Before speaking, Indira looked around. The village was packed with people—gukuy and ummun alike. Even some of the owoc had come, understanding, somehow, that a great turn had come in the Coil of Beauty.
She looked up at the sky. The same sky, years before, had been colored with a huge red mark. All that was left of a man who had tried the impossible. Tried, and failed. But not before giving the future to his children.
She looked down at her boy, and spoke.
The story would be told for generations after, by chantresses across a continent. Of the day when the Mother of Demons matched flails with her soul.
So terrible was that soul!
So great a struggle!
Even the Mother of Demons
would not have conquered it
Without the sage Ushulubang.
So terrible was that soul!
Its cry of defeat shook the world!
You did not hear?
Listen.
Listen.
It echoes still.
The sound of that cry will never end.
Chapter 23
Indira watched the battle from the southern slope, standing on a rocky outcropping which overlooked the plain. Four beings stood there with her: Julius, Andrew MacPherson, Rottu and Ghodha.
They were the nucleus of what Indira had told them was one of the secrets of war.
Create a general staff.
She would have preferred to have Joseph himself alongside her. But, reluctantly, she had agreed with Joseph’s argument that his personal command was necessary in the colony’s first full-scale battle. Of the three lieutenants, Andrew had been selected as the future Chief of Staff. It was a good choice, thought Indira. Andrew was a quiet and thoughtful young man. Not flamboyant, but very hard-working. And, while he had done the job capably, he did not have either Ludmilla or Takashi’s flair as a platoon leader.
Indira watched Ludmilla’s platoon racing in a loop around the right flank of the Utuku army. Ludmilla herself was leading the platoon, and setting a brutal pace. The ranks of the Utuku were already becoming ragged, as they tried to reform in the face of this new and utterly bizarre foe. Their attempts were hopeless, of course. Gukuy were faster than owoc, but they were still much slower afoot than humans. Any humans, much less the young warriors trained under Joseph’s brutal regimen.
Not brutal enough.
“Andrew—make a note. We must emphasize long distance endurance as well as wind sprints. The Apaches could run a hundred miles a day. Faster, over long distances, than the cavalry of the US Army.”
“Yes, Indira.” He jotted in his notebook.
Still, there’s a problem. Food. What good will it do for our warriors to be able to run a hundred miles a day—if they starve at the end of it? Our army cannot remain tied to the slow owoc.
“Julius—make a note. Resume the experiments with puke jerky.”
“But—ah, yes, Indira.” He jotted in his notebook. Muttering, under his breath. He was not altogether sure what to make of this new Indira. He had always adored her thin-featured face. Why did that face now remind him of a sword?
As Indira watched, Ludmilla’s platoon suddenly wheeled and raced directly toward the Utuku right. Even from the distance, she could hear the drums, transmitting orders from the battle leaders. Raggedly, she thought. And it was obvious that the Utuku ranks were beginning to unravel.
Now.
But she had misjudged. Ludmilla had a better grasp of the immediate tactics. She held the charge for another few seconds, before she suddenly halted and cast her javelin. A split second later, the rest of the platoon followed.
The volley sailed over the front rank of the Utuku and fell among the battle leaders beyond. Like so many lightning bolts. Utuku shieldwork was designed to protect against looping flail-blows, not spears. And the wicker-like visors protecting the battle leaders’ heads were like matchsticks when struck by heavy spears instead of blowpipe darts.
“Andrew—make a note for general consideration. Most of the great armies of human history placed a premium on low-echelon initiative and tactical flexibility.”
“Yes, Indira.”
Ludmilla’s platoon was now racing away from the Utuku. Their assegais were strapped to their backs. In their hands they carried javelins. Each warrior in Ludmilla and Takashi’s platoons had been given four at the beginning of the battle.