The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan
The generals sat, and Taniel was allowed back in his chair. General Ket took the middle seat, scratching furiously at the stub of her missing ear. Her eyes traveled about the tent for a moment and then came to rest on Taniel. She gave a slight shake of her head, like a prison warden denying parole.
“This court-martial is in session,” Ket said. “I will be presiding. As you all know, this is a time of war. In such cases, Adran military law allows us to proceed with a drumhead court-martial. No prosecutor or defensive council was consulted. An investigation was carried out swiftly and privately over the course of the last seven days, and now, according to Adran military law, we will determine guilt and sentencing.”
Taniel heard the tent flap at the back of the room part, and the sounds of the camp outside grew momentarily louder before the flap was closed again.
A frown passed over Ket’s face at what she saw. Taniel thought about turning around, but Ket was still speaking.
“We’ve lost eight miles of ground and over three thousand men over the last seven days due directly to the chaos caused by Captain Taniel and his proclamation that Field Marshal Tamas is still alive, and that the General Staff is in league with the enemy. Captain Taniel is accused of fomenting rebellion among the ranks. The charge: treason. Does the accused enter a plea?”
“Not guilty,” Taniel said. He knew the customs of the court. This was standard procedure – or at least, that’s what Colonel Etan had told him, and Etan had studied military law at the university. Taniel couldn’t help the feeling, however, that everything was going to go against him.
General Ket went on to read another dozen charges, including insubordination and assaulting a superior officer. Taniel responded with “not guilty” to every charge.
There was a clink of silverware behind him, and General Ket scowled. Taniel turned around to find Mihali passing out small plates to everyone sitting in the back – even to the provosts. Mihali came to the front with a stack of plates balanced on his arm and began to set them on the general’s table.
“Provosts,” Ket said, “remove this man.”
“Oh, it’s just refreshments,” Mihali scolded, bringing a plate to Taniel. “Wine cake sprinkled with chocolate shavings and a touch of pepper powder. There will be hot coffee outside after the court-martial.” His back to the generals, Mihali winked at Taniel.
None of the provosts had responded to Ket’s command. They were too busy eating.
Taniel couldn’t quite muster the strength to smile. He took a proffered slice of cake and tasted a bite, his chains clinking, and found it absolutely perfect. When everyone had finished, Mihali gathered the plates and retreated to the back of the tent.
Ket’s cake remained untouched. “The investigation has concluded and the evidence has been presented to the judges, each of whom has made his or her own private determination. On the charge of treason, how do we find?”
“Guilty.”
“Not guilty,” General Hilanska said.
Ket stared into Taniel’s eyes. “Guilty.”
“Guilty.”
“Guilty.”
Taniel felt as if the bottom of his stomach had dropped out.
Ket went on. “By a majority, the defendant is found guilty of treason. The court-martial has reached its verdict. The penalty for treason is death by firing squad.”
“That won’t work on a powder mage,” Mihali said helpfully from somewhere in the back.
“Silence in the court!” Ket pounded her gavel on the table.
“I’m not allowed to speak for myself?” Taniel demanded. “To address these idiotic charges?”
Ket sneered. “Were you or were you not given a full briefing by Colonel Etan on how a wartime court-martial is carried out?”
“I was.”
“Then you’ll know that you are not permitted to speak. Another outburst like that and I’ll have you removed.”
Taniel bit his tongue. Removed from his own trial? This was a load of buggery!
“In the case of a powder mage,” Ket said, “the execution will be carried out by hanging.”
General Hilanska leaned over to Ket and whispered something in her ear. She nodded slowly. Ket took a deep breath, as if collecting herself.
“I’ve been remiss by jumping to the inevitable conclusion of this court. The judges will now retire in order to discuss the sentencing of the guilty party. Court is in recess for one hour.” The generals stood.
“May I speak to the court?”
General Ket paused, about to exit the back, and frowned past Taniel’s shoulder. “This is a military court. I do not know who you are, ma’am, but civilians are not permitted.”
“It will just take a moment. My name is Fell, undersecretary of the Noble Warriors of Labor and personal assistant to Ricard Tumblar. I am here to speak on behalf of Mr. Tumblar.”
Taniel turned in his seat. Fell stood at the back of the room. She wore a tan suit jacket and sharply pressed shirt and trousers, her hands tucked casually into the pockets of her vest.
“Absolutely not,” Ket said. “Provosts, remove this woman.”
The gendarmes had no qualms about heading toward Fell.
“General Ket!” Fell said loudly. “This man who you seem so eager to sentence to death for the love of his country is in the running for second chair to the first prime minister of Adro!”
“Politics has no place in the Adran military,” Ket said. The provosts paused, unsure as to whether to remove Fell now that Ket was facing her directly.
“Captain Taniel Two-Shot is a military hero on two continents,” Fell said. “You might eschew politics, but you will destroy popular opinion of this war and of your command if the captain is executed.”
“I don’t care for public opinion. Leave this court.”
“General Ket,” Fell said emphatically, “if Taniel Two-Shot is executed, the factories will shut down in protest. Replacement boots, uniforms, buttons, musket kits, shirts, and hats will stop coming to the front. Hrusch Avenue will cease to produce rifles and muskets. The newspapers will make sure every single soul in Adopest knows that Taniel Two-Shot, hero of Adro, son of the supposedly late, and most definitely great Field Marshal Tamas, has been executed on trumped-up charges.”
“Are you threatening me, Miss…?”
“Fell.”
“Fell.” Ket rounded the table and crossed the room, gesturing to the provosts. “Are you threatening this war effort?”
Fell put a hand to her chest in shock. “Me? Threaten you? By Kresimir, General Ket, I would never think to threaten you. After all, I can see Taniel’s face right there, tenderized like a side of beef by your provosts. I wouldn’t want to end up like that. No, I am merely providing context for the consequences of the decision of this court.”
“Your master controls the unions. Therefore, you’re threatening me.”
“No.” Fell waggled her finger like a parent scolding a child. “My master heads the unions. The unions have the power to strike, and Mr. Tumblar cannot stop them if they so desire. Do you want that to happen?”
Ket leaned in toward Fell. To her credit, the undersecretary did not so much as flinch.
“This court is in recess for one hour!” Ket whirled and stormed out of the tent, followed by the other generals.
Fell dragged a chair up to the middle of the room. She waved her hand at the provosts flanking Taniel, and they hesitantly took a step back. Fell deposited the chair beside Taniel and sat down.
Taniel studied Fell for a moment. She was dressed sharply, looking far more a businesswoman than an undersecretary or personal assistant. Her eyes, though, were tired, and Taniel could see a recent scar on her cheek covered by a layer of face powder. She reached into her pocket and removed a brown bag. “Cashew?”
Taniel didn’t know what to make of the woman. She, and her master, could have very well just saved Taniel’s life… but a man like Ricard always had his price.
“You’re going to owe Ricard a great
And there it was. “I didn’t ask for his help.”
“No, but he gave it. You’re an honorable man, aren’t you, Taniel?”
The idea of owing Ricard Tumblar anything made Taniel’s stomach turn.
“What’s Ricard’s price?”
“Three years,” Fell said. “As a politician. You’ll be expected to attend galas and address the public. Everything will be scheduled for you. When you’re not in the public eye, you can do anything you want – bed whomever, smoke all the mala in the world. Not a hard life at all.” Fell shrugged. “But if Ricard happens to die or be killed, you’ll have to step up as prime minister of Adro.”
“I don’t want that.”
Fell gave him a tight smile. “Then you’re more qualified for the job than Ricard is.”
Taniel wondered if that was something that Ricard himself would have said, or if the undersecretary had just made a jab at her master.
“I thought that Hrusch Avenue hadn’t unionized.” Taniel glanced meaningfully toward the tent flap where the generals had exited.
“They don’t know that.”
“Is Ricard serious about those threats?”
“I’d rather not find out.”
A bluff, then. Taniel had to give credit to Ricard. Bluffing the senior staff of the Adran army took courage. “Has Ricard ever tried blackmailing Tamas?”
“Oh, pit no. Tamas would have strung Ricard up like a marionette.”
“I’m glad to hear he has limits.”
The hour-long recess for the court stretched into two hours, and then into three. Mihali served coffee and another round of cake.
Taniel couldn’t help wondering where the pit the generals had gotten to. What could be taking them so long?
“This is a good thing, you know,” Fell said between bites of cake.
Colonel Etan, his chair wheeled up beside Taniel, agreed. “At this point, the sentencing requires a four-out-of-five vote. If they’d returned at the hour, or earlier, it would not have looked good for you. They’ve been arguing this whole time, which means that more generals than just General Hilanska are trying to save your skin.”
The tent flap was swept aside, and the generals reentered the room. Fell and Etan both retreated to the back, and the generals took their chairs.
Ket examined Taniel for several moments before speaking. The anger had left her eyes. Steely determination replaced it. “This court,” she said, “has found the defendant guilty of treason. We have decided to drop the remainder of the charges and commute upon the guilty one sentence, to be carried out immediately:
“Captain Taniel is hereby stripped of his rank in the Adran army and dishonorably discharged. As this is a closed court, the verdict is private – however much I’d like to announce to the world that Taniel is no longer one of us, he will be allowed twelve hours to gather his things and quietly leave the camp. Any failure to do so will be met with swift reprisal. Court is adjourned.”
Taniel could hear Doravir protesting from the back that the sentence was too light. Etan loudly argued that the sentence was too harsh. The provosts released Taniel from the irons and stripped him out of his uniform jacket.
He didn’t argue. He couldn’t argue. He barely noticed when the generals had left.
How could they do this to him? After all he’d done? All he’d given?
“Taniel.”
He looked up. Etan sat in front of him, an orderly waiting to wheel him off.
“Taniel, you know I don’t believe any of this treason garbage. None of them do either. If they did, they’d have executed you, regardless of Tumblar’s threats. They just wanted you out of the way. If there’s anything you need, just let me know. I have a house in North Umpshire if you need someplace quiet to recover. Bring the girl if you’d like.”
Ka-poel. Taniel let out a shaky sigh. What should he do with Ka-poel? Send her back to Fatrasta? Would she even go?
“Thanks,” Taniel said.
It was some time before he realized that the tent was empty. Fell was gone. It occurred to him that he should have asked her if Ricard received his letter regarding the missing gunpowder.
Taniel managed to climb to his feet. His legs shook, and he wondered where he could get some mala. No. Not mala. He needed powder. That would be easier to find anyway. He had to gather his things. What did he even have? His sketchbook and charcoals. The rifle wasn’t even his – army issued, though he might be able to slip off with it anyway. He could sell the buttons off his army jacket.
Taniel cursed. The provosts had taken his jacket.
He cursed again when he noticed the tent was not, in fact, empty.
Mihali sat at the back, sipping a cup of coffee. He met Taniel’s glance with the slight rise of his eyebrows.
Taniel wondered what it would be like to punch a god. “Did you see that, you bastard?” Taniel said. “‘Apologize to Doravir.’ That’s what you told me. ‘Save the war.’ How the pit does this save anything? Stripped of everything I know?”
“The future is always changing,” Mihali said. “Coffee?”
“Go to the pit.”
Taniel left the command tent and headed toward his quarters. He wasn’t two dozen steps outside when he was joined by Brigadier Abrax. It only took him a few moments to realize why she was there.
“Do the Wings of Adom usually perch at a court-martial, waiting to recruit new mercenaries?”
Brigadier Abrax was a serious woman in her forties, with short blond hair and a sharp white-and-red uniform. “Awfully full of yourself, Two-Shot. I can see why Ket wanted to be rid of you. What makes you think I’ve come along recruiting?”
“Nothing. Sorry, ma’am.” Taniel reminded himself that he was not in a position to insult the senior commander of the best mercenary army in the world.
“I have, of course,” Abrax said. “Come recruiting, that is. I want to offer you a spot in the Wings of Adom.”
Taniel had never thought highly of mercenaries. At best, they took your money and did everything they could to avoid actually fighting. However, he had to grudgingly admit that the Wings had a reputation for slogging into the melee along with the ordinary infantry. He’d seen them do it himself during this war.
Taniel stopped and turned to the brigadier. “The General Staff would be furious.”
“What do I care?” Abrax said. “I don’t report to anyone but Lady Winceslav and Tamas. Not to the General Staff. Besides, I just watched them court-martial their best soldier. I don’t have a lot of faith in their ability to do anything right. Even if you are a pompous ass with no respect for authority, you’re worth fifty men, and I mean to see you in my army.”
“That was an incredibly backhanded compliment,” Taniel said.
Abrax gave him a shallow smile. “I meant every word.”
“Ricard Tumblar seems to think he’s bought me.”
“If you feel as if you must repay him,” Abrax said with a shrug, “feel free to do so. But after this war is over. I have the feeling you would much rather be on the front than in Adopest trying to win over the snakes in politics. At least here you’re allowed to shoot your enemies.”
Taniel looked around the camp. It was muddy and chaotic, the moans of the wounded rising from the field hospitals and the crack of gunfire drifting back from the front. Still, he couldn’t imagine leaving it for a desk or a podium in Adopest.
“What do you propose?” he asked.
“You’ll be a major in the Wings of Adom with full pay and benefits. I’ll place you outside the chain of command and you’ll only report to me. Your sole mission will be to kill enemy Privileged and Wardens. I don’t like to complicate things further than that.”
“And the other brigadiers will agree to this?”
“They love the idea,” Abrax said. She leaned toward him. “Tamas recently stole one of our very best. He did it fairly, I think, but it still stung. The brigadiers consider this re
Taniel examined Abrax. She seemed sincere. Tamas had had nothing but good things to say about the Wings, and being in a mercenary company was certainly preferable to having to sit out the rest of the war.
“Who did Tamas steal?”
“A young brigadier by the name of Sabastenien,” Abrax said.
The name rang a bell, but Taniel could not give it a face.
“How long do you want me in the Wings?”
“Until the end of the war. We disband between assignments. You’ll be paid in full and disbanded, with the option to muster for our next assignment.”
“Ka-poel?”
Abrax frowned. “Your savage?”
“Yes.”
“Bring her with if you want. I don’t care who you’re bedding. I put on a good front, but I’m not a prude.”
“I’m not sleeping with her. She accompanies me on the battlefield as my spotter.”
Abrax seemed to mull this over for a few moments. “I can’t promise any more than a private’s wages for her.”
“Oh, ah…” Taniel almost stepped back. No one had even considered actually paying Ka-poel in the Adran army. “That sounds fair.”
“We have a deal?”
“I think so.”
“Report to our camp in two hours,” she said. “We’ll get you bedded down in temporary quarters and then outfit you in the morning. I want you on the field killing Kez by noon tomorrow.”
CHAPTER
29
Tamas climbed from his bedroll. He paused once, taking a deep breath.
“Getting old,” he muttered.
Every morning his limbs ached a little more, especially his leg. Every day it took him just another couple of seconds to climb from the bed. Worse now, sleeping on the hard ground. Every night for the last five weeks.
Five weeks. Hard to believe it had only been that long since he’d faced the Kez Grand Army, planning how he’d take them from the side and smash them against the gates of Budwiel. Bloody stupid, now that he looked back on it, thinking he could take the entire Grand Army with two brigades.
His arrogance got him into this. Had he been there, manning the walls beside Hilanska and the rest, they would have fought off those Wardens and sent the Kez army to the pit.