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of the trees to the north, flanking the Matrite company holding the base of
the hill but squads in the black of the Iron Valleys Militia.
Abruptly, the Matrites on the hill wheeled to the north, and about half of the
Matrite troopers in the line between the high road and the hill those closer
to the hill began to move northward.
Alucius his concentration split in three directions waited, only for a bit,
until he could sense the break in the Matrite line.
'Column right. Rifles ready! Prepare to fire! Follow me! Charge!"
Alucius brought Wildebeast around to the right and then a shade farther to the
southeast. At the same time, he tried to throw another illusion this one just
one of empty grasslands, in place of his outnumbered two squads.
His head was splitting, and with each stride Wildebeast took, it pounded more,
almost in rhythm to his mount's hoofs hitting the dry ground.
The two squads reached the top of the gentle incline, thundering toward a thin
line of Matrite troopers, who looked westward, squinting, as if they could see
something, and then could not. Alucius could sense his control of the
illusions slipping, and he dropped the concealment illusion.
He was less than a hundred yards from the startled Matrites.
'Hold your fire! Fire at my command!"
At fifty yards, he ordered, "Fire at will!"
The sound of rifles from both ranks merged with the muted thunder of hoofs.
Alucius aimed and fired as quickly as possible, using his knees and his
thoughts to guide Wildebeast. He tried to focus on the point where his squad
would strike the thin Matrite line. He could sense the voids of death, but had
no
idea how many came from his shots at the Matrites and how many from those of
his own trainee troopers knowing only that some of his shots had been
accurate.
At less than thirty yards, Alucius bolstered his own rifle and called out,
"Sabres out! Stay in formation!" He could see the nearest Matrite squad leader
trying to move to intercept them.
As Alucius brought his sabre up, he tried to project an image of death and
destruction sweeping along with him. At least one Matrite trooper winced, and
that was enough for Alucius to get in a cut that disabled the man at the very
least.
Almost as soon as they had begun, the charge and skirmish were over.
Alucius looked back. It looked as though almost all of the trainees had made
it through, including, incredibly, the wagon. He realized also that, somewhere
along the way, he had lost or released his Talent-illusions, yet no one was
chasing them.
Ignoring the pain that stabbed through his skull, and the waves of
intermittent dizziness, he pressed out his senses ahead, but he could feel no
troopers Matrite or militia ahead to the east. He slowed Wildebeast to a walk,
and gestured for the others to do the same. After another half vingt they
rejoined the high road empty as far to the east as Alucius could see.
Before long, he knew, they would have to stop to rest the mounts, but he
waited until they had covered another half vingt. Then he signaled for a halt.
"Stand down for a quarter glass!" He dismounted.
Zerdial and Anslym rode up and joined him.
'How many did we lose?" Alucius asked.
'First squad lost three, sir," Zerdial answered.
'Four, sir," Anslym replied.
Alucius nodded. "I'm sorry for them, but that was about the best we could do."
'How many of theirs, do you think?" Zerdial glanced back westward.
'I'd guess close to twice our losses, but I don't know." Alucius did know that
he personally had killed at least five men, and probably a few more.
'How did you know that they'd set their squads like that?" asked
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Anslym.
'I didn't. If they'd set them differently, we would have had to use another
tactic. You just have to do what they don't expect."
Zerdial and Anslym nodded, but Alucius wasn't certain that they really
understood.
After the stand-down, which Alucius extended to a half glass because he didn't
sense anyone coming from the west, he had the column resume its progress
eastward at a slow walk. He didn't want to pressure the mounts too much, but
he also didn't want to remain too close to any Matrite force.
It was late afternoon, a glass after the squads had stopped by a stream for
water for men and mounts, when Alucius began to sense a rider behind them, a
rider with a spare mount. Before long, Anslym rode forward from the rear.
'Sir, there is a rider behind us. He has a spare mount, and he's riding with a
white banner."
Tiredly, Alucius cast back his Talent-perceptions, well beyond the rider.
There were more riders, indeed, a squad or more.
'Column halt!" Alucius turned to Anslym. "Have your squad wheel and stand
ready with rifles."
'Yes, sir."
Alucius could sense his puzzlement.
'There's a good chance that they're also former militia who've realized that
the torques don't work and who've deserted and want to go home. But there's no
point in taking chances."
'Why are you "
'I'm going to talk to them because the more troopers we have the better chance
we have of getting good terms from the militia command. " Alucius turned
Wildebeast back to the rear of the column.
There he waited.
The lone rider neared the column slowly, his hands in the open and empty,
except for the one hand around the long branch that held a crude banner a
white undergarment.
'I'd like to talk!" called the rider.
Alucius noted the single chevron on the man's sleeve. "You can ride up. We
won't shoot."
Warily, the other squad leader approached.
Alucius rode out and stopped five yards short of the older man.
The other noted the double chevrons on Alucius's sleeve, and nodded, almost to
himself, before speaking. "Sir? Is it true that you're an Iron Valley officer
who's escaped from the Matrites and heading home?"
'Yes." Alucius wasn't about to get into technicalities about what kind of
officer he was.
'We'd like to join you. We also got another bunch, two squads, really, that's
farther back. They've got a wagon with some provisions and other stuff."
What could he do? After a moment, Alucius said, "You can join us if you want.
The rules are simple. I'm in charge. No arguments. No discussion. We act like
a regular company until we get to the Iron Valleys, and we stay together until
we get good terms from the militia."
'Good terms?"
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