Hidden Ability (Book 1) (14 page)

“Horsemanship and archery.”

“Oh. Hmm. I might try something like that myself.”

“Really?”

“Well, not for horsemanship and archery, but for other things. It’s just a thought.” Darla waves a hand as if shooing the idea away and says, “You were asking about coins. Your account balance, which I think you should keep to yourself, is currently 1198 golds. However, it is not all kept in gold. It is not even all coins. There are several letters of credit drawn on the royal treasury. In order to convert them to coin we would have to contract with a banker. That could be done if necessary. But, I doubt we need to do that. How much do you need for the competition?”

Jalan considers what he wants to do. His company is split into five fists. Each fist will eventually have five members. Offering prizes to the first four fists seems the way to do it. “I would like 10 silvers for first place, five for second, 50 coppers for third and 10 for forth.”

“The man that wins 10 silvers should be extremely pleased,” says Darla.

“It will be a fist. They will have to split it five ways. Do you think that will still be enough?”

“A fist?”

Now it is Jalan’s turn to explain. That does not happen often when he speaks to Darla. She has never chided him for not knowing something and he decides not to tease her about it either. “A fist,” he holds up his fisted hand and then opens it, “has five fingers. A fighting fist is a team of five lancers that must work together as one.” He closes his fist again to illustrate the five coming together as one.

Darla purses her lips and nods. “I see. It makes good sense now that you have explained it to me. Thank you.”

Jalan smiles and says, “You are most welcome.”

“I do think the prizes are large enough for a competition among your lancers. If it were a tournament attracting men from across the district and beyond it would call for more, but you have made a good choice.”

Darla rises from her seat behind her worktable and withdraws a key from a pocket in her skirt. It surprises Jalan that Darla has a concealed pocket. As he watches, Darla goes to a small wooden box bound with iron that sits in a back corner of the room. She inserts the key and opens the box lid. She reaches into the box and begins to withdraw coins. After a few moments she returns to her worktable and sets down the pile of coins along with a small book she also took out of the strongbox. Then Darla goes back to the box to close and lock it. Darla moves to another wooden box on a shelf. This box looks much lighter than the first and is not bound in metal. It has no latch and Darla easily opens the lid. She takes a small piece of cloth from the second box and closes it. When she returns to the table, Jalan can see Darla has a coin pouch. She counts the various coins from the iron bound strongbox and has Jalan recount them. When they are both satisfied that all the prize coins are there, Darla has Jalan put them in the pouch and Darla writes something in the small book.

“What are you writing?” says Jalan.

“I’m making an entry in the strongbox ledger. It keeps track of all the money that I put in or take out of the box.”

“Why do you do that?”

“Are you serious?” says Darla.

“Yes. I really do want to know.”

“I’m sorry. It is another thing I’ve been doing for so long that I forget others may not understand it. If we keep track of everything House Yen earns and where it comes from plus everything spent and on what it is spent, it helps predict future income and future expenses so that we have a better idea where things are going well and where things need more attention.”

“I don’t understand.”

Darla says, “Give me a moment.” She returns the ledger book to the strongbox and then settles back into her chair. “Why do you follow a game trail when you hunt?”

“Because that is where the animals are most likely to be,” says Jalan.

“So you look for how the animals travel through an area in order to find them?”

“Sure.”

“Money is like that too. It has paths that it tends to travel. There are certain things that we typically must spend our money on, for example, the outposts. Every year there are similar expenses that must be paid for each outpost. If we track the money spent, an idea similar to tracking the type of animal that uses a game path, then we have a better idea about the nature of how the money is used. And, we can plan for that type of use or even make changes in the spending that can have a positive effect. Like hunting, if the trail you are following is not used by the quarry you wish to hunt then you are wasting time. If the trail of the money leads to spending we do not wish to make then we are wasting our money. We are not catching the quarry we want.”

Jalan understands that Darla is trying to explain it as best she knows how. He thinks he sees her point, but he is beginning to regret asking the question. Perhaps he will think about it more later. “All right,” says Jalan.

“There is more to it and it can be confusing at first. We can always discuss it more later,” says Darla as if she can read Jalan’s thoughts. “Is there anything else you need now?”

“No. Thank you for explaining about my house account and the prize money. I need to be going.”

Almost as if Jalan’s words were the trigger, the estate’s bell begins ringing. He leaps to his feet and stares at the wall in the general direction of the alarm as he tries to imagine what is wrong.

“You had better go,” says Darla.

Jalan runs from the room without another word and moves as quickly as he can through the parlor, down the hall and out the front door of the manor. He runs toward Barracks One where Major Erida expects him to report. Sedic will be rounding up the company. The lancers should all be armored and on horseback by the time Jalan reaches them after he receives orders from the Major.

Major Erida is pacing back and forth when Jalan sprints into the Command Room. Lieutenants Goss, and Jalt are standing near Erida’s favorite worktable along with a Captain Jalan does not recognize. Lieutenants Book and Larkin come through the door close behind Jalan.

Erida turns to them and says, “Close the door.” Lieutenant Larkin pulls it shut. “The Southway Company commanded by Lieutenant Burk has been attacked. Burk sent a messenger with a report. He was forced to fall back to Midland. We have to assume any work done to restore Southway has been lost. Burk’s report states that the attackers were Polnue and the force was at least twice the size of his. Half his men were lost in the fighting and the retreat to Midland. The number of enemy casualties is unknown, but it is likely to be far lower as Burk was hard pressed to simply maintain an orderly retreat. Questions?”

“Did the enemy attack Midland?” This questions comes from the Captain Jalan does not know.

“There is no report of an attack yet. However, I think it likely there will be one given that the enemy has attacked all the outposts once and then Southway a second time. The outposts seem to be their targets.”

“Have we heard anything from Pass or word of enemy activity anywhere else?” says Lieutenant Goss

“This morning’s report from Pass said all is well with them. Merchant traffic was almost at a normal level,” says Major Erida.

“What are your orders, sir?” says Lieutenant Larkin.

“Given the second attack at Southway, the enemy seems determined to destroy our ability to operate in that area. I think it gives them freedom to move along our southern border and we have to expect that the main force of the enemy is there. Midland is the next outpost to the North of Southway. It is closest to Greenhills River bridge. That is the easiest place for troops to cross from Polnue into Yen land. The fact that Midland has not been the enemy’s primary target makes me think they have found another place to ford the Greenhills that is further south and closer to Southway Outpost. With the enemy south of us, our main concerns have to be Midland Outpost and Yen Estate. I am sure that the king’s forces have been alerted. They can watch the way to Lavembra and fortify the Sand Hills. If this is another Chalmar War then there is nothing we can do to help them except locate the enemy’s new river crossing and stop more enemy soldiers from reinforcing those already on the march. If we are very fortunate, we can flank the force now on this side of the river and take them from behind while the king’s army attacks the van. However, the very first thing we must do is find the enemy. None of this matters if we cannot located their men or where they are crossing the river. Now that you know my mind, here are my orders. Captain Niksus will lead the defense of Yen Estate under my direction.” Erida indicates the captain Jalan did not recognize. “Lieutenants Jalt and Larkin,” says the Major as he makes sure to catch each man’s eye, “you two will lead two teams of scouts and find the enemy positions and the ford they are using to cross the river.”

“Yes, sir,” say Jalt and Larkin almost in unison.

“Captain Yen, you will take your mounted archers and 10 lancers to reinforce Midland. You will transfer the 10 lancers to Lieutenant Burk’s command when you arrive. You, Burk and Martus will work with Midland’s commander, Lieutenant Caser, to defend the outpost and to take control of the Greenhills River bridge. We have to prevent the enemy from using the bridge for their own purposes.”

“Yes, sir,” says Jalan.

“Questions?” Major Erida waits a moment as he scans the face of each lancer. When no one speaks up he says, “Dismissed.”

Lieutenant Goss catches up with Jalan just outside Barracks One. “You’ll be escorting a supply train to Midland,” says the lieutenant. “If you can tell me how much space your company will require I can have one or two additional wagons added.”

“Thank you,” says Jalan. Then he considers for a moment. He would like to talk with Sedic, but he knows it is more important to make a fast decision and not keep Goss waiting. “Two wagons will do.” He believes that will be enough to move all his and his men’s belongings from Yen Estate to Midland. There should be room in the Midland barracks, but the company will be out in the field too and there is no way to know if anything can be brought from the estate later.

“Two it is,” says Goss as he makes a notation on one page in a bound set of papers. “Stop by here after morning bell and I will have a copy of your orders and a manifest for the supplies ready for you.”

“Yes, lieutenant.”

“I’m sorry there aren’t more lancers to send with you. You’ll have 20 wagons to watch over.”

“Why so many?” says Jalan. He expected four or five, something similar to what had gone with the other captains.

“Major Erida is worried about opportunities to safely transport supplies. We’re sending double the usual shipment. There are merchants and craftsmen making the trip as well. They have their own wagons. Along with the two for your company that makes 20. The merchants have five of their own guards. I suppose that’s something if you run into trouble.”

Jalan could tell that Lieutenant Goss is not convinced the guards will be any real help. Despite men like Sedic, who is the son of a merchant and trained as a guard before joining the lancers at 17, the reputation of most merchant guards is not much better than the brigands they are supposed to protect against. “We are servants of the king,” says Jalan. The words felt like the right response to him though he could not say why.

Lieutenant Goss’s eyes grew wide. “Who taught you that?” he asks.

“Major Erida said it to Master Enmar the day he arrived.”

Goss looks thoughtful and says, “Ah, yes. I remember now.” His voice and demeanor take on a serious note of warning as he then says, “A lancer says that when accepting a duty that could mean his death.”

“Then why did the Major say it to Master Enmar?”

The lieutenant shrugs but his eyes dart around as if checking their surroundings. Then he leans in and speaks in a low voice, “You’d have to ask Erida, but I don’t think that would be wise. He’s not comfortable with Enmar. Doesn’t seem to trust him. There’s a story there. It’s just none of our business.”

Jalan nods. If either man ever wants him to know, they will tell him. “I’ll see you in the morning,” he says. Jalan leaves to find Sedic and share the company’s assignment with him.

Δ

Sedic does not seem surprised when Jalan shares the company’s orders with him. It turns out the rumor of another attack on Southway has reached every corner of Yen Estate. The company is already mustered. Jalan and Sedic order the lancers to begin packing. Jalan walks out of the barracks room used by his company on his way to the manor house where he will pack his gear. His brother Tomac is just entering the building through the main door.

“Master Enmar said you might need some help packing,” says Tomac. “He also mentioned that you had probably not seen to your horses.”

“Horses!” says Jalan with a rising sense of panic and an almost sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. “I’ve been so busy I completely forgot. This is terrible.”

“Some lancer captain you are,” says Tomac as he begins to laugh so hard he almost can’t finish speaking.

“It is not funny!” shouts Jalan.

Tomac doubles over and starts to wave his hand, palm out, toward Jalan in a gesture that would usually mean stop or wait.

Jalan feels tired, as if he has spent the last few hours in hard training. A new sense of panic rises in him. It has nothing to do with horses or a mistake any ordinary person could make. His mind brings forth the image of a hallway where Vee, her face ashen, leans against a wall and Tomac is down on one knee.
No, not that.
“Tomac? Are you all right?” Jalan reaches out to offer Tomac a hand and help steady him.

Tomac knocks away Jalan’s hand. “You didn’t have to hit me,” he says, hurt and anger intertwine with his words.

“I didn’t mean to,” says Jalan before Tomac’s words fully register.

Tomac begins to stand up straight. “I didn’t even see you swing. Did you kick me or something?”

“No. No I didn’t kick you.” Jalan tries to push his panic away and think. The fog of his sudden fatigue is not helping. “I just got upset when you laughed.”

Some of the anger fades from Tomac’s eyes. “I don’t even know why I laughed. You had that look on your face. It seemed kind of funny at first, but not anymore. Especially not after you hit me.”