so we can make more room in the quarries and mines? she wondered, keeping her face mild and blank.
“Can I help you, soldier?” she asked when he stopped a yard from her.
He rubbed his chin with bony fingers. “I begs pardon for my forwardness, lady knight,” he said, awkwardly gallant, “but was you anywheres near the River Hasteren in summer, seven years gone? Hill country?”
“Yes,” Kel replied, puzzled. “Lord Wyldon took the pages there for summer exercises in camping and field craft.”
“You seen any fighting, them days?” the man asked. “Nothin’ big, just a scramble, like. With hillmen?”
Now Kel was curious as well as puzzled. “We rode with the army when they cleaned out some hill bandit nests,” she replied. “And some friends of mine and I got into a little trouble, which is how we learned bandits were in the area.”
“I knew it!” he cried, jubilant. “I thought ’twas you, but there’s more of you now. You should’ve seen the likes of her, boys,” he said, turning towards the other convicts as he pointed at Kel. “We was all outlaws, livin’ on the edges, and this bunch of pages stumbled into our camp. We chased ‘em back in a canyon, and her -” he jabbed his finger at Kel - “she gutted ol’ Breakbone Dell, and him the meanest dog-skinner you’d ever hope to meet. Stood there afoot, her and her spear, cool as meltwater with Breakbone ridin’ down on her with that neck-cutter sword of his. First time she got ‘im in the leg, second in the tripes, and he was done. Her and six lads held us all back, just them. There she was, eyes like stone and that bloody spear in her hand. Lady.” He bowed deep.
Kel looked at him, not sure what to say. Finally she asked, “What’s your name, soldier?”
“Me? Gilab Lofts - Gil. Lady. It’s - it’s good to see you well.” He bowed again and returned to his seat, whispering with the men on either side of him.
Kel waited for them to quiet once again before she said ruefully, “I’m not sure that being known for gutting a man is exactly a recommendation for a commander.”
“It is in the north!” cried someone. Several men laughed outright; others grinned. Kel felt the very air in the room lighten.
“Well, perhaps it is,” she admitted. “I’ve been away all winter, so I may have forgotten.” This time they were quick to fall quiet, curious to hear what she would say. “So you won’t be calling me the girl that gutted Breakbone, my name is Keladry of Mindelan. Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan. And it’s no good thinking I’m a southerner who’ll squeak at the sight of a mountain, either. My home fief is almost due west of here, by the sea. I’m a northerner by birth.”
She surveyed them, making sure they were with her now. She’d thought long and hard about what she could say. Back at Giantkiller she’d imagined herself delivering a blood-stirring speech full of fire and dreams that would have them all on their feet, cheering her, ready to take on the entire Scanran army. That had lasted all of two breaths; then she had giggled at her own folly. She didn’t have fiery speeches in her; they would make her extremely uncomfortable if she had. In the end, she’d decided to keep it short and simple.
“You all know why we’re here,” she told them. “You know the enemy. He will be on us soon. When he comes, we will fight not for some glorious cause, but to survive. The gods have given us time to prepare, and we must take advantage of every moment of it. Once the enemy comes, how safe we’ll be is determined by these walls and the people in them.
“You’ve built our home well. It’s true what they say, that northern woodsmen build the very best.” That made the civilians happy; they grinned and clapped one another on the back. Kel smiled. When it was quiet again, she continued. “We’ll finish building together. The more we do before our guests come, the more time we’ll have for weapons training -
“Can I help you, soldier?” she asked when he stopped a yard from her.
He rubbed his chin with bony fingers. “I begs pardon for my forwardness, lady knight,” he said, awkwardly gallant, “but was you anywheres near the River Hasteren in summer, seven years gone? Hill country?”
“Yes,” Kel replied, puzzled. “Lord Wyldon took the pages there for summer exercises in camping and field craft.”
“You seen any fighting, them days?” the man asked. “Nothin’ big, just a scramble, like. With hillmen?”
Now Kel was curious as well as puzzled. “We rode with the army when they cleaned out some hill bandit nests,” she replied. “And some friends of mine and I got into a little trouble, which is how we learned bandits were in the area.”
“I knew it!” he cried, jubilant. “I thought ’twas you, but there’s more of you now. You should’ve seen the likes of her, boys,” he said, turning towards the other convicts as he pointed at Kel. “We was all outlaws, livin’ on the edges, and this bunch of pages stumbled into our camp. We chased ‘em back in a canyon, and her -” he jabbed his finger at Kel - “she gutted ol’ Breakbone Dell, and him the meanest dog-skinner you’d ever hope to meet. Stood there afoot, her and her spear, cool as meltwater with Breakbone ridin’ down on her with that neck-cutter sword of his. First time she got ‘im in the leg, second in the tripes, and he was done. Her and six lads held us all back, just them. There she was, eyes like stone and that bloody spear in her hand. Lady.” He bowed deep.
Kel looked at him, not sure what to say. Finally she asked, “What’s your name, soldier?”
“Me? Gilab Lofts - Gil. Lady. It’s - it’s good to see you well.” He bowed again and returned to his seat, whispering with the men on either side of him.
Kel waited for them to quiet once again before she said ruefully, “I’m not sure that being known for gutting a man is exactly a recommendation for a commander.”
“It is in the north!” cried someone. Several men laughed outright; others grinned. Kel felt the very air in the room lighten.
“Well, perhaps it is,” she admitted. “I’ve been away all winter, so I may have forgotten.” This time they were quick to fall quiet, curious to hear what she would say. “So you won’t be calling me the girl that gutted Breakbone, my name is Keladry of Mindelan. Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan. And it’s no good thinking I’m a southerner who’ll squeak at the sight of a mountain, either. My home fief is almost due west of here, by the sea. I’m a northerner by birth.”
She surveyed them, making sure they were with her now. She’d thought long and hard about what she could say. Back at Giantkiller she’d imagined herself delivering a blood-stirring speech full of fire and dreams that would have them all on their feet, cheering her, ready to take on the entire Scanran army. That had lasted all of two breaths; then she had giggled at her own folly. She didn’t have fiery speeches in her; they would make her extremely uncomfortable if she had. In the end, she’d decided to keep it short and simple.
“You all know why we’re here,” she told them. “You know the enemy. He will be on us soon. When he comes, we will fight not for some glorious cause, but to survive. The gods have given us time to prepare, and we must take advantage of every moment of it. Once the enemy comes, how safe we’ll be is determined by these walls and the people in them.
“You’ve built our home well. It’s true what they say, that northern woodsmen build the very best.” That made the civilians happy; they grinned and clapped one another on the back. Kel smiled. When it was quiet again, she continued. “We’ll finish building together. The more we do before our guests come, the more time we’ll have for weapons training -
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