Michael Stackpole - Of Limited Loyalty

“She’s a good cook, Highness, and does mending.” Horace looked back toward the field. “I met a few others coming along. My brother and me, we done missed Anvil Lake. Wanted to do our part this time.”

Prince Vlad nodded sagely. “What exactly is it you think we’re doing?”

“Don’t precisely know, Highness, but Robert Richards-he’s one of your Northern Rangers I guess has gone ahead already-he done left Jewel over a month ago. We was selling some horses to the Norillians when they was called back, so we figured it was big doings.”

“I see. Do you have any idea how many people have come in?”

Horace shook his head. “I would have reckoned a hundred or so, but I think more has come in this morning, having camped back yonder.”

Caleb consulted a notebook. “I’ve got it as three hundred, seventeen. A hundred men serve in local militias. Of them, three-quarters were at Anvil Lake. Another twenty-five say they were at Anvil Lake. Forty women, thirty children, and fifteen more who are very young men. One young woman toting a long gun, claims she’s a dead-eye shot.”

“Thank you, Mr. Longwalk. If you could excuse us for a moment.” The Prince stepped back south, with Nathaniel and Caleb joining him. “You know they can’t go with us.”

Nathaniel smiled. “I don’t reckon we can stop them.”

“This is rather serious, Nathaniel. I don’t have the supplies to feed this many people. As much as I would have liked to have called up the militia, I did not in case the Norghaest threat does not materialize. If it does and if we’re beaten, I want them here to defend against the Norghaest. This would be an undisciplined group and, my God, there are children there. And a girl with a rifle? That just can’t be.”

Nathaniel scratched at the back of his neck. “Let me ask you a question, Highness, and you answer as fair as you can.”

The Prince nodded.

“Are you saying that about the girl on account of you don’t think she can shoot, or on account of there ain’t no way Norillians would let her on the battlefield?”

Prince Vlad shook his head. “That’s immaterial.”

“No, it ain’t.” Nathaniel looked the Prince straight in the eye. “I done listened last night to a mess of educated men. They was all reasonable. They was thinking that ain’t nobody in Launston knows us, knows our ways, or cares. Now I don’t know who that girl is, but I know when she grabbed up her musket and headed on out, there was some folks said she was crazy. But there was other folks knew she’d hit what she aimed at. They knew that’s the point of war. Now you may not be comfortable with the idea of a child doing some killing. I ain’t full in favor of it myself. But I reckon if she can make it to Plentiful or wherever we end up fighting, I won’t mind her dropping whatever’s trying to drop me.”

Vlad shook his head. “Someday, Nathaniel, I will find your ability to cut straight to the kernel of a problem annoying. Actually, today is that day, but today’s not a day when I can say that your insight is not persuasive. That being said, we cannot have all of these people going with us.”

The scout nodded. “Well, I think I gots me a plan what will make sense to folks. All you have to do, Highness, is…”

Vlad clapped Nathaniel on the shoulders. “No, Nathaniel-or should I phrase that Captain Woods — if I do whatever you have in mind, then I shall be responsible for all the people it effects. I’m not trying to duck that responsibility, but I have other things to deal with. You have the plan, you set it up, and when they have a problem, you will bring it to me. I know you didn’t ask to be put in the middle, but there you are.”

Nathaniel frowned. He could still remember the days when having anything to do with large groups of people-especially citified people-made him itch all over. Still did, but four years previous he’d accepted the responsibility for the Northern Rangers. Even now he still felt the bonds with them. That was why he’d not told the Bookworms to camp elsewhere. It did strike him as a bit funny that they, being educated and citified, didn’t think he might want to be alone, but that wasn’t really a problem. He could have told them so and they’d have understood.

Mystria was changing. It had been for a long time, longer than he’d been alive. Anvil Lake had sped that up. If the discussion of the Shipping and Commerce Act meant anything, the Norillians didn’t seem to mind piling more sheets on the mast for that particular ship. Like as not, that change would sweep him along. If Nathaniel ran from it, he might be safe, but that couldn’t be guaranteed. If he stayed, he could protect others and, because he had the ability to protect them, he felt he had a duty to do so.

“I reckon if I do that, Highness, I’m going to need to be Major Woods and Captain Frost here and all them lieutenants what is Bookworms is going to have to help me out.”

“Congratulations, Major, on your promotion.” The Prince smiled. “If we ever get uniforms, I’ll see that yours is done right. Thank you.”

Nathaniel nodded. “Ain’t no arguing you’s right. We got us a week before we hit Grand Falls and pick up supplies. Two more weeks to Plentiful if we push it. Cain’t have those with us what won’t make it. I’ll fix it, but I reckon I’m going to need you to say a word of thanks to them that don’t. Maybe send them home to make sure their militia is ready for when you call.”

“I’ll do that.”

“I reckon from Mugwump’s back it’ll sound right nice.”

“Noted, Major.” The Prince offered Nathaniel his hand. “The matter is yours to deal with.”

Nathaniel shook his hand heartily. “Thank you, Highness.”

The Prince withdrew and Nathaniel returned with Caleb to where Horace Longwalk stood. Nathaniel sent him off to gather folks while Caleb fetched the Bookworms. He briefed them on his plan, then he stepped into a growing circle of people. He bid them to sit, which most did, save for a number of men and one redheaded girl, all at the circle’s perimeter.

“I ain’t much on speechifying, but the Prince, he done made this a duty. He’s going to have a word in a bit with some of you. I reckon you should know that he’s touched by you all coming out here. You may wonder why he didn’t put out a call for the militia. He’ll talk to that, but it ain’t on account of he thought you wouldn’t be useful. Fact is, we’re going off to take a look-see our own selves so as we can figure what’s going on. I’d tell you what we know so far, but half of you would just pack up and head back thinking, ‘Is that all?’”

He waited for mild laughter to subside, then continued. “Fact is, we cain’t take you all. The Prince, he’s a sharp fellow, and done figured how much powder and vittles we’d be needing. We ain’t got enough to feed everyone, and this is going to be some long walking. On account of all that, they’s only so many we can take, and so many who has any business going. If you ain’t yet in your teen years, you cain’t go. We expect your ma or pa will take you home. If you ain’t got food for two weeks travel, you cain’t go. You need a good knife, a tomahawk, at least sixty rounds of shot and powder, and three firestones. You need one change of clothes, a good blanket, spare moccasins, and it won’t hurt if you can read and are toting a book. Preference given to rifles over smooth-bore, experience over not, and if your coming means your ma’s got all her children in the grave or on this here march, you are going home.

“Now, I reckon there’s a mess of horse-trading to be done. Even if you ain’t going, could be your ball wins the day, and that is important.” Nathaniel nodded slowly. “We can take a hundred and a half. Me and the Bookworms, we will be deciding. Be quick, on account of we’re leaving afore noon.”