Moonrise

It hadn't occurred to Baj before to test whether a little fox blood made a girl more or less ticklish. And – after some spilled stew, wrestling, muffled shrieks, and attempts at biting – he had his answer.

The answer beyond that answer, of course, was soothing and stroking. Apology, and kisses.

'Prince,' Patience said, 'try for a little conduct.'

And Baj did, straightened, and brushed grass and a spot of stew from his buckskin jerkin. 'So, from here – sustained by seal meat – where?'

'To the Wall,' Richard said, 'if Sylvia Wolf-General keeps her promise.'

'To the Wall,' Patience said, '- then up onto the ice, and weeks of fast going with Shrikes, north and east to Boston town.' She set her mess bowl aside, kept a piece of bread.

'And these companies of the Guard?'

'Will, I hope, follow.'

'Too many and too heavy for the Shrike's fast sleighs,' Richard said, and tucked his issue spoon down into his moccasin-boot. 'The soldiers'll likely march forty miles up Apley Lead – it's called the Crease – then climb the ice from there to freighter-sleds. Shouldn't be more than five, six days behind us, coming to the Township.'

'Shouldn't be,' Nancy said.

'But if they are?' Baj said. 'And come late?'

'Then, Baj,' Richard sighed, 'they will find us executed – and their loved ones still held alive and hostage.'

'We need these people.' Patience chewed some bread. '… First, and most important, we need their threat, to hold the Constables' attention to the south, while we go down North Gate and into the city. No units of the Guard have ever been allowed within Township limits, or even close. Senior Person officers, yes, for parades and honors. But their soldiers, their companies, never.'

'All right.' Baj's heart had certainly been listening. Thump thump thump. 'First, you said, we need them for threat, and misdirection. And second…?'

'Second,' Richard said, 'we do need these companies for force. They'll have to at least skirmish, engage the Constables at South Gate, while we come in at the North. And an attack, an apparently determined attack, would be that much better.'

'How many Constables?'

'More than three thousand, Baj.' Patience buttoned her blue coat as the wind came stronger.

'More… than three thousand.'

'Thirty-five hundred,' Richard said, 'more or less. All Sunrisers – but trained fighters. They wield pole-arms, halberds with heavy heads. Ax-edge, hook, and spear point.'

'Charming… And a thousand five-hundred more of them than we have here.'

Richard nodded. 'With the great advantage of standing on the defensive. Worth numbers in itself.'

'And all Boston born, Baj,' Patience said. 'Officered by our best families. None Irish.'

Baj took a deep breath. 'So – we deal with those… then murder perhaps hundreds of women.'

'We won't deal with them,' Richard said. 'We'll wait until their reserves march south to meet the Guard. Then, we go to the Pens – quickly, with the Shrikes.'

'And to the Pens… how far?'

'Across part of the city, Baj.' Patience reached to pat his knee. 'Only two… three WT miles, but fast as we can. There won't be time for slow and secret going.'

Silence… And useless to say an only-if, but Baj said it anyway. 'If my Second-father, if the Achieving King were alive, the Rule's fleet might have come up the coast of Ocean Atlantic to strike with us.'

'Yes… but even so, Baj,' Richard leaned forward to draw a faint map through tundra lichen with a horny nail. 'Even so, the sea is shrunk back from ancient WT Boston by a hard day's march at least. I'm no sea-fighter Marine – the Township has none – but even I can see what time it would take to get an army off the ships there, and organized to move inland over the ice… With that delay, they would find the city's gates carved free of steps, steps they'd need on steep, polished ice – and no other way to enter Boston-town but try to hack out their own, with the Constables waiting.'

Baj sighed. 'I can't picture well what I haven't seen. But so few of us – Shrikes with us or not – it seems… desperate.'

'And so it is.' Patience smiled at him.

'But you are with us!' Nancy, lisping us, gripped his arm.

'Oh, yes, I'm with you, sweetheart. My dead brother, my dead friends would never forgive me, otherwise.' He tried a smile of his own. 'And, of course, I'd miss the adventure of the thing.'

Nancy hit him on the shoulder. The girl had a rough way about her. Biting, elbowing, hitting…

* * *

In late after-noon, as if to balance the earlier fortunate intervention by mess call, Baj was interrupted winning – with both knights and a surviving bishop, having made hacked meat of Richard's pieces, now pursuing his terrified queen – when a Wolf-blood Person came trotting to order them to the General's pavilion.

'No!'

'Yes,' Richard said, smiling, '- and I have not lost.'

'Leave the pieces; leave everything the way it is.'

'Nooo…' Richard pulled the little pegged pieces free, dropped them into the set's tiny drawer. 'Someone – some passing sergeants or saddlers, might try to complete the game.'

'Unfair,' Baj said.

And Nancy said, 'Unfair.'

'An echo?' Richard tucked the chess set into his possibles-sack. 'Did I hear an echo on the tundra?'

CHAPTER 20

'My coat's in rags,' Patience said, as they went through camp, a bitter wind blowing as if to hurry them along. 'Makes a poor impression.'

'Nancy,' Richard said, '- keep hold of that boy.'

Errol was swinging this way and that in her grip on his hide-jacket's collar, tongue-clicking at soldiers as they passed.

Baj saw two or three Persons – Guards-soldiers sized and shaped by bear blood – stare unpleasantly as Richard went by.

Richard had noticed. 'They don't care for an officer running – then returned and spared – when they'd be skinned alive and salted.'

'To WT hell with them, then,' Nancy said, turned and made the oldest gesture.

Baj turned her back. 'No trouble.'

'I'm not starting trouble.'

Errol whimpered, yanked to get away, and Nancy hauled him back, thumped him on the head. 'Behave.'

… A guard mount – eight of the near-human cavalry, their sabers drawn – were stationed at the Wolf-General's pavilion, posted in twos at each of the four cardinal directions. Their officer, his blade bared, came to meet Richard, looked him up and down, looked each of them up and down, then said, 'Your weapons – and the fool boy – stay here.'

'Good news, Lieutenant,' Nancy said, and pushed Errol to him. 'Better hold fast – oh, and beside the knives, he bites.'

The officer said, 'Wonderful,' took hold of Errol by the back of his neck, and gestured one of his men to collect swords, daggers, and an ax. '… Now, you others go in to the General, and respectfully.'

At the pavilion's entrance, a Person, blunt-muzzled, pelted black – the same wide banner-bearer who'd ridden with the General to greet them – stood beside a grass-green standard.