Resurrected Soldiers: The Tyrus Chronicle - Book Three (21 page)

Of all the odds.

“Why didn’t anyone just tell me about Ira’s concern?” I asked in frustration.

“I wanted to, but Dekar said you already carried more than enough worries. No reason why we couldn’t bear one for you.”

Though the frustration remained, any anger for being kept in the dark over Ira’s hunch faded as I considered the efforts they had gone through to watch over me. I couldn’t ask for better friends.

She gestured to Ittay and the other man groaning next to him, holding his broken and bloody nose. “What do you want to do with them?”

“I know what I’d like to do with them.”

She spun the sword in her hand. “You’re the boss. No reason not to.”

I thought about it hard, especially in Ittay’s case. But killing them here would only satisfy my anger, not reinforce a message I had hoped was already clear.

“No. Let’s tie them up and bring them back to camp. I’ll put a guard up and then take care of them in the morning.”

* * *

Nothing like getting attacked and knocked around to wake you up.

I no longer struggled to keep my eyes open though I still felt every bit as weary as before. Add in the bruises and pain from Ittay’s boot and I doubted sleep would come.

Before I even attempted sleep, I called a couple of men on watch to help drag my attackers back to the main part of camp. Ittay had woken up by then, but he didn’t say a word. I’m not sure if it was because of the dread of not knowing what was to come, or if it was because of the aftereffects to the blow to the head. Regardless, his buddy, had no qualms about speaking. In fact, it took a slap to the side of his face to stop his begging and pleading.

Captain Habak was awakened and joined the two men who acted on his orders. Like Ittay, his silence spoke volumes.

After all were secured in chains with a guard up, I left them.

Reuma went back to her bedroll while I made the dreadful march to the infirmary. I didn’t want to go, especially so late at night, but I could tell I needed to.

The pain helped distract me from my normal sense of dread upon entering the space. I slipped inside quietly, so quietly my chains barely even rattled. The tent was mostly quiet as the wounded tried to sleep. I say mostly, because many still suffered, and even in their sleep they moaned in pain.

I searched the darkness and spotted Noam walking toward me.

“You’re still up?” I asked, surprised.

“My turn to do the nightly rounds.” He yawned, then frowned as if seeing me more clearly. “Is something wrong?”

“I need you to check me over,” I said, wincing as my side pulled with an intake of air.

“What’s wrong?”

I had no desire to relay my tale to him just then, especially since I preferred to wait until the morning to talk about what had happened before the entire army. “I fell and hurt myself pretty badly.”

“Fell?” he asked, dubiously.

I shrugged.

He gestured to a side area sectioned off and empty. “Step this way then.”

I went into the area and sat on a small cot. He helped me take off my boiled leather and shirt. I griped the entire time.

He began looking over my ribs, pushing and prodding gently with his fingers. “Hmm, looks like you fell on someone’s boot to me. More than once.”

He raised an eyebrow. I didn’t elaborate.

“Anything other than external bruising?”

“Yes. Good thing you came. Some of your internal organs were bruised and you have a slight fracture on two ribs.”

“You mind taking care of the internal damage? I can deal with the external stuff, especially since I know it’s harder on you to try and heal me on account of my resistance. Normally, I’d just deal with all of it, but I don’t have time to slow down.”

“Of course,” he said in a workmanlike tone. “Let me just get my things ready. I’ll need to double all my mixtures at least with your resistance.”

As he started digging around and gathering up a collection of herbs and tools I had little understanding of, I asked. “How are those men I sent you working out?”

“Great. Every last one of them has taken an interest in learning.”

“Talking to Captain Urion today, he’s got about twelve dedicated healers and an additional fifteen cutters. I’d like you to evaluate them tomorrow on their knowledge. Let me know if you’ll be able to handle the additional three thousand men with their help. If not, I’ll see if I can swing you a few more bodies.”

He bobbed his head while settling a pile of herbs and magical tools beside me that he fiddled with. “Absolutely. Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Then let’s begin.”

CHAPTER 21

My arm swept around, the long whip acting like an extension to it. It snapped at the thinner end as it made contact with Ittay’s exposed back. He yelped as the whip fell, creating another red line.

That made six.

Blood crawled slowly down his skin as I drew the whip back up. My arm snaked out again and the whip cracked even louder across his back. He cried out loudly this time. The newest wounds oozed blood more quickly. Where the wounds began to crisscross each other, the mangled flesh peeled back.

Three more to go.

“Please,” Ittay said low, his voice shaky.

The next three lashes came in succession. Speed was the only mercy I was willing to give.

Ittay sobbed as I coiled the whip.

I gestured to two other men from Habak’s platoon. “Take them to the infirmary. See that they get bandaged to prevent infection. But under no circumstances are they to be healed.”

They each eyed the whip in my hand before moving to untie the three men from the posts.

A part of me felt bad about the ordeal. I did not enjoy inflicting pain on anyone, except maybe an opponent. But at the same time, a man can recover from ten lashes. Or twenty, as was Habak’s punishment earlier. A whipping was therefore a better alternative to me hanging them. And I would have been well in my rights to do so.

Hundreds of soldiers had watched the punishment. I made sure to draw a crowd.

I addressed those around me. “Veterans from the Geneshan War will recall that I never used this against another man before. They’ll also recall that Balak used it sparingly. However, when it is used, it is used to make a point. I’d like to think that there aren’t others among you who wish to do me harm. However, I’m not naïve, nor am I a fool. I’m also not one who enjoys giving out lashes. I won’t do it again.” I gave the whip to Ira and took the rope he held in his other hand. “The next time someone attacks me, or means to do an officer in this army any harm, they will not receive lashes.” I raised the rope tied into a noose. I pointed to a nearby tree. “This will be used instead. There are no more second chances.”

I didn’t have to explain further. They got the message. No one wanted a hemp necklace to dangle from.

I threw the rope to Dekar who stood near Ira.

“That’s all. Everyone get ready for morning drills.”

Platoon and company leaders echoed my thoughts and ordered men to get ready. With punishment handed out, it was time to get back to the business at hand. Getting ready for battle and doing our best not to die.

* * *

Balak summoned me after morning drills. It was rare because we spoke on the road rather than around his dimly-lit table inside his tent. His guards ensured no one came within a hundred feet of us as we rode on horseback, offering us privacy to speak freely.

He rode with us every day, obviously. But he didn’t say a word to anyone except his guards, and even then it’d be very little. He would just ride, back straight, chin up, bushy eyebrows furrowed so they met, like a disapproving father looking down on his children.

I worried early on that many of the men might falter in their loyalty to Balak as he distanced himself so much from everyone else. According to Dekar, that was true for some. Several looked to me as the face of the army. I didn’t mind, so long as they fought the Geneshans.

For others, Balak’s hands off approach actually did him more good than harm. The distance made him appear like some stoic figure with an aura that no one could breach. For those, I think they believed I was nothing more than a figurehead or mouthpiece who simply acted on the decisions of Balak, the true mastermind.

That angered several in my unit who knew better, especially Ira. Hamath too voiced his disapproval. “The old mule did it again,” he had said. “Managed to take credit for all your strategies, only this time he did it openly.”

As during the Geneshan War, I didn’t really care who took the credit, so long as we won and I could quit this life and get back to my family.

“How are the men holding up, Tyrus?” asked Balak finally.

“They’re doing well. Better than expected.”

“And incorporating Urion’s men?”

“Seemed all right during morning drills, but it’s not even been a full day. Won’t really be able to determine any problems and how to address them until we put more time in. But they’re going to be a huge asset. They drill with some of the cleanest lines I’ve ever seen. It pushes the others to do better.”

“Good, because I’m afraid we’re not going to have very much time for them to train together.”

I cursed.

“Keep your voice down, Tyrus. You aren’t in my tent.”

I understood. No reason to draw attention and have people see me flustered. Still, it didn’t take a genius to understand that he meant we’d be facing the enemy again soon.

“How much time?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

I cursed again, but lower.

He acted as though he didn’t notice, continuing with barely a pause for breath. “Three thousand men, including four dozen sorcerers of various strength. One being a Master Sorcerer. And these sorcerers have managed to regain a great deal of connection to their power.”

“Molak-be damned!” I hissed. “A thousand more than last time.”

“With Urion’s men, our odds are still much better than before.”

“We didn’t really have much in the way of sorcery to contend with the first time though. Just a couple of low-level sorcerers. Certainly nothing like a Master Sorcerer.” I paused. “I assume that means your High Mages will enter the battle.”

“No.”

“But sir—”

“You have my answer, Tyrus.”

I did. I hated it and was also confused by it.

He continued, “I have confidence that you’ll win.”

“It’s not just about winning. It’s about not taking heavy losses as well. We still have Hol in front of us.”

“We have much more than Hol in front of us, Tyrus. This will be the first of many battles and skirmishes over the next couple of weeks.”

I grit my teeth. “Then my point is even more relevant. Unless there’s another large body of Turine soldiers you have up your sleeve you haven’t told me about.”

“No. That’s it. However, you have to keep in mind that the Geneshans are not alone in their movement north. They have prisoners with them. The host we face tomorrow has an estimated five hundred prisoners among them. That should help alleviate some of our losses.”

“So you want to press more men into service against their will?”

“I’ll do whatever I think is necessary to win.”

That’s what worried me.

* * *

Hamath nodded toward Balak as I rode up to him. “That didn’t look good.”

“It wasn’t. Tomorrow morning we’ll face over three thousand Geneshans. They’re supported with a decent bit of sorcery, including a Master Sorcerer.”

“How does he know all that?” asked Hamath.

I knew it had to do with the three High Mages, but once again I had to remain tight-lipped.

He grunted in obvious frustration at my silence, but thankfully didn’t pry. “So, what are you thinking?”

“That we need to take out their Master Sorcerer as soon as possible. Their other, lesser sorcerers I’m not as worried about. I think our mages could keep them on their heels until we take them the old-fashioned way with a sword through the heart. But the Master Sorcerer is too much of a wild card and too powerful to wait to address.”

“I doubt he’s going to come out in the open so that we can target him with our mages and a few hundred arrows.”

“Having our entire battle plan centered around one Master Sorcerer wouldn’t be a good idea anyway. It would make us too easy to exploit.”

He sounded patient when he asked, “So what do you want me to do, then?”

“I need you to grab three of our lower level mages. Have them work on a good signal that can be seen from a great distance when activated, but easy to conceal otherwise, a pillar of green light or something. Have them rig it into something similar to a destruction globe so that anyone could use it. It’s just for a signal though, no need for them to kill themselves trying to make something like the High Mages did. I need at least two, but ideally the more the better. You and Dekar’s units will have them.”

“Dekar’s unit, eh?”

I could tell from the look what he was getting at. “Time to just accept the way things are. It’s no longer mine.” Maybe that was a good thing. “Anyway, you two are going behind enemy lines tonight. I want you to figure out where the Master Sorcerer is located. Then just lay low and stay out of sight until the battle starts. After the battle begins and we’re engaged with the enemy, have those signals go off around the Master Sorcerer to mark him.”

“And then?”

“And then high tail it out of there.”

“You don’t want us to take him down?”

“No. Neither of you will have enough power to take him out without getting yourselves killed in the process.”

“Seems like a waste for us to be back there and just mark a man.”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t create havoc. Just that you couldn’t stick around near the Master Sorcerer.”

Hamath grinned. “Understood.”

It was good to see that grin again. Sadly, it didn’t hold quite the weight as before. At one point, it was almost Hamath’s way of saying, “We’ve got this, Tyrus. You and me.” It would usually follow some order that sent us together on a separate side mission while the rest of the unit carried out other orders.

Now, it was more or less saying “I got this.”

And that left me with a twinge of regret as I rode away.

I pushed aside those melancholy thoughts as I found Urion. He gave me a hard salute from his saddle that I waved off. “Enough of that, Captain. I need you to listen up.”

“Sir?”

“We need to do some last-minute reorganization of the men that were under your command.”

He frowned. “Were you not happy with their performance during morning drills? I thought everyone worked well together with the way we integrated them amongst your veterans.”

“They did. And I was happy. But circumstances call for a change. I need you to go through and pull out one hundred men with a resistance to sorcery from among your ranks. Make sure it’s a good mix. I don’t want all of your weakest or all of your strongest. I need the others to stay with their companies.”

“Yes, sir. May I ask why?”

“I don’t have time to explain it all now. But we’re facing a good-sized Geneshan force tomorrow morning. They’ve got a Master Sorcerer with them and a special group of soldiers with a resistance will factor into how I handle him.”

He saluted. “I understand, sir. I’ll get right on it.”

And he did, kicking his mount into motion.

I ran down a mental checklist of who I needed to see and what information I needed to convey. First and foremost would be to visit the army’s blacksmith as well as a couple of our lower-level mages. Having our mages place runes on the light armor of our cavalry would help protect our mounts, especially if I could manage to round up some silver.

I clicked my reins as well. There was a lot to do.