Part 9 (1/2)
Ross's head lowered as Gordon spoke. He tried to allow himself to be rea.s.sured, but his despair only increased. Ashe really was good, a near miracle worker to the minds of their Dominionite allies, but comrades had died despite him, men and women who would have lived had they had a real doctor or a proper hospital in which he could treat them. The same lack could all too easily kill Eveleen Riordan within the next few hours or days.
The partisans started again with the first light, not slackening pace even when they entered the highlands once more, nor did they halt a second time until they were within their home camp.
Ross waited only long enough to see that his wounded were settled before going to Luroc to make his report.
As was his wont, the Ton did not interrupt his war captain during his account, nor did he speak at once after it was completed. Murdock had left little for him to question, and, in truth, he would have been loath to press for further detail now even had he wanted it. The warrior looked totally spent.
The agent was sitting in his usual place. His head was lowered, and his shoulders were uncharacteristically bowed with the weight of his weariness and with something that was akin to defeat. ”I brought you a costly victory,” he said suddenly after a long pause, speaking with apparent difficulty. ”We have eleven slain and forty wounded, twenty-four of them seriously even-if Eveleeni proves not to be so. Those are the heaviest casualties we've suffered since taking to these mountains.”
The gray eyes seemed utterly stripped of life when he raised them. ”I should have guessed what that convoy would do and allowed for it in my planning. It was the very course I myself would've followed had I been in their place. If you no longer want me as your commander, I'll resign...”
”Do not be a fool! Do you imagine yourself Life's Queen's equal that you should ever be able to read the minds of men? You succeed quite often enough in doing it, or in seeming to do so.”
I Loran looked at him then and sighed. ”Your pardon, Rossin. You have enough riding you without my adding to your burdens.”
Ross compelled himself to straighten. ”You're right. I was being the fool, and yet, I can't but grieve over our losses both personally and because we can so ill afford them. It's a commander's duty to keep such to a minimum, and right now, I can feel only my failure to do that.”
”Without cause, as your own reason must tell you. Naturally, we suffer for those who have gone down, but we must expect losses when we deal with Condor Hall's own warriors rather than with mercenaries. Zanthor has them too filled with tales of the revenge we shall exact upon them and their kin in the event of Confederate victory for it to be otherwise. Your party met with a large number of them and paid the cost of taking them, a cost far lower than might well have been expected.
”As for Eveleeni's fall,” he added shrewdly, ”that was accident, beyond any human controlling. Save that a sword caused it, she could as readily have gone under her deer in the training field or during a supposedly quiet ride.”
The black eyes gentled. ”It is you who gave her a chance at life.”
”That means nothing if...”
”It means everything.”
Ross's head bent once more but raised again in the next moment. ”Thank you for that,” he said quietly.
The Terran gave his companion a wan smile as he literally willed the depression to lift from him. ”You make a strong advocate, Ton Luroc.”
”I must be to argue down so unbending an opponent. Firehand meets with no such condemnation from others as he levels against himself on occasion.”
The pale eyes twinkled now. ”I've heard Luroc I Loran speak as harshly of himself.”
”And have named him a buck's tail to his face! At least, I have never gone so far with you... Ah well, have I not said before that we are both stubborn men?”
The Sapphireholder settled back in his chair. ”No one in Gurnion's camp will be minded to slight you when your latest donation arrives.” He shook his head. ”That convoy was a prize even beyond the gold. Blankets, winter clothing, medical supplies, foods designed to sustain men and beasts in bitter weather-all costly material, and much of it is not readily procurable. Zanthor will be hard pressed to a.s.semble another s.h.i.+pment like it in any reasonable time, and all the while, he will be galled by the knowledge that he will have no better guarantee of getting it through to his army when he does put it together than he did with this first lot.”
”He must try.” Murdock sat forward. ”I've been thinking, Ton. Suggest to Ton I Carlroc when you next meet that he keep his army at least partially active during the coming winter while the weather permits it at all. Continue striking the invaders, even if just to the extent of annoying them and forcing them to use more of their stores. The more unsettled we can keep them during the winter, the less able they'll be to meet a full a.s.sault come spring.”
”That is sound,” the older man agreed, ”but I want you there to press your argument yourself. We meet in council in a fortnight, and with the crisis coming upon us, Sapphirehold's war commander should be present along with the others, particularly since we now have mercenaries to face as well.”
The Time Agent nodded. ”It would be best to coordinate our efforts as much as possible,” he agreed.
The energy was draining out of Ross again now that their more pressing business was finished, and all the weight he had borne earlier returned to crash his spirit.
He glanced at the door. ”With your leave, Ton Luroc, I'd like to see how Eveleeni's doing...”
”You have my leave to go to bed... No, I try to restrain myself from issuing orders to you, but upon this, I do insist. The call to battle could come again at any moment. You are but poorly fitted to lead warriors now and will be less so in a few hours' time, perhaps incapable of it altogether, if you waste the chance to rest now. Besides,” he added bluntly, ”there is nothing you can do.”
Murdock stiffened.
Luroc half softened, half laughed. ”You do not like to hear that, my Friend, but the truth of it remains all the same... Go to bed. Good news or bad, it will reach you quickly enough when it breaks.”
16.
THE TIME AGENT slept like one dead, and when he did at last awake, he saw by the position and intensity of the light streaming into his room that it was already past noon.
He sat up with an oath. Even normally, there was too much to be done in the aftermath of a raid to permit such squandering of precious time. Now...
He was just pulling on his boots when Gordon's knock announced his presence.
Ross looked up at him a little crossly. ”Have you spy-holed this place?”
”Not at all,” he replied cheerfully. ”I was just glancing through the paperwork on your desk and heard you stirring.”
The war captain's eyes swept his quarters and then returned to his partner. Everything was in its usual place, his gear restored to battle condition, yet Ashe had ridden the same mission with him and had unquestionably spent most or all of last night with the wounded. His strength, or, rather, his staying power, seemed almost superhuman. Still, it could be abused. ”It seems that I've managed to take advantage of you again.”
The other smiled and shook his head. ”Not at all. I'd slept a little the previous night. You'd held the watch.”
The younger man steeled himself. Fear was a burning spear in his heart, although his friend's easy manner rea.s.sured him somewhat. Gordon would surely not be speaking so lightly now if death had claimed any more of the wounded or if its grim shadow lay on Eveleen Riordan. ”Were there any fatalities during the night?”
”No. There won't be now. Even Jorcan is past his crisis.”
”Eveleen?” he asked, unable to restrain himself any longer.
His terror was apparent to the other. Gordon's fingers pressed into his shoulder. ”She's all right, Ross. There's no more danger.”
Murdock's eyes closed. He had braced himself for disaster, but relief threatened to overwhelm him, and it was a moment before he could trust himself to speak. ”Thanks, Gordon,” he whispered.
He drew a deep breath and collected himself. ”She's conscious?”
”Our Lieutenant has been awake over an hour already,” Ashe informed him.
”Why wasn't I called?” he demanded angrily.
”Because, hard as this life can be, I'd prefer not to be severed from it for a while longer. Neither Ton Luroc nor our fair comrade would have looked kindly upon me had I roused you before you'd slept yourself out.”
”She can have visitors?”
”Naturally.” He eyed Ross critically. ”Since this much time has lapsed already, you might want to take a little more to eat and polish yourself up a bit. If you show up looking like you do at the moment, she'll take it that she's definitely not long for the world, whatever my a.s.surances to the contrary, or else she'll think that something awful's happened. Besides, she needs time herself. Marri's still helping her get fixed up.”
Murdock's fear returned in full force. ”What do you mean helping her? What's wrong?”