A Dove in War

“I don’t know, Gabe. I got a bad feeling.”

“A bad feeling about what?”

“The bird.”

“I told you to let it go. There’s nothing to worry about. Hand me that flask, will ya’? A man gets parched standing around up here all day.”

“Here. Hey, look, I know what you said, but I’m worried.”

“You still on about that damn bird? You think too much, Udo.”

“I can’t help it. There’s nothing to do up here but watch the Cleft and think.”

“You forgot about walking our paces. ‘No one in, no one out. The Watch is keen, and our steel is strong. Back and forth, back and forth. In this place, up on high.’”

“Yea, no one in or out. That’s what I’m worried about.”

“Hey, don’t talk foolish talk. You want to get hanged for dereliction? Nothing from Imander got past us.”

“Nothing but that bird.”

“It’s no one, Udo, not nothing! And that damn bird was no spy. It was a dove, probably sent by some ailing elder to fetch her kin. It wasn’t even a warhawk.”

“But what if—"

 “Stop! You’re going to drive us both crazy if you keep going on and on ‘bout it.”

“But Gabe—"

“NO ONE IN, NO ONE OUT. The Watch is keen, and our steel is strong. Back and forth, back and forth. In this place, up on high.”

“Fine. But I think you’re wrong. No one in, no one out. The Watch is keen, and our steel is boring! Boring, boring. Back and forth, back and forth. I’m going to die, in this place, up on high.”

…

“Hey, you want some brined pork? It’s the last of what my Najii sent me.”

“Thanks, Gabe.”

“Look, I know it stinks, but this is our lot. Sand and dirt and rock. This is what we won with our marksmanship. Guarding these barren wastes to make sure nothing comes to Imander’s aid or creeps up on the battle from behind. Would you rather be down there, on the front?”

“Well, uh, no.”

“Don’t overthink it, my friend. Command sent us here for our skills. Not our brains. So, how’s the pork? Pretty damn good if I say so meself.”

“It’s good. Tastes like the sea.”

 “Yea, it does, don’t it? Say, Udo, why were you so worried about that bird anyway?”

“Supposing it was a messenger and Inosup sent it to summon a mage?”

“A mage? A mage! Bite your tongue, man! We don’t want to deal with the likes of them.”

“They’re people, aren’t they? They can fall by sword or spell or arrow, just like us. “

“You ever seen a mage, Udo?”

“No, but I heard plenty of tales. Most too tall to be believed.”

“Don’t be wishing to see one, boy! There’s no glory in it. Only death. I seen one once. Down in Far-se-nooth it was. Water mage. Came up wrapped in dark grey clouds, shrieking like a storm wind, trailing great tentacles behind. Churned up the sea something fierce and wiped out a third of His Royalty’s fleet before his warlocks felled ‘em.”

“I heard about that. You were there? In Far-se-nooth? Oh, man. I heard a thousand men died that day. In a matter of minutes.”

“Ten thousand. I haven’t gone back on the water since.”

“Never figured you for a sailor, Gabe.”

“Well, now, I ain’t one, am I? All this rock and sand suits me though it does get wearisome on the eyes. And the throat. Wee slosh? A bit won’t hurt. Our relief don’t come on for an hour more.”

“Thank ye. How come his Royalness doesn’t just buy up all the mages, then? He’s rich enough.”

“Ah, that’s good rum! Well, His Royalness, and never let the Captain o’ the Watch hear you say that, tried it. But mages don’t bend to no-one; Gods, men or men who think they’re gods. They’ll take your money and go where they will. No controlling their kind. Best not to get ‘em roused either. Heard the fleet ran afoul of the one in Far-se-nooth somehow. Killed its pet or something.”

“Must have been some pet. Hey, you hear that? The wind’s picking up.”

 “Looks like we’re in for a bit of a blow. Little late in the year for it. Let’s get the mounted bows secured. You take the top rows. I’ll do these down here. And don’t forget to put the barrels with the extra arrows inside!”

…

“I’m back. I put the barrels just inside the door. Doubt we’ll ever need them, though.”

“Don’t knock the Watch, kid. Time was when we had to rain arrows down from here. And then send one of you young whippersnappers to pull em out o’ the dead cause we’d done run out! So don’t roll your eyes at me. I done me time between the navy and here. Now it’s your turn.”

“I’d be happy to see some action. Not as much as the front but something. Hey, Gabe, what are they, anyway? Mages, I mean. I thought they were just humans like the warlocks, but you made them sound much worse.”

“Mages? Oh, they’re worse but I don’t rightly know what they are. Me old captain used to say they were ‘men who’d delved too deep in the ways of Nature and run afoul of the Gods themselves.’ Make of that what you will.”

“Delved too deep—"

“Hold on a minute. Udo, what made you think of mages in the first place?”

“I don’t know. I was bored and daydreaming sort of and then I got all shivery and sick thinking about the bird we let go.”

“Daydreams and a shivery feeling? That was it? You didn’t see it coming from the palace then? Or any purple fluttering about its legs or wings?”

“Purple?”

“Inosup’s royal colors. Think, man, think!”

“No-o, I don’t think so.”

“You’re sure of it?”

“Yea. Yes. I only saw it as it approached the Cleft. I don’t know exactly where it came from except that it was from yonder. Where the city lies.”

“Same as me then. Damn that bird! Now I’m wishing that we had shot it down.”

“So, you think I’m right? It was a mistake then?”

“No. I mean…maybe. Well, I’m sayin’ there’s a small chance you could be right. But it’s too damn late to do anything now. Dammit.”

“Should I send a message down to Command?”

“No, no, no! Don’t do that! Let me think.”

…

“Look, Udo, we are in this together. This is important. As far as the higher ups are concerned, we don’t need to mention that bird. Ever.”

“But maybe they should know—"

“No, they don’t need to know. Look, the damage, and I’m not saying there’s been any, is done. We can’t change anything, and you know what they say when a bird poops on a king.”

“That the bird poo rolls down?”

“Yes. It ALWAYS rolls down. Which means it is our heads that will roll if anything comes of this bird thing. So, let’s both just forget about it? Dammit!”

“You all right there, Gabe?”

“Yea just got some sand in my eye. Damn, the wind’s really picking up. Let me just wrap this around…dammit, man! Udo, where is your sarafa? Use it! This is what it’s for! Don’t they teach you recruits anything? That’s also why we’ve got those caves in the back of the guard house.”

“I got it. Look, it’s right here. I’ll put it on. Is this a Jalaffa?”

“No. Jalaffas are real mighty storms. They only happen once every ten years or so. We’re not due for one o’ those for another four years.””

“Uh, Gabe…”

“Yea?”

“Do all storms out here look like that?”

“Like what? Dammit, get back here! Not you, my sarafa. So, where is this thing anyway?” 

“There. The giant twisty black thing over there. Um, maybe we should stand watch from inside?”

“No, we can’t. You can’t see the whole Cleft from the embrasures.”

“But I thought the caves out back are for storms?”

“No, we only use those in Jalaffas. Nothing can survive out there in one of those. Don’t need the Watch. This feels like a regular sandstorm. An itty-bitty thing compared to the usual—"

“What?”

“It is a little weird looking though. There! Did you see that?”

“What?”

“That flash. Look, there’s another one!”

“I don’t have a spyglass. What is it?”

"It’s lightning. But it’s red. Red lightning."

“What is it? What’s wrong? Gabe, what?”

“That’s no storm. Get to the caves. Take all the arms you can carry and if I’m not there in ten minutes, you bar yourself in.”

“What? Where are you going?"

"I’m going up to sound the horns. Go!”

“Will they hear them?"

“Doesn’t matter. It must be done. And Udo?”

“Yea?”

“We never saw no stinkin’ bird. Got that? There was no bird.”