‘I’d go with you, lad, if I could. But I cannot. Please don’t ask me again. Now,’ he stood, picking up his plate, ‘finish your meal and then I’ll tell you everything I know about huggers.’
Fifteen
Troop
‘Now, Hiza,’ said Bel smugly, ‘I don’t want you losing sleep over me – especially since sleeping is about the only thing you can do.’
‘Very funny,’ said Hiza. He lay in a bed in the Hospital of Arkus, the sun shining warmly into his open room. ‘Is this what you came for? I thought you had your fill of gloating yesterday.’
‘I had to say goodbye,’ said Bel. ‘And thank you once more for breaking your ankle.’
‘Hmf,’ said Hiza. He absently went to scratch his foot, discovered there was plaster in the way and scowled. ‘Bloody hospital,’ he said. ‘What I’d give to be coming with you.’
Bel grinned. ‘I know.’
‘Oh, get out,’ said Hiza. ‘Get out before you float out. I can see how eager you are to be off.’
‘I’ll bring you back a hugger claw.’
‘Don’t bother. I’ll be getting one for myself any day.’
Bel smiled at his friend and left the room. He strode along white corridors, manoeuvring smoothly around healers and patients. As boys, his gang had explored the hospital many times and any laid-up soldiers who tolerated questions and told war stories would find themselves with an eager audience. To get on the boys’ bad side, however, was to run the risk of being mercilessly tormented. Many a healer had come running in response to shouts about mischievous children and caught nothing more than the echoes of laughter. Bel wondered if there were any bold scamps around to bother Hiza.
He left the hospital and headed for the barracks, a barely concealed bounce in his step. Hiza had spoken true: he was filled with excitement. Today he’d meet his new troop, and tomorrow they would leave for Drel.
News of his transfer preceded him. It was an unusual occurrence to be pulled from the keepers early and Bel’s new comrades were highly curious about why the exception had been made. As Troop Leader Munpo introduced Bel to them at the barracks, the expressions on the assembled faces were varied – from friendly, to dour, to unreadable.
Bel met each pair of eyes, nodding and smiling no matter the reaction he received.
‘All right,’ finished Munpo in his dry, croaky voice. ‘Let’s take it out the back.’
The troop leader was a wiry fellow who constantly smoked brittleleaf rolls. His gnarled skin put his age anywhere between forty and sixty, he wore his lank brown hair slicked back in a ponytail, and craned his neck in a way that put Bel in mind of a vulture. His head bobbed up and down slightly as he led them to the training grounds, adding to the effect. Walking behind him in the group, Bel noticed a ropy blade called Hunna looking him over. Hunna nodded in acknowledgement.
‘Howzit goin’?’ he said.
‘Good, thanks.’
‘Yeah? You lookin’ forward to killin’ some huggers?’
‘Absolutely, my man,’ said Bel, knowing that others were paying attention to the exchange.
‘You better be,’ said Hunna. ‘’Cause these ain’t no common browns, ya know. Green huggers are worse than browns.’
‘Indeed,’ said Bel. ‘More intelligent, more coordinated, they stalk you through the trees and you never hear them coming.’
Hunna frowned.
‘You fought huggers before, Blade Bel?’ said a steely voice from his other side.
It was Gredda, Munpo’s penulm, which made her second in command of the troop. She was a muscular woman of around thirty with mousy hair tied back in a ponytail. Bel wondered if she remembered him from when he’d been small and had brought her sword back into the barracks.
‘Many times,’ he said. Gredda raised an eyebrow. ‘As a child, admittedly,’ he continued. ‘Equipped with only my trusty wooden sword, I kicked their hairy arses from one side of the Open Halls to the other. I wasn’t allowed to fight them at dinnertime, though.’
A couple of chortles followed, but Gredda remained stony-faced. ‘So you really don’t know what you’re in for,’ she said.
‘If you say so.’
‘Some of us are curious, Blade Bel, as to how you came to be with us.’
‘Oh,’ said Bel, as if this was surprising news. ‘You mean why was I pulled out of the keepers early? Well, that’s no secret. My partner broke his ankle, and rather than have me sit idle while he heals his heels, they boosted me into a troop that needed an extra soldier. This one.’
Gredda scowled. ‘That’s horse shit. Why didn’t they just assign you a new partner?’
‘Yeah,’ chimed in Hunna. ‘Think no one’s lost a partner in the keepers before?’
‘We heard they moved you ’cause you’re a favourite of the Throne,’ said Gredda.
‘Ah,’ said Bel. ‘So that’s what you heard.’ He smiled. ‘Well, it’s true I know the Throne, but that’s not why they moved me.’
‘No?’
‘Nah. They moved me because I’m the best. ’
Now he knew he had everyone’s attention.
‘Is that so?’ spat Gredda derisively.
‘Indeed.’ Bel fired a wink at her. ‘I’m surprised you haven’t heard of me. I’m a master of the sword, a demon with the bow, as skilled a warrior as ever there was. Why, you’ll never meet anyone with such lightning-fast reactions, such eagle-eyed accuracy, such sure-footed –’
Bel’s foot hit a tussock of grass and he stumbled to fall on the ground. He rolled onto his back with an exaggerated look of surprise on his face.
‘Arkus!’ he exclaimed. ‘They didn’t tell me there’d be grass on this mission!’
The soldiers guffawed and Bel was glad his prank had paid off. Only Gredda marched on unimpressed.
‘Why din’ they just tell us they was sendin’ a troop clown?’ said Hunna, offering Bel a hand. Bel took it and they fell back into step. ‘So, serious,’ said Hunna in a low voice. ‘Why did they send you over?’
‘I’ve told no lies, comrade,’ said Bel. ‘I’ve told no lies.’
Together the troop trained, and Bel knew he was being watched. If his talents were on display, so be it. The troop would get their show.
Standing in a line of soldiers firing down the archery range, Bel notched arrow after arrow into his bow. Each shaft flew straight and true, hitting the target’s red centre some twenty paces away. As he turned from the range he saw that he’d impressed his onlookers, one notable exception being M’Meska, a Ryoshi Saurian. She stood upright on powerful hind legs, reaching Bel’s shoulders in height. Her body was covered in bright green scales and her tail was a pace long. Above her snout she had yellow eyes on either side of her head, and Bel knew she’d be a hard one to sneak up on. A row of spines ran from the crest of her head down the back of her neck, and rose in anger as she watched Bel sinking arrows into targets. M’Meska was the acknowledged champion bow of the troop and, as the line of archers switched over, she walked past Bel with a silent snarl, pointedly taking his former position in the line. She proceeded to fire impressively, though she hissed in anger as one of her shafts sank into the border of red and yellow, further from the centre than any of Bel’s.
Swordplay was next, using practice blades. Munpo arranged the bouts in a tournament style, three pairs jousting at a time while the others watched. Bel’s first match was against Hunna, which he won swiftly in two quick movements. Hunna was annoyed, claiming he’d not been ready, and demanded a rematch. Bel granted it to him, and again won swiftly. As he glanced towards those watching, he saw that their admiration for his skill was in danger of becoming begrudging. Perhaps he had won a little too easily.