Sorceress (Book 2) by Jim Bernheimer Read Free Book Online

formations.”
    “If you say so, ma’am,” Danella answered, choosing her words carefully.
    To the shock of both unicorn and rider, the much older woman picked up a pitchfork and stuck it into the hay inside the stall and removed some of it. “Oh, you wouldn’t believe how many hours I spent in the stables during my time here. Let’s see, what were we talking about again, young lady?”
    “Formation drills?” Danella answered, clearly unsure of what they were really discussing. Even Majherri was curious now.
    “Oh yes! Scouts don’t really need to pay much attention to how well a unit prepares itself for a charge. It’s just a maiden and her mount. Did you know I was a scout when I first left this island?”
    “Yes, ma’am,” Danella said.
    “Of course you do,” the woman continued and smiled at both Danella and Majherri. “Every year several recruits do a long and detailed account of my service. If my memory serves me correctly, it was your twin sister for your year.”
    Majherri watched as his rider nodded.
    “She’ll make an excellent lancer, I believe.”
    “Ma’am? Meghan’s been posted to the couriers,” Danella said.
    “That she has, but I stand by my statement. Still, I’m not here to discuss her this evening.”
    “Permission to ask the general a question?”
    “By all means, speak freely, Danella Lynch.”
    The unicorn watched his rider draw upon her courage and ask, “What are you here to discuss?”
    The woman leaned her pitchfork against the side of the stall and laughed. “That’s a new record, young lady! It usually takes ten or fifteen minutes of my prattling on about things before a recruit finally works up the nerve to ask the old lady to get to the point. You did it in around three, which is why I believe you have the makings of an excellent scout.”
    “Thank you!” Even Majherri was impressed by General Jyslin’s proclamation.
    “You’re welcome, but I just said ‘the makings.’ You haven’t been anointed just yet. Let me tell you about one of the stories that never ends up in those presentations…my very first mission. I’d been ordered to check the forests near Colfax for enemy troops. I did my job and spotted an understrength battalion of enemy cavalry there. I was quite proud when I returned to my captain and reported in.”
    General Jyslin paused for a moment and Majherri waited for the other set of hooves to fall. “That’s when she started asking me questions. Were they regulars or irregulars? Did they have archers or infantry with them? Did I see support wagons carrying their provisions? When I couldn’t answer her, she called out for a scout who was capable of doing the damn job to go back to the area and show me how it was supposed to be done! Attention to detail, Miss Lynch! To a scout, it’s everything. If I’d paid more attention, I might have noted the quality of the armor they wore, or if any were drilling and whether the drills were as sloppy as what you and your classmates displayed today. I also could have seen the campfires of the wagons and the mixed company of foot soldiers and archers. If my captain had sent us in based on my words alone, we might have lost or suffered many more casualties than we did. My so-called legend may very well have ended on my first mission.
    “I guess that brings me back to an earlier comment when I said that formation drills don’t matter when you’re a scout. Now that we’ve had our little talk, do you agree with that statement or not?”
    “I disagree,” Danella said.
    “Why is that?”
    “It’s important information.”
    “Precisely. Everything, and I do mean everything, is important information. Details matter, young scout. It’s your lifeblood. It’s what your officers use to decide whether to commit troops, and might end up being the difference between life and death for the members of your company. Do you understand?”
    “Yes, ma’am!”
    “Good. The lesson you’re here to learn tonight