“Wake up! Wake up! Please!” Tamara prodded Falcon’s lifeless body with urgency. “Jason! Come back to me!”

Tamara and Falcon were in hilly grasslands, somewhere on the Frontier, east of Shadrol. Five riders approached from the distant horizon, drawing ever closer. They rode directly toward them.

Tamara sat back and waited. She took a long, thin knife and concealed it in the sleeve of her robe. She and Falcon both wore plain, drab robes of low quality cloth. They were coarse and itchy, and she sweated in the hot sun.

The men galloped toward them, halting just short of running them over.

“Hello there!” The riders were bare-chested, wore animal skin legging and boots. No armor, but all five carried weapons. The lead rider held a crossbow, not pointed directly at her but in her general direction.

“Hello,” Tamara said.

“I’m Meecham. This is my land. Something wrong with your man there?”

“He will be all right. It is just the heat, I think.”

“He don’t look all right. Ryjec, get down and take a look.”

“No, please, he is fine-“

“I ain’t asking your permission, lady.”

Ryjec dismounted and strode over, stepping right by Tamara and kneeling over Falcon.

“He ain’t breathing!”

“Is he dead?” Meecham asked Tamara.

“No, he is not.”

Ryjec said, “He don’t quite look dead! He’s still warm too. Something ain’t right.”

“He’s an outlander,” Meecham said.

“Oh, no!” Tamara protested. “He is not! He is my husband! We have been married five years now. We are travelers, from River City, in Friedor.”

“You’re lying. Are you an outlander, too?”

“No. No, I am not.”

“We’ll find out soon enough.” The man sneered at her, showing a mouthful of jagged, brown teeth.

“Please. I have a little bit of gold. You can take it…”

“Search her, Ryjec!”

Ryjec jerked her to her feet and ran his hands over her roughly. He found the knife and tossed it to the ground. His hands lingered when he searched around her breasts.

“My coin purse is on the ground, right over there,” she said.

Finding nothing on her person, Ryjec threw Tamara to the ground. He picked up the coin purse and made a quick count. “About a hundred gold here!”

“He is an outlander,” Meecham said. “There is more gold than that. Search him.”

Ryjec did as he was told. He found Falcon’s sword first. “Good gods. Look at this!”

“I claim that. Keep searching.”

“Should I take his head first? So he doesn’t wake up?”

“No. Do not kill him. He will resurrect elsewhere and no longer be any use to us. Keep searching him.”

Ryjec opened Falcon’s robe, revealing his armor, which reflected in the sun and nearly glowed silver. All five of the men made noises of excitement.

Strapped to Falcon’s armored belly were several satchels and coin purses.

“Damn the gods, it’s a fortune!”

“Tie him up. Tie him good. Jerek, tie the girl up and put her on your horse. We’re taking them both with us.”

“Why him?” Jarek said. “We got the money. We got the girl. Why do we need him?”

“I want to talk to him.”

“He ain’t gonna talk to us!”

“We shall see. The girl seems to care a lot for him. Maybe he feels the same for her. Maybe he don’t want to see what we do to her if he don’t feel like talkin’.”

“I’m more than happy to talk.” Falcon sat up.

Ryjec jerked backward in surprise but recovered his senses and held the blade of the sword – Falcon’s sword – to his throat.

“First,” Falcon told the leader. “I want you to tell that ugly fuck over there to take his hands off the lady. Next, I want this asshole to give me my sword back. Then we can talk all you want.”

Meecham smiled. “You are hardly in a position to make demands. Let me tell you what’s going to—“

He was interrupted as Falcon moved in a blur, picking up Ryjec and throwing him fifteen feet through the air, directly at the leader. Meecham moved back on the horse and Ryjec hit the ground in a twisted heap. Before he could recover and aim his crossbow, Meecham was engulfed in flames and screaming.

Falcon went next for Jarek, not even bothering to pick up his sword. Jarek came at him, swinging his axe at Falcon’s chest with all his might. Falcon did not block or dodge the blow and it hit him with a loud thunk, glancing off the armor. Falcon did not miss a step. He delivered a single blow with his bare fist and the big man dropped. Falcon picked up the axe and threw it at another man that was charging. The blade struck true and the man died.

Less than five seconds had passed and four men were down. Meecham’s horse had flung its burning rider off and bolted in a panic.

The remaining rider stared for a moment, frozen. The he turned his horse around and galloped away.

Falcon picked up his longbow. He took his time aiming as the man fled. He loosed the arrow and watched as it flew. It struck the fleeing rider in the back of the skull. He toppled off the horse, which continued to run.

“Close your eyes, Tamara.”

Falcon picked up his sword. He finished off Jarek. Ryjec was already dead from a broken neck.

“Ok, you can open them now.”

“I never closed them. Jason, my love…what in the fuck just happened?”

“Well, I killed a few men. And we got ourselves a couple horses.”

They rode for some time and saw no one.

They stopped to let the horses rest.

Tamara ate a small meal from the rations they had brought.

“How are you on food?” Falcon asked.

“There is plenty for a few more days, at least.”

“I’ll hunt something for you tonight. Those woods up ahead look like a good place to stop for the night.”

“Will they be safe? I have heard stories about the beasts out here.”

“Yeah, I’ve been reading up on them. Don’t worry. I’ll keep watch while you sleep. I can handle anything out here.”

“You will need to sleep again at some point.”

“I know. I’m trying to figure out a system. I’ll turn my speakers up. If I’m out, and there’s trouble, just yell right in my ear, as loud as you can. That’ll wake me up.”

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“It did not work earlier.”

“I know. I wasn’t sleeping. I had to go out for a bit. It took longer than I thought. I should have told you – I’m sorry.”

“Do you hear that?”

“Yeah. Sounds like thunder. Doesn’t look like rain though—“

“Look!”

More men came on horses, dozens of them, galloping hard in their direction.

“Shit. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

They rode as fast as the horses would go, back in the direction they had come from.

Falcon yelled, “That wooded area we passed earlier, we’ll head to that, lose them there!”

But more riders appeared ahead of them, another two dozen of them, closing in fast.

“Fuck! This way!”

They turned south, but it was no use. The two forces began to converge on them from both sides.

They stopped, staying on their horses. Falcon did not draw his sword but kept his hand on the hilt.

The two armies halted, each about a hundred meters away.

A single rider moved off from the eastern group and approached at an easy trot. Her sword was not drawn. She wore a uniform that looked familiar to Falcon.

She halted a dozen meters away, at a careful and respectful distance but close enough to speak to them.

“Are you both outlanders?” she asked Falcon. “Or just you?”

“Neither of us are. We are travelers—“

“We saw you earlier. When you killed the barbarians.”

“Oh.”

“What is your name and guild, please.”

Falcon hesitated, then sighed. “I’m Mister Falcon. No guild.”

The woman stared at him. She suddenly looked as if she wanted to flee.

“Falcon is in Destra,” she said finally. “Leading an army.”

“Not anymore. The army’s still there. I’m here. I’m leaving Friedor, for good. Trang has no need to worry about me.”

“Wait just a sec,” the woman said. Falcon suddenly realized she was an outlander.

“Trang wants to talk to you,” the woman said after a few moments. “He invites you to come with us back to Freejack, our base here. No harm will come to you, and we offer a warm meal for the lady. It is only a request. If you don’t wish to come, we will let you pass.”

Falcon considered it.

“What do you think?” he asked Tamara.

“We never had any problems with Trang,” Tamara said. “He’s certainly no friend of Roane. What is the saying you told me once – ‘the enemy of your enemy…’”

Falcon nodded. “Ok,” he told the woman. “Why not.”

Freejack was still referred to as a settlement but had the look of a thriving township. It had a carefully designed system of dirt roads. Buildings everywhere, either newly built or in the building process, men working at this very moment like ants, everywhere. There was a barracks, a town hall, an inn, a tavern, and several shops. It was surrounded by walls three meters high, with fifty meter towers in each corner. In one open area, Falcon saw machines being constructed – catapults and siege engines, and other things he could not identify.

Michael Trang came out to meet Falcon, one soldier by his side.

They shook hands.

“Welcome to Freejack. What do you think?”

“Very impressive.”

“It’s not Glen Falls, but….we’re getting there.”

“Good luck with it. I’m actually glad to see you’re still around.”

“Mandy tells me you’re leaving Friedor.”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I guess I wore out my welcome. Time to find someplace new. Bastoya is starting to sound good. Much quieter there.”

“Bastoya? You know how far away that is?”

“Yeah.”

“It could take weeks to get there. Hard travel for the woman.”

“I know.”

“Would you like to stay with us for a few days? I’d like to show you what we’re doing here, maybe pick your brain for ideas.”

“Sure. Thanks. Just for a day maybe. Then we’ve got to move on.”

“You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

UNDATED EXCERPT FROM THE JOURNAL OF HANDICE

I leaned against the barracks, watching Trang meet the other outlander, Falcon. Falcon had saved my life in Crille, but he had his own motives for doing that. Cochran had told me to keep an eye on the meeting and watch his back, and so I did.

The two outlanders walked off together and Cochran left Trang’s side. He walked over to me.

“Let’s get a fucking drink,” Cochran said.

We had a small bar set up in the barracks. We called it Sarge’s, in honor of the now deceased sergeant who had started it up.

We found Farley sitting at the bar.

“Hey Handice,” he said. He nodded at Cochran. “Captain.”

I went around the bar to fetch beer and whiskey for Cochran and me. There was no barkeep. Put a shot and beer bottle in front of Cochran and stayed behind the bar. I liked being barkeep.

“What the fuck is this?” Cochran asked.

“Budweiser,” I said. “Outlander beer. Very popular with them. The whiskey is also an outlander brand. Jack Daniels.”

“What the fuck is the world coming to?”

“It gets the job done,” I said.

“Heard some excitement earlier,” Farley said.

“Just how long have you been sitting here drinking, Farley?” Cochran demanded.

“It was nothing,” I said. “We have an outlander visitor. Mister Falcon.”

“Who the fuck is that?”

“Probably the most dangerous outlander in all Friedor.”

“Fuck him. I could take him.”

“I’d like to see that, Farley,” Cochran laughed.

“What makes him so dangerous? He have an army?”

“Not anymore.” I drank. “Do you know Georges, from Charlie Company?”

“Sure. Good man.”

“Georges was tracking a band of raiders earlier. Saw them ride up on a woman, out in the open. Next to the woman was a man, who was lying still. He looked like he was dead, asleep or hurt – Georges could not tell. He watched the barbarians come up, rough the woman up a bit, the man just lying there, still. Well, Georges took the looking glass away from his eye for a moment, to rub his eyes. When he looked again, four of the barbarians were dead and the last one fleeing. Georges watched the man who’d been lying down moments before shoot the man in the neck, at a distance of a hundred span.”

“Gods. That man was Falcon?”

“You’re not as dumb as I thought, Farley!” Cochran said.

“Yeah,” I said. “That was Falcon.”

I saw by Farley's face that the message had gotten through. By nightfall every soldier in Freejack would know who Falcon was and that he was not to be trifled with.

“All right, guys,” Cochran said. “Enough of this bullshit. We need to talk about this unit Trang has asked me to put together. Since pickings for good soldiers are so laughably slim around here, I’m starting to fear that I might have to ask you two jesters to be on it.”

Later, I filled a flask of wine and went for a walk. In the center of the camp we had prison cells. We did not have a whole lot of prisoners, but we had one that was of some interest to me.

She had a private cell, away from the others.

Murphy was guarding her. I told him to take a break.

“Hello, Sergeant,” she greeted me. She was always unfailingly polite.

“Your Highness.”

“Please do not embarrass me by using my former title. Call me Varina.”

She was a stunning woman, with long hair down her back, red and gold like fire, eyes of light brown, a strong beautiful face, perfect in shape, her skin smooth. She still looked like a queen, and probably always would.

“I am sorry,” I said. “It is a habit, I suppose. Not that I have ever spoken to a queen.”

“You do not speak to a queen now. You keep coming to see me. I’m beginning to think you are falling in love with me.”

My face hardened.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It was just a joke, truly. I meant no offense.”

“We should begin anew,” I said. I drank wine from the flask, thought for a moment, and offered her some.

She took it and drank, not seeming to care that my peasant lips had touched it. She grimaced. “That is awful.”

“It is not our best,” I agreed.

“Why is it you wish to see me?” She seemed genuinely curious.

“I wish to learn about the world.”

“Well. We may need quite a bit more wine for that. Where would you like me to begin?”

“How did you become queen of Fedra?”

She laughed without mirth. “That in itself will require many flasks of that terrible wine.”

“A more simple question perhaps.”

“All right.”

“How did you become our enemy? Why did you declare war on us? Why declare war when your army is unprepared? I do not mean offense, madame.”

“No. It’s all right. No reason to make any pretenses about where my decisions led me. Sergeant, you follow an Outlander. Surely you have seen how dangerous these people are, to my kingdom, to our empire, to the entire world. Trang became an enemy of Friedor when he took Glen Falls. Why Elyscia did not act, I do not know. But the moment I became queen, I felt it was my duty to declare war immediately.”

“You believe I am a traitor.”

“Yes, sergeant. Are you not a traitor to the Empire?”

“I am.”

“Do you have regrets about that?”

“Some,” I admitted. Nobody wants to be a traitor. I thought of Shirin Mills, my family. But then I thought of Ruby and nearly crushed the flask with my left hand. And I looked at my stump where my right hand should be. It had been taken from me for no good reason, by a man who thought he was my better, who cut off my hand just because he could. I took a drink.

Varina was watching me carefully. “Some regrets, but you would do it all again?”

“Without hesitation.”

“You are being honest with me, so I will be honest with you, Handice. I will never leave here alive in any event. All my life, I was sworn to my oaths. First oath to the Empress, second to my queen. Every word that passed my lips conveyed assurances of loyalty to both. But I betrayed my queen, Elyscia. And given the right opportunity, I might have betrayed Analisa.”

I was a bit startled that she spoke of the Empress by name.

“That’s right,” she said. “Analisa. She is just a woman. A person like you or me. Brilliant and conniving, yes. But human.”

“You do not fear her?”

“Oh gods, I fear her more than anyone or anything. One would be a fool not to. Fear is not a weakness. A complete absence of fear is.”

“Do you know Griffin Roane?”

“I know of him. He never made enough of an impression for me to take notice, truth be told.”

“He did this to me.” I held up my right arm.

“Oh.”

“I swore to serve Trang for two years. I will serve the two years, or until the day comes when his army is no more. When that day comes, if I am alive, I am going to find Roane, and I am going to kill him.”