Moonrise

'You,' she said, the harsh wood-saw voice. She pointed a long black-nailed finger at him, '- You have had what sword-play I permit, and cost me a Banner-bearer. Never again, in any camp of mine or near it, whatever the future we go to.'

'Understood, ma'am.' Baj bowed to her.

'Not good enough, Son-of-great-ghosts.' She reined her sidling mare-moose still, and stared down at him.

Looking up into that inhuman – more than human – face, a carnivorous mask with lady's eyes, Baj felt sudden admiration for her, and for the Boston-Talents whose centuries of merciless mind- making and science of so-tiny bits had resulted at last in such savage perfection… And, of course, in his darling Nancy.

'I understand, ma'am – and will obey.'

The Wolf-General nodded. 'Now, you four and your idiot-boy listen to me. We part here, we to march east along the Wall – and you, to rest the day. Rest, eat your rations, and so be ready to climb with Dolphus-Shrike and his people at first light, tomorrow.' Her lip lifted from an eye-tooth. 'They are lying Sunshiner barbarians, and certainly treacherous when it suits them. But they are what you have – and you are what they have – so make do.' She stilled her restless mount. '… Remember, once you get to Boston's North Gate – you are to wait 'till we reach the south of the city. Only then, when their Constables reinforce south to meet our assault, go in with your Shrikes and do… what must be done.'

The Wolf-General sat for a few moments, staring at them. 'We will at least divert and keep the Constables busy for you. We will hit them hard, with all our strength. – But I promise, if you fail to free our people's mothers from their lives, I will not fail to free you from yours.' She spun the mare-moose rearing, spurred it… and was gone, her troopers after her, back to their busy preparing camp, where trumpets were announcing preparations to march.

'… And Dolphus,' Richard said, '- comes right after.'

Baj turned and saw the Shrike trotting over icy waste toward them, carrying a heavy pack, his javelins tied in a slender bundle over his shoulder. Seven more savages were coming with him, each in caribou parkies, each burdened, each armed.

'Baj,' Patience touched his arm, '- and you, Nancy, both of you guard your tongues with these people. Shrikes are clever, and Dolphus-Shrike speaks very well and has read deeply in Warm-time's copybooks. But a savage he remains – forget it, insult his shade of home ice or his uncle, and he and his men will cut your livers out if feeling kind… or skin your head and let you wander screaming, if not feeling kind.'

'Shrikes on the one side,' Baj said, 'Sylvia Wolf-General on the other.'

'- And Boston waiting.' Nancy drew her scimitar, and sat with a piece of tallow to tend the blade from icy mist gusting now and then.

'You can joke with the Shrikes,' Richard said, 'but be sure they know you're joking… We go with them to likely kill a few of their sisters.'

'We'll be very courteous.' Baj found he was feeling fairly well… no longer as sore, head or shoulder, though the cracked cheekbone was tender, and likely would be for a while.

'Good morning!' Dolphus-Shrike trotted to them.

'Good morning, Chieftain,' Baj bowed.

'Ah…' Dolphus blew out frosting breath. 'The Champion has been warned not to upset such a collection of ice- dwelling brutes as we are.'

'To a point,' Baj said.

'Of course. With everyone, it's only to a point before points come out.' He gestured his men forward. 'Here's Henry… Marcus… Christopher… Paul, and so forth. These last three are too worthless to name.' The last three – all like the others, short stocky men with blond or ginger hair, round-faced, light-eyed, and apparently pleasant – grinned file-toothed, and nodded.

Each Shrike was burdened by a bulky pack, weighty rolled hides, and thick coils of greased, braided leather line. They also belted pairs of light adze-hatchets (hatchets for ice, it seemed to Baj, since each narrow head had a curved back-spike), and carried as well, a row of steel hooks, snap-circles, and grapnels clinking along a rawhide bandoleer.

'And we don't go today?' Patience said.

Dolphus shook his head. 'No. A day of rest is in order for ice-virgins such as yourselves – though I know you're familiar, lady. A day of rest, first – and it seemed to me we might as well camp together. Begin to understand each other.'

'Fair enough,' Baj said.

The Shrike grinned. 'I'm so glad you agree. And, Warm-times' 'by-the-bye,' we'll bring more burden for you. Rope lines, seal-jerky and so forth. We cannot carry your everything.'

'Again, fair enough,' Baj said.

'Now…' Dolphus and his men began to shed their packs and equipment, one tossing chunks of dung on the fire to increase its heat.'- Now, I don't know what Sylvia and her people told you of our timing. I wasn't invited to the General's pavilion, being only a Sunriser tribesman… But this is how we'll go. We climb the Wall, which will take,' he looked them over, 'will take at least six or seven days, with possibly a halt to rest you.' He smiled. '- After which, we meet friends, then run the ice certainly more than two WT weeks north and east to Boston Township, killing any unluckies we encounter along the way, to keep our secret.'

'More than two weeks?' Baj said. It seemed unfair to have come so far, and still have farther to go. Traveling over the ice…

Dolphus-Shrike nodded. 'Oh, yes. – Then, with luck, and after a time snow-buried by the North Gate, we'll find the Guard come up south of the city to join us, slow as always, and with a longer way to go… They'll have marched up the Crease, where the glacier's split open, to leave their mounts and find easy climbing. Then met our freighter- sleds – twelve teamers – to accommodate all their supplies, their armored numbers, their… notions of civilized campaigning.'

He turned to look at the Wall, was silent for a moment, then turned back. 'In the morning, we will not linger. So, at first light, you'll finish furring; see your blankets are rolled tight and tied where you buckle your packs; strap swords – and that ax, Captain – to your packs to be out of the way, climbing… And you will wear the mittens. They'll be corded to your sleeves, so when you need your hands bare to climb, take them off, then mitten-up right after. If a finger or toe turns black, we cut it off. If a hand or foot – the same. And who slows us too much, we also cut off.' A smile. 'I hope I don't sound cruel.'

One of his men – Marcus – said, 'No, no, never cruel,' and the other Shrikes grinned. They seemed to Baj a merry group.

'A last few matters,' Dolphus said, kicked stones away, and sat by the fire. 'We will lend you ice hatchets, two to each, and expect their return. We will also lend you strap-spikes for your muk-boots, and expect those to be returned… And lady,' to Patience, 'if you can Walk-in-air up the Wall, more power to you; you're with us now, not the Guard.' It was the first time Baj had heard that copybook phrase actually used. More power to you…

'And eat,' Marcus-Shrike said, settling alongside his chief with the other tribesmen.

'Yes,' Dolphus said. 'Eat rich while you can; we'll hunt ducks, today.'

'Drink water.' Marcus.

'Yes, drink a lot of water.' Dolphus took something – a piece of seal-blubber – from a parky pocket, held it out to the fire for a moment, then began chewing it. 'And now, Tender-ones – rest, doze, nap like babies… Oh, is there one among you who considers him or herself useful at pick-up sticks? Would care, perhaps, to wager?'

'I might,' Patience said… And that game had just commenced, when trumpets announced from the camp. Then drums. And as Baj, Nancy, Richard and several Shrikes stood to watch, the leading elements of the Guard swung from their pebble-drift camp, and marched out, unit by unit, splashing through milky run-off on their way.

Scouts were trotting south of east, to come to easier marching along the Wall. Banners came behind them – and among them, Baj could see the Wolf-General quite clearly. She seemed to be laughing at something one of her staff-officers had said.

And behind her, in long columns, the companies marched in step, arms and armor gleaming in morning light.