An Empire Unacquainted With Defeat Read Free

soldier," he declared. His lower lip protruded in a stubborn pout.
    Wrong tack, Tain thought. Too intense. Too bitter. "Where's your dog? I thought shepherds always had dogs."
    "She died."
    "I see. I'm sorry. Can you tell me the name of the village? I don't know where I am."
    "Wtoctalisz."
    "Wtoctalisz." Tain's tongue stumbled over the unfamiliar syllables. He grinned. Steban grinned back. He edged closer, eying Tain's swords.
    "Can I see?"
    "I'm sorry. No. It's an oath. I can't draw them unless I mean to kill." Would the boy understand if he tried to explain consecrated blades?
    "Oh."
    "Are there fish in the creek?"
    "What? Sure. Trout."
    Tain rose. "Let's see if we can catch lunch."
    Steban's eyes grew larger. "Gosh! You're as big as Grimnir."
    Tain chuckled. He had been the runt of the Demon Guard. "Who's Grimnir?"
    The boy's face darkened. "A man. From the Tower. What about your horse?"
    "He'll stay."
    The roan would do what was expected of him amidst sorcerers' conflicts that made spring storms seem as inconsequential as a child's temper tantrum. And the mule wouldn't stray from the gelding.
    Steban was speechless after Tain took the three-pounder with a casual hand-flick, bear fashion. The old soldier was fast .
    "You make a fire. I'll clean him." Tain glowed at Steban's response. It took mighty deeds to win notice in the Dread Empire. He fought a temptation to show off.
    In that there were perils. He might build a falsely founded, over-optimistic self-appraisal. And a potential enemy might get the measure of his abilities.
    So he cooked trout, seasoning it with a pinch of spice from the trade goods in his mule packs.
    "Gosh, this's good." As Steban relaxed he became ever more the chatterbox. He had asked a hundred questions already and seldom had he given Tain a chance to answer. "Better than Ma or Shirl ever made."
    Tain glowed again. His field cooking was a point of pride. "Who's Shirl?"
    "She was my sister."
    "Was?"
    "She's gone now." There was a hard finality to Steban's response. It implied death, not absence.
     
IV
    Steban herded the sheep homeward. Tain followed, stepping carefully. The roan paced him, occasionally cropping grass, keeping an eye on the mule. For the first time Tain felt at ease with his decision to leave home.
    It was unlikely that this country would become his new home, but he liked its people already, as he saw them reflected in Steban Kleckla. He and the boy were friends already.
    Steban jerked to a stop. His staff fell as he flung a hand to his mouth. The color drained from his face.
    That Aspirant's sense-feel for danger tingled Tain's scalp. In thirty years it had never been wrong. With the care of a man avoiding a cobra, he turned to follow Steban's gaze.
    A horse and rider stood silhouetted atop a nearby hill, looking like a black paper cutout. Tain could discern little in the dying light. The rider seemed to have horns.
    Tain hissed. The roan trotted to his side. He leaned against his saddle, where his weapons hung.
    The rider moved out, descending the hill's far side. Steban started the sheep moving at a faster pace. He remained silent till the Kleckla stead came into view.
    "Who was that?" Tain hazarded, when he reckoned the proximity of lights and parents would rejuvenate the boy's nerve.
    "Who?"
    "That rider. On the hill. You seemed frightened."
    "Ain't scared of nothing. I killed a wolf last week."
    He was evading. This was a tale twice told already, and growing fast. First time Steban had bragged about having driven the predator away. Then he had claimed to have broken the beast's shoulder with a stone from his sling.
    "I misunderstood. I'm sorry. Still, there was a rider. And you seemed to know him."
    The lights of Steban's home drew nearer. Boy and sheep increased their pace again. They were late. Steban had been too busy wheedling stories from his new friend to watch the time closely.
    "Steban? That you, boy?" A lantern bobbed toward them. The man carrying it obviously was