Choke, Peep, and Pinch came out of the kitchen into the church proper at the same time that Knuckle came in the front doors from the town square.
“Alarms!” Knuckle said.
“Where?” demanded Choke.
“At the freight yard first, then the south gate.”
Choke looked to Mariola in what he hoped was a reassuring way as he passed her. As they went down the church steps into the courtyard, Peep gave Pinch a cuff to get his attention.
“Check that them hoors are still there in that bunch, huh?” she said, pointing at the group of revelers spilling out of the tavern into the square.
“Altas preserve us,” Choke moaned as he noticed the unruly drunks, some of whom were heading back towards Thad on the Wheel. Choke jogged across the square to them and squared up. “That’s an alarm!” he shouted. “Disperse! That means go home! Now! Disperse, I said!”
“Yeah! Alarm, ye say!” Annica stepped forward to yell back. “So what about us that live outside the walls, huh? Ye wanna boot us out the gate, do ye?”
There was a loud babble as the drunks all chimed in themselves. Choke closed his eyes to think for a moment before raising his hands again.
“Quiet!” he shouted. “I said, quiet! Those of you who live outside the walls, find someplace safe to be that is not the square here. Stay there until you hear the all-clear bell. Understood? But, now: clear the square. And the tavern is shut! Clear the tavern! Clear the square! Now!”
While there was a good amount of complaining and jeering at this, only some of it was completely earnest. Choke waited for just a few seconds before turning to bellow at Corporal Osgar:
“Corporal! Take your men! Clear the tavern! Clear the square! Arrest anyone who refuses to leave!”
“Yes, sir!” Corporal Osgar shouted eagerly.
That did the trick. With some of the drunks already having suffered Osgar’s notion of crowd control, the folk got moving with alacrity before he could have a chance to further indulge himself. Once everyone was gone, Choke turned again to Oscar:
“You have the square, Corporal. Sergeant: you’re with us,” Choke finished to Knuckle.
Choke, Peep, Pinch, and Knuckle ran down to the south gate. The street was filled with villagers clustered around yammering about what might be happening. Most of them ignored Choke’s commands to go inside as he ran past them.
The south gate was shut. Hardmod and his men were on the walkway above it, staring out towards the freight yard.
“What’s happening, Corporal?” Choke called up to Hardmod.
“Can’t tell, sir! Alarm bell started at the teamster yard, and a bunch of them run off over thataway,” Hardmod reported as he gestured to the west up the Cowslip creek.
“No one’s been coming to get inside the walls?”
“No, sir. There’s people just standing around gossiping out there. It don’t seem like an attack, or nothing.”
“Thank you, Corporal. Keep watching,” Choke finished.
“Yes, sir.”
Meanwhile, more folk had gathered in the road in front of the gate. A babble spread as they transmitted Hardmod’s report.
“Damn them,” Choke muttered before facing the townsfolk. “Clear the street! Disperse! Return to your homes! Now!”
Of course, there was some chatter at this, but Knuckle put an end to that as he postured up and scanned the crowd for any challengers. The street was soon clear.
“We have to check this out, right?” Pinch asked.
“Yes. We should,” Choke winced.
“If this is Sneed…” Pinch drifted off significantly.
“I know it,” Choke said grimly.
“So, Sneed kicks up a ruckus and sets up on the Cowslip road like he did on Rodolf,” Peep said. “You and Knuckle should go get our horses, and me, Pinch, and Hardmod can go ahead and check it out. Make sure it’s clear.”
Choke winced again as he thought it over. He soon made a different decision:
“No. That is too risky. We’re army, we’ll do this as army. We are the targets, so the town should be safe. We’ll patrol in force. Leave Dom and Hardmod on the gates and take Osgar and everyone else out with us. Peep: you stay here for now. Pinch and I will get our horses. Knuckle: you get Osgar and all the men assembled here ready to go.”
“Right,” Peep said as Pinch and Knuckle nodded. “Don’t forget that Shane is out sniffing around Big Rock. Should probably bring his horse along, too.”
“Oh, that’s right. Shane,” Choke groaned. “Do you think…” he started, looking to Peep.
She shook her head. “Nah. Why would the teamsters get all twisted up if it was Shane getting got? He’s got Pinch’s horn, so he probably woulda managed a toot on that, too, right? Ye didn’t hear the horn did ye?” she asked Knuckle.
“No! Fuck off. Ye think I wouldn’t a said something?” Knuckle griped.
“Alright. Let’s get on it,” Choke said.
He, Pinch, and Knuckle ran back up the street towards the square.
“Choke,” Pinch said as they did, “If we’re going out heavy, shouldn’t we have Dom and Hardmod along, too?”
“That would be nice, yes. But that would leave no one responsible here in town. Barrelmender is in no condition right now, yes?”
“Right. Fuck,” said Pinch.
At the Pekot orphanage, Choke had essentially been trained as a military officer as well as a monk. He therefore knew precisely how to command a patrol against skilled marksmen in ambush. The problem was, they had not trained this with the men, and the tactics involved were terrible. This was going to be an extreme test of whatever trust and loyalty he had built with the men under his command.
As he and Pinch saddled the horses, Choke quickly communicated what he wanted. Always one to have remembered his lessons, Pinch accepted it without question. His mood was grim, though, as they finished with the horses. Finally, they grabbed Choke and Knuckle’s longbows and quivers from the armory, which they set up on their saddles.
At the south gate, Osgar was on foot with just over two-dozen men in marching formation. Amongst them were two of their archers and three slingers. Choke quickly pulled Knuckle and Peep aside with him and Pinch, and explained what he wanted. They divided the men into three squads. Pinch and Peep could each take a squad with an archer and one or two slingers, along with five spearmen. The rest of the men would be in the main group with Choke, Knuckle, and Corporal Osgar. With this settled, they set out to find out what the ruckus was.
Across the Crotch, a good number of teamsters and other folk were milling around at the intersection of the Cowslip track to the west and the main Spitzer Road to the south past the freight yard. As they exited the gate, Choke signaled for Peep to take her squad to the west, along the outside of the palisade to check the few habitations on the north side of the Cowslip Creek. Once the rest of the force were across the Crotch, Choke dispatched Pinch’s squad to check the Cowslip track. It was that stretch of track, on the way to Tully’s brothel, where Sneed had shot Rodolf, their witness against Lieutenant Dixon.
Peep and Pinch both operated with the same tactics. They would stay with their archer and slingers with bows in hand, covering the five spearmen they would send forward to check likely spots for archers to be hiding. This put the more valuable personnel at a greater range from a potential ambush. Any ambushers would need to take a much harder shot to hit someone worthwhile, or reveal their position by shooting the spearmen heading to their position. Of course, the nature of this tactic was immediately obvious to the spearmen being sent into the greatest danger. To their credit, after only a little hesitation, both Peep and Pinch’s spearmen did as they were ordered.
While the forward scouting occurred, Choke took the main body of men over to the intersection where the folk were gathered. The people stepped aside for them. It was obvious they were all upset.
“What’s going on?” Choke asked them at large, still in his saddle with his lance in hand.
The teamsters, to a man, closed off and began drifting back towards the freight yard. A few managed furtive, hostile looks Choke’s way as they went. The remaining folk were the usual sort for this time of day: mothers of young children, their children, and oldsters. They, too, were reluctant to talk, but one of the gossipier old men nominated himself their spokesman:
“There’s some trouble, I guess. Up yonder, at Victor’s place,” he said, with a bit of a cheeky gleam in his eye.
“Whose place?” Choke asked, as the name rang with definite familiarity.
“Victor. I reckon ye’d know him, sir. Miss Otilla, bless her wisdom, rearranged both his and his wife’s faces not too long back. Just before their fellow, Rodolf, got himself longbowed just up that way coming back from running his mouth at the church. Sir.”
“Ah. Yes. Well, thank you for your candor, sir,” Choke said, his face grim. “But aren’t you afraid of the consequences of talking to us, then?”
The old man hawked and spat through his few remaining teeth.
“Nah. There aint much left for me to suffer in this world. So I reckon I’ll say my piece. And as for that crew that did for Rodolf, there’s different sorts of talking to yar sort. And I reckon that this right now is just the sort that they won’t mind. Ye head on up to the farm. I’m willing to bet ye’ll understand what I mean.”
“Very well. Well, thank you, sir,” Choke said, tipping his helmet with his lance shaft.
“No. Thank you! Sir!” the old man returned with a salute.
Choke rode a little up the Cowslip track towards where Pinch’s squad was checking the bush behind the cottages to the south. In this area, a number of older trees had been left standing to provide a canopy overhead. The Cowslip Creek was just to the north, with the forested South Hill rising, coincidentally, to the south.
The dozen men left with Choke spread out with Corporal Osgar on foot, and Knuckle on horseback moving them along. When they got to within about forty meters of Pinch and his ranged fighters, Choke slowed them down so they kept pace with them. There were small clusters of folk here and there along the way, talking in hushed tones, and they all hurried to get well out of the way of the soldiers. After just a little more, Choke was able to see Peep and her men working their way along the north side of the Cowslip. She waved all clear.
The whole platoon proceeded this way until they had almost reached the burned-out, former site of Tully’s brothel. Peep gave a shrill whistle to halt everyone. Just after she did, Choke saw Shane and his three dogs emerge from around the side of the brothel’s burned-out shell. Choke and his men converged with Pinch and his at the brothel. Not long behind, Peep brought her men across the creek’s ford behind the brothel at the path to Big Rock. There had been some townsfolk gathered at this spot where the Cowslip ravine widened into some open pastureland, but they had all scattered for home as the soldiers had approached.
“There’s been a right ruckus over yonder,” Shane reported as he and Choke met. Shane gestured with his bow towards Victor’s farm about five-hundred meters up the road. He then took the reins of his horse with a nod of thanks to the man who had been leading it.
“So it seems,” Choke said. “Did you see or hear anything?”
“No. I was set up further back in the bush, overlooking the trails at Big Rock. I just started hearing some hollering out this way about twenty minutes ago, and then all the bells. So I posted up just at the trail there at the edge of the crick. Folks have been running around like chickens with their heads cut off, coming and going over thataway. And I did see Klim, that rat fuck of Bob’s, heading that way with about a half-dozen bruisers in tow. They must still be up there, if they didn’t skulk back in the bush,” Shane gestured along the forested ridgeline that ran from just south of the farm up to the South Hill.
“How long ago did Klim pass by?” Pinch asked.
“Not long. Ten minutes, maybe,” Shane answered.
Peep and her squad had now joined them.
“Ruckus at the bandit farm. Klim and some teamster goons are up that way,” Pinch informed her.
Peep nodded.
“Did either of you spot anything? Anything to report?” Choke asked Pinch and Peep.
They both shook their heads.
“Okay,” Choke nodded. He turned to address the spearmen he had assigned to Peep and Pinch’s scouting units: “Good job, men. You did your duty well and bravely, and I appreciate it. Well done. You may fall in with the column. Otilla, Sergeant Nikolas: choose five more new men.”
The ten men who were released sighed gratefully and fell in. The men in the column groaned and muttered as they shuffled around in discontent. Knuckle began flaring up at this, but it was Pinch who stepped in to handle it.
“Hey!” Pinch barked, giving the nearest malcontent a sharp shove on the shoulder. “Whad’ye think this is we’re doing here? We got bushrat archers out here we’re tracking! Ye want Lieutenant Pekot leading the way? Where are all of ye gonna be if he takes an arrow? Yar gonna fall apart and run like rabbits to get picked off one by one. This is how it goes. Everyone takes their chances, in turn. Ye keep yar shields up, yar eyes peeled, and holler if ye see anything. We’ve got ye covered.”
“Indeed, this is the way of it,” Choke said. “And let me add: I will award one week’s pay as bonus to the first man who spots an ambush, or attracts a shot from one. And remember, too, that Otilla is not only blessed with Holy Fire. She also has Stron’s holy healing in her sacred brands. If one of you takes an arrow, she will be able to heal you. And she shall do so,” Choke finished with a significant look at Peep.
She met his eye sharply but then nodded with a thumbs up for the benefit of the men.
“Group on foot, heading back this way from the farm,” Shane interjected, pointing that way.
With the farm about half a kilometer away, there was no making who it might be walking towards them on the road. It looked to be a half dozen men, though.
The area between was open pasture with some cultivated fields near the farm. The road continued on beside the Cowslip Creek to the north, with scrubby bush and small trees right up to the north bank. To the left and south was open pasture for about three-hundred meters before the forested ridgeline rose up sharply.
“That’s gotta be Klim and his guys, right?” Pinch said.
“Only one way to find out. We gonna set up and wait for them here, or head out and meet them head on?” Peep asked.
“Something’s happened at the farm. From what the oldtimer suggested, it is Sneed’s doing,” Choke said.
“This open narrows up there at the farm, right?” Shane asked. “Them trees behind the farm is just a windbreak though, if I recall.”
“That’s right,” Peep said. “That’s where things kicked off with Burkhard’s crew when we first got here. The farmers were helping the bandits. So, once that all got settled, we pulled our witness against Lieutenant Dixon from the farm, and he got got by Sneed just back that way right after he gave evidence.”
“Yeah, I heard something about that from the girls,” Shane said. “Oh, right. Speaking of all that, here’s yar horn back, man.”
Shane handed Burkard’s horn back to Pinch.
“So what are we doing?” Knuckle snapped.
“There’s no way that’s Sneed walking straight at us,” Choke said, pointing to the men on the road. “And we have to see what’s happened at the farm. What’s the terrain like on the opposite bank? Seems a good place to ambush from,” Choke asked.
Shane frowned. “It’s marshy, shitty turf in there for a stretch back of the crick before it raises up to the east-west trail. No way to bring a horse through easy, so men aint that likely to set up there. Squatting in swamp all day for a shot aint any kind of fun. And having to leave yar horses outta sight on a trail so’s ye can’t light out quick? Bad scene. I’d be worried if it was gobos. Sneed and his? No.”
“So, if Sneed’s gone and done something awful at the Victor farm to get us there, where does he set up an ambush?” Pinch asked.
“Not the farmhouse,” Shane said. “Too easy to get trapped in there.”
“No doubt,” Peep said. “I reckon that if it’s gonna be an ambush, it’ll be from the windbreak behind the farm like last time. But my money’s on him watching what we do from that lookout spot up there,” she pointed at the ridgeline overlooking the farm. “He aint seen how we move with our all our men, yet. And, as far as we know, he don’t have a lot of men with him yet. So he aint gonna pin himself down in an ambush spot that he knows we already know. He’s gonna wanna see how we operate. This is probably a scout for him.”
Shane nodded his agreement to Peep’s assessment. “If there’s a good lookout spot up there, that would make sense. No way to get up there quick.”
“It’s a perfect spot. If we go up the South Hill here, we can get on the trail that it’s on to come at it. But he’d have a lookout on that approach, for sure. And there’s a whole mess of wilderness trails in the bush over the hill there to get lost in,” said Peep.
“This may all be true, but we are not here to chase Sneed into the bush,” Choke interjected impatiently. “We have to deal with whatever has happened at the farm. And any further hesitation will look weak. Whatever Sneed is really up to, we still have to assume there will be an ambush. So, we head up the road, heading to the farm. Peep: you have the better range on your Scythan bow. Your squad takes left flank. Spread out just a little, but keep it close. Watch the south tree line and the farm. Pinch: you take our right flank at the creek side and watch the opposite bank. Stay just a little ahead of us. Shane: if you don’t mind, could you stay in the rear and watch our back?”
“No problem, LT,” Shane said, tipping his hat.
“When we get close enough to the farm, we will hold the main force at the road. Peep and Pinch: I’ll want you to move around the right side of the farm there and check that windbreak behind, moving from the road in towards the farmhouse. The main force will stay out near the road until that windbreak has been cleared. When you have cleared the windbreak to around that cow shed where the bandits were set up, I want you to set up a defensive position and hold there. Pinch: signal all clear on your horn when you are in position. If you encounter any resistance, sound the alarm and fall back to the road. We will move to support you. Any questions?”
“Sounds good, LT,” Shane said.
Both Pinch and Peep nodded.
Pinch and his squad set out up the road first, with the spearmen spreading out in front and Pinch, the archer, and two slingers following behind. They kept to the right of the road by the creek, focusing on the bush of the opposite bank. When they were about twenty meters ahead, Peep headed out into the meadow with her squad. Choke waited just a little before leading the rest of them men in a marching column down the road. Knuckle kept himself on the meadow side about halfway down the column. Shane hung in the back, now mounted, with his dogs following along.
It was not long at all before they could make out that it was indeed Bob’s man Klim walking towards them on the road, along with five bigger men. All of them were armed with various light weapons. Pinch’s squad met the teamsters first, and Pinch tipped his brow their way as he stopped beside the road. Klim and his men ignored them and walked straight at Choke at the head of the men. Peep stopped her squad where they were out in the field to the south of road.
“Better late than never, huh, Lieutenant?” Klim hollered as he and his men stopped walking.
Choke and the men behind him halted as well. It was immediately obvious that the teamsters were in an emotional state. They were all clearly upset, and one of the men had vomit on his breeches and boots. Others looked as though they had recently thrown up as well.
“What has happened?” Choke asked.
Klim’s face spasmed. He opened his mouth several times to respond, but each time bit off his words in rage. Finally, he held his hand up and pointed straight at Choke:
“No. No! No. D’ye know what, sir? Go fuck yarself! Now get outta my fuckin way! This is my road today!”
With his fists balled up at his sides, Klim stomped up the road straight at Choke. The other teamsters fell in step behind him.
Choke nodded and stepped Nike to the side to make way. He gestured for the men behind him to clear the road as well. He then signaled for Pinch and Peep to keep watch to the flanks.
Midway down the column, Knuckle made sure the men moved out of the teamsters’ way, but then wheeled his horse around aggressively at Klim and the teamsters. Klim flared up and raised his fist as though to punch Knuckle’s horse in the mouth.
“Sergeant! Make way!” Choke barked at Knuckle.
Knuckle saluted and backed his horse straight back from Klim before wheeling him around to the north side of the road to flank the teamsters. He pointed at Klim as they passed between him and the spearmen to the right.
“Ye watch yarself, fucker.”
Klim gave Knuckle a hard glare and the finger as he walked on by. It was dead quiet as the teamsters walked past all the men. At the rear of the column, however, they ran into Shane. Square in the saddle, with his bow held loose in front of him with an arrow notched, Shane did not make way. His three big dogs stepped out in front of him and snarled, causing Klim to stop dead in the road.
“Afternoon, Klim,” Shane said, leaving a long pause afterwards for Klim to respond. When he did not, Shane proceeded:
“I think ye mighta been mistaken, earlier, Klim, with the Lieutenant, there. Ye see, this aint yar road today. It’s his. And since he was good enough to step aside for ye, I suppose that now it’s mine. So I suggest ye go around. And, before ye do, I’ll remind ye of what ye already oughta know about me. That, unlike some of yar betters that’ll suffer a slight like a gentleman; I won’t. And outta respect for that gentleman, the Lieutenant’s, virtue of patience, I’ll let the slight of yar curse at him just now pass this one time. This once. But don’t think that means that I’ll suffer to hear ye cuss any of these fine people ever again. So do what yar gonna do. Or move along now.”
Klim glared up at Shane before swallowing it all. He stomped off the road and well around, giving Shane’s dogs a wide berth. His teamsters followed, meek as lambs.
Shane turned his horse to continue facing them as they went around. Only when they were back on the road and a good ways along did Shane wheel back around to face the front. He gave a shrill all-clear whistle, and Choke got the men moving again, heading for the farm.
Muse Vassal 