Chapter Eleven

Dozens had been killed by the skeletons. Dozens more were wounded. Unfortunately, most of the casualties were women and children who had been brutally attacked by the undead in their homes in the cantonment. A few soldiers and company men had been killed or injured during the fight to secure the settlement. They had cleared it block by block that night. The sun the next morning revealed the extent of the damage. The cantonment itself was still intact, though the gates and some small parts of the walls had been ripped open by the hungering dead. The worst of the casualties were from those living near the main eastern and southern gates. Fear ruled among the people of Vastrum. It was the next day, while the colonists and soldiers were counting their dead and picking up the pieces that the enemy arrived outside the city.

They came down the valley from the north, from the pass at Zundak where they had crossed the Shan mountains. The first thing that was seen of them was the indigo dust cloud they made as the army moved. Tens of thousands of horses and men. Scouts indicated that nearly all of their force was lightly armoured cavalry. It made their army quick. It was certainly how they had arrived so swiftly. Blackwater’s first move was to recall as many soldiers as possible from the smaller outlying forts that lay around the city. Only the larger forts would be manned. His second move was to send messengers towards Andaban, the first major garrison on the road south to the rest of the colonies. That city was known as the gateway to Vurun. Dryden knew they would be lucky if any of those messengers arrived. Everybody knew. Nobody said it.

“Blackwater is trying to avoid another Zundak,” Havor explained the decision to abandon the forts to all his captains and lieutenants who were crowded into his office.

Bringing in all the soldiers from all the forts was not a popular decision. The city had no walls, it was too sprawling for that, instead, it had forts to protect it. Pulling back the garrisons was the same as giving up huge portions of the city. Brigadier Belfair was even seen arguing with Blackwater over the decision, an uncommon show of defiance from the commander.

Pugh shook his head, “Damnit, I don’t normally agree with the Brigadier, but for once he’s right. We can’t give up half the city on the first day. We should be taking the fight to the enemy, not running scared.”

There were murmurs of general agreement around the room.

Havor cut in, “We have our duty and honour. We may not agree with all our orders, but we will carry them out.” His tone made it clear what he thought of the dissent.

“What’re our orders?” Dryden asked. Havor hadn’t told them much.

“To sit tight,” Havor answered grimly through gritted teeth.

There was silence in the room. This time Mar spoke, “Excuse me? We’re to do nothing? We should be out there countering movements. We’re cavalry. We’re the best shot at…”

Havor shot him a withering glare, “I will brook no rebellion in this house. I would normally welcome your input, all your input. I cannot afford to today, not with the enemy in sight of this fort. Discipline is the word now. We’ll have our chance to fight I think, just not today. I do believe the general is preparing for a siege and hoping Andaban can provide some relief.” Then he turned to Dryden, “Are we well supplied?”

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“Indeed, sir. Lieutenant Upton, please make your report.”

The stocky older officer stepped forward and saluted crisply, “Sir. We have enough feed for the animals to last several months. Enough for a campaign, I don’t know that it’s enough for a prolonged siege. As for food for the men, there’s enough. Ammunition, powder, and all that, too. The only concern would be if there’s enough arrack for normal rations. Arrack was the cheap alcohol made from sugar that was drunk by both the soldiers and many natives across the colonies. Might have to set our grog rations to half sooner rather than later.” The cavalry regiment was in charge of their own supplies, unlike the rest of the brigade, such were their needs.

“Very good Lieutenant.” The colonel replied dryly.

“There’s a problem though, sir.” The quartermaster added at the end, “I was talking to the brigade’s quartermaster. He said they were relying on grain that was supposed to have been brought in by some of the outlying forts. I don’t rightly know how to say this, sir, but there was none, or at least not nearly enough.”

“You’re saying most of the brigade is nearly out of food?” Pugh demanded.

“Yes, sir. Enough for a month perhaps. He said they’d need a year’s food at least to withstand a siege, and that’s not even for the city or the cantonment, just the soldiers. The V.A.C. has their supplies. We have ours. But the regular colonial units and the sepoys are short by far on what they were supposed to have.”

Before anyone could answer, shouting broke out in the courtyard of the fort. Captain Baker went out to see what the matter was. Dryden followed him. More officers pressed out behind them until they were all standing along the railing that looked down into the courtyard.

Brigadier Belfair and a large group of sergeants had several men in custody: three junior officers of the regular infantry, and another two sepoy officers. The men were lined up against a wall.

The Brigadier’s voice boomed out, “You are accused of theft. You sold the brigade’s supplies for your own personal gain. That is beyond dereliction of duty. That is beyond common corruption. You have put the lives of every man here at risk. You have put the lives of every woman and child at risk. You have put this whole city at risk. By doing so you have aided our enemies. That is treason against the crown. It is treason against me! Do you confess?”

The first man looked at the brigadier with defiant eyes, “I ain’t sold nothin’!” He said, then spat on the ground, and finished by saying, “Sir.”

“We’ll see. Whip this man until he confesses or until his back is stripped of flesh.” Then the Brigadier moved to the next officer, “Do you confess?”

The man was young. He had pale skin and light hair. He looked like he had recently purchased his commission. He was young to be a quartermaster. He nodded, “I do, sir. Yes. I confess. I’m sorry. I sold…” He didn’t have time to finish whatever he was going to say.

The Brigadier pulled out a pistol and shot him straight in the face. Then he moved to the next man in line who was shaking. Dryden could see a wet spot forming on his crotch as he pissed himself.

“Do you confess?”

“No… No sir…” This earned him flogging.

He didn’t even ask the sepoys if they confessed, they were simply executed. Then the two men were whipped. Eventually, the younger man confessed and was put up against a wall and shot by a row of sergeants. Only the one older man, the first to deny being corrupt was spared. By the time Belfair was done the man’s back was a mess of bloody stripes. Dryden felt sick to his stomach at the sight. The bodies were cleared and the whipped man was taken to the infirmary.

“It’s not right.” Upton said, “That man was the ringleader if anyone was. I doubt the rest of them had any choice in it if they were even involved at all.”

“How do you know so much about it?”

“The reason we’re so well supplied. It was him I bought the grain from.”

Havor turned on his quartermaster, “I ought to whip you bloody.” He growled under his breath.

“I didn’t know where it came from, I was ordered to find the supplies, and I found them. I didn’t ask where they came from. Besides, what I bought was hardly enough to make that kind of a deficit. He must have been selling supplies since we arrived here, and not just to me. Turn me in if you must, sir.” He stood at attention, holding his head proudly.

Havor turned back to his office, went in, and slammed the door with a loud, “Fuck!”

He did not turn in his quartermaster.