Flight or Fight, Chapter 16

Dafi stilled in Dalibor’s arms at his apology. He was not afraid that she would go into loud hysterics and give away their position, but he did not wish her to turn cold to him. “I have had this parachute sixteen years. It took me time to find someone to teach me to jump.”

He gave her no pretense now, the speech patterns of his youth coming to the surface. “I was there as part of the escort for your family, but your father thought we might frighten you, so we were not introduced. When the pirates struck, I was sent to find you and your mother as your father fought alongside my blade-brothers.” His arms tightened around her fractionally. “You did not remember, and I... could no longer see the little girl who danced and laughed with abandon.”

~=*=~

She felt the tears start again, but the mourning was quieter. She remembered the week surrounding the death of her mother, but until now, had blocked the airship trip. She had hazy memories of the memorial service, and of the Jägers who had been there, quietly standing in the back of the chapel, with crepe-wrapped hats and mourning bands.

 She dimly remembered being at play as a child, but after her mother’s death, it was not as important to her. Her father’s wish that she follow him in holding the fortress was not all that shaped her into the soldier she was now. There had been the need to protect everyone from smelly men who threatened mothers and little children.

Her whispered response was, “She started training that year.” Then, though it was not nearly enough, she stretched up to kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

 She felt his lips touch her temple, when there was a flurry of activity in the courier’s crew. Listening for a few moments, Dalibor moved his mouth to her ear to murmur, “We are coming into the main hangar of Castle Wulfenbach, by the sound of it. I... Hy schould get beck to bein’ a schtupid Jäger, ja?”

“My sergeant is not stupid.”

 His chuckle quieted as the courier’s engines cut out, but he nuzzled the top of her ear before carefully settling in for the landing.

From the noise, the hangar was not quite as busy as the flight-yard at the base had been. Dafi heard comments from the crew that they were lucky to get in before the mid-watch came on. There was a shudder and a metallic clack as the cradle latched on to the gondola, and the courier crew began offloading the mail bags from the bins on either side of them. There were a great number of orders shouted that did not make sense to her, but Dalibor seemed relaxed, so she supposed they were normal. She spent the time drying her face and generally pulling herself together for the forthcoming debriefing.

 A debriefing that did not seem to be in the immediate future as the crew of the courier was dismissed, but the captain remained, speaking at length with the maintenance officer, scheduling a number of minor repairs, including a “broken” remote release cable for the drop hatch on the center mail bin. As the two officers were standing right there pointing everything out, Dafi and Dal were not going to pull the release to leave in front of the maintenance officer.

Finally, the maintenance officer left with his list of Things To Do. Dal held her hand, giving the patrol signal for “wait”.

Finally, the captain murmured, “Sit tight, I’m letting you out topside.” A few moments later, the top of the bin was unlocked, and the airship captain chuckled, “Would be nice to put a couple of the rowdier special couriers in your seat for their runs. Your handler should arrive soon, since this deck is closed for the next shift.” The captain pulled his duffel out of the overhead, and gave a saluting wave, “Good hunting to you both,” and left.

~=*=~

 

Peering out of the airship from their place in the shadows, Dalibor noted the flight deck was darker than he remembered. Perhaps he was getting tired of shadows and would prefer a good fight without worrying. Maybe it was the problem of watching every shadow for knife glints had him on edge. Or it really was just that dark.

She murmured, “Minimum lights for off-duty?”

Dalibor nodded, and grunted softly when he spotted movement near the maintenance officer’s desk. Maneuvering Dafi so she could use him as a shield but could still see to shoot, he kept still, watching the man of average height and build in a grubby mechanic’s coverall walk down the flightline to the Meltem. Something about the man’s stride was familiar, but it took the flash of the screwdriver being twirled in his fingers like a baton to give him the last clue. Dalibor gave what was termed a “Jäger-friendly” chuckle when the man came to the door. “Figg’rd hyu for admin, Nistor.”

The newcomer chuckled, “Next step, old man. The hornet’s nest you stirred up by stealing the knight from the board means you get me instead of the three layers under me.” He bowed to Dafi. “Quester Hasdeu, Dama Hynter. We have much to discuss.” He then produced the identifying sigil from his pocket, the gold glinting in the limited light.

~=*=~

 Dafi took the proffered badge, the three sapphire crystals set in the rank band catching the light from the hangar. She turned it over to note the number etched on the reverse before handing it back. Raising her eyebrow, she spoke in what she hoped was an even tone. “Discussion would be welcome, especially if it leads to action.”

“It may not seem to be immediate, but trust me, it will occur.” Quester Hasdeu scanned the flight line, while murmuring, “However, I’d like to take this to a more secure location. Preferably meeting the fewest people possible along the way.” He alighted from the courier, and led them to the airbag pumping station. The door next to the pressure gauge panel seemed to be slightly dusty and out of use, but swung out without a sound. Behind the door, the maintenance corridor from their position stretched as far as could be seen in the dim light.

Their hike through the Castle was both awe-inspiring and a trifle unnerving. Dafi was uncomfortably aware that though it was gigantic enough to be stable, this was still an airship, and required great engineering and massive maintenance efforts to stay aloft. These corridors were chilly, but not horribly so, much like the deep storage cellars at the fortress. Seeing the checklists that different hands had initialed along their route gave her some appreciation for the safety, but she was not entirely calm.

~=*=~

 Dalibor kept an eye on Dafi, irrationally proud of her ability to  keep her nervousness at being in the air under control. Still, the sooner he could get her back on the ground, and back in control of her fortress, the better for her state of mind. It remained to be seen if he would need to ask permission to assist in retaking the fortress, or forgiveness for doing it anyway.  

 

This would never be his home, but it was familiar ground for Dalibor. He knew these corridors as well as any of the other security forces on the ship, possibly better than three-quarters of the residents aboard. They headed from the lower aft airship docks to about midships, near the sick bay, but not quite to the Jägerbarracks. What surprised Dal was that Hasdeu led from the maintenance corridors to an office inside the hospital section. “Hrrr..."

 

Hasdeu’s voice was quiet in answer to the growl. “Not for you, old man. No worries. But we have a bit of a problem brewing around Dama Hynter.” He motioned for them to sit. “First, we do have reports that the fortress is occupied by inimical forces, but that the village is still autonomous, under the village aldermen’s control. It seems the occupiers are trying very hard to make it look as if everything is normal at Adreev. I am authorized to tell you there will be forces to assist you in retaking the fortress. Beyond that, there is not much more that I know, either in the forces assigned or the timeframe. In fact, you’ll likely be briefed by the Baron before I am told anything else.” He chuckled, then sobered with his next statement. “I should let you in on the news that you have become a person of interest to the court gossips. In fact there are some theories and queries floating about that are... curious. Dama, were there any formal contracts for your betrothal signed by you?”

Dafi shook her head, “Father had said there were initial inquiries from some of the neighboring duchies, but none had gotten to the point of a preliminary meeting.”

 “That makes things interesting, then. There have been several people who should not know about the attack on Adreev that are making what seem to be making ‘sympathetic overtures’, inquiring about your health, and so on.” Hasdeu took a list from his pocket, “Were any of the inquiries by the house of Movila?”

Dalibor managed to keep from growling, but Dafi openly scoffed. “Not before the attack, no - but apparently the attempted kidnapping in Tânărăjugul was an overture.”

 “That was not in the constabulary report, though we only had the helio short form.” The quester shook his head, “We should start from the beginning.”

As Dafi gave her report, beginning with the odd happenings along the trade circle road over the summer, Dal kept his counsel. Her report was succinct, and given with suppositions and theories clearly separated from documented occurrences. When she got to the attack, her voice thickened, but she kept up the report. He had not heard this part, as she had not discussed it on the trail. Finding out her seconds had practically thrown her onto her horse with the documents they had liberated from one of the attacking locotenents, Dal twitched. Her responses on the train when he had attempted to defy her orders made much more sense, now. She had already had her fill of subordinates putting themselves in danger for her.

When Dafi had finished her report, she started pulling out the documents from all the hiding spaces. Nistor was experienced enough to cover his surprise at the documents they were carrying, until the sheer number of documents overwhelmed even his mask of serene regard. “They were carrying all of this with them?”

“Ho. Nut all of dese come from Adreev.” Dal separated the piles for the different sources. “Hy got deese schoved at me, ven Hy wastoldt to get de Dama haway from de attack on da forst courier.” Even the two separate stacks were impressive in their numbers.

“And how did you get assigned to Dama Hynter’s bodyguard detail, old man?” Nistor raised his eyebrow at Dalibor, in the manner Dal had seen at many a card game.

Dal grinned and shrugged, “Chust lucky, Hy guess!”

~=*=~

She would have liked to know the answer to that as well, but Dafi was not going to berate him in front of someone who was obviously an old friend. Even with her nap on the courier, and the rest of the days previous at the base, she was getting to the end of her reserves. Making sure she did not break down in the middle of the debriefing had taken a lot out of her. Stifling a yawn, she listened attentively as Dalibor gave his version of events, from the time they met on the airship, to his conversation with the innkeeper and his observations concerning the attacks on the rail-monks and in the tavern.

Finally, the quester seemed to be satisfied with the first interview. “Things have gotten complicated. All summer there have been rumblings through the southern duchies, more than what the weather could account for.” He gestured to the papers they had brought in, “These tie quite a few incidents together, I think.” He regarded Dafi with piercing eyes, “However, you also figure into this puzzle, Dama. These three probably think they’ve covered the trail, but the papers you two were carrying are enough to send the cabal to Castle Heterodyne. I think this is part of the reason why you were hunted. The other part is a land-grab.”

“With me surviving the attack, that is a little less likely, I would think.” Dafi said, but she was not sure. There was another way, which the quester confirmed.

“It involves something that the cabal found in an old treaty that Moviloras will come to the aid of Adreev in time of need or some such... looks like they have a pack of lawyers to twist the conditions around to suit them. Apparently, their idea of aiding Adreev is to have the Dama married to their duke”

“Hy t’ink it vould be betta if dey hadn’ been de vuns to attack.”

“True, but they do not know we have proof of that.” Hasdeu patted the documentation. “There’s also the chance we can get them to come here, in a situation that would mean they are cut off from their forces, if the Dama will agree to a little intrigue.”

“I would like to hear the shape of the plan, before I jump in.” Dafi hoped the tremor she felt was not heard by the others in her voice.

“Once the heliograph reports reached here, the Baron had already gotten the paperwork drawn up to have you confirmed as commander of the fortress. Everything has been waiting for you to be found. We’re just lucky you finally reached the Castle Wulfenbach under your own power.” Hasdeu’s grin turned a bit sharp. “One oversight that’s going to trip those idiots is the fact that you actually have been trained to hold and manage the lands yourself. We think, based on the letters and other communications we have intercepted, that their plan is to have their player keep you pregnant and out of the way so they can maneuver the lands to a powerful enough foothold to challenge the Baron. The intel we have indicates they expect the Baron will give control of the fortress and lands over to whoever marries the Dama, because she was not one of the students on Castle Wulfenbach.”

“Tch, I wasn’t here because I was at the academy, and Father was a long-term supporter, dedicated to keeping the peace.”

The quester chuckled, “I don’t think they’ve paid attention to how many schools have Baron Wulfenbach on the board of trustees. He reads most of the reports from the schools, I know - it’s how I got into the track I’m in now.”

“Who ist dey player?”

“Their chosen puppet, Duke Gavril, is controlled by their holding of his gambling debt.”

“Over half of that they managed to create with a shark, according to one of the letters we brought.” Dafi felt the need to point this out, as there were people who believed in him.

“He’s also a confirmed city noble. Though he may have some good ideas for trade and export management, he’s been encouraged to be a wastrel and a dandy. Also rumored to have a gentleman lover, but it seems his handlers don’t care about what he wants, either.” Hasdeu regarded her seriously, “There are some indications they are planning to have you married and buried in a year, if he doesn’t manage to keep you busy with pregnancies. That would be a waste of resources, and you know how the Baron has saving ways.”

Dafi considered the possibility of refusing, as it could get her locked into wedding a man who would be useless in the fortress, and likely refusing to allow her to do her duty. But if they were able to get the organizers of this mess restrained by her being bait, so be it. “As long as I am not required to break my oaths, I think I can agree to bait the trap. I have no wish to be trapped as well, though.”

“Fair enough. We can get started now, before the next shift begins. Think you can manage pretending to be a delicate flower, unable to cope with exhaustion?”

~=*=~

 

Keeping quiet during Dafi’s last decision was difficult for Dal. On the one hand, they did need to get these vipers, but using her as bait still made him nervous.

The quester let them out of the office, to the hall with private patient rooms. Meeting a woman in a dark suit, Hasdeu murmured to her, “We need her under seclusion for nervous breakdown and exhaustion, no visitors unless cleared by me or my boss.”

“Good thing you aren’t using disease quarantine for hiding her, that was getting old.” The woman chuckled, and came to meet Dafi.

“Dama, may I present Dr. Ioana Shriram? Dr. Shriram will be taking care of you, and helping magnify your symptoms to the rumor mill.” He turned to the doctor, “Dama Hynter has nearly nothing with her, but there might be people who think she is carrying something or other.”

“Fair enough. If you will come this way, Dama?” The woman indicated the room nearest them.

As Dalibor made to follow, Nistor restrained him with a hand on his arm, “Sorry, old man. We need to have you fade into the background for now. If you aren’t shadowing her every move, there’s a better chance they won’t see you until it’s too late.” He led the Jäger back to the office.

Once the door was closed, and Dal was seated, Nistor said quietly “I didn’t tell her all the rumors flying about, but one involves her ‘pet monster’, heavy on the innuendo.” He held up his hand at the Dalibor rose out of his chair, “I don’t think anyone that will have contact with her would be crass enough to repeat it in front of her, and it’s popular only with the Normandie set. But the less you are seen with her, the less likely it will get any fuel.”

Dal knew, logically, that there was nothing he could do about the rumors with his fists. But it was very tempting. He took a few moments to calm himself before asking, “Zo. Vat do hyu t’ink hy should be doing?”



Flight or Fight, Chapter 15

Dalibor took the time while Dafi was at the library to read through the book the bookbinder had given her. He knew, within a few pages into the analysis of the first story, that the would-be professor had gotten off lightly with the warning. The story behind the story was only thinly veiled to those who knew the actual history... but then, there were few still around who knew what really happened. Even among the Jägerkin, less than a quarter of the Corps were both around at the time of the story, and bothered to follow politics.

These were the tales that the grannies still told in the mountains, as Bârsănescu had said, and the scholar had managed to get the least embroidered versions of these old tales. In a way, it was good for Dafi to have read the early ones, because it was closer to the true politics of the time.

But it was also dangerous. The tales had started in Movila. Delving into the ancient history of the duchy had never been a healthy pastime, as Bârsănescu had found out. Now, with outsiders possibly manipulating the Grand Duke, it was unlikely anyone in that set would look at someone snooping about with a kindly eye. He would have to warn her when she came back to the Comandor’s suite.

~=*=~

Dafi had not made use of the note-taking materials, hoping that her manner was that of someone bored and looking for anything to read, rather than a serious researcher. It was possibly a good thing she had chosen this as her cover, as it allowed her to look up from time to time, stretching and occasionally yawning.

Still, she had found some likely candidates to follow up in the right time-frame. There were several noble houses in the area, as the duchy was not yet firmly formed from the counties in the area. Some of these had the requisite number of sons gone to war at different battles, but she had not tracked down which family had one out of nine return. It was the time before the Fifty had settled into their current orbits, establishing themselves as the major powers. There were fewer candidates for the creator of the sort of construct that fit the old descriptions of the Third Son. The Heterodyne of the time was at the top of that short list.

She had been unable to concentrate on the history books as much as she would have liked. For one thing, though the library itself was quiet, it was on an outside wall, and the wind was still howling outside. This made listening for others in the library difficult. She settled for seating herself at one of the smaller tables, with a view to all approaches, so she was able to catch the approach of the captain from several shelves away.

Looking up from the book on fifteenth-century diarists, she smiled at the captain, barely catching the hand-signal the helio crews used to call for “quiet in the tower”. The older woman’s demeanor was relaxed, and otherwise open, waiting until she got to the table before asking quietly, “Will you be staying through the luncheon hour?” At the same time, she laid her hand on the table with her palm cupped, allowing a scrap of paper to fall to the table surface. Visible only from Dafi’s position, it held only one word - “watched”.

Dafi shook her head, chuckling. “I am not so involved as all that,” she closed the book she was reading, leaving it near the librarian’s hand. “Do you lock up during lunch?”

The book was picked up with the scrap of paper palmed again. “Normally, no - but my locotenant is down with a chest cold, and her second was caught in town by the storm.”

“Then I should clear out so you can go to luncheon.” Dafi managed to even giggle. “Thank you for not locking me in!” She saluted, and it was returned, before she gathered the clipboard and left the library.

Walking briskly, she managed to swing by the base Comandor’s office just as he was leaving for the noon meal. He caught sight of her, and from the way his eyes flickered back behind her, she thought she was right to detour into a well-traveled area. “So, how did your trip to the library go?” he asked as he fell into step alongside her.

“Eh, it was one way to wait for the weather to blow out.” She gave a diffident shrug. “Captain had said something about wanting to lock up for the luncheon break, so I thought it was time to move on.”

“One thing’s for sure, don’t keep a Heliolux from their tea.” Lungu chuckled as they got to the door of his suite. Once inside, he bolted the door, and motioned for her to move to the fireplace.

Dal was there immediately, positioning himself between the door and Dafi. She was within reach of the fireplace tools, but both waited for Lungu to either explain or act.

When he did, it was well away from the door, and he actually pulled them away from the fireplace as well. “Captain Dytel never closes the library, even if we have no staff. The restricted area gets locked up, but not the main library. What happened?”

“She came to my table, with a note that said ‘watched’, as she told me her locotenent was ill and the second was in town.” Dafi said.

“Did she say what the locotenent had?”

“Chest cold.”

“Damn. Let me think...” Lungu looked considerably worried. “We are going to have to hide you completely, now. There’s new players on the board.”

“Vich airchip ist de vun ve vill be takink to de Castle?” Dalibor asked. “Are de crew stayink aboard or no?”

Lungu nodded slowly, “That’s going to be uncomfortable, but the best way to hide you, I think.” He shrugged, “Won’t be as warm, but it also means they won’t have to wait for you to board when the weather breaks. Pare your gear down to the essentials, and I’ll talk to the airship captain.” Heading for the door, he said, “Bolt the door behind me, and you’ll know it’s me when I return by the knock.”

Dafi shook her head, after following the Comandor’s orders, murmuring “Other than leaving my spare uniform, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with paring down any further.”

“Ve chould be at der Castle by de end of de trip, und ken reshupply, ja?” Dal led the way to the guest room, and began pulling together a smaller pack for himself.

“That’s what I thought the last time I boarded an airship.” Dafi was pulling out everything but the basic survival gear and the documents from her pack.

“Ho. Ja. Hm.” Dal looked their packs over. “Hy vill tek de para-choot. Ve pack vun set of gear in hyur pack.” Taking out the extra clothes, he helped her load the med-kit, one cook-set and the remaining rations in her pack, which was the smaller of the two. When they were done, it was still only half full. Hiding the documents was more difficult in this pack, but he tucked some lighter items such as socks and Dafi’s hygiene case into the corners with the documents.

They nearly missed the knocking of the Comandor, as it was not on the front door, but the quiet tapping in code came from the floor under their feet, muffled by the rug. Flipping back the rug, they found a trap door, latched on their side. Dal motioned for Dafi to open the door as he covered the opening with his sidearm.

Comandor Lungu was alone, but had a lantern with him. “Good job. Let’s go, there’s a possible break coming at sunset, I want you  in place long before then.”

Dafi shouldered her pack and donned her riding helmet before descending, and Dalibor arranged the rug to fall approximately into place as he closed the door behind them. Lungu slid the latch home before leading them down the tunnel. It was not large, for even Dafi had to walk while stooped over.

“This is another leftover from a few decades back. Most of the base doesn’t know this is still here. The old tunnel system has been bricked up for years, after the Long War finally seemed to be over.” They came to a stone wall. Lungu turned to grin at them and murmured quietly, “Funny thing about brick walls, got to be careful how they’re built.” Then he motioned for silence as he pushed an iron reinforcement aside and the wall pivoted. He led them through, then reset the wall. They were in another stone room, but one in which all three could stand up straight. This looked to be a mechanic’s parts storage, from the crates that were stacked against the walls.

Lungu led them to the stairs, then blew out the lantern once they were safely on them. The weak light from under the door proved to be the light from the hangar above them, in off-duty status. He motioned for them to wait, as he made a lazy circuit of the hangar. He walked openly, poking about, as any inspecting officer would do.

Once he had returned to the cellar door, he nodded, “We’re clear. The Meltem is not going to be the first ship to leave, but it will be the ship going directly to the Castle. It usually does not take passengers,” Lungu shrugged, “except special couriers. Even so, the captain is aware of the need for stealth. You’ll need to stay quiet, because the rest of the crew is not supposed to know about you until after you’re on the Castle. Captain will let you know when it’s clear to exit.”

“Vill ve be able to get out if de ship ist boarded?”

“Should be, but she’s one of the fastest craft we see here. If this courier gets boarded, there’s a new engine-builder out there.” Lungu rolled one of the inspection ladders over to the gondola. “Be better if we can get you both in the middle mail bin. The two outer ones are already full, ready to go.”

“Goot, dat’s de vun mit de drop hetch.” Dal said.

“Drop hatch... urgh.” Dafi shut her eyes a moment as she fought her revulsion for flight, unprotected heights and anything else that required nothing but sky under her feet.

“We’ll disconnect the line for the remote release, making it manual from the inside.” Lungu’s blithe explanation did little to reassure Dafi.

~=*=~

Dalibor showed Dafi the security of the bin by jumping up and down on the secured hatch after they disconnected the remote cable. He was not sure if it actually made her feel better about the trip, considering he had shaken the ship a bit with his jumping. But now they were in place, waiting for the storm to lift.

“Hyu chould sleep, Dafi. Hy kip watch” Even though they had not heard anyone around, he kept his voice low enough that it would barely reach her, crammed together side-by-side as they were. The drop bin was intended to carry four mail sacks and their parachutes. It was a little larger than their accommodations on the train, but they were sharing the space with their packs this time.

She breathed, her voice a tight thread, “Too nervous, still.” In the darkness, the only cues he had to her emotional status were her scent and her voice. Both told him she was keyed up, but under control. “You sleep if you can.”

He grunted, and patted her knee in response. She lightly put her hand on his, the tremor barely detectable.

~=*=~

Dafi listened. There were unfamiliar sounds, such as the small creaks and groans in the airship as it accommodated the lowering temperature. The whistling of the wind around the building was that of an autumn storm blowing itself out, something she had heard for years, but it had a different tenor when the roof was curved metal instead of steeply-pitched slate.

But there was a sound that was becoming familiar and comforting to her: the even, quiet breathing of Dalibor asleep. Just a week ago, she did not know him. Now, she trusted him, as a fellow soldier, as a friend. Yes, she had to admit to herself she found him attractive, but it was a dangerous sort of beauty. One could admire a wolf in the wild... from a distance. But you should not mistake it for the loyal guard dog.

Besides, it was a fantasy to think they would be able to do more than correspond when this mission was over. They both had their duties to uphold. She turned her mind from that well-worn track to new ground.

Having the Third Son as a conversational point had kept people from asking about their reasons for travelling together, and had helped their cover that they were between duty stations, rotating back to the Castle Wulfenbach for their new assignments. Yet this deflection required her full concentration, which allowed her some respite from the constant worrying, whether about the condition of her people and the fortress at Adreev, or if the Baron would allow her to return to hold the fortress as her father had, or even if she would need to liberate the fortress on her own.

Mulling over her new distraction, the research she had been able to pull from admittedly random books in the library, she turned again to the mystery surrounding Third Son. She had eleven of what she considered nearly primary sources. The ten tales collected by Scholar Bârsănescu had the same tone and attitude towards the hero that the people of Lacul Rateu gave their tale. Yes, they respected him, but they did not worship him. He was deadly, and more willing to move on rather than take his ease and receive accolades.

There were pieces that Bârsănescu had not linked together in his analysis, perhaps because of the warning he had received. But then, his book was not searching for the man, but tracing the literary trope to its local origins.

As with the tales the babas of her region told by firelight in the long winters, these eleven tales had a rhythm and cadence that tied them to their regional storytelling style. Something the newer tales had dropped, as it was not currently in fashion. Some phrases, such as “he was changed beyond the ken of his kin” had stayed with them, but others, such as the part that preceded that phrase in the older tales, “he walked a lone path, the one of nine who returned, yet spurned by his house” were poetic, but not particularly joyful or gruesome as the groschenroman publishers seemed to favor.

That phrase was what had led her to the genealogies and published diaries in the library. The houses that had the right number of sons in the time-frame Bârsănescu estimated for the origin of Third Son were not particularly of interest to the historians who had documented the local family trees. Very little beyond birth and death dates were noted, when they were actually known. The exception being the ones who had gained the leadership of their houses. First sons were always documented, the spares were usually only written about when they were called to step into the space left by a leader who died without issue. That was as far as she got before she had to seek cover.

The inn village has a clearer tale than any of the others. Yet even their tale did not give Third Son a name. It was quite possible that he had not given it, but why would they know he was a third son... unless they did know, and had kept his name a secret? Or perhaps even the tale spinners were following an edict that his name was not to be spoken? That was common enough when a dishonored son was thrown out, and there seemed to be one in every every house lineage that was stricken from the records in those days. Though the tales did note he was one who acted with honor, the tales were told from the perspective of the peasants, the downtrodden and the powerless.

The mayor's family at the inn could know his name, but it also could have been lost in the years since his assistance. After all, they had not mentioned he had returned, only that they assisted the lone soldiers in his memory. True enough, he likely was no longer around, but it would be nice to know. Dafi had no real reason to ask, other than curiosity. Perhaps she had a wish to honor someone who acted to help instead of shaking their head because the ruling class did not want to be bothered. She could not go back and ask them about it, not until the fortress was secure, and it could be years before she was able to travel at leisure.

The wind had been dying down as she theorized, and Dalibor dozed. He stirred quietly when the doors opened and the crews swarmed the craft. The tone of the voices did not indicate an emergency. The mechanics’ voices were firm and conveyed a desire to get the courier on her way in good form, and the airmen’s voices were sharper, almost like the calls of hunting hawks eager to be loosed on the sky.

~=*=~

Dalibor woke from his sleep, sharply but without outward sign, when the clear weather bell rang in the distance, likely near the barracks. Aware of his surroundings, he also felt Dafi’s hand still on his. The tremor was gone, and he enjoyed the sensation of a woman holding his hand voluntarily. She withdrew into herself when the doors of the hangar opened for the crew, and he put his arm around her, the only comfort he could offer until they were sure they were on their way.

Listening to the voices around them, Dal identified the captain by the responses to orders, and the crew chief for the base. The others moved in and out of range until there was an extended clanging that was the opening of the hangar doors, and the short scrape of the gondola lifting in the cradle as the lifting chambers were brought up to pressure. The chant of the ground crew accompanied the slight sensation of movement as they hauled the Meltem out to the lift-yard. Then the crew chief advised the captain of clearance, and the captain signaled his readiness for flight. The sharp double-clang of the clamps releasing and the cradle landing on its iron wheels followed by the stomach-sinking sensation of rapid ascent was the last he heard from the yard.

When the engines fired, roaring to life, he murmured in Dafi’s ear, “Dat vas a good, clean lift. Hyu hokay?” He felt the movement of her head nodding in the affirmative, but she did not say anything. Dal guessed she might still be fighting her fears or her stomach. He was glad he had remembered to exchange the strong sausages and cheese for the oat-based ration bars when they repacked. He would miss the delicacies, but it would make the trip more comfortable for her.

“Dey vill belike keep you awake for hours for debrief ven ve get dhere. T’ink hyu can schleep?” After a few moments, came a slow nod, and he settled her on his shoulder.

He leaned his head back against the back of the bin, listening to the crew. The navigator was having to re-chart their course enroute, because instead of a rendezvous at Sibiu, the Castle’s heading from Budapest was more southerly than expected. Frowning in concentration, the coordinates filtered through his memory. The new intersect course would take them to the northeastern corner of the Movila territory, and within a few day’s cruise for the Castle Wulfenbach of the capital city of Moviloraş. Dal resisted the urge to pound his head on the side of the bin. He could not stay out of the duchy, it seemed.

~=*=~

Dafi had not intended to sleep, but the instincts from when she had to switch duty schedules kicked in, with the illusion of safety that Dal provided.

The dream began with the excitement of a new day. Her family was going on a trip! Papa and Mama were invited to visit Papa’s soo-peer-ear officer and they got to go in an airship! They had a room tinier than her bunk-room to share for the trip, but Captain, the officer in charge of the ship only wanted them there to sleep. There were many others on the ship with them, all sorts of soldiers and civvies, all going to the Bear’s birthday party! Once her tummy settled, Trandafira was allowed to play in a little space of the lounge where she whirled and twirled like the Mevlev soldiers, balancing her doll on her head like their swords.

She stumbled when the ship shook all over. Mama grabbed her hand, and started running for their little cubby, but the smelly man was in the way. Mama hid Trandafira’s face in her shoulder, and kept running. There were lots of people screaming and shouting. the ship lurched again and Mama fell! They were sliding, and falling and suddenly, Trandafira looked down at her feet dangling over the clouds. Mama screamed at someone, “Take care of her!” but Mama’s voice was fading quickly. The strong grip on her wrist became a hug, “Hy got hyu, is hokay. Shh...” She couldn’t see anything of the fighting she could hear behind her, only the endless field of fluffy white clouds...

Dafi woke, her face wet again with tears. Dalibor was murmuring in her ear, “Hy got hyu, iatagandraga. Ve is hokay. Shh....”

The similarity shocked her, startling her into whispered speech. “It was when Mama died, when the pirates raided the airship.” She reached up to rub at her eyes and found Dal holding a handkerchief there for her. “I had forgotten, buried it.” Speaking the words did not stop the tears, but at least she understood them now. “They did not take the ship, just my mother...” Dafi buried her head in his shoulder, as best she could at the angle they were sitting, and stifled her sniffles with the handkerchief.

It just kept pouring out, with the realization that with Father gone, she was alone. There was nothing left between her and the world, with only the training her father and commanding officer gave her to guide her, and her position to isolate her further. Her ruthless suppression of her grief was only partly because of the mission. She had no idea how to grieve, because she only remembered numbness in the year after her mother fell from the airship to her death. The only token Father had kept was her ring - it had been flattened slightly, but it had helped identify her, along with her boots and jacket.

She took what comfort she could now, because when the ship landed, there was a good chance she would lose Dal as well. When the greater part of her emotional storm had passed, she attempted to breathe normally, but did not withdraw from him. “There was a Jäger there, he caught me as we fell out of the hole in the hull.”

“Hy know... Hy... I remember.” Dalibor’s voice was quiet, the Mechanicsburg accent dropping away, replaced by cultured cadences. “I am sorry I could not catch you both.”

Flight or Fight, Chapter 14

Waking just before dawn, Dafi remained curled up in Dal’s lap, taking just a few moments for herself. The dreams she had were nonsense, but at least she did not have the nightmare again.

She finally gave in when Dalibor rumbled, “Ve oughta get ha orly schtart, ja?”

“Mm.” She got up away from the window, and began putting the rest of her uniform together.

“Hyu hokay?”

“Somewhere inside is a little brat throwing a tantrum because she cannot have what she wants, but I can keep her from showing up in public and embarrassing you.” Dafi’s voice was light, but strained.

“Hy dunno, schould I spank her if she do show up?” Dal’s grin was teasing.

Dafi tossed his uniform jacket at his head. “Like to see you try, mister.”

He caught it, grinning. “Hyu is soch a flirt.”

After a quick breakfast, Eliezer gave Dafi her  a collection of the ten oldest tales that he had  documented, in one of his scholarly research books. "Always good to have something to read."

“Thank you, I look forward to when I can call you professor.”

They slipped out the back of the shop, with directions to the Baron’s Gate. Officially, the gates would not open until an hour after dawn, to give the watch good light to guard by. Dafi hoped they could leave earlier, if only to keep the spies from delaying them any longer.

When they reached the gate, the guard was already on alert. Checking the papers, the officer on duty nodded. “Glad you were early risers, Captain warned us you were coming, but not when. Only thing this road goes to is the courier station, and we haven’t had anyone else come through.”

“How far to de station?” Dalibor asked.

“Half a day’s march, standard time.” The gate officer noted their passage in the log, with the time blank. “If you push a little, you might make the midday run, if the weather holds.”

Dafi nodded, and thanked him. Once outside the gates, she started on a faster speed than the standard march.

When they were out of earshot of the gate, Dal asked, “Goin’ a bit fast, Dafi? Hy don’t mind, but vot abou hyu?”

Her voice was tight, “He did not mention the weather on a whim. After living in the mountains most of my life, I can smell it - there is a heavy rain on the wind.”

Dal raised his head and inhaled, “Ho, ja - ist goin’ to be close.”

The skies darkened as they marched, and the wind picked up when they were in sight of the station, howling around the peaks. Dafi noted the courier ships were being closed up in their hangars as the two of them reached the complex. The guards at the gate made note of their credentials, and one of their number was dispatched to escort them to the station commander.

Comandor Ioan Lungu was a double-decade veteran, and one did not get that far in a military career without a few cautions. He also carefully checked their credentials before dismissing the guard. Once the door was closed, he said, “There’s quite a few people that have been asking for news of you, Dama. Not all of them have the need to know about you, though.”

“Has there been any word from Adreev?” Dafi asked.

“Nothing that makes sense. Heliographs from there are being fumbled, on a regular basis. Only the most mundane of very basic, routine messages is being sent in the clear.” Lungu raised an eyebrow. “Seems as if someone is trying very hard to let us know something is wrong, without actually reporting it.”

“It most likely means that my people are still in the tower, but they are being watched.” Dafi frowned. “I would have to see the specific errors in the messages to be sure. Alternately, if they have untrained personnel in the tower, the routine messages going clear means someone knows very little of what they are doing.”

The comandor nodded, “Figured it was something like that. For the time being, we can keep you under wraps, until we can deliver you to the Castle. Right now, it’s not a huge issue - we’re socked in. No ships or messages in or out in this weather. These autumn storms blow in, and we never know how long we’ll be grounded. I can pretty much see from the sky report that we’ll be closed in until nightfall, at least.”

“How much warning will we get that the next courier can get out?”

“Sometimes, not more than a half-hour, so even though we can give you bunk space, don’t unpack completely. The station is going to busy for the next hour, with the weather change and the new shift coming on duty. To be honest, the fewer people that see you, the less I worry, Dama.”

“Hyu t’ink hyu got ha mole?”

Lungu shook his head, “Not on staff, but this is an open site. The staff can go into town when the weather permits, and we get townies up to the heliograph office.”

“Hm,” Dal exchanged a look with Dafi, flicking his eyes to a Mustafa-Svilin certification on the wall before he said, “Ve might need a chair beside da door.”

Dafi raised an eyebrow, but showed no other sign of her surprise at Dalibor using one of the old codes for the Bergrisar. She turned to the station commander to see his reaction.

“I think we have one with three legs,” Comandor Lungu responded.

“What kind of cover can we get from the heliograph office, and can we send out some bits of disinformation?” Dafi asked, making a hand-signal of recognition.

“It could take a little bit of shuffling, but we can keep you out of sight of most of the front desk crew. There’s a few messages we can send as smoke screen for you, once the towers are clear, both once the fog lifts, and when you’re in transit.” he scratched his chin. “If the two of you don’t mind, I think I’d better bunk you in my quarters. My predecessor had childer, and their rooms have been made over to guest rooms. That keeps you from having to use the barracks facilities, and out of sight for the most part. We’ve done this before, especially with mixed courier pairs, so it won’t excite a lot of attention. Just as well, there’s no room in either of the barracks, with the crews that got grounded by the storm.” He had been writing orders, and passed it to Dafi. “Anything else you want to add to the messages?”

She read it over, and shook her head. “Anything else can wait for official debriefing. We have at least six hours before any possible break in the storm, you said.”

The comandor nodded, “Helio reports ahead of the storm gave us the pattern, with the instruments we have here. There’s a chance of a break at nightfall, but more likely tomorrow.” Lungu shrugged, “Autumn in the mountains, you never know. This blow could ground the airships for six to seventy hours.“

She nodded, “Sounds like the weather back home, when there is not someone meddling with it.”

He stood, motioning them to gather their packs, “Ayah, since this is normal weather for around here, we’ve got stout, tight buildings, and a good cook,” He dropped the orders in his yeoman’s outgoing message tray as they exited the office, turning further down the hall, away from the bustle of the base battening down for the storm. “... and if you overlook some of the shelves, a pretty fair library for a military post.”

“I grew up in the fortress,” Dafi chuckled, ”I likely know which shelves you do not think are appropriate for a lady.”

Dalibor chuckled, and Comandor Lungu raised an eyebrow as they reached the officers’ residential section. “Ah, I didn’t say they weren’t for ladies, which would be true, but you being a veteran, you won’t be shocked. Just sayin’ that some of them aren’t written as good as others.”

~=*=~

Supper in the comandor’s quarters could have been horrible for Dafi, but thankfully, Lungu’s rooms were nothing like her father’s. Apparently, the command here changed over about once a decade, as it was not a feudalist holding, built after the town and county were established. Dafi could see the benefits of the system here, but until she was released from her oaths by the Baron, she still would uphold her responsibilities.

The only unpleasant part of the evening was that the officer was a smoker, and had a taste for the horrid blend of weeds airmen tended to bring back with them after patrolling the Mediterranean. Dafi sat opposite the fireplace from him, having discovered that the chimney drew well and the draft took most of the smoke with it. It may have been the favored spot for the previous commander’s spouse, as the chair on that side was intended for someone with a petite frame. Dafi was almost too tall for the delicate wingback, but she was the only one of the three who could fit in it.

Reading the reports of the heliograph problems noted in Adreev’s messages, she nodded. “The mistakes are part of our internal code. It means Peynirci is probably still in charge of the helio tower.” She kept her voice steady, but was relieved. “He was one of the patrol with me at the academy, but not one of the... supper club?” She raised an eyebrow to the others.

Dalibor looked up from his section of the reports, and nodded. “He dos goot mit de coding, making many mistakes bot only t’ree consistent-like.”

“Yes, the ones for ‘duress’ and ‘traitor’ didn’t get noted in the helio occurrence reports, probably because none of them were academy.” Lungu puffed on his pipe a moment, “Old Sarge Etxarte loved rambling on about the Roman codes, glad to see I wasn’t the only one to stay awake in his classes.”

“The third one is from Madame Sabões’s class on genealogy,” Dafi said. “It means ‘heir missing, presumed alive’ which I hope to keep as accurate until I can report in.”

There was a knock on the door, and Lungu crossed to open it, rather than bid them come in. Dafi had noted the room was arranged to be defensible by one person when they entered earlier. Now it made eavesdropping on the conversation difficult. She frowned, but then caught Dal winking at her, as he made the signal for silence. When the station commander returned, he handed another two reports to Dafi. “Helio’s socked in by fog, now. Looks by the weather that we have another day before this lets up, by the models. That second one is the last message from the south before the storm.”

She scanned it quickly, then read it again, carefully. “Ah. Peynirci is still in control, but just barely. I think... I will need to add another message, to be sent after we depart. But the content will possibly change between now and then. Still, considering the unpredictable weather, we should sleep while we can.”

“Hyu go on, comander, Hy got forst watch.” Dal stood, stretching. “Vun uf us chould be avake in case dere's enough uf a break in de veadder for launch.”

Dafi tilted her eyebrow at his thickening accent, but nodded. “Regular shifts, then. Goodnight, sir, sergeant.” She went to the guest room, and cognizant of the vagaries of mountain storms, she only took off her boots and jacket to prepare for bed.

She was not quite ready for sleep, so stretched out on the bunk with the night-lantern lit, and began reading the book Eliezer had gifted her. If it was dry scholarship, it might help her nod off.

~=*=~

Dalibor knew how little sleep Dafi had gotten the night before, if only because he had been awake for most of the night himself. After seeing her to the door, he returned to his spot on the hearthrug. He was good for another eight hours, if needed, but would wake her in four, to keep her from being angry.

Lungu finished his pipe, and began the process of cleaning it, as carefully as one would clean a firearm. “Didn’t know there were any Jägermonstern at Mustafa-Svilin.”

Dal chuckled, “Dere veren' - it vas chust Svilin ven Hy vas dere.”

That stopped Lungu’s hands, just long enough to telegraph his surprise. “Hm. You were one of the founders of the Bergrisar?”

“Na, Hy vas dere  mebbe... fifty or so years after dat? Long enough dat dere vere legacy members chowink up. Zum uf de founder's children vere faculty by den.” Dalibor kept his eyes on the fire, watching the comandor with his peripheral vision.

“And did the Heterodyne know he got a peace-monger in with the rest of his monsters?”

“Pfft. Teach hyu granfa to chew cheese, heh? Jägermonstern kin be schneaky if needs be.”

The comandor completed his pipe maintenance in silence, before he quietly asked, “You were around for the Six, then?”

Dal frowned, still looking into the fire. “Hy vas.”

“My granfa was a powder monkey as a lad on the Elektra. Ever since I was a baby, I heard the story of the coded message that saved his ship, and his life. I got to the academy, and learned more of the story. One of the common pastimes when I was there was trying to figure out who of us were helping out where in history.”

“Ho! Dat could hef been hennybody, hyu know how lots uf pipple vere on both sides back den.” Dalibor shrugged, as if it were no big deal.

“I’ve wondered if I’d ever get the chance to thank their grandsons for the chance to live, and it’s probably lost to history. But it’s why I sponsored my nieces to the academy, in case they have what it takes to pay it forward.” Lungu slowly rose, stretching and yawning. “Ah well, sack-time for me. Kettle and tea in that cabinet, if you need, and the drinking water is in the jug. Good hunting, sergeant.”

Dalibor waited until the comandor closed the door behind him to murmur “you are welcome, lad.”

~=*=~

When Dal woke her, the book was on the shelf, though she knew she dozed off while reading. The story was good, but the week had been wearying on her. That, and the nightmares had returned.

Dal was holding her again, as he had at the inn, murmuring, “Ist de nightmare, vake op, iatagandraga...”

This time, it was easier for her to pull out of sleep, murmuring, “hrm, awake... not loud?”

“Nah, I vos list’n for de cues.” He waited until she was aware before he murmured quietly, “De ensign at de door last night vas chust a keed, und had ha local acceent. Comander told him ve vere couriers, nut needing special officer treatment.”

Dafi slid her legs out from under the covers, but not yet reaching for her boots,  asked quietly, “You are keeping your accent for the practice?”

He sat beside her on the bunk, “Aye - ist for de best, ja?”

“I think so.” Another thing she would not need to hear was how melodious his voice was when he spoke in his own tounge. It was as enticing as waking up with him. “You sleep, I’ll wake you when they bring breakfast.” Leaving her boots, she retrieved the book to read in the parlor.

~=*=~

After the first day, with the wind still whistling around the windows, Dafi had finished Not-Professor Bârsănescu’s book between shifts of sleeping to catch up on her rest.

The book was well written, not falling too far into either the writing style of the entertaining tale-spinner or the dry academic. Traditional Third Son stories, according to Eliezer’s brief introduction, started appearing approximately in the early 1600's. Also, they started in the Movila duchy, and spread out from there. The next century saw the spread of the tales into the other districts of Europa. With the appearance of the Heterodyne Boys and the Baron's rise to power, stories similar to the Third Son began to crop up all over the empire. If a neighboring duchy had such tales, they were quickly adopted into the story cycle.

As she read through the stories, she began to see why Eliezer’s work might have caught someone’s attention. There were references to historical documents that tied back to the earliest appearance of a tale with the analysis of what effect the Third Son had on the politics of the area.

By the end of the book, Dafi was on fire to know more. She did not think she would find her dagger in her pillow, as she had no intention to publish, but it was dangerous territory. There were high-ranking nobles, and some with connections to the Fifty Families that were not presented in a flattering light by these tales. The ones in the groschenroman that she had found so far were whitewashed, the names of the nobility not mentioned, but now that she had the clues, she thought it would be possible to puzzle out which families were being satirized as the cause of the problems Third Son had to solve. Dafi considered what she knew so far, and thought there might be more here, close to Movila, than anywhere but the Baron’s personal library. Considering her odds of gaining access to either, she thought it best to strike while the iron was hot.

While the storm raged on at breakfast that morning, Dafi asked for directions to the library.

Lungu rubbed his chin, considering. “Hm, shift starts in about an hour, so about a half-hour after that, the corridors between here and there should be mostly empty. I’ll give you a pass for the library, but take one of the clipboards by the door with you. With one of those and a purposeful walk, you’re less likely to be stopped.”

Dafi and Dal both chuckled over that age-old dodge, and Dal spoke up. “Hy tink Hy'll schtay here, de base iz secure enough, but if ve are seen togedder, dere's more pipple who might be curious, ne?”

“Good thought. What arms are usually carried off duty, sir?”

“Not much, though your rank would allow boot-knives. I can’t really comment on what I can’t see, though.” Lungu shrugged and finished his tea. “I’ll write a pass for you to carry with you to the library, but I’ll also let the captain know you are coming”

~=*=~

Dafi had taken Lungu’s warning to heart. After he had left, she rummaged through her pack for her wrist sheaths and had forgone the boot-knives. It would not do to be give the gossips an easy tell like that. Dalibor played batman for her, making sure her jacket was properly brushed and her boots polished before letting her leave the quarters.

The library was easy to find, and normally would have had light coming in the narrow slit windows. But the storm had kept the skies dark, necessitating the lamps to be lit. At home, there had been just a few electric lamps, but here there were dozens, making the reading room bright without danger of fire. She marveled for a moment, thinking it would be grand to update the map room at Adreev. Then she remembered she would not be able to ask her father about the renovation. It was with a muted sadness that she turned to seek out the librarian.

The base library had the expected extensive and lovingly-catalogued smut collection behind the captain’s desk. The captain turned out to be a very strict-looking older lady, who wore the insignia of the Heliolux. Her manner brightened considerably when Dafi asked for the local history records section.

“Oh, yes - we cover this and the neighboring duchies.” She gave Dafi a smile with the barest wink. “Have to know which family jewels you’re kicking, after all.” She guided Dafi to a table, and pointed out the shelves. “Prahova is here, then in order by the stations. These have to stay in the library, but this cabinet has foolscap and pencils for your notes. I will be at the desk if you need any help.”

Dafi thanked the captain, and when the officer had returned to her station, Dafi turned to the Movila shelf.

Flight or Fight, Chapter 13

The next act was played out in the public foyer and on the steps of the watch house. Dal and Dafi were given a stern lecture by the desk sergeant, “...and mind what I told you about allowin’ the peace officers to do their job, it’s what we’re there for, ye ken? You and your lot take care of the bigger things, but we take care of the town. Ye’r looking so far off ye can’t see where you step, ne? Now be off with you!” The sergeant, who did not leave any doubt in the loitering listeners that he meant business with that scolding, shooed them out of of the foyer, giving the impression that - in his eighth decade or no - he would have been leading Dalibor out by his ear, could he have reached it.

On the steps, the sergeant’s second gave them directions, with much pointing, to the market square, and the traveller’s inn there.

Unofficially, they already had their directions before they left the interrogation room. The captain paused before the map of the city, “The only reason my sister has been able to work at that tavern is the number of staff there that have siblings on the watch or in service means it’s less likely that they get hit with attacks like tonight. That means the boys we have here were either desperate or stupid to have pulled their stunt tonight. We will be holding on to this set, but there is a very good chance you’ll still be followed.” The captain pointed out the route to the meeting place. “Your path to the rendezvous will take you towards the market square, but there’s going to be an arch just before the square. The oil is going to conveniently run out in the lamp there just before you reach it. The phrase you want to hear is ‘Ioan has a long beard’, which is the signal that it is my sister, and not another batch of bully-boys. She’s going to lead you from there.”

“Dot  is nut a phrase hyu use often iz’t?” Dal asked. He suppressed any outward reaction other than professional curiosity.

“No,” the captain chuckled. “First time I’ve heard it, actually. Crina’s idea.” 

Dafi nodded, “So it isn’t likely to have been co-opted. Good. Thank you, captain.”

~=*=~

Had they not had the warning, Dafi would have tried to made a detour around the arch in the old town wall when the lamp ahead of them went out. As it was, she still took care to display a slight bit of caution while approaching. Internally, she was deeply aware there could still be another attack here, and was actively searching the shadows as much as she could without showing it. Walking on the left side of the street, as the captain had instructed, she clearly heard the quiet murmur as they walked under the arch. It was the proper phrase, with a young woman’s voice. Dafi gave the response, in a similarly quiet murmur, “As the son wills it.”

There was the sound of a door opening to their left as they passed it, and a beckoning “hist!” by the same young voice from the darkness.

Though her caution was screaming at her, Dafi moved into the dark doorway, her dagger hidden in her coat-sleeve. It could still be a trap.

Her fears were allayed by the the lantern being unshuttered after the door closed behind them. Dafi recognized the young girl barring the door after them as the one she had been defending when the thugs had made their move. The barmaid spoke, in hushed tones, “I’m Crina, please come away.” She motioned them to follow her, down the narrow hall within the wall. A few yards away, she opened the door to another small room. “Sorry about the subterfuge, but we wanted to make sure they lost you. We’ll need to go down for the next bit, but sound carries in the sewers, so we won’t be able to talk there.”

Dal groaned, but Dafi was the one to ask, “The sewers? The gangs watch the streets that much?”

Crina shrugged, “Yeah, I know. No worries, though. We haven’t had any monsters loose in the sewers for years, and the aqueduct engineers make sure none move in.” She lit another lantern, one meant to illuminate one’s path by reflecting the light downward, but not give away one’s position, because of the red glass that made up the bottom of the lantern. she blew out the other light in the room. “We’ll take a few moments to let our eyes adjust, but this is mostly to make sure there’s no lights coming up from the drainage grates to give us away.”

“Schmot gurl.” Dalibor’s eyes and grin were the only things reflected in the dim red light.

“It worries me that you know this sort of thing already, Crina” Dafi was more than worried, it spoke that there was a need for the legal peace keepers to keep their movements secret from those on the street. 

“We send reports, but I guess they aren’t taken seriously, because for every three thugs we throw back over the border, another patrol seems to move in.” Crina sighed.

Dafi delayed, still somewhat dazzled by the earlier lantern. “How long has this been a problem?”

“It hasn’t been really bad until about eight years ago, according to my brother. For me, it’s been dicey for as long as I’ve been paying attention.” The girl confirmed her young age with a shrug. “I can remember noticing when late night meetings of the watch started at the house, but not what they were saying. Ready to go?” At their nod, she unbolted the door in the floor. “From here until we get to the shop, sound is going to carry really far, so we need to not talk, right?”

Descending into the sewers was not the noisome problem Dafi had feared. Yes, there was some effluent stench involved, but no more than a properly-maintained latrine trench in a disciplined army camp would have. That seemed to be the difference - maintenance. Without the monsters, the crews could make sure the tunnels were in proper condition and that wastes moved out of the town in appropriate fashion. She considered asking for the loan of an engineer or two, when she got back to the fortress. A system like this meant the springs and wells would not be fouled, and important point for a military outpost.

~=*=~

The trip in the sewers was not as long as the trek from the Wanderer’s Gate to the tavern, but longer than the walk from the tavern to the watch house. Crina led the way up, into an alley behind what seemed to be shops, by the markings Dalibor could make out on the bins near them. The girl lead them a few doors down from the drain hatch, to a place that smelled of paper and glue. A quiet tap on the door, and it swung open silently.

The low night-lamp inside revealed the workshop of a book-binder, and an elderly man with hands that marked him as the binder and a scholar as well. He bowed, “I am Eliezer Bârsănescu. Welcome to my home and hearth. I have a room ready for you, if you will follow me?” He led them through the small bookshop at the front, to the stairs up to the living quarters above.

Dalibor noted the titles of many of the books in the shop were Third Son stories, and mentally winced. He hoped Dafi did not notice them, but it was a faint hope, dashed when Dafi asked, “The stores of the Third Son sell well here?”

The old man chuckled, “Better than anything without him in them.”

Crina chimed in, “He could talk your ear off about them, given half a chance.”

Dalibor sighed inwardly as Dafi asked “Why are they so popular here?”

“Ah, now - that is the interesting part of the tales.” The old man crossed the main room of the living area to open the door to a bedroom. “Many years ago, I was afire to know that myself. I know part of the appeal, but -” he shrugged, “It is a long story. I do have some wine to go with the tale-spinning, if you are willing to hear it.”

~=*=~

Dafi knew this was a sore subject for Dal, but it seemed impolite to not share a glass with their host before bed. “Perhaps we have a bit of time.”

Crina shook her head, “I’ve heard it before, and oughta be home soon, so I’m off. Thank you again for the rescue, Commander. I’ll lock up as I leave.” With a bow of respect, she returned to the ground floor.

Eliezer nodded, and collected three glasses and a bottle of wine, bringing them to the table in the main living area. “I did not start out as a tale-spinner, but that is what keeps the taxes paid.” He poured for all three, and saluted their health before continuing. “When I went away to university, I had intended to read in History, but found out just how many historical ‘facts’ are less true than many granny-tales.” 

“Are you a professor, as well?” Dafi asked, sipping her wine.

“Ach, no - I did not get far enough to even consider studying for my vivaes. You see, I kept digging for the truth, where no-one wanted it exhumed.” He chuckled. “Small university out here in the wilds, they don’t want to call attention to themselves, because it might involve working for their grants.”

Dal chuckled, but Dafi was just a bit annoyed. “They denied you the right to continue?”

“No, I left on my own.” Eliezer shook his head, sadly. “In my younger days, I had the fire of a zealot for the truth in all things. One of them was uncovering the truth behind local legends. I’d done some preliminary research into the history of our local tales. The deeper I got into the early tales, the darker they became. You look at the modern tales of the Third Son, and they are gay romps through fantastical environs. Earlier versions of the tales, the ones that you find told in the remote mountain villages, tell of darker doings. True enough, it was a much more brutal time, but there were hints here and there that the family members that survived the nine were not good people.” Here, the old man paused, and took a sip of his wine. “Then one morning I woke up with a note pinned to the headboard of my bed with my own dagger, warning me that some tales were better left untold.” He sighed, shaking his head again. “I am a scholar, and though I might be bold on paper, I am not a particularly brave man, physically. I left the university that week.”

She frowned, looking to Dalibor. His expression might have been calm to others, but she noted a twitch in his jaw that suggested to her he was trying to not grind his teeth. His voice was calm as he asked, “Hyu schtopped digging, but kept printing?”

“Oh, it was almost two decades before I went near the tales again. No, I wrote for the university presses, the sort of things that they appreciate. But there are only so many dry and bloodless analysis of drinking songs or battle histories one can produce before being bored to death. Then I started re-reading my university notes, and re-worked the story of the Dancing Princes to something for children, to help with the schoolteacher here.” He chuckled, “She appreciated the effort, and asked for more. Turns out I had the knack for getting boys who would rather be playing guard-and-bandit to actually sit and read.”

That got a quiet laugh from his audience, and Dafi asked, “Not everything in the shop downstairs is for children, though?”

“Na, na - that’s mostly the tourist shop. Though, when I get a new tale, I can generally sell about a half-dozen copies to the locals. I get some in from publishers to the north and east, any of them that are shipped around Movilă instead of through.” Eliezer rubbed the side of his nose, “Then again, some of them are newer than that.”

Dal raised an eyebrow, curious, “Newer talez? Who writez ’em?”

“I do,” the old man admitted, grinning as Dalibor facepalmed. “I started writing my own tales, but they sell better with a popular character. The one that sells the best if the favorite local hero. It took me years to get to the point of reprinting any of the traditional Third Son stories. After the first one was on the shelves for a year, selling well, and I still had not been threatened in my bed again, I added another. Maybe one or two a year, and still no warning, I began to relax. After all, I was not publishing what I’d found as history, just as granny-tales. I began to believe that as long as I stuck to flights of fancy, I was safe, and so far, I have been. After a few years with reprinting the traditional tales, I started adding my own, and actually making money at it.” He shrugged, “I felt bad at first, using the hero that way, but since I started making a profit, half of it goes to the Missionary Sisters of Saint Parascheva. I save the rest for emergencies, and my old age, since I have no children.”

“You never married the schoolteacher?” Dafi asked with a small smile.

“At first, it was fear that anyone close to me would be in danger, but later,” he chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, “I guess I got too busy. My nieces and nephews check in on me to make sure I eat and such, especially when I am researching. I still turn out the occasional scholarly tome, and someday, when I’m old,” he grinned, winking, “I might publish that unsavory history treatise.”

“A darink last act uf defiance?” Dal’s eyebrows were high.

The old man nodded, his eyes bright. “There’s a great deal of my thesis that I could publish now without getting into the history, but the longer I live, the more I find out. If you read enough of them, you can see a pattern in the true, original tales. Third Son is always the same, but never named. He is the third son of nine who went to war, but only he returned, and not as he left. A common phrase used is ‘he was changed beyond the ken of his kin.’ It is generally agreed that Third Son is a construct, but what type is never clear, so the stories often leave that part out. Still, I am not yet old, so my magnum opus is still waiting to be written.”

~=*=~

Sometime during the night, Dafi woke from a fitful sleep while Dalibor was still watching the street from the large upholstered chair beside the window. He quietly murmured, “Go back to schleep, Dafi. All is quiet.”

“You need sleep too, Dal.” She slipped from the bed, crossing to him. She had only undressed as far as taking off her outermost layer of her uniform before going to bed, as had he, nervous about a town where the law had to be sneaky to protect its citizens.

He noted she stayed away from the window, out of sight from anyone outside. “Hy will be alright, got a nap.”

She came up behind him, lightly touching his arm. “I cannot sleep. Not well. Not...” She exhaled a long breath, and finally said, “not since... I have to admit that I have come to care for you, and cannot do anything about it.”

“Aye. Hyu are the Dama, and nut free to do as ye might wish.” Dal covered her hand with his. He debated his next response, and settled on, “It vould be different, if hyu were just a soldier.”

She sat on the arm of the chair, leaning her head against his shoulder, and though she was quiet, there was strain in her voice for him to hear her frustration. “I cannot turn back from my duties, there are too many people that would be left to the wolves by the ones next in line, who are too far away to care for them. All I can promise you is a friendship.”

“I will write to you, if that is all we can do.” In his distress, he was forgetting to keep his accent in Mechanicsburg. As upset as she seemed now, Dal felt confessing in full to her would only make the sadness worse for her, but he could not leave her without something. He gave in, just a little bit, to his instinct, and pulled her into his lap. “Sleep, my friend, and we can worry about tomorrow when it comes.”

Flight or Fight, Chapter 12

The warning came just a bit late, Dafi realized. She also knew she really shouldn’t have thrown the beer pitcher, but damn it, these were not soldiers, they were jackals! She was not about to let them prey on the civilians!

As soon as they started dragging her towards the door, Dafi twigged that that this was not a night on the town for these scum. She caught sight of an insignia, improperly hidden by the jerkin worn over the cote of one of her attackers. The crest on the shoulder of the uniforms was of the Duchy of Movila, in subdued embroidery. She wondered if the Duke knew these mercenaries were wearing his colours.

Four of them, she might could take in an unfair fight. First priority was to make it as difficult as possible for them to carry her off. Unfortunately, the largest men of the brawlers were the ones that had grabbed her. Though she struggled fiercely, they had her by her arms and legs and were still able to travel well in spite of her struggles.

They had not blindfolded her, so she was able to note the landmarks as she struggled. They were not headed to the Wanderer’s gate, but other than that, she did not know the town. She thought she should be able to find her way back.

She got a leg loose and managed to kick the other leg carrier in the head hard enough to make him drop her. This section of town did not have as many lamps, and the fountain in the derelict square she managed to stop them in was dry. There were no curious bystanders, much to her chagrin, but at this point, anyone else showing up was suspect.

 

Kicking furiously, she managed to get herself free, tumbling across the square. Since they had not had time to disarm her, she still had her boot knives. But that was all she had been carrying when they went down to dinner. The full moon was rising over the rooftops, so seeing where her attackers were was not a problem.

The fact that each of them out-massed her by half again was a problem, however. Loose cobbles in the pavement made footing uncertain, and the odds, even if she did fight dirty, were extremely slim. Not that she was giving them the benefit of the proper École de l'Epée rules. They were built like shield-men, but that didn’t mean they weren’t able to fight like gutter-rats.

They did not give her but a few seconds to make these assessments before two of them lunged for her. A quick sidestep for one and a punch to the solar plexus to the other as she danced away made the other two pause. The first wheeled about, grabbing for her hair, and she tumbled out of his way.

Still not using the knives yet, she held them against her forearms. She had no wish to kill, even in defense, but they might not give her the option. Keeping track of the four of them was still possible, and they had not shown they were trained to fight together, yet. Keeping the fountain to her back, she watched the thugs re-evaluate the situation.

~=*=~

Not caring who got in his way, Dalibor ran through the streets, tracking her scent. Wholly giving himself over to the instincts to hunt, he ignored the cries of dismay as he plowed through the busy crowd in the pub district.

As the scent of her led him away from the crowds into the warehouse district, he growled. Ten years ago this was a bustling business area, but now there were derelict buildings and broken street lamps. The scents of decay mingled with boiled cabbage, rank water and a thread of opium smoke, but the other scents were merely pushed away in his tracking of her.

~=*=~

Dafi’s awareness narrowed to recognition of movement and the patterns they followed. From there her conscious mind focused solely on the estimation of possible next moves, dropping anything that did not involve getting out of this fight alive. Seconds stretched endlessly in her view as she dropped into her tactical analysis battle mindset.

The first one she had kicked was still gathering his wits, but the fact that he was getting up after a boot to the head meant she could be dealing with boneheaded muscle, or perhaps enhanced soldiers. For all their braggart's ways in the tavern, they were deadly silent now. The group had worked together before, if the half-formed hand signals were any indication. One was still getting his breath back from the punch to the gut, leaving two still on their feet and unfazed.

She moved, feinting a dash back for the street, and gauging the speed at which she was blocked. Good, they were heavy fighters, but not augmented, so she would not be dealing with inhuman speed.

Slipping sideways, she managed to connect with her boot to one knee, and the grunt of pain was satisfying, but there was no crunch behind it. They were wearing light armor under the uniforms? No, not all of them had it, but somebody had thought to wear cuisse and greaves under their trous. Damn.

The opening moves testing the defenses on both sides completed, the thought that her father would be disappointed in her if she should die in a street fight ran through her mind as she dodged another attack, alerted by the scrape of boot-sole on cobblestone. The two she had counted coup on earlier were beginning to get their feet back under them when she rushed the closest of them in a move normally learned on the rugby pitch rather than the drill field. Driving her shoulder into his stomach before he was fully on his feet, she was able to make him stumble on a hole left by a missing cobble. The crack of his head hitting the pavers was satisfying enough, but she could not stop to check - the other three were rushing her in point formation. She scrambled and rolled under the feet of another, pausing only long enough to drive the heel of her boot up. Her target twisted at the last moment, so she hit his hip instead of something more damaging, but the force of her kick left him off balance, and tumbling.

Unfortunately, the pause was enough for one of the others to get a grip on her hair. Hissing at the pain as he jerked her head back, she pulled back her elbow sharply, connecting with his ribcage, but the angle was not enough to cause satisfying damage. However, it was enough for him to loosen his grip on her braids, and she jerked free, hairpins flying. Rolling across the abandoned square gained her room to move again.

The one she had dropped on his head still hadn’t gotten up, but the one she had kicked in the hip was limping away. If she could not get out of this before he brought reinforcements, she was lost. She had trouble enough with the two that remained, as it was.

~=*=~

 

 Dalibor had just made the turn into a darkened alley when he caught the movement at the other end of the block. A drunk, staggering home, would not be in this district, and the dream-smoke houses were behind him. Running at top speed, he clotheslined the lone man before his light footsteps could echo.

Even in the dim light, the uniform was right, and the scent was dead on. Slamming the man up against the stone wall, Dalibor hissed, “Where iz she?”

The answer was a sleeve-knife, wielded under the cover of drunken flailing. Dalibor’s grip shifted to the throat of Dafi’s assailant, until the man passed out. His instincts screaming at him to drop the thug and keep tracking, Dalibor took a few seconds to secure the man, but he did not waste time looking for a peace officer to hand him over. Demons driving him, he ran, tracking her again.   

~=*=~

With their numbers halved, the thugs pressed her harder. Circling her, one would try to harry her into the attack of the other. She refused the invitations, slipping out of reach or skipping aside, which seemed to anger them more. When she was able to make one of the thugs forget about the unconscious one behind him, causing him to stumble, the other lunged for her. Unable to fend him off with simple application of force, she had to resort to the knife. Pulling the blade across his abdomen, and up, he was soon more concerned with keeping his innards from hitting the pavement.

The response from the one recovering from his stumble was the first time any had spoken since taking her from the tavern. “I don’t care if they do want you alive, bitch! They can reanimate you for the ceremony!” With that, he pulled out his long-knife - a blade long enough that with his arm length, he would be able to best her reach easily.

~=*=~

Dalibor saw the strike begin as he entered the derelict square, and roared as he sped over the cobbles. There was just enough conscious thought left to keep him from snapping the neck of Dafi’s attacker, but it was a near thing. He switched to a sleeper hold at the last moment, just as the thug swung his fist, steel glittering in the moonlight as his arm arced towards Dal’s neck.

Then Dafi landed a solid kick at the thug’s groin, causing him to drop the knife. The shrill exhalation coupled with Dalibor’s hold made the thug finally fall unconscious, with a chance to live later. Dalibor kept the hold a few moments more, making sure the thug had not played dead to gain an advantage.

However, he dropped the man unceremoniously when Dafi spoke, “Dal? I think that’s enough.”

“Nut for vot he tried to do to you,” He resisted the urge to kick the unconscious lump. Turning swiftly to her, “Are you hurt?”

“I think I might have strained some muscles, trying to keep at least one alive for questioning. One got away, and...” She sounded tired, but in control, and her voice only wavered when she admitted, “I think I might have mis-stepped with one of them...”

A fight with four street-toughs turned soldiers and she’s worried that she might have killed one of them? Dalibor gave in to his instincts and swept her up in an embrace. “Hyu’re  zafe, dot’z all dot metterz.”

He held her as tightly as he could without injuring her, carefully gauging his strength against hers. His conscious mind nearly made him release her when she squeaked in surprise, but it lost the argument when she returned the embrace just as fiercely. 

He reluctantly eased his grip on her, “Ve must secure de rats, ne?”

“Yes, We should.” She was slow to let go of him, as well.

The discovery that the one of the quartet that Dafi has to use her knife on had not quite expired caused some consternation until the patrol caught up with them. The city watch thankfully had a medic with them, who nodded at the wound description. “Sure, and this one will live to see tomorrow, but not be back to duty, I think. Let’s go, boys.” He and the stretcher bearers took off at a trot, leaving the rest of the patrol to mop up the rest.

The sergeant of the patrol interviewed Dafi on the sequence of events, while his second went over the particulars with Dal, both of them well outside earshot of the others in the patrol, standing guard over the two that were slowly regaining consciousness.

Dalibor spoke carefully, “Hy caught vun of dem a few streets over, same uniform und scent, knocked him out ven he pulled a sleeve knife on me.”

The second nodded, “Thought that might have been you. We got him, and they’re all headed for lockup tonight.” He looked a little nervous when he continued, “We need to get you all back to the station-house, because the sergeant will want the captain to take your statements, too.”

Dal lowered his voice, “Hyu gots more trouble than just some boyz gettin’ outta hand, ja?”

“Can’t say for sure, sir. Sergeant Valobos might defer to the captain on that .”

~=*=~

Dafi turned over her knives for inspection to the sergeant of the patrol, who secured them in an evidence wrap. “I’m afraid that’s all I know, sergeant.”

“Yes, ma’am. However, knife fights in the streets have a specific protocol. We will have to take you back to the station-house, have your statements reviewed by the captain and validated by the registrar. More than that we will find out from the captain.” His eyes darted over to the two sitting on the cobblestones. “We may need to take care of some other issues on the way. We should get moving, though.”

Dafi felt Dalibor looming over her shoulder as the sergeant’s second joined them. “Preliminary reports completed here, sir?”

“Aye. Those two able to walk?”

“Well enough.” The second seemed to pause a moment, “Sir, the commander and her sergeant were staying at my uncle’s tavern...”

“Yes, I know.” Valobos nodded. “We’ve got enough here to have three on each of the participants, let’s go.”

Marching order worked out, with the sergeant making one of the three escorting Dafi, she murmured, “We gave our word to attend the captain, but this means you don’t get accused of favoritism?”

“Too right, ma’am.” Valobos also kept his voice low. “One of the things we will have to do is stop at the tavern. Just because you made it out of this attempt doesn’t mean this is the end of it. Ionnesceu will take them on to the station, but we have to make a show of escorting you and your goods out of the tavern.”

Dalibor rumbled, just within the sergeant’s hearing, “You expect another attack on the tavern?”

“I’d like to keep the fire watch bored tonight, yeah. If you are publicly escorted out, there’s no call for untoward accidents.”

Upon reaching the tavern that is exactly what happened, but Dafi refused the refund the innkeeper offered. “You need to replace at least three beer pitchers due to my actions.” In an undertone, she added, “Check with the city armorer if they can make shield trays for the girls?”

The innkeeper nodded gravely, “As such, all balances are paid, no damages to follow. Thank you, commander.”

~=*=~

Once everyone was recorded in the incident book, Dafi and Dal were escorted to the Interview Room. Blank walls, no windows and a single door made it too much like a cell for Dalibor to be comfortable, but he did manage to refrain from pacing.

A medic arrived, performing a cursory medical examination of them both, documenting and treating what few injuries they had from the fight. When questioned, he shook his head, “I’ve not got leave to release any information, other than the captain should be here shortly.”

When the captain finally did arrive, it was with a corpsman and a tea tray. Once the corpsman had left the room, the captain had offered tea, and began speaking first to Dafi. “There are several things I am glad to have seen tonight. First, the man you sliced is stable, and in the lockdown infirmary here. The number of witnesses reporting you were abducted outnumber the few unreliable non-residents who tried to say you went willingly.” Returning her knives to her, he stated, “The knife-fight was within the rules of self-defense, but you are officially warned to not get in such a situation again.”

He referred to the reports in front of him. “There are papers with the four that are from the next duchy over that say they are looking for an escaped sanatorium patient. These papers seem to superficially describe you, but do not name you specifically. The level of white lung those papers say the patient has would be highly contagious, but I’ve seen people that sick. Yes, they can look fine, but not at the exertion level you have demonstrated tonight. That was the reason for the examination. Our medic has been able to confirm you are not the patient they seek.”

He then turned to Dalibor, “Sergeant, we did find the soldier’s knife, marking you as the one attacked in the alleyway, and you did report the incident as soon as you were able to find a peace officer. Therefore, no charges are to be filed by the city. I doubt your attacker will sue, considering the charges the city will be filing against the four aggressors.”

Then addressing them both, “This is the official line. You have been warned to keep the peace for the duration of your stay, and released on your own recognizance.” He sighed, and then spoke in a different tone. “This is not the only incident we have had with this type of soldiers from across the border. However, this one was large enough we can finally limit their movements in town. For that you have my professional appreciation. On another level, you also have my personal gratitude. My half-sister works in the tavern where you were attacked. As such, I’d like to offer you the hospitality of my family. This is not as Captain, but as a son of my house.”

Dafi was the first to speak, “Honored as we are by your offer, I would rather not put your house in danger, what with the warning we had for the tavern.”

The captain nodded, “Much as I would like to make a statement with a torchlight procession, we are still not able to note where the spies are here. My sister would be able to lead you through some... unorthodox paths to the house of our cousin, a scholar who lives by the Baron’s Gate, which was your stated destination when you entered the Wanderer’s Gate this afternoon.”

She looked to Dalibor, eyebrow arched in question. He considered a moment before giving a slight nod. “Thank you, captain. We would be honored to receive the hospitality of your house.”

Flight or Fight, Chapter 11

It was still early afternoon, not long after the crew had sung the short railway Nones office, when the train hit a steeper grade. Dafi looked up from the last of the books, Third Son and the Waffle Wolves of Wallonia, glad to leave off reading in the middle of the batter battle. Dal woke from his half-doze about the same time as she asked, “Should we make ready?”

The conductor shook his head, “Not for a little while. We have to go in the header first, then back into the spot where we can drop you off.”

“I will take my leave of you at the first pause,” the youngest bowed, stiffly. His wince told Dafi he was still in pain from the beating that morning. “Switching the rails over as we traverse, and... since I am unwell, it could take a bit.” He raised an eyebrow at the conductor.

“Ah, that it could, that it could,” the conductor chuckled. “We are all moving a bit slower today.” He addressed Dafi, “It might only be an extra hour or so, but if you are able for mountain trails, the next town is just a couple of kilometers away, across the ridge. So we will get to town a little after sundown.”

“If anyone is looking for you on the train, they will meet us at the abbey,” Lucian said, scanning ahead through his spyglass. “That way, you will be able to get into town without being harassed, perhaps.”

“Look here,” the young flagman sat on the bin across from them and pointed out the window to the switchback tracks. Dafi noted they travelled up the steep side of the ridge and slightly to the east. “I will be getting off the track when we stop the first time, to operate the switch,” he said, pointing to the steps cut into the cliff-face. “You will get off there when the train stops the second time,” and he pointed to the end of the first switchback, near the tree-line.

The conductor handed her a map from the file, “I cannot let you keep that, but take a look at the topography of the ridge there. The circles here and here  are where the bandit camps were. They’ve been removed, but you never know what might decide to den up there before winter.”

Dalibor leaned over her shoulder, to get a better view of the map, and Dafi had to concentrate to keep her focus on the map. He rumbled, “De schlope on de odder side iz not az schteep. Vhy doez de train go op de cliff?”

“The rail line needs a more stable base than the surveyors found on the other side of the ridge. This side is solid rock, the other is mostly gravel and soil. Horrible from the surveyor’s point-of-view, but usable for the old western trade road, here.” The conductor pointed out the road on the map.

“It also has good tree-cover. That’s why the bandits liked it.” The young monk was retying his boots, making ready for his exit point. “The first reverse stop is over a small drop-off, and there is a goat-track going over the shoulder from about that point.” He stood, stomping his feet to check his work, “It’s no walk in a pleasure garden, that’s for sure, but the Baron’s mountain patrols call it a ‘moderate’ trek,” he said took a shoulder-bag from another cabinet. Then he gave them both a blessing for soldiers.

The flagman’s words of taking leave seemed to be directed to the group in general, “Remember, you can't straighten the world with just your shoulder, Onorat Spătar. You also need a place to stand,” then he left by the rear exit.

“What was that last bit about?” Dafi asked, answered only by the shrugs of the others.

~=*=~

Dalibor winced inwardly at the youngster’s parting shot. Probably deserved, the way he outed the young man’s Moviloraş accent earlier in the day. And it was also a reminder to keep his head down. Speaking of which... “How schould ve exit for bezt coverage, brodderz?”

Brother Lucian, still scanning the area with the spyglass, answered, “There is a bit of a curve to the tracks, following the outward curve of the cliff-face. If you exit on the outside stair, and follow alongside the tracks behind the train, then climb down behind the barricade, you should be hidden from any vantage points in the cars. The trail passes just downhill from that, and I do not think the climb down would be a problem for either of you.”

The time-keeper handed over a scrap of paper, “Here is the rough report on the places to look for statistical data on the unrest.” Dafi took it and slipped it in her pocket, handing the keys to the storage bins to him. “If there is any chance you can get that to the attention of those who can *do* something about the problem, that will also give you the document locations for more information.” He unlocked the bin with their gear, and helped them unload. Dal did not miss the fact that the time-keeper had slipped the books in Dafi’s pack.

As the train slowed, the elder monk said, “I should make another pass through the train, and be in the passenger cars about the same time you debark. I will pray for your safe travels.” He also blessed them before leaving.

Brother Lucian, still scanning the train and the cliff-face with his spyglass, murmured, “You may want to sit in the floor near the back as we reverse. There are a few heads popping out of windows.” He put the spyglass down, and smiled at Dafi, “Write to me at the abbey, and let me know where you land for Christmastide, or if you need sanctuary again. It has been too long since we talked, and this was not a good trip for it.” Then the brother gave a neutral nod to Dal with an even gaze.

Dal had the oddest feeling that he was being sized up, but not as an enemy. Something in the back of his head nagged him that it felt like being evaluated as a potential suitor by a young lady’s older sibling. Nah, he told himself he was imagining things, it was just wishful thinking. The animal instinct was getting sneaky.

~=*=~

After all the skulduggery, leaving the train proved to be rather simple, and anti-climactic. Dafi found that after a day on the train, it was a relief to cross the ridge, and hear only birdsong. She supposed that Lucian must be used to the noise, or deaf to it.

The goat track was not a difficult trail at all, the late autumn day was temperate with light breezes, and the mid-afternoon sunshine through the trees tugged briefly at her half-forgotten memories of sketching and watercolour while at the Academy. She stretched her legs, picking up the pace a bit, unaware she was humming under her breath until she heard the harmony to the old folk song being hummed behind her. Dafi chuckled as she realized it was the same song Dal had sung during the jump from the airship.

As they came within sight the road, the track widened, and she adjusted her stride to walk beside him. “For all our plans of avoiding contact with people, we keep ending up in the company of others.” That did not quite sound right to her after she said it, but she continued. “No help for it in the next town, since it covers all routes through the pass.”

Dal grunted, “Goot reazon for it, too. Dis iz vun of de few pazzez low enough to be uzed year-round. Ontil de airschipz vere zafe enough for crozzing de rangez, dis vaz a major  choke-point for de armiez. Now, it’z moztly de traderz, traveling schowz und de Rom dot uze de roadz.” He pointed off the road to a clearing visible through the trees, “... und before de Mazterz schtarted cleaning tingz op, dis vaz a prime hunting ground for de ratz.”

From their higher vantage point, Dafi saw it was not so much a clearing as a crater, roughly about the size of a football pitch. The thing that was the most frightening was not the destruction, but how sharply the destruction left off from scorched earth to virgin forest. Knowing that the targets were likely bandits did not alleviate her shiver at the precision. The use of such weapons was rare, but the fact that those weapons were under the chain of command of the Baron brought home the thought that he was forced to make difficult decisions for the greatest good.  

She was silent as they passed near the bare circle, climbing over felled trees. There were signs the forest was reclaiming this ground, but it would likely not be used for an overnighting spot in this generation. The travelling families she knew near the fortress avoided battle-stained grounds, saying the unquiet spirits of those slain in strife tried to pass their bad luck off to the living. It was too far from the road and too close to the town to be a legitimate campsite, as well.

Indeed, the smoke from the town’s chimneys was smudging the sky just above the trees in the distance once they gained the road. “How long has it been since you have been through this town?” Dafi asked as she strode towards the town.

Dal settled into an easy pace beside her. “Ho, dis vun vaz only about ten yearz ago. De road goez to de Vanderer’z Gate, juzt pazt de kumpania groundz.”

That did not sound good. “They do  not allow the Rom in the town?” That could mean trouble for any travellers.

He laughed and shook his head “Not enough room for de kumpaniaz to overnight, inzide de vallz, und dhey don’t much care for de pricez inzide, eidder. Na, de town keepz de forezt down for about a hundred meterz avay from de vallz, to make vatching for banditz eazier. De kumpaniaz get to schtay dhere for free, zame az de travelling schowz, az long az dhey don’t leave a mezz.”

“Prices inside the walls high last time you were here?” They had such good luck up to now, she hoped it would hold out a little longer.

“Meh, about vot hyu’d find in any town on a trade route. Ve can get an idea about bezt placez for zoldierz from de gate guardz, maybe.” He looked down at her, “Ve going in vith our real facez, or schould ve be zumbody elze?”

Dafi chuckled, “Why, did you have to leave town suddenly? Something that doesn’t have a statute of limitations on it?”

“Hah! No, not for me. Und ve are juzt schtaying overnight, headed out to de air schtation op de ridge in de morning.” Dal nodded, “schort und to de point, zo dot if dhey zeparate uz for de interview, ve both giff de zame answerz.”

Dafi blinked, and realized she had not even thought about the guard cross-checking their information. “Just in case, the rest of the story. We can’t really tell them we were on the train, because then they would ask why we left the train before town. So... we were recently re-assigned, but are not yet on duty?”

“Zoundz about right. Ve vere lazt at...” He closed his eyes a moment, “Iasonescu Pazz. Dot’z de fortrezz at de odder end of de road. Qviet, de main job dhere iz guarding de accezz to de convent hermitage, zo dot explainz you high rank vithout you femily tiez.” He tapped the rank tabs on her shoulder. “Hyu haff to report to de Baron, Hy’m juzt along for de guard duty. Dot might keep anyvun from delaying uz.”

She nodded, “Asking at the gate for an overnight bivouac recommendation lets them know we are not planning to meet anyone, maybe.” She was a little out of practice with being diversionary from the traveller’s side of the question. Her last stint as a gate-guard was three years ago, and that was as a commander, for a spot that was a second line of defense for the fortress. Realizing that they had to hide who they were from guards that were carrying out their sworn duty, though they likely would not stand in the way, Dafi rationalized that they were not intending harm to the town. Being devious made her head hurt.

~=*=~

Dalibor waited to hear any further thoughts she had on the procedure to use at the gate, but Dafi fell quiet, and settled into an easy-going pace that still moved quickly.

His last trip through town had also been a single overnight, with a road inspection patrol. They had not had any trouble then, but that was with a full patrol. Mixed courier pairs were not unknown, but they also were not all that common. Letting the guard know she had been on the hermitage guard duty could either get them the safest bunk in town, or sent to a bordello. Hopefully, the issue would not come up.

~=*=~

“What was all that muttering with the captain?” Dafi asked as they entered the early evening traffic streaming past the Wanderer’s gate.

Dalibor shrugged, figuring it was safe enough to tell her now, “Hy vaz making sure dhey vere zending uz to a nize plaze, inschtead of a cathouze.”

“Excuse me?”

He chuckled, “Hyu got two reactionz from zumbody juzt off hermitage duty. Zum vant a plaze for qviet contemplation. Mozt of dhem are ready to prove dhey ain’t ready to tek vowz.”

He wondered if that shocked look she was giving him meant he had crossed the line, until she asked, “You mean they will take non-guild freelancers in the bordellos here?”

He laughed, and she giggled with him as they headed down the street to the inn. The  lamp-lighters were out in this section, as the light faded from the sky, so that meant it was at least expected they would not be beset by the footpads that preferred shadow. Besides, any pickpocket who tried for one of the Jägerkin as a mark was either that good or that insane.

When they came to the place, it was a matter of moments to find the innkeeper and arrange for a bivouac. The place smelled clean, which might have disappointed some of his brothers-in-arms, but meant a better place for Dafi to sleep. It was a small room, with an east-facing window, and had been cleaned before they arrived, so he nodded to Dafi. She took care of the haggling, while he stood grinning behind her.

“You did not need to frighten them into giving us local guardsman rates,” she murmured to him as they sat in the public room, waiting for their evening meal to be served.

“Hy vaz not threatening dhem, Hy juzt schmiled.” he responded. She raised an eyebrow at him and sniffed. It made him chortle, “Juzt being de friendly zort, kommender.”

The rest of the clientele was giving them a respectful distance. He did not think they were so much fearful, as just staying out of their way. The uniforms helped, as did the fact that though they were travel-worn, they were clean. So the townies were thinking the two of them were on duty - all to the good. Tomorrow morning, they would be out of the place as early as they woke.

Dalibor was about to broach the subject quietly with Dafi as they finished their meal, when a group of obviously drunk soldiers rolled in. The uniforms were not of the town, or the duchy. From the reactions of the barmaids, this crew of louts were entirely unwelcome to them, but they were not permitted to throw them out, even when entering the bar belligerently.

Another oddity - either these boys couldn’t hold their liquor, or they were on something else. Yes, there was a good deal of beer spilled on them, but their sweat did not smell as if they had been drinking, certainly not enough to be that roaring drunk. Dal began to smell a set-up.

He managed to get Dafi standing, and headed to the stairs, when the one with the most rank decorations shouted, “Me an’ the boys are here to get laid!”

Dafi nearly stopped, but Dal had her by the arm, blocking the line-of-sight between her and the soldiers. “Keep moofing. Zumting iz wrong about dhem,” he muttered as they threaded their way across the room, and not hurrying.

The innkeeper blustered, pointing out that the bordellos were in the next district over, and the ranking one backhanded him, “Women in a drinking place are corrupt, so they’re all whores!” Then he grabbed the nearest barmaid.

The beer pitcher smashing into the lout’s head had come from behind Dal, and he glanced back long enough to see Dafi grabbing another. Then he turned his attention to the fight she had started. From the barmaid’s reaction, these guys were fair game, but there were a few others wading in on the side of the soldiers.

He was just beginning to enjoy the fight, when the tone changed. He realized Dafi was no longer at his back, but was pulling one lout off the youngest serving girl. Dal shifted his tactics to get back to her, just as four of the “drunks” grabbed her. A corridor opened up in the fight and they hauled her out. The rest of the soldiers and their allies turned their focus to him.

He could not drop into berzerker mode while there were civilians involved, but he did stop pulling his punches. Some idiot tried beaning him with one of the few intact beer pitchers left, but did not dodge the shard Dal returned to him.

Finally, he gained the door, only to have it blocked by another double-patrol of soldiers. Dal was just able to recognize the city guard uniforms, and pull up short before he plowed through them. Instead, he was able to shout, “Dhey took her! Did hyu zee dhem?”

The delay as the innkeeper and barmaids vetted him as a legitimate guest made him want to howl, but the captain of the town guard caught on quick enough. “Go! We’ll mop up here and follow!”

Finally, he burst out into the street, “HY HUNT!”