Chapter Fourteen

It took another several days to finish coming over the pass in force. The hardest task was hauling the artillery over piece by piece on the backs of camels. These were roads by which no oxen or great draft horse could go. It was difficult enough for the large horses of the Vastrum cavalry to come across. Most of the horses of both the Hussars and the Dragoons were not bred for steep rocky passes. They were made for riding across open terrain. Only a few men had eastern breeds, such as Dryden’s bay mare Rosie. He had bought her in Vurun two years before. He had been told her breed was a mix of the breeds found on both sides of the Shan. Captain Khathan had insisted that she looked more like the southern breeds found in his home of Gulud. She mounted the passes with ease. Most of their mounts struggled to climb the steep paths.

When they finally reached the top and Dryden looked across and down into Vurun, he found that he was looking down at the fort of Zundak. The last time he had been there seemed like a lifetime ago. That fort was the first place the enemy had struck in force. The fort had gone silent, and the 13th had been sent to investigate. The whole garrison had been wiped out. The place was still silent and dark. Not a soul stirred. The Vuruni had not replaced the garrison with one of their own. The village was empty.

To the south, Vurun was still vibrant. It was summer, but not yet overly hot, and the land was vibrant with green and indigo. It would be harvest time soon for the tiny flowers that could be turned into the potent catalyst that made magic real. Mar and Khathan sat astride their horses with Dryden as they looked on at the scene.

“All that aethium… Makes me want a cigarette,” Mar noted dryly.

Dryden grunted. He too had taken aethium mixed with the Dravani drug gris for a few days while he recovered from injuries. He knew the allure of the drug now too, but he had not taken it long enough for the desire to be strong. Dryden’s hand still ached now and again, where the tendons had been cut, as did his head after a long day of riding. He was recovering, though.

General Haddock and his cadre of staff rode up beside the small group of officers, Major Havelock was with them. Haddock stared off into the distance before speaking, “Magnificent view.” He commented, “I must confess that did not understand the allure of the place until now.” He stared off in awe. Something about the iridescent indigo haze of the aethium that hung over the valley made it seem a place of wonder. Then he took a breath and shook off the daze, “Never mind all that. We have news. A group of Vuruni were indeed able to get through our lines the other day. The group included the witch and a man with one arm, we believe him to be the An-Zhigo commander. They rode hard to the east. Based on the road they were taking, we believe they were making for a pass to take them east of the Shan. What think you of that?”

“That exceeds the orders of the army, does it not, sir?” Dryden commented.

“Indeed, Dryden, indeed. I cannot take this army in force east of the Shan. In point of fact, I cannot proceed past Zundak until we receive word from General Winslow that the V.A.C. has secured the Settru Pass.”

“What do you intend to do, sir?” Dryden asked.

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“What do you think I should do?” Haddock peered over his spectacles at Dryden.

“Send the 13th east, sir. We will catch her.”

“I cannot spare the whole regiment. I spoke to Commander Havelock already on this point. He offered the same. I cannot send him. I can send you. At Andaban, I named you my hounds, Major Dryden and Captain Khathan. You have been faithful in that duty, you flushed the fox to me, and I have wounded her mortally. Now find and bring her to me.”

“Yes, sir. We will do it. Only, it is a vast country. One I know little of.”

Mar coughed, “Major, I believe we know where she will go.”

“Then you go with him, Mr Pyke.” He referred to the wizard by his proper name which was Marten Pyke, “I can offer you a contact in Unkabi too, Major. Find Sala Shuja. He’s a merchant and an agent of the V.A.C.”

“Take Ugruz with you as well,” Havelock offered, “If his claims of knowing that land are more than mere boasts, then you will certainly find him useful. I think my need of him has waned.” Then he changed the subject, “What of this troubling business with Lieutenant Winthrop? It ought to be decided before you go.”

General Haddock’s face darkened, “Indeed. I read your report, Dryden. Troubling is a kind way of putting it, Commander. Cowardice in the face of enemy fire?”

“Indeed, sir. It was all in my report. There were snipers in the ravine coming up to the pass. I had dispatched a detachment to deal with them. He refused to mount and lead the column for fear of being shot. Several others were themselves shot.”

“I understand one Lieutenant Lamb was shot and killed?” The general asked.

Havelock answered, “Yes, he succumbed to his wounds a night ago.”

“Damned shame. I hate to see you down another officer, Havelock, but if there is one thing I cannot abide in my army, it is a coward.” He paused in thought, lips pursed, “His father isn’t in a Peer is he, or in the Black Hall? The last thing I need is to make this political.”

“No. Minor family from Ardmuth,” Havelock answered grimly.

“Anything to say in his defence, Dryden? You were the one who reported it.”

Dryden knew what was coming. The young officer was going to be executed for cowardice. There was nothing he could say to change it. The boy would die. It had not been the boy’s first action, and while he was young, he was old enough to know the consequences of failing to obey orders under fire. The best Dryden could do was to give him the decision of which way to die, or he could choose for the boy. He thought on it for a moment, “I have nothing to say in his defence, sir. He disobeyed a direct order and behaved with cowardice. I do recommend he be allowed to choose his means of execution. He earned that much on our ride through Ghinai.”

Winthrop chose the firing squad. They did it at sunset high above Zundak. They put him up against a large boulder, bound and blindfolded. Sergeant Steele picked a dozen troopers and shouted the order. He had witnessed the cowardice first-hand and volunteered to lead the execution. Winthrop, to his credit, did not cower or cry at his execution. He was killed instantly. All the officers watched as well as many men. It was not often that an officer was executed in the service of the King.

Once it was done, Haddock turned to the assembled soldiers, “I will not brook cowardice in the King’s Army. Your rank and station matter not. We will achieve greatness together. We will lay our enemy low and slaughter them like suckling calves. Any man of you who will not fight is my enemy. I hope to count you all as friends when this business is done.” Then the general turned, his face dark, and he went to be in his tent. Dryden’s jaw was clenched. He stared at the limp body of the man who had been killed be carried away. He followed, and when it was time to bury the body, he helped, though it was not his place as an officer to do so. None of the enlisted men said a word in protest. They buried the boy deep. The next morning the third squadron of the 13th Dragoons rode east under an indigo dawn and the black raven banner.