table of contents – (spoilers)
With Sergeant Neil and his four men from Spitzer there, along with Shane, it was a lively dinner. It turned out that Shane was something of a raconteur. He and Sergeant Neil had a few overlapping associations within the forces and swapped anecdotes for the men’s amusement. Choke did his best to appear engaged and amused, but could not help but get dragged down into the horrors of the attack upon the Ungers. As well, Peep and Pinch had not returned, and this was pressing on him.
After dinner, Choke took Sergeant Neil aside into the dining room:
“Sergeant: I am sorry, I forgot to check with you earlier. When are you returning to Spitzer?”
“Ah, yes, sir. We are to escort the next lumber caravan back. Bob told us that’s leaving first thing the day after tomorrow. So, Saturday.”
“Good. Thank you. Do you have any further duties assigned to you here?” Choke asked.
“No, sir. Just the headcount. So, I am at your disposal, sir.”
“Thank you. With Sergeant Nikolas and Otilla out scouting, I am short two NCOs, basically. Perhaps this is a good chance for some one-on-one weapon drills. If you can coordinate with Sergeant Theodas about it, I’d like you and your men to work with ours.”
“That sounds excellent, sir. No problem. Theodas. That’s yar sergeant everyone calls Knuckle, right?”
“Yes, exactly. Thank you, sergeant.”
Choke next spoke with Corporal Dom to set up the night watch under him. With Peep and Pinch gone, Choke decided to put three extra men out on watch. Choke also informed Dom that he would grab what sleep he could early, and then join him and the men on watch from the middle of the night.
“Thank you, sir,” Dom said.
“Of course, Corporal,” Choke said. He then stood looking pensive for far too long.
“Sir?” Dom eventually asked. “Sorry. Are, ye okay, sir?”
“Yes. Ah, no. I… Ahh…” Choke said, sighing as he shifted this way and that in a struggle with himself. He sighed again as his baser self won out.
“Yes, I’m fine, Corporal. I’m sorry. I’ll be fine. Let’s get the watch started. I will take command of it, to start, if you could do me a favor right away,” Choke said, straightening himself up.
“Of course, sir.”
“Take a man with you and go down to the Wilson place. See if Mariola is willing to come up here tonight. If she is, escort her here. If not, give her my apologies for having bothered her.”
Dom looked confused as Choke began his order. Then, he cracked a wry smile.
“Yes, sir,” Dom said, with an amused twinkle in his eye.
“I understand the men have been talking about our relationship. I don’t suppose there is any point in attempting to hide it.”
“No, sir. I mean, unless— No, it’s not my place to say, sir.”
“No, go ahead, Corporal. I’d have you speak your mind,” Choke said.
“Okay, thank ye, sir. Well, ye’ve already had her up here at the barracks, right? Serving ye dinner, and all. So, yeah, it aint no secret.”
“Right. Of course. And how do the men feel about it, would you say?”
“I dunno. Bit of grumbling, I suppose. Ye know, ‘must be nice;’ that kinda thing. But nothing heavy, I don’t think,” Dom said.
“Okay, thank you, Dom. And how do you feel about it? If you are willing to say. If you would rather not, that is fine.”
“No, it’s okay, sir. I don’t much care, to be honest. I mean, yar the officer, right? Gentlemen take what they want. That’s normal, I’d expect. It’s just the way of it. And it aint like ye’ve been out of line with us, otherwise. The men all see that yar doing yar best. Things are a lot better here in Bristlehump than they were in Spitzer. That’s for sure.”
“Well, thank you for saying so, Dom. I appreciate it. I have the watch until you return. Thank you,” Choke said.
“Yes, sir,” Dom said with a snappy salute.
Choke spent the next half an hour moving between the north and south gates, settling the men at their posts. He did his best to keep his mind off Peep and Pinch, but there was little else he could think of instead that was not troubling in some other regard. Even Mariola was not a safe subject, as pangs of guilt skewered his thoughts of her.
When Dom and his man brought Mariola through the north gate, Choke was there, pacing nervously back and forth. Dom simply nodded deeply to Mariola, and then Choke, shutting and barring the gate.
In the dim lantern light, Mariola looked to Choke in concern, attempting to read his features. Sensing something of his distress from his posture, she quickly moved to embrace him. Then, without a word, they went together to his room. There, they spoke briefly before making love quickly. Spent, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.
***
The next morning, Choke awoke Mariola just before dawn when he came back in from watch to mark the new day in his Holy Book. Dom had knocked on Choke’s door in the middle of the night to wake him up to help with the watch, just as instructed. The watch had passed uneventfully.
When Choke opened up the Holy Book, Mannis’ letter fell out onto his desk.
“Oh, right. Mannis,” Choke said quietly.
“Hmmm? What?” Mariola asked, rolling and stretching in bed like a cat.
“Nothing. I just have a letter I forgot about.”
“Which one?”
“What?”
“A? B? I thought you had all your letters, don’t you? You read better than most priests, I thought,” Mariola said, sitting up.
“No, not like that. It’s a— Oh, right. Ha ha,” Choke said as he turned around and saw her expression.
“Yes, ha ha. I guess I should get going,” Mariola said climbing up out of bed to throw on her dress. It took her longer to tie the waist sash with her buck knife hidden under the dress’ upper fold.
“You can stay. It’s fine, Mariola. Stay for breakfast,” Choke said moving over to embrace her.
They kissed. He then dropped his face down to her chest, pulling her into a hard hug.
“I’m not used to this armor,” she said. “You feel so different in it. And you need a pet name for me. It’s weird, you using my name, like that.”
Choke did not respond. He stood still, holding onto her, listening to her heart and breathing.
She stroked his hair and held him close.
“Are you okay, honey?” she asked. “Is it what that Dugnut did to your friends in Callic?”
Choke groaned a negative into her breasts.
“No? Are Peep and Pinch not back yet?”
“Mmm-hm,” he intoned positively.
“Well, you shouldn’t worry. I’m sure they’re fine. And if they’re not, then we’ll all be dead soon and all our troubles will be over,” she said, giving his shoulder a pat before wiggling to push him off.
He sighed. “I know you’re right. Either way. It’s just I don’t know what I’m going to do if they don’t come back.”
“Well, no shit, man!” Mariola laughed. “That’s like saying ye don’t know what ye’ll do if someone chops yar hands off. Ye’ll fuckin die, is what. Don’t think about it. There’s nothing to be done. Do what ye must. One thing at a time. That’s it.”
“Yes, you are right. Good. Okay. But you should stay for breakfast,” Choke said.
“No,” Mariola said, sitting down on his bed to pull on her boots. “You need to be with yar men, and I don’t want to eat with the lot of them smirking at me like pervert children. I’m gonna go and get an early start at Barrelmender’s. I’ll eat some of what I’m serving him.”
“Yes, okay. You’re right. Well, thank you for coming, Mariola.”
“Well, I didn’t, actually. But you were in a hurry, so that’s okay,” she said with a smile.
Choke stared back at her like a startled squirrel.
“That’s a joke, sweetie. But, yeah, actually also true. You were in a hurry. It’s fine, though. We can work on it. Read your letter. Attend to your men. I’m sure Peep and Pinch will be back soon.”
Mariola swooped in to give Choke a quick kiss.
“And think up a pet name for me! Honestly! And don’t ask your friends. I don’t need to be called appletits, or the like. Okay? Okay. Feel better, honey.’
Mariola gave Choke a slap on the ass as she went out the door. Choke took a moment to collect himself before quickly marking the day in his Holy Book. Then, he turned his attention to Mannis’ letter, cracking the seal and unfolding it. He snorted in dark amusement as he read the short message:
“Dear Lieutenant Pekot, is it now? Congratulations on your new position! If there ever is anything you can do for me, do not hesitate. (And, of course, I shall be happy to reciprocate, if I am ever at all in a position to do so. I am not, however, in such a blessed state, at present.) Your friend, Mannis, bastard Vallant.”
Choke folded the letter up and packed it away with his writing kit and ledger. He then went outside for morning muster. Pinch was gone with the bandit horn they usually used to call. The original bugle for the barracks was a decrepit old thing, still hanging untouched on a nail by the main door. Choke had no desire to experiment with that, so he simply had Knuckle yell at the men to get them going.
With all the men at attention, Sergeant Neil did his headcount. Choke then addressed the men:
“Men! Today’s assignments! Corporal Hardmod: you have the south gate today. Choose two men for that. Corporal Dom: you shall supervise the work crew on the palisade. For the rest of you, today we will continue our training. Sergeant Neil and his men from Spitzer have generously agreed to help you in man-to-man weapon drills. Work hard and learn what you can; it may save all our lives. Sergeant Theodas: you and Corporal Osgar shall join in the training. We shall train in the courtyard here, so there is no need to have anyone on the north gate. Yes? Okay, dismissed for breakfast! Corporal Hardmod’s squad eats first.”
Choke went and saddled Nike while the men prepared for breakfast. In the stable he noted that Shane was not there, and there was no sign he had been. Outside, Shane came crawling out of the large kennel at the side of the stable while Choke was tethering Nike to a hitching post.
“Good morning, Shane. Breakfast should be served. Did you sleep in the kennel?”
“Yeah, thought I may as well. Settle the dogs down in a new place. And it’s clean enough.”
“I hope you slept well. Remember, you are welcome to bunk with the men, should you want to,” Choke said.
“Thanks, but no. So, what’s up for today?” Shane asked, scratching his beard as he squinted around the courtyard.
“Sticking close to home. Training for the most part.”
“Miss Otilla and the little fella aint back yet?”
“No. I’m afraid not. I am just a little concerned,” Choke said.
“No doubt. But I wouldn’t worry too much. Scouting like that, ye don’t wanna move around after dark. How far out were they?”
“Not that far, really. Just about five or six kilometers, I think.”
“To the north, right?” Shane asked.
“Yes.”
Shane did some more beard scratching, along with some squinting up at clouds. He nodded and returned his attention to Choke:
“Okay, then. I’ll go check it out. Right after breakfast,” Shane said.
“Oh! Really? Well, okay, that’s good. Do you mean out to where they were scouting?” Choke asked.
“I dunno. Out that way, I guess. I’ll go have a sniff around. The dogs need a proper hunt, anyways. Don’t want them eating scraps too much if I can help it. I can work my way out there on a hunt and just keep my ears open. So, where did they go? What’s going on out there?”
“Right. Well, the ridgeline up here heads north for a couple of kilometers until there’s Bristlenook down in the Bristle Valley. That’s to the east of the ridge. Don’t go into that. That is hostile now. It’s complicated. I’ll brief you more on it later.”
“Okay, then. So where are they supposed to be?”
“Another couple of kilometers up the ridge it drops down into swampland. To the northwest of that is the Moondark area. You’ve heard of that, I assume.”
Shane simply nodded with a dark look.
“Right,” Choke continued. “But, apparently, to the northeast of the end of the ridge there is an area, and small community, named Gorefield. That is where Peep and Pinch have gone to scout. We received information that two of Sneed’s men are from there, and that it is the place Sneed and his crew staged from when they were last here operating against us.”
Shane nodded. “Okay,” he said. “I don’t know that country at all, but that don’t matter, I suppose. This ridge to the north is getting lumbered right now, yeah?”
“That’s right. Where that lumbering stops is where the trouble with Bristlenook begins. However, it should be fine for us, so long as we keep to the ridge,” Choke said.
Shane squinted at him. “That seems hinky. So the Bristlenook druid is hostile now, but lets ye use the ridge? That don’t make sense.”
“Oh, you know about the druid?” Choke said, quite surprised.
“How the fuck wouldn’t I? I told ye I make it out this way from time to time. There’s been a druid out Bristlenook way for good spell now. Keeps it low key. What’s her name? Starts with a D, right? Dina? Something like that.”
“Diya,” Choke said, perturbed that, once again, basic common knowledge had somehow passed them by.
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“I’m sorry, Shane, I’m just curious how you came to hear of her. The people that we have been working with here had not heard of her. Who was it you heard about her from?”
“Uh-huh. That makes sense. I suppose the folk ye’ve been dealing with are good Stronians, and the like?”
“Yes. Oh, okay, I think I see. Tully’s?” Choke asked.
“You got it. Diya’s name rang out there. Tully was a shady fucker, right? He’d trade with anybody that kept it civil in his joint. Lots of bandits coming and going there. It was known that Diya would heal their sort, for a price. Also, Tully’s girls would go to her whenever they caught the fire piss. But, I’ll have ye know that I never met the woman. Never got out that way.”
“Okay. I’m sorry, though, but: fire piss?”
“Ye know, devil’s crotch. Cave goblins. The clap. Diseases of the nether parts.”
“Okay, yes. Right. Thank you. Anyways, the situation with Diya has become complicated.”
“Yeah, no shit. Ye’d better give me the quick and dirty on it if I’m gonna be going out there,” Shane said.
Choke nodded and took a moment to think carefully about exactly what he was going to say. He immediately realized that he now needed to decide how much trust to put in Shane. Further, half measures would be pointless. He either had to be all the way in the loop, or all the way out. Choke decided to trust in Shane’s faith.
“Yesterday we had a skirmish with Diya and her people. They got the best of us. Handily. Diya spared our lives and parleyed with Otilla. She offered to help us against Sneed if we agreed to keep that help quiet and stay clear of Bristlenook itself. Basically, she wants her people to believe that she ran us off.”
“Well, she did, didn’t she?” Shane screwed up his face at the clouds for a spell as he thought this over. Then he shrugged. “How’d that skirmish go? What happened?”
“Diya was in animal form: a large eagle, overhead. A summoned bull moose attacked us, killing Sergeant Nikolas’ horse. Diya swooped in as the eagle, and transformed back into human form to cast a spell. We shot arrows at her, but they were blown up into the air just before they reached her. Then, a hidden bowman shot an arrow by my ear, and another summoned animal, a huge wild boar, menaced Otilla. The archer demanded we stand down, which we did. And then we parleyed. After she offered us a hostage, I should add.”
Shane thought this over. “So, Diya must be the source of this information that Miss Otilla is scouting now, I’d reckon.”
“That’s right.”
“And Miss Otilla was fine about heading out there alone to follow up on that?”
“She has Sergeant Nikolas with her. But, yes, she was quite insistent. She says she is sure of Diya’s intentions. The Holy Fire spoke to her on it.”
“Huh. And how did yar black robe take this? Ye told him, right?” Shane said, meeting Choke’s eye with sharp intention.
“Yes, we did. Brother Barrelmender agreed with Otilla that this was our best course for the moment.”
“Okay. Now, I asked ye this before, but that was just a light courtesy. Now, it matters. If I’m gonna throw in with ye on this, I need a straight answer. Is Barrelmender worth a shit? Because all I’ve heard about him is that he’s a slut-addled drunk these days.”
“That’s a fair assessment of where he was. Otilla seems to have woken him up. He is still damaged, but is doing his best to do his duty. And is presently sober. He seems to have his faculties, for the most part. Although, he is prone to flying into rages,” Choke said.
Shane nodded. “Well, that’s okay, then. I suppose. And is he trying to be the boss of ye? Or is it Miss Otilla telling him how it is? Who has their hands on the reins here?”
“That’s more complicated. As I said, Brother Barrelmender is doing his best to do his duty. As the magistrate here, he is the authority in Bristlehump. He has asserted this authority over us. However, he has yet to disagree with Otilla in any matter. And, to be honest, has explicitly stated that he has no capacity or intention to take full command of us.”
“Well, this is all fucked up, I’d say. But, it seems to be working for ye,” Shane said.
“Yes, I’d say that about sums it up,” Choke agreed.
Shane snorted in amusement. Then he straightened himself up.
“Shit. There he is now, I’d guess,” Shane said, nodding over Choke’s shoulder towards Main Street.
Choke turned to look. It was indeed Barrelmender, striding purposefully their way. That morning he was in his robes with his staff in hand and his longsword at his side.
“Oh, good. Yes, that’s him. I can introduce you.”
Shane frowned and gave his head a terse shake. “No. I’m good. I’ll grab a quick bite and get going up the ridge. Miss Otilla is still out there, right?”
“Yes, indeed. You are right. Very good, then. Thank you, Shane,” Choke said giving him a deep nod.
“Yar welcome, Lieutenant. Thanks for trusting me with the truth of matters. I know that aint exactly my due, so ye coulda held it back. I appreciate that ye didn’t. I’ll hold it tight; ye have my word on that,” Shane said, offering Choke his hand.
They met each other’s eye squarely as they shook.
“Thank you for saying so, Shane. We can use your help.”
Barrelmender was almost upon them by the time they separated, so Shane was forced to acknowledge him. He simply removed his hat and dipped his head deeply.
“Brother,” said to him as he turned away and hurried into the barracks for breakfast.
Barrelmender blinked at him briefly, but otherwise ignored Shane.
“Good morning, Brother,” Choke said.
“Is it? I hadn’t noticed. I need a word with you. It shouldn’t take long.”
“No problem, Brother. Would you care to join me for breakfast?”
“I’ll watch you eat yours if that hurries matters.”
“Very good, Brother. Anything to drink?”
“No. Wait. Yes. Stugroot.”
“Yes, Brother. If you want to go ahead, I’ll be with you in the dining room, just there, as soon as I can,” Choke said, as he piloted him towards the dining room’s outer door.
Muse Vassal 