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what I d paid for. Later she got the gag off and started screaming. Patrollers
showed up ...
Dainyl wanted to shake his head. Why were some indi-gens so stupid and so
ruled by lust? He forced himself to listen to the rest of the witnesses, but
their testimony only fleshed out the basic story.
The majer called back several of the witnesses, and asked more questions,
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mainly, Dainyl suspected, to make certain points to the townspeople who were
listening.
A good two glasses later, much later than Dainyl would have preferred, but he
didn t see that it mattered that much, since he hadn t actually begun his own
opera-tion, the majer summoned the prisoner up before the table.
Sacyrt... the counts against you are as follows. Count one, you were absent
from your appointed place of duty. Count two, you killed a man of Hyalt. Count
three, you assaulted a woman of Hyalt. Count four, you resisted the lawful
authority of the Cadmian forces. Count five, you assaulted and injured a
Cadmian in the course of his duties.
Sacyrt looked impassively at the majer, but said noth-ing.
This court-martial finds you guilty on charges one, three, four, and five. It
finds you not guilty of charge two. When lethal force is used against a man,
he has the right to defend himself with whatever means are at hand. The majer
paused.
The square was silent.
You are hereby sentenced to be flogged, five lashes for count one, ten lashes
for count three, five lashes for count four, and ten lashes for count five.
This sentence will be carried out immediately. Upon completion of the
sentence, you are immediately discharged from the Cad-mian Mounted Rifles,
with loss of all pay and allowances,
and any and all privileges arising from previous service.
Thirty lashes ... near-on kill a man ... muttered one of the locals, loud
enough to hear.
Fair s fair, countered an older woman. Fylena won t work none for a long
time. Never look the same, either. Pretty enough, she was, too.
Filthy mouth, though ...
The murmurs stopped as the majer stood from where he had been seated behind
the small table and walked over to the prisoner. He held something in his
hands, what looked to be a small dagger. The prisoner s eyes fixed on the
dagger, and he turned pale, but the officer merely cut away all the insignia
from Sacyrt s uniform. Then he stepped back and made a half turn.
An undercaptain took two steps forward and reported, Seventeenth Company
stands ready, sir!
Thank you, Undercaptain. Carry out your duties. Majer Mykel about-faced, so
that he looked directly at the statue of the duarches.
Second squad detail, forward!
The five-man detail of second squad marched the pris-oner over to the stone
railing around the statue of the duarches. Dainyl noted that they never untied
his hands, even as they forced him to his knees, bound him to the stone
railing, and gagged him. Then, the five Cadmian es-corts turned as one and
marched to the east of the railing, where they about-faced and came to
attention.
The majer, wearing the crimson armband of blood wrongfully shed, stepped
forward. From somewhere, he had gained a whip, not the execution whip, with
razor-sharp barbs, but a standard Cadmian flogging whip.
Majer Mykel stepped forward. His voice was clear. You have created pain and
suffering, and for that you will receive pain and suffering. May each lash
remind you of your deeds. With each lash may you regret the evils that you
have created. He stepped back and lifted the whip.
The first lash cut lines in the cloth of his tunic; the sec
ond cut even deeper lines in both tunic and undertunic. The third drew blood.
Sacyrt twisted against his bonds, but the gag muffled any noise he might have
made. The majer methodically continued to lash the convicted man, each stroke
identical to the one before.
Dainyl could sense what amounted to three separate feelings of agony yet two
came from the majer.
Finally, the majer straightened. Justice has been done.
Dainyl could sense the strain and the fatigue held in-side the Cadmian
officer. He frowned. He didn t sense much Talent, not nearly what he had
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recalled Majer Mykel showing in Dramur.
Cut him loose, and leave him there, ordered the majer.
The five members of the duty detail stepped forward and cut Sacyrt s bonds,
and ungagged him, lowered his unconscious form on the ground before the
railing.
Cadmians. Dismissed to your commander. Return to quarters, Mykel stated
flatly, handing the bloody whip to the undercaptain.
Yes, sir. The undercaptain turned. Duty detail, break dowh and return all
borrowed equipment. All oth-ers, form up.
The majer half-turned, facing toward Dainyl. His face showed no surprise at
seeing the Submarshal. He began to walk toward Dainyl, who had remained to the
side af-ter the small crowd had dispersed. The Cadmian com-pany on the west
side of the square also remained, as did the squad that had accompanied
Dainyl.
Submarshal, sir. Mykel stiffened.
Dainyl studied the majer. He refrained from nodding. From a distance the majer
showed no Talent, but upon close inspection his shields were obvious. That was
a matter of even greater concern a lander with shields, but that aspect would
have to wait. Dainyl might well need that Talent. I received your report on
Duadi. It was very carefully worded.
Yes, sir. I only reported what I could absolutely verify.
Was it your impression that the unknown troopers were alectors?
That was my impression, sir. One was, for certain. The others were much
farther away, but they looked to be the same size and wore the same uniforms.
The absolute certainty of the majer s words, while ex-pected, still gave
Dainyl a chill within.
What have you done since about those troopers?
I ve had all patrols avoid that area. I wasn t certain whemer they were a new
force or something else. If they are hostile, their weapons would inflict
considerable damage on my battalion.
How considerable, Majer?
Considerable enough that a mounted attack would be suicide. From cover, that
might be another story. I wouldn t wish to try such an attack unless no
alternative is possible.
I wouldn t, either, not with horses. Dainyl laughed. Depending on what
happens later today, I may need you to ride to Tempre with three companies for
a flanking ac-tion. Is Captain Rhystan capable of commanding the re-maining
four companies?
Yes, sir. He s very capable. He would make a good overcaptain or majer. At
the appropriate time, I would recommend that he be promoted.
In the meantime, I would like you to take up a posi-tion behind the hills
immediately to the north and east of the regional alector s compound. Dainyl
studied the ma-jer. Was that from where you observed the rebels?
Generally. The ground was rougher to the west. There were several low bluffs
there.
That s the line of hills.
With how great a force?
What would you suggest, Majer?
That depends on what you want from us.
Perhaps nothing. At most, I would need your men to pick off anyone fleeing
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