Lorn rides the gelding closer and reins up, waiting.
“Captain Lorn, Captain Strynst. Majer Weylt sends his apologies, but the spring rains were too heavy, and there was a break in the retaining walls for the Great Canal, and he was summoned to assist there.”
“From Eastend?” Lorn asks.
“It’s a distance, even by firewagon, but there aren’t that many good engineers, and the Majer is one of the best.” Strynst smiles apologetically.
“We’re glad to see you,” Lorn replies. “I was just surprised that he’d be called from so far.”
“There aren’t that many Mirror Engineers any more. Most of us are here, except for the few that are in Fyrad working on the fireships.” Strynst turns and studies the trunk. “Not too bad, this one.” He gives a wry smile. “Of course, it fell right on a ward. Happens nine times out of ten. Biggest reason to believe the Accursed Forest thinks in some way. That couldn’t happen by accident-not year after year.”
“I never thought anything with the Forest was an accident.” Lorn laughs once.
“Some lancer officers do. Most of them end up dead.” The engineer captain gestures toward the upper branches three hundred cubits northward. “Have many creatures running loose?”
Lorn’s eyes follow the gesture momentarily, then fix back on the engineer. “Two giant cats, one serpent, and a pack of night leopards. Vulcrows, of course.”
“A serpent? Never heard of one of those.”
“It’s a big one,” Lorn says, gesturing in the general direction of the crown. “Forty cubits, maybe longer. Two cubits thick.”
“We’ll take a look when we fire the crowns.” The captain pauses. “You get all the creatures?”
“One giant cat and two of the leopards escaped. There wasn’t any real way to catch them.”
“There never is once they leave the trees and get past thelancers. Until some holder gets killed trying to protect his stock or kills them because they get cornered in a pen or something.” Strynst shakes his head. “Might as well get started. Pull your men back, and we’ll set up the firecannon.”
“They’re all back at the crown area now, Captain. I thought it would be better to set up there to keep any more creatures from breaking loose. If you want, I can move some up here.”
“A half-score-behind the firewagons,” Strynst suggests.
“I’ll have them there shortly.” Lorn turns the gelding and rides back north, knowing, again, from the order-chaos patterns that he feels and cannot yet fully explain, that nothing more will occur. Not with this fallen trunk.
“Thank you.” Strynst turns and walks back to the firewagon.
Lorn turns the gelding, letting the horse walk slowly toward the waiting lancers. He takes a deep breath. Spring has just barely begun.
LXXVIII
THE BRIGHT MID-MORNING light of spring is pouring through the window of the inner Mirror Lancer study as Lorn struggles with the last lines of his latest patrol report. He looks it over once more, then signs it and looks up at the closed door, beyond which is the empty outer study.
Theoretically, he has the day off, as a stand-down period, but if he does not use part of the day to catch up on the reports and the letters to the families of the fallen lancers, it will be another eightday before he can, and then he will have twice as much to write, with a memory far less fresh.
After he sets aside the patrol report to let the ink dry, he picks up the next sheet of paper to begin the summary reports that will go to Majer Maran in Geliendra-carried by the next firewagon of the Mirror Engineers. In one patrol, Second Company has dealt with two breaches of the ward-wallby the fallen trees-a giant stun lizard, something like four giant cats, three packs of night leopards, and a giant serpent-and lost five lancers.
Lorn dislikes mentioning the number of creatures that escaped, but does, since all the reports in the file do so, even if the format does not necessarily require such. But, as Lorn knows, what is required and what is expected are not always the same. After finishing that scroll, he lays it by the first, and then begins writing the scroll he dislikes.
… with great sadness I must inform you that … was killed while performing his duties as a Mirror Lancer. He died in protecting the land that he served and loved from the continual dangers of the Accursed Forest ….
After five such letters, Lorn finally picks up the other scroll, the sealed one that has been waiting for him.
Rather, it is addressed to: Lancer Captain, Northend, Jakaafra. The seal is blank maroon wax, without even an initial on the glob that holds the scroll closed. Lorn breaks it, unrolls the missive, and begins to read.
Honored Captain:
I am writing this scroll on behalf of my family, and my brother in particular. They have suffered great depredations as a result of the failure of the Mirror Lancers at Jakaafra to destroy wild creatures from the Accursed Forest ….
Last eightday, a black leopard entered the sheep pen and dragged off a prize ewe, two nights in a row. The day following, my brother found dead a bullock he had been fattening for market. Little was left, save the head and bones. The prints in the ground were of a cat whose size could scarce be imagined ….
I am fortunate in that I do not require livestock for my livelihood, but all too many in and around Jakaafra will not survive in winter, save in despairand poverty, unless these awful creatures are destroyed ….
Whatever needs be done, we beseech you do so ….
The signature reads: Kylynzar.
Lorn takes a deep breath. So … now he must worry about sacrificing even more lancers to save cows and sheep-or possibly save those farm animals. Or can he task Juist with rooting them out? How? He takes a second breath, considering that the victims could have been children as easily as livestock.
Yet … he has not had enough charged firelances or enough lancers to kill and contain all the night leopards and giant cats they had faced, let alone the giant serpent.
He frowns, catching himself. Knowing what he knows, he has not been able to do such. Will he have to? He worries his lips. He certainly has no intention of attacking every stun lizard with but a sabre or trying to chase down giant cats.
The serpent still preys on him. Setting aside the scroll for a moment, he searches for the patrol manual that Majer Maran had provided. When he finally pulls it from the single desk drawer, he flips the pages slowly, going all the way through the volume. Not finding what he seeks, he starts on the first page and begins to scan each page, if quickly.
When he has completed a second search, he sets the manual down slowly. There are no references to serpents. The manual lists the dangers from the night leopards, from giant cats, from the stun lizards, even from a kind of tortoise Lorn has never seen, and from vulcrows and the circular nests of giant paper wasps-wasps as long as a man’s index finger. The captain winces at that thought, and resolves to keep that possibility in mind with the next fallen trunk.
Lorn had not seen teeth in the serpent’s jaws, nor had the serpent actually attacked the lancers. Yet it could have swallowed a lancer.
Lorn fingers his chin and glances down at the scroll hemust answer-or send back to Majer Maran. He likes neither alternative.
Finally, he begins to write ….
Honored ser,
I appreciate the magnitude of the calamities which have befallen you and your family and your brother ….
… do the best that we can, but Second Company patrols a wall ninety-nine kays in length with but two score lancers …. At the time of your difficulties, we were opposing the Accursed Forest and killed near-on a score of creatures, including four giant cats, two packs of the black night leopards and a giant stun lizard … in these endeavors in which five lancers lost their lives it may have been possible that some creatures did escape, but not through the lack of effort or the unwillingness of lancers to die to protect the folk of Cyador … and we will continue to do our best in this struggle ….