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She tried to use hand signs and motions to indicate the battle and dead bandits. Spiros helped as best he could.
“Vocontii,” Tin Tin said to Liada, then something else.
Liada agreed. “Vocontii.”
Tin Tin and Liada talked for a minute.
“Um, that bandits there…” Liada tried to sign what she wanted to say.
“The bandits are Vocontii?” Autumn asked.
“Yes, yes,” Liada and Tin Tin said together. “Vocontii.”
Autumn watched the two women as they talked something over.
“Autumn wait by Kawalski,” Liada said as she and Tin Tin stood.
“All right.”
Tin Tin handed the stethoscope to Autumn, then the two of them ran toward the other side of the encampment.
“Autumn,” Alexander said, “from what I’ve seen of those…what are they called?”
“Vocontii.”
“From what I’ve seen of them, I don’t think we should hold out a lot of hope of finding Captain Sanders alive.”
“You won’t leave him behind, will you, Sarge?” She reached to touch his arm. “Even if there’s the slightest hope.”
“Leave him,” Lojab said. “He can take care of himself.” He spat in the dirt. “We need to get the hell out of here.”
“No.” Alexander glared at Lojab for a moment, then looked at Autumn. “I would never leave anyone behind, just as the captain wouldn’t leave us. But these Vocontii are so primitive and brutal, I can’t see them having any reason to keep him alive. If they were holding him for ransom…” He looked over Autumn’s shoulder, then pointed that way.
“Oh, no,” Autumn said. “It’s Rocrainium.” She stood and dusted herself off. Tin Tin and Liada walked on either side of him. “They thought I was talking about him.”
“Well,” Lojab said, “this should be interesting.”
The two women almost had to jog to keep up with Rocrainium’s long stride. Soon, they stood before Alexander and Autumn.
“Autumn, Sarge,” Liada said, motioning to the two of them. “Rocrainium.”
Alexander was tall, a little over six feet, but he still had to look up to Rocrainium. He held out his hand.
“Sarge,” Rocrainium said. He smiled and reached to shake hands. He then said, “Autumn” and shook her hand also.
“Um, Rocrainium,” Liada said, “go…” She tried to sign but couldn’t get it right. She asked Tin Tin Ban Sunia something.
“Rocrainium,” Tin Tin said, “go foot-soldiers you Rocrainium.”
“You mean,” Autumn said, “your foot-soldiers are going to look for our Rocrainium?” This was done with hand signs as much as with her words.
“Yes, go now.”
“Oh, good.” There was obvious relief on Autumn’s face. “Thank you, Rocrainium.” She took his hand in both of hers. “Thank you very much. I can’t tell you how relieved I am. Our captain—”
“Eaglemoon,” Sarge said, “you’re gushing.”
“Oh.” She pulled away her hands. “Sorry.” Her face reddened under her dark tan. “Very sorry. I don’t know what–”
“Just shut up,” Alexander said.
He touched his heart, then held out his hand, palm up. Rocrainium responded with a word, then looked around for someone. Six of the scarlet-caped young men had come along behind Rocrainium, and now they stood nearby. He pointed at two of them, and when they came forward, Rocrainium gave them some instructions.
The two men took a quick look at Autumn, then saluted Rocrainium with their fists to their chests. They hurried away to carry out his orders.
“They must be junior officers,” Alexander said.
“Probably,” Autumn said.
“We go,” Tin Tin said, “find you man.”
Autumn touched her heart, then held out her hand, palm up. “Thank you.”
“That Tin Tin is very bright,” Alexander said as he and Autumn walked back to Kawalski.
“Yes, they both are.” Autumn knelt beside Kawalski. “They learn our language and ways much faster than I’m learning theirs.” She checked the dressing on his wound.
“Do you think we need to change the dressing on Cateri’s arm?” Alexander asked.
Autumn looked up at him. “Yes, I think you should check it.” She grinned.
“That smirk is uncalled for, and I would check the bandage if I thought she wouldn’t use her whip on me.”
“She only hit you yesterday because she thought you were trying to take her wagon.”
“Hey, look at that,” Alexander said.
Autumn saw two columns of foot-soldiers and cavalry leaving the camp; one heading south, the other north. Each contingent was led by one of the young officers.
“Wow,” Autumn said. “They’re serious about finding Captain Sanders.”
“I think Rocrainium is second in command,” Alexander said. “And that other officer we saw yesterday on the black charger must be the headman.”
“I wonder what his name is.”
“You’ll have to ask Tin Tin that question. Those Vocontii must be a constant threat. They’ve attacked twice in the last two days, and each time we beat them back, they melt away into the forest, then regroup for another assault.”
“Like guerilla fighters.”
“What would have happened in that battle today if we hadn’t been there?” Alexander asked.
“There must have been over five hundred of them, and with the foot-soldiers and wagons spread out in a long line, the bandits are very effective.”
“They just grab what they can from the wagons,” Alexander said, “and when the foot-soldiers and cavalry charge in, they run with whatever they can carry.”
“Did you notice these people use some kind of horn to alert everyone?”
“Yes.” Alexander watched Autumn adjust the blanket around Kawalski’s shoulders. “I guess three blasts on the trumpet means, ‘We’re under attack.’”
* * * * *
They heard no news about Captain Sanders for the rest of that day.
The platoon settled into a routine, and, staying in small groups, they explored the camp. The camp followers had set up a rudimentary market in a section near the center of the encampment. After lunch, Joaquin, Sparks, Kari, and Sharakova set off toward the market to see what was on offer.
“Hey,” Lojab yelled from behind them, “where you guys going?”
“To the market,” Sparks said.
“Shut up, Sparks,” Sharakova said under her breath.
“Good,” Lojab said, “I’ll come with you.”
“Wonderful,” Sharakova whispered to Karina. “God’s gift to the Seventh Cav will regale us with his sparkling personality and dazzling wit.”
“If I just shoot him,” Karina said, “do you think Sarge would court-martial me?”
“Court-martial?” Sharakova said. “Hell, you’d get the Medal of Honor.”
They were still laughing when Lojab caught up with them. “What’s so funny?”
“You, Bull Donkey,” Sharakova said.
“Up yours, Sharakova.”
“In your dreams, Low Job.”
They walked through a section of camp occupied by the light cavalry, where the soldiers were rubbing down their horses and repairing leather tack. Beyond the cavalry were the slingers who practiced with their slingshots. The bulging bags on their belts contained rocks, chunks of iron, and lumps of lead.
“There’s the market.” Sparks pointed to a grove of trees just ahead.
Under the shade of the oak trees, the market was crowded with people buying, selling, haggling, and bartering bags of grain for meat, cloth, and hand tools.
The five soldiers walked along a winding path between two rows of merchants who had their wares laid out on the ground.
“Hey, guys,” Karina said, “check that out.” She pointed to a woman buying some meat.
“That’s our brass,” Sparks said.
“No shit, Dick Tracy,” Sharakova said.
The woman counted out some spent cartridges the platoon had left on the ground after the battle.
“She’s using that stuff like money,” Karina said.
“Three,” Joaquin said. “What did she get for three shells?”
“It looks like about five pounds of meat,” Karina said.
They walked on, watching for more brass.
“Look there.”
Sparks pointed at a man haggling with a woman who had some cheese and eggs spread out on a white cloth. He offered her one cartridge for a large block of cheese. The woman shook her head, then used her knife to measure off about half the cheese. The man said something, and she measured off a bit more. He tossed a cartridge on the white cloth. She cut off the piece of cheese and handed it to him with a smile.
“These people are a bunch of idiots,” Lojab said, “trying to turn our brass into money.”
“Looks like it’s working pretty well,” Karina said.
“Hey.” Lojab sniffed the air. “You guys smell that?”
“I smell smoke,” Sharakova said.
“Yeah, right,” Lojab said. “Somebody’s smoking pot.”
“Well, if anyone could detect marijuana in the air, it’d be you.”
“Come on, it’s over this way.”
“Forget it, Lojab,” Sharakova said. “We don’t need to be looking for trouble.”
“I just want to see if I can buy some.”
“We’re on duty, you numbskull.”
“He can’t keep us on duty twenty-four hours a day.”
“No, but right now, we are on duty.”
“What Sarge doesn’t know won’t hurt nobody.”
Lojab walked down a slope toward a small stream. The other four soldiers stood watching him for a moment.
“I don’t like this,” Joaquin said.
“Let him go,” Sparks said. “Maybe he’ll learn a lesson.”
Lojab walked along the stream, then around a bend and out of sight.
