A Pride of Gryphons Read online

  “We’re going to have a feast tonight!” Tatiana grabbed the pole with buckets balanced on either end. “There’s a recruiter from the mercenary company visiting, so they’re making a special dinner. I bet everyone will dress up. Please, can you help?”

  Sveta sighed again, louder, but she picked up a bucket and followed her daughter to the nearby creek. “You’re not leaving me to join this band of killers,” she said firmly.

  Tatiana had been trying to avoid bringing up the old argument, but she wasn’t going to let her mother get the last word in. “Let’s just listen to what he has to say.”

  Even working together, it took two trips to fill the big pot with water, and then a long wait for it to boil over the fire outside. At last they carried the hot water indoors and poured it into the wooden tub. They washed quickly, one after the other, before the water could cool. Tatiana felt raw from the scrubbing on her tender, sunburned skin, but in the end it was better to be clean. The linen of her nice dress was soft to the touch.

  Finally, Sveta patiently worked the tangles out of her daughter’s long hair, plaited it in two braids, and wrapped them around her head like a crown. There was no mirror to see the final effect, but Sveta promised that she looked very pretty.

  By the time they were ready, it was growing dark, and loud voices were coming from the village square. Tatiana urged her mother to hurry as they walked to the gathering.

  ***

  The residents of Helyma had put a lot of effort into looking nice for the impromptu feast. Wreaths of flowers and ribbons decorated the nearby buildings as well as the hair of the other young women. Tantalizing smells from the cooking filled the air. Tables lined the village square, full of delicious food from roasted vegetables to fried squid, and several young men wrestled a cask of wine into place.

  Sveta elbowed Tatiana in the ribs and nodded at the young men. “Say hello,” she whispered in a harsh tone. “They’ll never notice you if you never talk to them.”

  Tatiana turned her face away, knowing that the bright red blush on her cheeks would show even under the sunburn. She didn’t need the young men to notice her—she already stood out too much. Her mother wanted her to marry one of them and stay in the village, but even if there was someone she liked, she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life in sleepy little Helyma. She dreamed of adventure.

  The recruiter had a place of honor in the center of the square, next to the huge bonfire which lit up the village in the dimming twilight. The elders were still talking to him, but now there was a growing cluster of eager young men and boys around them, hanging on his every word.

  Sveta was dragging her along to the food tables, but Tatiana was too excited to eat. She pulled out of her mother’s grasp and went to join the circle around the mercenary.

  A boy her age, Philagros, saw her approach and nodded. He stepped to one side to make room next to him. She smiled her thanks and took the spot.

  “Sergeant Yoren,” she overheard one of the elders address the recruiter. “Would you do us the honor of telling us about the battle for the city? We’d love to hear it from someone who was there.”

  Yoren laughed, an unexpected sound from a battle-hardened warrior, but he had a cup of wine in his hand and his casual pose seemed at ease. “Then you’d have to ask one of the marewing riders,” he said with a shake of his head. “None of the infantry were actually there. The riders took the city by surprise, flying over the walls and taking control of the guns.”

  Philagros leaned closer. “Did they fire the guns back on the city?”

  Yoren shook his head. “No, we didn’t want to hurt the innocent people in the city—we were trying to save them from the evil cult.” He looked around at his growing audience, then shrugged. “Well, I guess I’d better start from the beginning. I did get to hear a lot of the details afterward.”

  The entire village gathered around him, falling silent to listen to the tale.

  Tatiana scrambled to find a seat nearby. She could see over the heads of most people, but she wanted to catch every word the recruiter said. She’d heard the story half a dozen times already in the months since it happened—every trader and bard who passed through the region had a version, embellished with details from the people they’d heard it from or their own imaginations. But an actual member of the Storm Petrels was the closest she could get to being there herself.

  Yoren described the circumstances leading up to the fight and the battle itself in simple terms, lacking the storytelling skills of a bard, but he had insights into the soldiers’ tactics that no one else had. He explained that the duchess, Korinna, wasn’t even supposed to be in the crucial battle. She’d only just captured her marewing, Sungold, and Galenos had left her behind in the fort with the other new riders to stay safely out of the action. But she’d flown into the thick of the battle anyway—and good thing, because she’d been crucial in saving the day when all the other marewings were captured by stranglevine.

  Tatiana closed her eyes, trying to picture the scene. She’d never seen a marewing or a stranglevine, hadn’t even been to a big city like Kyratia’s capital, but all of the stories helped bring them to life. Korinna was like a hero out of legend, striking back against tyrannical leaders and wyld magic to save the common people. The stories also said that she ruled as an equal partner with her husband, Galenos, and both were kind and fair, working to rebuild the city. How thrilling that heroes like them were around in her own lifetime!

  Her mother broke the vision, sitting down next to her and nudging a heavy plate into her hands. “You didn’t get any food.” She poked Tatiana in the ribs. “You’re too skinny to work all day and not eat anything. Finish your supper and then we can go talk to our friends.”

  Tatiana took the plate of food, muttering her thanks, and took a few bites before she tried to speak. She couldn’t bicker about petty things with her mother if she wanted to win the most important argument of her life. But when the plate was half empty, she pointed at Sergeant Yoren, who was describing the mercenaries’ duties in peace time, like guarding the borders and fighting monsters.

  “They do so much good, Mama,” she said, using her childhood term of endearment. “Listen to him. It’s not just about killing, it’s protecting people. Why can’t I do something that would help everyone?”

  Sveta patted her arm. “There’s so many other things you could do,” she said, puffing up with a mother’s pride. “The new duke has promised to pass a new law that allows immigrants like us to become full citizens, and then you’d be free to go to a school or apprentice to a guild or anything you wanted to do. I know getting married and starting a family doesn’t seem exciting enough for you, but think of the other possibilities. You could do more than fight, Tati.”

  The childish nickname prickled at Tatiana, but she pushed down her annoyance and tried to explain it calmly. “I’m too old to be accepted as a student or an apprentice. I’m not a child anymore.” She gestured at herself. “Besides, what skills do I have to learn a trade? I’m big and strong. That makes me good at the Athletic Games, which isn’t a way to earn a living, and fighting.” She put her plate down on the ground and seized her mother’s left hand. “Please, Mama. This is my dream. Can’t you at least let me try?”

  Sveta put down her plate and covered Tatiana’s hands with her right hand. She looked into her daughter’s eyes, sorrow plain on her face, but she smiled. “Maybe just for a year. If you don’t like it, then you can come back here.”

  Tatiana squealed happily, not caring that others turned their heads toward her at the sudden noise, and threw her arms around her mother. “Oh, thank you, thank you!”

  They put away their dirty dishes and joined the line of families who were waiting to speak with Sergeant Yoren about recruitment. It took a long time since everyone had a lot of questions, but half an hour later, it was finally their turn.

  Sergeant Yoren smiled at Tatiana directly, since they were the same height, then looked down to address Sveta. “
We’re always happy to accept young women, and we guarantee fair and equal treatment. There will be a physical test tomorrow morning to make the selection, and you will be judged the same as the young men. We have a lot of interest this year, but I’m afraid there’s a limited number of spots available for new recruits, so I have to be selective.”

  Sveta laughed, short and forced, as if the sergeant had told her a bad joke. “Oh, I’m not worried about that. My daughter could pick up almost any man in this village and throw him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.” She patted Tatiana’s shoulder, who was hunching over in embarrassment at her mother’s exaggerated praise. “What I wanted to know is if she can join on a trial basis to see what it’s like.”

  Yoren nodded, his expression turning serious. “Yes.” He pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket. “The standard contract is for two years, after the first six months of basic training, and then it’s her choice if she wants to renew for another two years or leave. By law, we hold one half of her wages until retirement, but her room, board, and gear are all covered by the company as long as she’s with us.” He glanced up at Tatiana. “There’s also rules you’d have to follow, and breaking them could result in you being discharged, or if you got too injured or pregnant.”

  Tatiana shifted under his gaze nervously. “Do I give the marewing back when I leave?”

  Yoren frowned. “You don’t get a marewing just for joining,” he said emphatically. “Everyone joins as infantry, that means you fight on foot. Each year, a few candidates are chosen for additional training to try catching a marewing, but most don’t succeed. I want to point out that the odds are very slim. Nine-tenths of our fighting force is on the ground.” He cleared his throat. “Riders also sign a contract for the life of their marewing—on average, thirty years.”

  Tatiana froze, but Sveta sighed with relief. “Well, you’ll just fight as a foot soldier for a couple of years, and then you’ll come home with a nice bit of money, right?” She put her arm around her daughter in a reassuring hug. “This isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

  Tatiana bent down and whispered in her mother’s ear, “But I wanted to be a rider. If they choose me, I have to try.”

  Sveta glanced up at her sharply. “Wait and see how you like the company first. Don’t jump into some kind of lifelong commitment before you know what you’re getting into.” She looked down at the ground. “It’s just as big of a decision as choosing to marry someone.”

  Tatiana stiffened. Her mother didn’t like to speak about her father, but she knew that the marriage had been arranged by their families and Sveta hadn’t been happy in their old life. When pressed, she said only that her husband’s death was a small blessing, granting them freedom. Even though they’d had to move to another land and rely on the kindness of strangers to get back on their feet, Sveta felt that they were better off now, and she’d never accepted the chance to remarry, although a few of their neighbors had offered.

  If Tatiana left, her mother would have nothing but a small house alone. This was the cost of pursuing her dream. Her mother had sacrificed everything to take care of her and she would abandon her.

  She turned back to Yoren. “I get paid, but I won’t need the money because you’ll take care of me?” She looked at him expectantly, and he nodded. “So can I send the money back here to my mother?”

  “Minus the half in your savings, by law,” Yoren said with another nod. “I admit that the arrangement doesn’t seem fair, but the Temple on the Mountain says anyone who fights can’t have ties to a specific place or group of people, so you’re not supposed to have a family or own land. But legally, that only counts your dependents—spouses and children.” He smiled thinly. “Many of our soldiers are fighting to support parents or other relatives.”

  Tatiana had been raised in the Deyonist religion with the villagers, but she didn’t understand why they had religious taboos against soldiers. Of course, war was bad, but how did it prevent wars if cities couldn’t have their own armies? Instead they contracted their fighting to independent companies of mercenaries, recruited from across the land and, frequently, from immigrants who lacked other opportunities. Most of the restrictions fell on the soldiers themselves—they couldn’t have anything of their own, even half their pay.

  “I don’t need your money,” Sveta protested. “You should save all of it for when you retire, so you don’t have to fight for too long. I predict that after a few months of a hard soldier’s life, you’ll be longing to settle down in a peaceful village and have babies.”

  Yoren laughed. “That’s true of most of our members,” he said with a rueful grin. He jerked a thumb at himself. “Old career soldiers like me are rare. People always ask if it’s because the others die before they get to my age, but the truth is, most of them earn just enough to have a better life and get out. We have to keep recruiting to make up for our high turnover rate.”

  Tatiana laughed along with the recruiter and her mother, but she didn’t say anything. Even if she never got a marewing of her own, she knew this was what she wanted to do. Maybe someday she’d be like Yoren, an old sergeant who traveled around and recruited new fighters, telling the tales of exploits by her heroes. At least she would be closer to them and helping in her own small way. She couldn’t be as great as Korinna, but she could serve her. That was still worth dreaming about.

  Yoren told them where to meet him in the morning for the physical test, and then moved on to the next family’s questions. Tatiana followed her mother away from the sergeant to talk with their friends and neighbors for the rest of the night. She was one step closer to her dream. Tomorrow, she would see if her mother would finally let her go.

  ***

  At dawn the next morning, Tatiana and the other would-be recruits met Yoren in an open field outside the village. She was surprised to see not only a large number of sixteen-year-old boys but also three other girls her age. She didn’t know until now just how many of Helyma’s residents shared her dream. The story last night must have inspired them, too.

  She wasn’t surprised to see Philagros there, already stretching to warm up. She often competed against him in the Athletic Games and he was the only one in their village tall enough to beat her in the marathon. She gave him a friendly wave before starting her own warmup routine.

  The physical test was easy for her, as her mother had predicted. Yoren watched them run, lift cords of wood, balance on one foot, and several other trivial exercises. He measured their heights, asked about previous illnesses or other health problems, and questioned each one about their reasons for joining the company.

  Although Tatiana passed all of the other tests, the sergeant hesitated when he asked her about her motivations. He reminded her again that she had only a slim chance of becoming a marewing rider and fighting in the infantry was far less glamorous. But by the end of the conversation, she convinced him that she truly wanted to join for the right reasons and he would accept her.

  Yoren whittled down the numbers of potentials throughout the process, and by the end of his selection, there were only six recruit hopefuls left. Four boys including Philagros, one of the other girls, and Tatiana.

  Yoren asked each of them to consult with their families a final time before he allowed them to sign the contract. “You’re legally adults and can make this decision for yourselves. But I don’t feel comfortable taking you from homes where you will be missed too much. The Storm Petrels don’t want to deal with any accusations of kidnapping.”

  Sveta had come along with Tatiana and watched the whole process, so she went over to her mother. She hugged her excitedly. “He’s willing to take me! You’re really going to let me do this?”

  Sveta smiled and hugged her daughter back. “I’m going to miss you so much,” she said softly. She pulled back and touched Tatiana’s face. “But I know how much this means to you. I don’t want to stand in the way of your dream.”

  “Thank you.” Tatiana brought her mother with her to Yore
n, who was waiting with his contract. Sveta watched as Tatiana signed her name in one corner of the empty space at the bottom.

  The others came back with their own parents and signed. Some of them had small bags slung across their backs, carrying a few personal belongings, but many like Tatiana had only their work clothes and the sandals on their feet. Yoren had warned them in advance that they’d get new uniforms at the fort and the barracks didn’t have a lot of space to store things, so she’d chosen to leave it all at home with her mother.

  When everyone was ready, Sergeant Yoren’s demeanor suddenly changed. “Fall in line, recruits! From now on, I am your commanding officer and you will follow my orders. All I want to hear out of you is ‘yes, sir’ and ‘no, sir’. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, sir!” Tatiana answered with the other recruits.

  “Good. Now, march!”

  Yoren had to show them how to assemble into formation and march in time with one another. They weren’t allowed to talk as they marched. Tatiana, with her long legs, had to shorten her gait to keep in step with the other recruits and found their progress frustratingly slow.

  It would have been faster to take a boat down the coast to Fort Ropytos, the main station for the Storm Petrels, and in fact, Yoren had sailed up to visit Helyma at the far northern end of Kyratia. But he still had many other villages and towns to visit between there and the fort, stopping anywhere he thought he could recruit other young men and women to fill the quota for his training unit. He told them that learning to follow orders, to march in unison, and to set up and tear down camp at each stop along the road was the first part of their training.

  Tatiana had only been passing acquaintances with the others from Helyma, but now that they were recruits together, the six of them banded together for the sake of familiarity. Philagros was the only one she’d known well before, but now Hemnon, Aetes, and Thymotes all treated her like a friend, too. All of them had wanted to join the mercenaries for a long time and they were excited about fulfilling their lifelong dream.