Of Limited Loyalty

Chapter Forty-eight

5 May 1768 Prince Haven Temperance Bay, Mystria

Having entrusted his pack and gear to Caleb Frost for safe keeping, Nathaniel jogged down the drive from the Bounty Trail. He found the Prince taking his leave of his family, Mugwump saddled, and two wagons containing the Prince’s headquarters company materiel ready to go. Nathaniel’s heart ached to breaking as Prince Richard clung to his father’s leg while the Prince hugged and kissed his wife and daughter.

Prince Vlad released his wife, letting a hand trail down her arm to give her hand a squeeze, then squatted to look his son in the eye. “You have to be the man of the house, Richard. It’s very important. You’re almost four years old. Your mother is going to need you. So is your sister. I need you to be a good little soldier.”

The little boy studied his father’s face for a moment, then pulled himself together and saluted. Prince Vlad returned the salute, then hugged his son tightly and gave him a kiss. “I love you, and I’ll be home before your birthday.”

The boy mumbled his reply against his father’s neck, so Nathaniel could not hear. It didn’t stop him from smiling. He envied the Prince. Nathaniel had taken his own leave from Rachel Ward, but it was different from leaving a child. He’d never met his son by her, Humble. He’d seen him from afar and had watched him playing with other children. The boy seemed a bit on the delicate side to Nathaniel-bookish like Caleb which, Nathaniel reminded himself, showed the boy could have potential in a fight. Still, if Humble didn’t need to be shot at, that would be fine, too.

And taking leave of a Mystrian family and a Shedashee family wasn’t the same. Nathaniel loved his Altashee children, but the tradition in which they’d been raised placed less emphasis on who their parents were than their place in society. When he left the Altashee, he was missed, but his children would sing songs of his adventures whether he was dead or alive. The entire tribe was their family, which might decrease the role of a single parent, but meant that if that parent died, the children wouldn’t be left destitute or forgotten.

Prince Vlad stood and blushed slightly. “I thought you were going to wait on the road.”

“Well, that was the plan. Got the foresters out here last night and they done set up camp. Northern Rangers is with them. But come morning, we got us a problem.”

The Prince arched an eyebrow. “Yes, Mr. Woods?”

Nathaniel smiled. “I reckon you might want to come see is all, Highness. Ain’t nothing I can handle. Caleb, he’s getting some information for you.”

“I would take this to be dire news, but your attitude suggests otherwise.” The Prince sighed. “I just hope this entire expedition is not full of the unexpected.”

“I kin understand your thoughts there, Highness, but I reckon you know it will be, ’specially when we meet the enemy.”

The two men trudged along to the Bounty Trail, with Vlad picking up the pace and cutting across the fields to where Caleb Frost stood with a tall, slender man. “You’re right, Nathaniel, there’s definitely something wrong here.”

Nathaniel nodded. He’d camped back a bit from the road, over on the north side opposite Prince Haven. Caleb and his Bookworms had joined him without asking his leave, but he wasn’t about to tell them no. Four years ago all seven had been at Temperance College and full of book learning. They’d pushed themselves hard, each and everyone, and most had made it all the way to Fort Cuivre and on down to Anvil Lake. Since then they’d returned to college or moved on, each one taking up a profession at which, to the best of Nathaniel’s knowledge, they were doing quite well. The fact that most of them were carrying rifled hunting muskets and were wearing fine gear testified to their success.

He’d sat back and listened to them discussing the issues of the day, like the Shipping and Commerce Act. Though he didn’t always understand every word they were using, their passion impressed him. Their reasoning did, too, including their thoughts about both when the Crown would pass more acts, and what those acts would do to relations with the Colonies. By the nature of their discussions, and the fact that they were willing to answer the call to go to war, these men stood out as the future of Mystria.

They asked him his opinion of the Shipping and Commerce Act, and remained silent as he expressed himself. “Well, I ain’t sure the Queen’s got call to expect us to abide by them rules, since didn’t nobody ask us, and I ain’t sure any of them over there exactly understand Mystria. I reckon they think beaver pelts grow on bushes and we’s just out here plucking them on account of we is too bored at chasing after butterflies and drinking whiskey. And I reckon this here Act is her marking her territory, same as a wolf or a jeopard. Just because one of them beasts ain’t gnawed on me yet, I ain’t going to think they ain’t never going to gnaw.”

Caleb had looked at him across the little campfire. “Does this mean you won’t register?”

Nathaniel had shrugged. “Ain’t given it too much mind. I reckon there will be someone, somewhere, what will register a dead man or something, and that dead man will be the producingest man in Mystria. Might be I’d work for him. I don’t rightly know if I want to break the law regularly, but I am not of a mind to be abiding it yet.”

That comment had been enough to spur another round of conversation. Nathaniel took his leave from it and found it surprisingly easy to fall asleep as they discussed.

Upon waking the next morning he discovered the problem to which he alerted the Prince. A small tent city had sprung up during the night. Men-ranging from boys with their fathers to old men-had joined up. They’d come from near and far, and some had clearly been traveling for days. A few men had come with their wives-the foresters had done that, too-and a few led oxen pulling carts.

Prince Vlad grabbed Nathaniel’s arm. “Where did they come from?”

“Everywhere. Heard you was going, wanted to join in.”

“But how?” The Prince’s eyes tightened. “I asked everyone to keep things secret.”

“Well, I reckon that went by the by when all of the Fifth Northland got called back to Temperance. Plus, ain’t everyone going to keep their mouths shut. And there’s some out there what was with you at Anvil Lake and figure there ain’t no way you can go fighting no one without them, asked for or not.”

“I should have anticipated this situation.” The Prince nodded as he reached Caleb and the tall man. “Yes, Caleb?”

Caleb led a tall man toward them. “This is Horace Longwalk. He’s from Jewel, about fourteen miles up on the Bay Thumb. He came with his brother, a son, and his sister-in-law.”

“She’s a good cook, Highness, and does mending.” Horace looked back toward the field. “I met a few others coming along. My brother and me, we done missed Anvil Lake. Wanted to do our part this time.”

Prince Vlad nodded sagely. “What exactly is it you think we’re doing?”

“Don’t precisely know, Highness, but Robert Richards-he’s one of your Northern Rangers I guess has gone ahead already-he done left Jewel over a month ago. We was selling some horses to the Norillians when they was called back, so we figured it was big doings.”

“I see. Do you have any idea how many people have come in?”

Horace shook his head. “I would have reckoned a hundred or so, but I think more has come in this morning, having camped back yonder.”

Caleb consulted a notebook. “I’ve got it as three hundred, seventeen. A hundred men serve in local militias. Of them, three-quarters were at Anvil Lake. Another twenty-five say they were at Anvil Lake. Forty women, thirty children, and fifteen more who are very young men. One young woman toting a long gun, claims she’s a dead-eye shot.”

“Thank you, Mr. Longwalk. If you could excuse us for a moment.” The Prince stepped back south, with Nathaniel and Caleb joining him. “You know they can’t go with us.”

Nathaniel smiled. “I don’t reckon we can stop them.”

“This is rather serious, Nathaniel. I don’t have the supplies to feed this many people. As much as I would have liked to have called up the militia, I did not in case the Norghaest threat does not materialize. If it does and if we’re beaten, I want them here to defend against the Norghaest. This would be an undisciplined group and, my God, there are children there. And a girl with a rifle? That just can’t be.”

Nathaniel scratched at the back of his neck. “Let me ask you a question, Highness, and you answer as fair as you can.”

The Prince nodded.

“Are you saying that about the girl on account of you don’t think she can shoot, or on account of there ain’t no way Norillians would let her on the battlefield?”

Prince Vlad shook his head. “That’s immaterial.”

“No, it ain’t.” Nathaniel looked the Prince straight in the eye. “I done listened last night to a mess of educated men. They was all reasonable. They was thinking that ain’t nobody in Launston knows us, knows our ways, or cares. Now I don’t know who that girl is, but I know when she grabbed up her musket and headed on out, there was some folks said she was crazy. But there was other folks knew she’d hit what she aimed at. They knew that’s the point of war. Now you may not be comfortable with the idea of a child doing some killing. I ain’t full in favor of it myself. But I reckon if she can make it to Plentiful or wherever we end up fighting, I won’t mind her dropping whatever’s trying to drop me.”

Vlad shook his head. “Someday, Nathaniel, I will find your ability to cut straight to the kernel of a problem annoying. Actually, today is that day, but today’s not a day when I can say that your insight is not persuasive. That being said, we cannot have all of these people going with us.”

The scout nodded. “Well, I think I gots me a plan what will make sense to folks. All you have to do, Highness, is…”

Vlad clapped Nathaniel on the shoulders. “No, Nathaniel-or should I phrase that Captain Woods — if I do whatever you have in mind, then I shall be responsible for all the people it effects. I’m not trying to duck that responsibility, but I have other things to deal with. You have the plan, you set it up, and when they have a problem, you will bring it to me. I know you didn’t ask to be put in the middle, but there you are.”

Nathaniel frowned. He could still remember the days when having anything to do with large groups of people-especially citified people-made him itch all over. Still did, but four years previous he’d accepted the responsibility for the Northern Rangers. Even now he still felt the bonds with them. That was why he’d not told the Bookworms to camp elsewhere. It did strike him as a bit funny that they, being educated and citified, didn’t think he might want to be alone, but that wasn’t really a problem. He could have told them so and they’d have understood.

Mystria was changing. It had been for a long time, longer than he’d been alive. Anvil Lake had sped that up. If the discussion of the Shipping and Commerce Act meant anything, the Norillians didn’t seem to mind piling more sheets on the mast for that particular ship. Like as not, that change would sweep him along. If Nathaniel ran from it, he might be safe, but that couldn’t be guaranteed. If he stayed, he could protect others and, because he had the ability to protect them, he felt he had a duty to do so.

“I reckon if I do that, Highness, I’m going to need to be Major Woods and Captain Frost here and all them lieutenants what is Bookworms is going to have to help me out.”

“Congratulations, Major, on your promotion.” The Prince smiled. “If we ever get uniforms, I’ll see that yours is done right. Thank you.”

Nathaniel nodded. “Ain’t no arguing you’s right. We got us a week before we hit Grand Falls and pick up supplies. Two more weeks to Plentiful if we push it. Cain’t have those with us what won’t make it. I’ll fix it, but I reckon I’m going to need you to say a word of thanks to them that don’t. Maybe send them home to make sure their militia is ready for when you call.”

“I’ll do that.”

“I reckon from Mugwump’s back it’ll sound right nice.”

“Noted, Major.” The Prince offered Nathaniel his hand. “The matter is yours to deal with.”

Nathaniel shook his hand heartily. “Thank you, Highness.”

The Prince withdrew and Nathaniel returned with Caleb to where Horace Longwalk stood. Nathaniel sent him off to gather folks while Caleb fetched the Bookworms. He briefed them on his plan, then he stepped into a growing circle of people. He bid them to sit, which most did, save for a number of men and one redheaded girl, all at the circle’s perimeter.

“I ain’t much on speechifying, but the Prince, he done made this a duty. He’s going to have a word in a bit with some of you. I reckon you should know that he’s touched by you all coming out here. You may wonder why he didn’t put out a call for the militia. He’ll talk to that, but it ain’t on account of he thought you wouldn’t be useful. Fact is, we’re going off to take a look-see our own selves so as we can figure what’s going on. I’d tell you what we know so far, but half of you would just pack up and head back thinking, ‘Is that all?’”

He waited for mild laughter to subside, then continued. “Fact is, we cain’t take you all. The Prince, he’s a sharp fellow, and done figured how much powder and vittles we’d be needing. We ain’t got enough to feed everyone, and this is going to be some long walking. On account of all that, they’s only so many we can take, and so many who has any business going. If you ain’t yet in your teen years, you cain’t go. We expect your ma or pa will take you home. If you ain’t got food for two weeks travel, you cain’t go. You need a good knife, a tomahawk, at least sixty rounds of shot and powder, and three firestones. You need one change of clothes, a good blanket, spare moccasins, and it won’t hurt if you can read and are toting a book. Preference given to rifles over smooth-bore, experience over not, and if your coming means your ma’s got all her children in the grave or on this here march, you are going home.

“Now, I reckon there’s a mess of horse-trading to be done. Even if you ain’t going, could be your ball wins the day, and that is important.” Nathaniel nodded slowly. “We can take a hundred and a half. Me and the Bookworms, we will be deciding. Be quick, on account of we’re leaving afore noon.”

The crowd began to chatter and shift, so Nathaniel put fingers to his mouth and whistled once, sharply. “One last thing. If you ain’t going, don’t mean you ain’t part of this. You staying here means we get there, and that makes all the difference in the whole, wide world.”