribe’s caravan and were never seen again. For all we know their descendants are still out there today somewhere, still trying to find their way back to their homeland. Quite poetic, really.”

A metallic-tasting snowflake landed in Konowa’s open mouth, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to close it. How in blazes did the Calabrian Empire survive this long? Everyone in power must have been dropped on their heads at birth.

“So no help for our immediate situation then?” Konowa finally asked, turning slightly to spit out the bitter-tasting snow.

“Definitely not,” Pimmer said, his eyes shining. “I was just showing the sergeant here. It really is a remarkable find. .” He trailed off as he finally seemed to notice Konowa’s expression. “Oh, but not to worry, this map should provide us with everything we’ll need to know,” he said, pulling a small, folded piece of paper from inside his swaddling robes. “It’s Birsooni, too, but the cartographer was more traditional in his approach, to a point.”

Konowa reached out a hand and took the piece of paper without saying a word. He opened it and saw a finely detailed sketch of the fort in plan view. A wide, straight road sloped all the way down from the fort’s one gate on its northern face to the desert floor. It was by far the quickest and easiest way up to the fort, but going that way uninvited would be certain death. Anyone in the fort would have a clear shot the entire way up. What Konowa was looking for was an escape route, something small and hidden. The Grenadier Guards had found one all those years ago, so he knew it had to be there somewhere. He found it lightly traced on the southern exposure. It had far fewer twists and turns and headed straight for the rear of the fort, where it disappeared under the wall. A secret doorway in and out. Perfect.

Less perfect, however, was that parts of the path appeared to have either been erased or never drawn in. There was more gibberish written in the margins, but at least this was something he could work with.

“This should do nicely, thank you,” Konowa said, fighting the sudden desire to hit something, preferably rotund and smiling.

“Think nothing of it,” Pimmer said, his smile suggesting he certainly didn’t. “I hope you weren’t thinking you’d have to walk up to the front gate and knock?”

Not anymore I’m not, Konowa thought, rubbing the back of his sleeve against his mouth. “No, not at all. Well, now that we have this it’s time we were moving. Will the Prince be joining us?”

Pimmer took one last longing look at the Birsooni map then rolled it up, careful to shield it from the wind and snow. “The Prince is indisposed at the moment, but conveys in his absence that you are to take whatever measures necessary to secure the fort.”

A diplomat through and through, Konowa thought, grudgingly admiring the man’s ability to lie with absolute sincerity. So the Prince was still sulking? Konowa found he just didn’t care. He knew what had to be done, and Prince or no Prince, it would be done.

“Very good,” Konowa said, spitting out the last of the bitter-tasting snow and nodding to Pimmer. “I’ll confer with the RSM here and we’ll get moving within the quarter hour. Perhaps you should check on the Prince and make sure he doesn’t do something fool-adventurish and wander off on his own.”

“Not to worry, I left a soldier in charge of his camel this time,” Pimmer said. “I need to be here with you when we reach the fort.”

Konowa had seen this before. Officers that spent their lives behind desks and conference tables get a rare taste of battle-aren’t torn in two by a cannonball-and suddenly they feel alive. The fear and the excitement of being shot at and missed acts like a drug. Suddenly, they understand warfare in a way no one else does, and they are overcome with a fevered need to be in the thick of it. The inevitable outcome is always bloody, definitely for the soldiers who pay the price, and sometimes, happily, for the fool who caused their suffering. Konowa wasn’t about to let that tragedy play itself out here. And it wasn’t just for the sake of the troops. He genuinely liked Pimmer and realized he was the first Viceroy he’d met he didn’t want to kill. Mostly.

“That won’t be possible, Viceroy,” Konowa said, thinking fast. “I’ll need you at the rear with the Prince. If the fort is no longer held by the elves there could now be a Hasshugeb tribe in there. I don’t speak the language, you do. I can’t risk having you out front getting shot before you get a chance to talk.”

“I do make a large target, I’m afraid,” Pimmer said, looking between Konowa and the RSM. Neither one laughed. “But rest assured, Major, it isn’t vainglory that necessitates my being up front with you. It’s a bit more pedestrian this time. Not only am I the only one who can speak the language, I’m the only one who can read it, too. The writing on this map contains details of the path up to the fort not drawn here. The cartographer chose to keep some aspects of the route secret and so instead of drawing them chose to put them down in writing, ensuring only a native would be able to decipher it. Rather clever, actually. Much smarter than the other Birsooni’s attempt I dare say.”

Konowa interrupted before Pimmer could pull the other map back out. “Can’t you just tell me what it says now?”

Pimmer was already shaking his head. “You’d think that, but there was a real mind at work here. Certain details of the path are missing on purpose. The writing that accompanies the map fills in the blanks, but they aren’t simple instructions.

“You see, these lines are riddles. And not just your run-of-the-mill children’s game either, but riddles referencing ancient tribal legends. Absolute genius. I mean, look at this part here,” he said, showing the map to Konowa and Aguom who dutifully looked. “What, for example, would you do when you come to a fork in the path and you read ‘The lamb with wolves’ teeth suckles from the camel on a moonless night?’”

Have another drink was the first thought that entered Konowa’s head, but he kept it to himself. “I’ll admit, I can’t begin to imagine what that means, but does it really matter? I can see the fort from here. We simply have to climb up. With or without the map and its secrets that really shouldn’t be that hard.”

“Except for the booby traps.”

That got Konowa’s attention. Aguom stiffened. Soldiers trained to fight an enemy they could see. Hidden traps though were like snakes lying in tall grass. There was something fundamentally unfair about them, although the enemy of course thought differently. “It says that? What kind of traps?”

Pimmer rubbed his chin in thought. “Well, in this particular case the camel can only refer to Suljak Emyan who was famous for carting about a massive main tent that could be seen for miles in the desert like a great camel’s hump. One moonless night, or so legend has it, his guards made the unfortunate mistake of allowing a Guara assassin into his tent thinking the man was one of the Suljak’s servants. You can guess what happened next,” Pimmer said, making a slashing motion with his hand across his throat.

Konowa offered Pimmer a weak smile. “I’m still not clear how this helps us. What’s the trap?”

“No way to tell from here, but I suspect it will be something that looks innocuous enough but will in fact be quite deadly.”

Konowa still wasn’t convinced, but it was time to move. “Very well, Viceroy, I can see the benefit of having you with me. Please collect whatever you’ll need and report-return here so that we can begin.”

Pimmer smiled and reached out to pat Konowa on the arm then appeared to think better of it and turned it into a wave that meandered into a salute that only the most charitable, or farsighted, would consider military. “I shall go fetch my pistol and be back in a moment.”

Aguom coughed. “You aren’t carrying it with you now?”

Pimmer made a patting gesture on his robes. “Afraid not. In fact, it seems I’ve left my saber back at the camel, too. Takes a bit of getting used to carting all these weapons around. I don’t know how you do it.”

Konowa made sure not to catch the regimental sergeant major’s eye lest one or both of them burst out with something they’d regret. “As a general rule, Viceroy, you might wish to keep your pistol and other weapons on your person and in a position to use at a moment’s notice. As you’ve seen, things are a bit dicey out here. There’s no telling where or when we’ll be in battle next.”

Pimmer straightened up at the idea and fixed Konowa with a hard stare. “Then it’s time we get going,” he said. “You know, up until your arrival my battles were fought with the quill, strategically planned tea breaks, and wine-soaked dinner parties for the coup de grace.”

“I think it’s safe to say those days are over for the foreseeable future,” Konowa said. “A saber in hand is your best friend now.”

“What a wonderful phrase and terrible thought,” Pimmer said, then turned and strode off to fetch his gear.

Konowa watched him go and then motioned to Aguom to follow. They walked a short distance away so they were well out of earshot of the troops.

“Right, I’m splitting us into two groups.” He knew it was risky to divide their strength when about to face the enemy, but he didn’t see he had much choice. Marching the entire column at Suhundam’s Hill meant following the caravan track that wound its way directly below it and well within range of muskets or arrows.

“A good move, sir, if you don’t mind my saying so,” Aguom said. “If we took the whole column straight on we could find out the enemy is somewhere out there in the desert and we’d be pinned up against the rock. Splitting us up gives us options, and in the snow and the dark the enemy will have a hard time seeing us, hopefully at least until it’s too late.”

Konowa stepped back a pace and studied the RSM. “I knew sergeants were the backbone of the army and put there to keep officers from making too many mistakes they might not live to regret, but I didn’t know they were tacticians, too. I’ve been remiss in not consulting with you sooner.”

“Kind of you to say, Major, but I actually picked it up talking to another officer with us.”

Konowa looked past him to the assembled soldiers a short distance away. “What, the naval ensign in charge of the guns? Where did a fish learn how to fight on land?”

Aguom shook his head. “No, sir. He was killed by one of those flying trees. A branch went right through his neck. Quite a mess.” Aguom pointed at his own neck indicating where the branch had struck and killed the naval ensign.

Konowa reached up toward his own neck then brought his hand back down. Without intending to he hunched his shoulders and tucked his chin in a little. He realized Aguom was staring at him and reluctantly Konowa forced himself to raise his head and expose the flesh of his neck to the cold, night air. He had a newfound sympathy for turtles. “If not the ensign then. . wait, you don’t mean the Viceroy?” Pimmer was clearly bright and capable enough in a maddening, eccentric way, but he didn’t know command of soldiers in the field.

“No, sir, not the Viceroy. It’s Lieutenant Imba, sir.”

Konowa didn’t recognize the name. “We have a Lieutenant Imba? Where did we pick him up and where’s he been hiding?”

The RSM looked at the ground then back at Konowa. “He was one of the volunteers from the 3rd Spears. He was afraid you wouldn’t let him join if you knew he was an officer, so he begged me to keep his secret. He took off his rank and blended in. His men admire him greatly. I know his clan. Fisherman for the most part and warriors when necessary.”

Konowa looked back toward the soldiers. “Lieutenant Imba, to me.”

A soldier detached himself from the group and started over. The remaining men began looking everywhere except at Konowa. They all knew, he realized, kicking himself for not spotting the deception back in Nazalla, but he’d had too much on his mind. As Lieutenant Imba marched he carried himself like an officer, a confident one at that. There was an easy grace to his gait. Almost as tall as Konowa, he never averted his gaze as he approached. He held his head up just a fraction higher than was comfortable in order to jut out his chin and throw his shoulders back. The result was subtle yet powerful. He conveyed authority without appearing aggressive. Konowa knew he stomped around like a bull half the time. It had worked, especially in the early going of his career when he was determined to prove elves weren’t all a bunch of flower-sniffing dandies, but maybe it was time for a more thoughtful approach to life’s challenges. . although perhaps not too thoughtful.

Imba came to a smooth stop in front of Konowa and saluted smartly. Unlike most of the men, he had not wrapped himself in a Hasshugeb robe and stood before Konowa in a threadbare uniform and bare feet. His musket rested perfectly against his left shoulder and gleamed as if he had guard duty at the Queen’s palace. Konowa stared at his face, mentally tracing each ceremonial scarring band under clear, unblinking eyes. He knew they were made without the aid of any drug or liquor to ease the pain. Ragged scars were a sign of squirming as the blade bit into flesh across the cheekbones and Konowa wondered how many he could stomach before throwing up, passing out, or taking a swing at whoever was doing the cutting. Imba had seven scars under his right eye and six under his left. Every one was ruler straight.

The acorn grew colder, but Konowa didn’t need its warning. The man before him was a true warrior.

“So, it’s lieutenant, is it?” Konowa asked.

Imba’s voice was clear and unapologetic despite his words. “Yes, sir. My apologies for the deception. I shall place myself under arrest until such time as a court-martial is convened and I am tried and convicted for dereliction of duty.”

Konowa looked up to the sky as if considering the idea. Another time and another place not that long ago that’s exactly what would have happened, and the most likely result would have been execution by firing squad. . assuming he didn’t die first from a thousand lashes. But that time and place no longer existed. Konowa brushed a few snowflakes from his face and returned his gaze to Lieutenant Imba.

“Yes, well, under the unique circumstances, I’m inclined to view this as a significant but correctable oversight on your part. As of now you will resume the rank of lieutenant. We’ve been a regiment running on wings and prayers from the outset so another officer is a useful addition. I want you, with the RSM’s assistance, to take the column up the road toward the fort. That includes the cannons. I know we don’t have any shot for them, but no one in the fort will know that. Miss Synjyn will follow in her wagon with His Highness bringing up the rear. You will assign the Color Party to stay with the Prince and keep him safe.”

If Imba wondered at the strangeness of the order he didn’t show it. “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. If you don’t mind my asking, where will you be, Major?”

Konowa pointed toward the fort. “I’m taking ten men and the Viceroy with me across the desert and coming at the place from the backside.”

“Will ten men suffice?”

“Lieutenant,” Konowa said, drawing his saber and holding it up near his face to examine the blade, “if it weren’t for the look of the thing I’d run right up there by myself and to hell with the consequences.”

Choosing to take that as a signal, RSM Aguom motioned to Lieutenant Imba and they both saluted and marched back toward the troops. Konowa continued to stare at his blade as snowflakes fell on the steel. A quick burst of frost fire burned it clean and he reluctantly sheathed it. He looked back toward Suhundam’s Hill. Please, let there be something up there I can take a swing at.