Robin Hobb - The Complete Soldier Son Trilogy - Shaman’s Crossing, Forest Mage, Renegade’s Magic

‘I’ll trouble you for a salute, gentlemen,’ he said coldly to them, and I heard the frontier in the way he stretched his words and softened the ends.

They came grudgingly to attention and saluted him. He left them standing that way and turned to me. There were not many fourth-year cadets at the Academy. Those who stayed on for that extra year did so by invitation only, due to academic excellence and potential that could not be fully developed in a field situation. Technically, he had already graduated from the Academy and achieved a lieutenant’s rank, though he would wear the uniform of a cadet until the end of his schooling. I noticed the gear emblem on his collar, the sign of the Engineers Regiment. That was where he would be bound upon his completion of this extra year, and he’d probably wear a captain’s insignia soon after he got there. He looked me up and down and demanded my name.

‘Cadet Nevare Burvelle, sir.’

He nodded to himself. ‘Of course. I’ve heard of your da. Put on your uniform, Cadet, and be about your business.’

Honesty demanded that I tell him, ‘I’ve three more demerits to march off yet, sir.’

‘No, you don’t, Cadet. I’ve cancelled them, and any other silly waste of time these two were imposing on you. Stupidity.’

‘It was just a bit of fun, sir.’ The words were marginally respectful. The tone was not. The engineer glared at the third-year who had spoken.

‘And you only wring your “bit of fun” out of New Nobles’ sons, I’ve noticed. Why don’t you go pick on your own, Cadet Ordo?’

‘We’re third-years, sir. We have authority over all first-year cadets.’

‘No one spoke to you, Cadet Jaris. Keep silent.’ He turned away from them and looked at me. I was tying my bootlaces as fast as I could. The tormentors were eyeing me with cold hatred that I had witnessed their humiliation. I wanted to be away from them as swiftly as I could. ‘Cadet Burvelle, are you dressed yet?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Then I order you to go directly to your dormitory and commence your studies.’ He glanced at the two still standing at attention. ‘If you are stopped again by either of these two cadets, you are to respectfully inform them that you are already on an errand for Cadet Lieutenant Tiber. That’s me. Then you are to continue about your business. Is that clear, Cadet? Your command from me is that you are not to waste your time by participating in this foolish “initiation”.’

‘Yes, sir.’

He turned back to his captives. ‘And you two, are you clear that you are not to haze Cadet Burvelle?’

‘We are permitted, until the sixth week, to initiate the first-years.’ A moment passed, then, ‘Sir.’

‘Are you? Well, I am permitted, for this entire year, to issue commands as I see fit to third-years. And my command is that you are no longer to participate in the “initiation” of any New Nobles’ sons. Are you clear on that, Cadets?’

‘Yes, sir,’ was the sulky response.

‘Cadet Burvelle, you are released to follow my orders. Dismissed.’

As I walked away and left them there, Lieutenant Tiber kept the other two cadets at attention. I was grateful that my torment was over, but feared also that his actions would make me a target of the third-year cadets.

His intervention and subsequent comments had given me much to think over, but it was late that night before I found a chance to talk to Rory. It was after lights-out, and technically against the rules, but our patrol was already making its own adaptations of the rules for our floor. Our proctor, as was his custom, had extinguished the light precisely on time, ignoring those of us who were still at minor tasks. He left us to bumble our way to bed in the dark. Instead, we congregated on the floor of the study room by the dying embers on our hearth. Speaking in a hushed voice, I recounted my mishap and also my rescue by Lieutenant Tiber. After they’d finished snickering at my embarrassment, I asked Rory, ‘Did your cousin ever tell you anything about hostility between the New Nobles’ and Old Nobles’ sons?’

In the shadows, he lifted one shoulder carelessly. ‘He din’t need to tell me much, Nevare. Course it would be toughest between Old Nobles and first-years that are New Nobles’ sons. They’re at the top of the top here, and we’re at the bottom of the bottom. Not only first-years, but New Nobles’ sons, too.’

‘But why does that put us at the bottom of the bottom?’ Spink asked earnestly.

Rory lifted his open hands, lost for words, ‘Just because we are, I guess. ’Cause it’s always been that way. Old Nobles’ sons know the ropes and they’re going to know each other from balls and dinners and all that social stuff. So they’ll look out for the Old Noble first-years, and not ride ’em so hard. But us, well, they just have at us. You don’t hear much about any Old Nobles’ sons in the infirmary from initiation.’

‘That’s so,’ Gord agreed.

‘Someone ended up in the infirmary?’ I hadn’t heard of this.

Natred nodded soberly. ‘A first-year from Skeltzin Hall. Their third-years marched them out into the river fully dressed, up to their chests, and made them stand there for an hour. When they finally gave them the command to come in, one of the cadets slipped and went under and didn’t come up. He was cold, the river rocks were slippery and his uniform was heavy with water. I guess he couldn’t get back on his feet. I heard some of the older cadets laughing about it, that he’d nearly drowned in four feet of water.’

‘And he went to the infirmary for it?’

‘Not him. One of his friends lost his temper, and shouted that they were trying to kill him and charged at the third-year who had started it. The third-year and the other second-years jumped him and beat him up pretty badly. Now he may be discharged from the school. For insubordination.’

‘That’s one New Noble’s son gone,’ Kort said quietly. ‘They don’t bully their own first-years like that. Oh, they have to scrub the steps or sing a song for an hour. But they don’t feed them soap or trip them on the stairs. Or half-drown them.’

‘But it’s not fair,’ Spink said. He sounded both hurt and bewildered. ‘Our older brothers are heirs and will be lords, just like theirs. By the King’s own word, we have as much right to be here. If it hadn’t been for our fathers and their deeds, this Academy wouldn’t even exist! Why should we be treated so badly?’ I could hear the anger building in his voice.

I heard Rory’s puzzlement, too, when he objected, ‘Aw, Spink, it’s only six weeks. Another two weeks to go and we’ll be past it. Besides, I think they’ve slacked off after the river incident. They didn’t hurt Nevare. Just chilled him down a bit and made him sing. I don’t even know why that Lieutenant Tiber stepped in. It was just fun for them, and test a first-year’s mettle. That’s all. You aren’t hurt, are you, Nevare?’

‘No. It wasn’t that drastic. But it seemed important to Tiber that he stop it.’

‘Well, he’s touchy about such things,’ Trist said softly as he joined our group. He had glided up behind us in the darkness, already dressed for bed. He sank down on the hearthstones beside me, putting his back to the warmth of the fire. He spoke so knowingly that he immediately gained all our attention.

‘Why?’ I asked him when he’d let the silence stretch.

‘Well, he’s like that. I don’t know him that well, but I’ve heard my brother’s friends talk about him. He’s a New Noble son, like us, but he’s dead brilliant at engineering, and that’s what he gets by on. Even before Stiet came, when it was Colonel Rebin in charge, he came close to being kicked out. And Rebin really liked him and knew his family well. But Tiber just likes to stir things up. He’s always saying that the New Nobles’ sons aren’t treated fair, here or when we go out into the cavalla. He says we draw the bad postings and move up slower than Old Nobles’ sons. And because it’s how he is, he made up this big chart on paper to prove it, and presented it to Rebin last year as part of his project in military law.’