L. Modesitt - Imager’s Battalion

When the imagers all appeared, after what seemed like a quint, but was closer to a few moments, he ordered, “On me! To the headquarters house.” At least we can protect Skarpa, if necessary.

But by the time they had reached the large dwelling, it was clear that Skarpa and the other officers had already left.

“We’ll move up the river road,” Quaeryt stated firmly. “Be ready to image. Smoke first, then iron darts. Only on my command.”

“… can’t see … friggin’ thing…”

Quaeryt had no trouble recognizing Threkhyl’s loud and surly voice.

“… is night, you know?” replied Desyrk. “You expect the moons to shine for you?”

“… be helpful…”

“Quiet,” Quaeryt ordered firmly, but not loudly, image-projecting his voice back at the undercaptains. He strained to hear and to see any moving shadows, but the only sounds nearby were those of his men. Even the noise of fighting to the south had died away.

After walking another hundred yards or so, Quaeryt heard movements to his left, coming from the south, and he immediately extended shields. “Stand ready!”

At that moment a good squad of Telaryn troopers charged out from a small grove of trees on the left side of the river road toward the imagers.

The two troopers in the lead ran into Quaeryt’s shields and rocked back. One stumbled, and the other fell at the edge of the road, then scrambled to his feet.

“Imagers! Halt!” snapped Quaeryt in Tellan. Then he image-projected his voice at the troopers. “As you were!”

The troopers stiffened, and a squad leader hurried forward, blade at the ready.

“Sir?”

“Subcommander Quaeryt. The imagers and I couldn’t do much in the dark where every one is all mixed up. So I thought we’d cover the river road.” Quaeryt hadn’t thought it out quite that precisely. He’d gone more on instinct.

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry, sir. We didn’t know.”

“You wouldn’t have. No damage done,” said Quaeryt. But there could have been. The last thing we need is to take out our own troops-or have them take out an unaware imager. “We haven’t seen any Bovarians. Have you?”

“Not here, sir. The ones who came from the south withdrew when we hit them. Well … after they hit us and we pushed them back. The captain sent us here to make sure they didn’t circle us.”

As the squad leader explained, Quaeryt could see more troopers gathering and forming up in the trees.

“It’s just the imagers and Subcommander Quaeryt, sir!” the squad leader called.

A captain strode out of the trees. “Subcommander, sir, Subcommander Meinyt didn’t tell us you’d be here.” The accent suggested he was from one of the battalions from Piedryn.

“He didn’t know. There wasn’t time to inform him.” Quaeryt gestured. “We can move west on the road together.”

“Yes, sir. Appreciate it, sir.”

As Quaeryt led the imagers along the road, flanked by the Telaryn company, his eyes searched the dimness ahead, barely illuminated by the stars and thin crescents of Artiema and Erion, but a portion of his thoughts were elsewhere.

Holding shields was the only imaging that was even halfway effective in deep darkness or where the imagers couldn’t see, for one reason or another, and he was the only imager proficient in doing that. Yet … Have you delayed too long in trying to start them in learning shields?

He didn’t think he could have started much sooner … but the question still nagged at him.

Quaeryt was up early on Mardi, dressed quickly despite muscles that were still sore, and saw to the imagers, telling them that they would meet again after breakfast. Then he met with Zhelan about Fifth Battalion before hurrying to the house that served as Skarpa’s temporary headquarters. As he drew near, three tiny gray kittens darted under the front porch. He couldn’t help but smile.

Meinyt arrived just as Quaeryt did.

“Good morning,” said Quaeryt.

“Morning. Better than last night.” Meinyt paused, then said, “Some of the Piedryn troopers said that they ran into you and the imagers last night.” The older subcommander stepped up onto the covered porch.

“We went to cover the river road. We met up there. Never saw any Bovarians.” Quaeryt moved toward the door, about to open it.

At that moment Skarpa stepped out and gestured to the stools and the table, still in place from the afternoon before. “We’ll meet out here. Too hot inside already.”

As soon as the three were seated, Skarpa began. “We lost close to fifty men last night, with another sixty wounded.” His eyes focused on Quaeryt questioningly.

“It’s hard to image when the imagers can’t see where to image,” replied Quaeryt. “It’s also hard to figure out what sort of imaging will work.”

“They imaged at night at Caernyn,” Meinyt said.

“That worked because they knew where our troops were, and where the enemy was. Once our forces mixed with the Bovarians and Antiagons, we had to stop imaging.”

Skarpa nodded slowly.

After a moment so did Meinyt.

“There’s also the problem that none of them have ever been in combat, and some of them are limited as imagers. We have worked to improve that, but for example Undercaptain Baelthm will never be the strongest of imagers. He is, however, very precise.”

“It’s too bad we don’t have more imagers,” said Skarpa blandly. “I did suggest in one of my dispatches to the marshal that having more would be useful, particularly if you were in charge of training and deploying them.”

“Deucalon doesn’t like changes,” said Meinyt with a snort. “That why you suggested they be assigned to you?”

“That had occurred to me.” Skarpa grinned, but that expression faded quickly. “It also has occurred to me more than once that imagers reduce overall casualties. Unhappily, we’re going to have to take Ralaes with what we have. That’s why we’re going to scout all the approaches very carefully.”

“I’d like to accompany one of the companies or squads doing the scouting, with one of the imagers,” requested Quaeryt.

“That would be for the best. They’ll be departing in less than a glass. That’s Captain Lhastyn’s company-third company of First Battalion. They’ll form up on the road here while I give the captain his orders. We didn’t have enough sentries last night, and they were posted too far apart. The Bovarians may try again tonight … given their success last night…”

Quaeryt listened intently as Skarpa went on to outline his plans for the day and evening.

A quint later he was walking back to the smaller cot where the imagers were waiting for him. He said nothing until all of them had gathered on the narrow porch.

“First off, we most likely won’t be attacking Ralaes today. Undercaptain Shaelyt and I will be accompanying one of Third Regiment’s companies scouting the Bovarian defenses. Second, the rest of you are to work on your imaging under the direction of Undercaptain Voltyr. There is also a third matter.” Quaeryt paused. “As some of you have already guessed, and quietly suggested, I am an imager…” He let the silence draw out before continuing. “There were reasons why I was asked not to make that known when first company and then Fifth Battalion were formed. I’m going to ask that, for now, you not speak of it except among yourselves. This is in your interest as much as in mine.”

“Why is that?” demanded Threkhyl, quickly adding, “Sir?”

“Because the longer the rest of the battalion sees that I’m impartial and that the imagers help everyone, the more favorably you’ll be regarded. The more favorably you’re regarded, the better the position imagers and especially each of you will be in when the fighting is over.”