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I sighed. “Duties?”

“
You are not going to be a member of my staff, Sum. Forget it. Join the equestes and ride with them.”

“
Something nominal, Tul. Come on, cousin,” we really were cousins, “you know I can't just tack on. Family honor and all that.”

“
All the command posts are filled.” Meaning he had enough officers to do whatever they were told; it was the centurions who really commanded, the first centurion of the cohort who interpreted orders on the field. The command posts were there just to make sure units went where they were supposed to go - like a rudder on a boat, they steered. “And I already accepted Gatren Teciba Orans as my aide.” In fact the aide was there just to observe and learn how to command. It was the post that would have been most appropriate for me, though I had no intention of learning anything other than how to stay alive.

“
Think of something, cousin.”

He sighed. “Baggage train. Look after it.”

I gave it a thought. Too many animals. “Anything else?”

“
Three battle mages and six healers need a wet nurse.”

“
Good enough!” In fact, perfect. Might even get a friendly one to teach me something for free.

“
Don't bug them.” It was as though he could read my mind, or my smile. “Just keep them safe and happy, and let them do their job when the fighting starts. They know their duties.”

I held up a hand. “I understand, one healer per century in the fight and protect the battle mages from enemy action. I'll need a bodyguard for them for that, of course...”

“
Take six men of your choice. Now get out.” I got.

As I said, Sheo and Kerral were delighted. I'd pulled them from the equestes and given them something useful to do. Then I'd told Kerral, ordered – I was in command after all - ordered Kerral to pick four of the toughest looking bastards he could find and get them on board. Pakat, Geheran, Luk and Gobin had joined us. They were all big and scarred and had more weapons on them than I thought any one man could possibly use, but they fit the bill as far as I was concerned. That done we went to join the battle mages, who traveled in style. Big comfortable tents, several servants, and a wagon full of supplies. They were sitting around a fire pit on chairs. I was instantly envious, but presented myself with a pleasant smile.

“
Yes?”

“
Sumto Merian Ichatha Cerulian. At your service.”

“
We don't need anything. Go away.”

Best to stay polite. Who knew what rank they were? Could be anything, though I didn't recognize any of them. I tagged them in my mind as Tall, Fat, Old and Skinny. “I'm here to protect you.”

Tall looked around ostentatiously. “We don't appear to be in any danger.”

“
And to see you have everything you need.”

No answer to this, at least no immediately. Then Old pointed to a clear bit of ground off to one side. “Set yourselves up there and try not to intrude. We'll send someone if we need anything.”

“
The Healers?”

Fat actually turned around in his chair to glare at me. Tall jerked a thumb to signal behind him, which I took to mean that they were not so far away in that direction. Thinking I might not improve things with further questions or one sided conversation, I left and put my subordinates to setting up camp in the space indicated. Then went to check in on the healers; just as well appointed as the battle mages but much friendlier. Invited to stay and join them for the evening meal, I accepted with alacrity. They looked like people who liked to eat, and I guessed the food would be good. A short time later I sat before a friendly fire in a comfortable chair with a small table to my right hand on which slaves dumped dishes and drinks. I did a head count, six healers and me, confirming that there was in fact one more battle mage than Tulian had said. Interesting. Or odd. Or maybe he was just visiting and would go back to the city when we moved out, tomorrow or the next day. With less qualms than I would have had with the battle mages, I asked about the extra mage.

“
Ah, you mean the student.” Middle aged and plump, Lentro was the only healer whose name I had retained from the bombardment of introductions. He was the nominal leader of the healers, senior by some ranking system I didn't inquire about; on his right hand he wore a ring that encompassed two fingers, and the gently iridescent lilac stone upon it must have been nine carats or more. It was the most impressive stone in sight and I had only seen one or two greater stones in my life, both owned by my family and not much in use. Just because you have the stone, and the money, doesn't mean you are going to be any good at magic, even if you have the inclination to learn. Anyway, he'd answered my question. The fourth one wasn't a battle mage in much the same way that Tul's aide, Gatren Orans, wasn't a commander, or even in the command chain, but was there to learn how to command by observing. That was interesting. What was he observing and could I get to observe and learn with him? It was an intriguing thought. But later for thinking, I had my end of a conversation to keep up.

“
Ahh,” I said. “I seee.”

“
Yes. He's here to learn. He won't do anything, just watch and see how his betters do what they do, and maybe as importantly, why they do what they do.”

“
Hmmm?”

“
Battle mages act pretty much independently on the battlefield. Unless asked to try and achieve something they just watch and intervene where they think they can do the most damage without harming any of our own soldiers. Tricky, that, if you think about it.”

I hadn't. Now I did. From accounts of battles I'd gleaned an idea of what battle mages can do; quite a lot in the way of lightning and fire spewing forth from the stone used, which is why most stones are worn as rings. Make a fist, cast the spell and point. Of course, personally I had no idea how this was done, I could never afford to find out, and didn't ever intend to need to know. There were accounts of noxious clouds enveloping enemy units, walls of fire springing into existence, and so on and so forth. All of which could be as big a hazard to your own troops as the enemy if used without restraint. Battle mages were also useful in intelligence gathering; using magic to enhance their senses to see and hear what the enemy was doing or what they planned. It has been a truism that our armies could easily be one tenth the size of the opposition and still win. Magic tipped the balance in our favor. The elite units, and many of the nobles, had access to magically enhanced weapons and armor, including trinkets that enhanced strength, stamina and so on, making them easily worth ten men on the battlefield.

“
Of course, our job is easier and safer. Surrounded by a hundred men or behind them, I am safe enough, and all I have to do is heal anyone who comes to me or who is dragged back to me.” He shrugged in self depreciation.

I had a mouth full of spicy meat ball at that moment and had some difficulty reassuring him that his efforts were in fact critical to the impending battle, not to mention very much appreciated by the recipients of his healing efforts. At least without choking. Still, I think he got the idea and seemed pleased that I'd made the effort.

“
I would rather be working with the sick than the wounded, but I haven't been in the field for a few years and it was my turn. Our turn.” He apologetically gestured to his colleagues, belatedly including them.

“
None of us like war. Healing is a peaceful man's occupation. But we can't have foreigners thinking they can kill our citizens with impunity! I think we all recognize that what we do is both just and necessary!” This from the pudgy and somewhat bald older healer to my left.

“
Quite right, Ormal,” Lentro approved.

“
Justice has nothing to do with it,” another healer piped up. “Our citizen was selling wine to people who have no head for it, in exchange for slaves that they had taken by force from another tribe, who quite understandably objected, found out what was happening and killed the greedy son of a bitch.”

“
Oh, don't start that.” Ormal snapped back. “Our citizen was carrying out lawful trade in lands controlled by the city. If the Alendi had a problem with being raided their problem was with the raiders, not our lawful and legal trader!”

I had wondered what the war was about. Well, now I knew. Not that I cared much, I mean it wasn't my war as such, I was just doing what I had to do to avoid a more unpleasant fate; i.e. possible but avoidable death instead of pretty much certain demise.

I leaned closer to Lentro, “Is that all? The death of one merchant?”

“
No. The Alendi are now at war with the Ensibi, our allies and Orthand's clients. He has to help them, of course.”

Of course. A patron helps his client and a client helps his patron in return. In the city clients will arrive at their patron's door early in the day and say something like, 'Is there anything I can do for you today and thank you for the gift.' The fact that in this case the client was a whole tribe of three towns and maybe a hundred thousand people made no difference; 'of course you can trade freely with my people for slaves from other tribes, and thanks for the military help when it goes sour.' Same thing.

“
Where did he think the slaves were going to come from? Hmm? How moral is that?” The argument went on without us.

“
Of course he has to help. Any news on how things are going?”

Lentro showed less interest than I thought appropriate. “Not much, a couple of strongholds have fallen, a few villages razed. The Ensibi have taken losses but it's early days.”

The Gerrian tribes are numerous, maybe as many as a hundred of them all told. The Ensibi had called for help from an ally, and I couldn't help wondering if the Alendi might do the same. Still, no tribe had more than four others on its borders, and none of them were much larger in numbers than the Ensibi. Probably nothing to worry about. In warrior cultures any able bodied man could fight but the true warriors were only one in fifty, noblemen in other words, men who owned weapons and armor, so in a hundred thousand only two thousand were capable and experienced fighting men. In a worse case scenario, say three other tribes got involved; eight thousand against our seven thousand and whatever the Ensibi fielded. No real problem. Of course, spears are cheap and one in five of any given normal population base would be able bodied men. If the whole tribe rose, maybe twenty thousand men could be raised. Not much more than two to one, not worried. Four tribes would make eighty thousand, enough to stretch us if brought to battle all in one place. But that was unlikely, wasn't it? Allied tribes who felt obliged to help out, for whatever reason or incentive, were unlikely to send every able bodied man, right? So say, at a stretch, seven times four or twenty-four thousand serious warriors and maybe twenty thousand guys with spears, worst case scenario. What was that? Seven times our numbers? We could take down ten times our number, that was the tradition, right? So stop worrying.

Still I didn't sleep well. Camp beds and tents are not as comfortable as beds and roofs and I missed my bed. And I couldn't stop running numbers in my head.

#

Eventually I must have slept because I woke up to the sound of trumpets and started the day with some choice curses and a groan or two. The healers' hospitality had been generous and I had a pretty good hangover. Being woken rudely at dawn was something I had experienced before under the savage tutelage of my Uncle and had never wanted or expected to have to deal with again, especially with a bad head.