[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
worry and truthfulness, but not strongly.
'You don't believe so?"
'Honored overcaptain, I don't know what skills you mean. I can do some
leatherwork, and know how to tan. I've made leather vests, and belts, but they
were not of good quality. I worked at carding wool before I became a trooper,
but I never really learned spinning& " All that he said was certainly true.
'Then who would inherit your grandsire's stead?"
'My mother was of the opinion it should be sold to buy my way out of
conscription, but that would have left my grandparents without a way to live."
'I don't believe you answered the question, Alucius."
'I don't have an answer, honored overcaptain. I was not a herder.
My mother and grandsire were looking for a suitable wife "
'How would that help?"
At least Alucius had an answer for that. "Herders do not have to be men. The
stead was held by my grandsire's mother, and her mother before her."
The overcaptain laughed. "Apparently, the Iron Valleys do have a few redeeming
traits." She looked down at the sheet. "Does your head still hurt?"
'Only at times, overcaptain. Less so every day."
'Do you still have any bruises?"
'My shoulder was sore from where I fell "
'A mounted trooper, and you fell?"
'I was struck in the back of the head, overcaptain. I could not see properly
for days. I believe I fell. My shoulder was most sore when I finally woke."
'You speak well. How many years of schooling have you had?"
'I lived on the stead. I was sent lessons from the school in Iron Stem from
the time I was seven or eight until I was sixteen."
The officer thrust a sheet of paper and a flat board at him. "I'll hand you a
grease stick. I want you to write what I say."
Alucius took the paper, the board, and the grease stick.
'The best weapon is a prepared mind, and the greatest error is relying merely
upon the strength of weapons and the thickness of fortifications& "
Alucius wrote as quickly as he could, and as well, but he was a good sentence
Page 153
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
behind when the woman stopped.
'Let me see."
He handed back the sheet, and the board and writing implement.
'Your penmanship is adequate, your spelling good, and your memory clear."
She nodded. "You may go."
'Yes, overcaptain." Alucius inclined his head before standing, and bowing
again.
Alucius waited outside with the others. Lysal glanced at him and raised his
eyebrows. Alucius shrugged. He still wasn't certain about the interview, but
he had the sense that the officer had at least a small amount of Talent, if
not more, and had been using it. He could only hope he had deceived her.
The last man was a Reillie that Alucius had not met or talked to, and when he
returned, he handed sheets of paper five or six to the squad leader.
'Let's go." The squad leader turned, and continued down the corridor until
they reached the first intersecting hallway, where they turned and stopped at
the third door.
The squad leader looked at the sheet, then spoke. "Ondomin, you go in here."
The Reillie swallowed.
'They want to test your woodworking skills. Good carpenters or cabinetmakers
are hard to find. You could do well with that& if you're any good."
The squad leader returned within moments, alone.
Alucius did not even think of moving. Where would he have gone?
The remaining four were marched back the way they had come and then through
the open courtyard to another building, and then into another stone-
walled room where several troopers waited.
One of the troopers a dark-haired and black-eyed man with olive skin of a
shade Alucius had never seen stepped forward and handed Alucius a wooden
sabre, of the Matrite pattern with the slightly curved blade.
'You are to spar with him," said the escorting squad leader. "It does not
matter how many times you strike him. The test is to see whether you can keep
him from striking you without giving much ground."
Alucius set his parka on the floor stones, then hefted the weapon, not so
heavy as a real sabre, but thicker so that it wasn't that much lighter.
The black-haired trooper bowed, then lifted his blade, also wooden.
Alucius was sweating when the squad leader called for a halt, but he had
managed to avoid being struck by the other trooper, who actually had smiled
once the two had lowered their weapons.
'He's good with a blade. Class one." The words were not Lanach-ronan, or the
version spoken in the Iron Valleys, but Alucius understood their import.
Once all four had finished working with the wooden sabres, they were led
through another warren of stone corridors until they walked through a set of
double doors. There, Alucius looked out on an enclosed and roofed arena one
that was at least a hundred yards in length and seventy-five in width.
'This is the indoor maneuver area," said the squad leader who was leading the
four. "You'll be asked to ride in patterns around those posts set on the
sand."
The horse given to Alucius was a roan gelding of moderate height at the
shoulder, perhaps a half hand taller than Alucius's gray. Absently, he
wondered what had happened to the gray. Was he too a Matrite captive, carrying
some
Matrite trooper? Alucius hoped so, even if it might hurt some militia
troopers. It wasn't the gray's fault that men fought.
He mounted and waited for his turn. He had to listen carefully to the
instructions offered in heavily accented Lanachronan. The instructions seemed
simple enough, and he followed them, he thought, accurately, returning to the
point at the side of the area from where he had begun.
'He's got a good seat. Let's see how he does with Wildebeast."
The squad leader turned to Alucius. "We'd like you to ride another mount.
Page 154
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Dismount."
'Yes, sir."
Alucius could tell that the second mount who was led in almost immediately was
not only more spirited, but, for some reason, did not care to be ridden. Even
as Alucius took the reins from the ostler, also collared, the beast whuffed
, almost angrily. Alucius took a slow deep breath and tried to project calm,
then stepped up and patted the stallion's shoulder. He got another whuff
.
He mounted, still trying to project calm and control, not knowing whether he
was successful, or whether the stallion settled down and accepted him because
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]