Moving Targets and Other Tales of Valdemar

She increased her pace and gave him a bare twitch of a rein finger. With a slow nod he moved to pace her. She waited until they had distance to speak.

“They treat me as a girl,” she said, “except when things go bad. Every problem is mine. Either my advice is bad, or I’m naı̈ve ...”

“They are villagers of a farming culture,” Bellan said. “You are a woman of a trading culture that grew from warriors. I knew this would be a problem, which is why I hurried to gather you all. You’ve done well, no matter how it feels.”

“Now they’ll just feel you’ve taken over,” she groused. She wasn’t sure why she was sharing so much with this stranger. He exuded trustworthiness, though.

“Of course,” he nodded. “But more importantly, they will be safe for now, and your people won’t be burdened with noncombatant refugees as you prepare. I can’t fight for you, but I can clear the field for you.”

Riga didn’t like the sound of that. It made sense that Miklamar was heading their way, but still ...

“Wouldn’t it make sense for your people to join us and fight here, before it reaches your lands?” she asked.

He laughed. “Oh, Riga, Valdemar is weeks away by road, even as fast as my Companion can travel.” He patted the horse’s flank. “I’ll do what I can to help, but Miklamar is no threat to my nation. Our rulers are busy with things close to home. Nothing as important as an empire-building butcher, but far more immediate. It’s one of the tragedies of the world. Your people must deal with this as best you can. Still, I’m glad we were in the area and can offer some help.”

He paused for a moment, as if listening to the air, or his horse. Riga took the time to consider his words. No, she didn’t think her remote town, nor even their small nation, were important worldwide. She’d hoped for more, though.

“There is a war band ahead,” Bellan said.

“Is it the mercenaries?” she asked, half in hope, half in dread.

“They’re on foot, crossing us, probably from the coast road. We can outride them, but the refugees can’t.” Their wagons managed a walking pace at best in this terrain. The children and elders wouldn’t be able to keep up on foot.

“Not the Toughs I met, then.”

“Behind them may be more. We can’t detour that way. We also can’t wait. We’ll have to go through, then ride fast and through the night.” He seemed to shift back to the present. “Please come with me. We need to plan this.”

“Yes, certainly,” she agreed. She turned and called, “Erki! Take point.”

Riga nodded to the others as she approached. No one here saw her as only a girl. Most had felt her blows. Kari, Snorru, Rabal and his uncle Lar, three other men and two women, and the Grogansen boys.

A dozen Kossaki, half youths and women, and the Herald. The army ahead was hopefully less than eight times that size, but might be the van of a far larger force.

“What would you do, Sworddancer?” Lar asked. She realized things were being hashed out and she’d missed some of the talk.

She breathed deeply and stared at nothing. A prayer cleared her mind and she thought.

“I’d shoot arrows from distance and continue until closing. We should dismount close to cause surprise and hopefully break their ranks with fear of the horses.”

“Not bad. We need wranglers. Nor do we want a long fight with infantry. We must hurt them and retreat fast, then look prepared to repeat it. Those levies won’t have the heart for a long fight against professionals, without the mercenaries.”

“We’re to look like professionals?”

“Worse,” Kari grinned. “We’re girls.”

Girls with twelve years of training in horse, sword, bow, map, languages and business, Riga thought, and grinned back. No Kossaki would underestimate a youth. They were fighters, traders, and travelers from the time they could walk.

She said, “Erki should wrangle and recover bows and glean points, but he’ll complain I’m being protective.” Of course, she was, but it made sense for him as youngest to hold back. He could also ride fastest if need be, to carry a message.

“I’ll tell him,” Bellan said.

“Also, we should fire off a shooting star.”

“What good will that do?” Snorru asked. Our nearest element is hours away.”

“They don’t know that. Act as if we expect overwhelming backup, and hit them hard. As Lar says, they won’t stomach a long fight.”

“And best we scare them now,” Bellan said. “Soon enough Miklamar will want your port, also, if he’s not stopped.”

“It might alert another patrol, too,” Rabal said.

“It might. What do you think of that against its advantages?”

“Yes, it’s risky,” Lar said. “But the mercenaries have reported by now. That’s probably why this force is crossing bare steppe toward the caravan.”

“Yes,” Riga agreed.

“Do it.”

Riga and Bellan rode back to the caravan, now combined with the others.

“We’ll be fighting, then cutting across fast and continuing,” Bellan told them.

“We will arm up, then,” Walten said, looking old but sounding firm.

“No, you should move fast and protect your families if it comes to that.”