5.Death of Chaos
XXVIII
“IF ANYONE COMES, Rissa, tell them that I won't be back for at least three eight-days. I'm under the autarch's command.” I kept strapping my bedroll and waterproof behind the saddle. My saddlebags had a lot more dried fruit than on the last trip-a lot more food, and no tools.
“You just got back from one o' those, Master Lerris, and here you go again. No way for a craftmaster to work.” Rissa held the lamp in one hand. The other hand was on her hip. “What's a body supposed to do if you don't come back and the commander doesn't?”
“Then, you're free to do as you like.” I finished strapping the bedroll in place and set the staff in the lanceholder.
“Master Lerris, you joke about those things too easily.”
“What else can I do?” I took a deep breath. “I didn't exactly volunteer to be a soldier or a soldier's wizard.”
Rissa shook her head, and she was right. I had volunteered. Was I a fool, knowing that Krystal could die if I didn't help? Or was I deluded? Krystal was the professional soldier, not me, and maybe it was more likely I'd be the one doing the dying. I tried not to shiver at that.
We both worried about each other. Was that love? Did order or chaos really care about love? I knew the answer to that one, not that I liked it.
My stomach tightened as I realized I had answered- maybe-one of my own questions about my father. If order did not care about love, then had he had any choice? That bothered me. Could I do what I felt was right, whether it was orderly or not?
With no pleasing answers in mind, I led Gairloch out of the stable and into the yard, still before dawn, and barely light. A chill blustery wind whistled out of the west, bringing the icy chill of the Westhorns, and whipping through my hair. I felt in my belt for the knitted cap. I didn't like to wear it, but I wouldn't freeze my ears either, not if it got that cold. But, thankfully, I didn't need it yet.
I patted Gairloch and climbed into the saddle.
“Wizards...” mumbled Rissa.
I looked down and realized she was holding back tears.
“We'll be back, Rissa. Make sure everything's in good condition for us to come back to.” I bent down in the saddle, awkwardly, and touched her shoulder, letting a bit of order flow into her.
She started to sob, and I understood once more how much I didn't understand. I patted her shoulder again, but she only sobbed more. “Just... you... be going... Master... Lerris... be... all right... here...”
Finally, I nudged Gairloch toward the road, and toward Kyphrien and the barracks of the Finest, where I was to meet Yelena. Krystal had left even earlier, but neither of us had wanted to give up the last night together.
The sky had a few high and puffy clouds moving eastward quickly, and that probably meant a long bright day that would be cold indeed.
The road to Kyphrien was untraveled. Most of the streets there were deserted in the dawn light, and even the market square was almost empty, except for two women who carried buckets of water up the stone-paved avenue. I saw the flickering of a handful of lamps, and smelled wood smoke from the chimneys.
Weldein was waiting for me by the gate to the Finest's barracks.
“The others are at the outliers' barracks toward the eastern gates, Order-master.”
“Am I late?”
“No, ser. The force leader left to ensure the outliers would be ready.”
I rode through the eastern section of Kyphrien, down the lower avenue, without saying much. I would have liked to have ridden with Krystal, but, as a practical matter, moving all the forces at once through places like Dasir and Jikoya would have put too great a strain on the local facilities. So Krystal and the main forces would follow a day later.
I hurried along to meet up with recently promoted Force Leader Yelena and three squads of the Finest and two squads of outliers-one of them Tellurians, the other Meltosians.
The sun had barely edged over the horizon when I reined up Gairloch in the yard in front of the outliers' barracks. A number of the outliers were still strapping packs and bags on their mounts.
Yelena was mounted, talking to the squad leaders, who had circled their horses around her.
“There he is! See... there is the wizard, the one with the invisible sack.”
The voice was familiar, and I didn't quite groan. Instead, I eased Gairloch toward the Tellurians. Shervan-the very first outlier I had met when I came to Kyphros, the one who still told of my “magic sack”-waved from the third row. The squad leader looked at me.
I doubt that I looked very impressive, not in browns and carrying only a staff.
“Greetings, Shervan.” I nodded to the man mounted beside him. “It's good to see you, too, Pendril.”
The squad leader edged his mount toward me and away from Yelena. His eyes flicked between me and Yelena. For some reason, Yelena was smiling.
“This will be an adventure, following the wizard. Did I not tell you, Pendril?”
Pendril grunted, and I approved.
“And wait until I tell Barrabra...”
“Shervan,” I said clearly, “first we have to go where we are going, and then we have to come back. You cannot tell anyone unless you come back. The more attention you pay to your squad leader, the better your chance to come back. He is a fighter. I am a wizard.” I saluted him and turned Gairloch back toward Yelena and Weldein, nodding to the squad leader as Gairloch carried me past him.
“... see. I told you he was a wizard, and a smart one...”
“Shervan, be quiet-for once,” said Pendril in a tired voice that carried. “Or what I have to say to Barrabra will make what the wizard said sound like love talk.”
I grinned, but I could do that since I was looking toward Yelena.
“Listen up,” snapped the Tellurian outliers' squad leader, a stocky man with a brush mustache.
I reined Gairloch up beside Yelena.
“Not bad. What made you think of that?” asked Yelena.
“I don't know, except it sounded like Shervan would be blabbing about how he knows me all the way to Hydlen. That wouldn't help him or his squad leader.”
“You might actually make an officer someday.”
I doubted that. I just let Gairloch keep pace with Yelena and her staff as we headed out in the dawn over the east road toward Dasir and Jikoya and, unfortunately, toward Hydlen and one white wizard.