A Match for the el Maiens Ch. 22

"el Maien, he went to get peace like someone dead. We none of us thought he would come back to us. We tried everything we could to be his companion, not to let him go alone. He would not have us. He did not care. He cared for nothing. He whom we would have died for like Vashin died for him.

"All he came back for was Vashin's body. For two weeks we waited in the hills, hiding it from the Generals' strategic staff that he had gone with Vashin's body. Every day we three Captains: Caja and Loisir and I, met in his tent and said: the morrow when the Commander is back he will be asking about this or that. He was so excellent a Commander, he always laid all the dispositions out so clearly. Even when he was gone for so long we knew what he would have been asking after and we did it for him, although he was not there and would never care again. We feared so greatly, we were stricken with shame ... Sithou, it was us. Vashin drew up the strategy and the Commander looked in our eyes and said No; he said it would lead to the loss of too many men and even ourselves but we insisted to throw our lives and our men into that ditch of a valley for that the Generals had called on us. The strategy was brilliant and as ever he directed us perfectly in its execution, Tashka it was so beautifully executed! But ... oh Tashka! if you had seen his smile when he gave way to us. He was already lost in mourning, his smile is burnt on my memory's eye. He knew; he knew how terrible a victory it would be.

"We had to be completely stripped out and reformed, you know. Not one of us, trooper or officer, could do a thing together the more without him there to guide us. Eventually, Loisir got back Fourth but back then if we were made to work together we would just look at each other and weep with shame and grief and love for him that he had cared and he was in the right of it and he listened to us and he lost Vashin. He is our life, our days, our fight and we were always his care. We would have died for him, I tell it you, and when Vashin gave us the strategy that offered him victory over our lives we said Yes. And we still would. We would still lay down our lives and die for him, for what he was to us, standing at the head of the troop with his smile our dearest hope. Hell but his smile was rare for us - and sweet."

"And now you'll take arms against him," Tashka said.

Dar Vaie looked at her with the tears glistening on his fair lashes. "el Maien," he growled, "you are a pale Angel! You have always had my heart in your hand. You have marched and laughed and fought by my side and I am for you through Hell and through life. You are a scum, a dog! I would I had never met your pretty eye in a wink about hiding the other Lieutenants' parade silks just before inspection."

He was reaching for her sword hand. Suddenly they heard voices outside the tent. They both turned in their chairs, a hand appeared on the tent flap and started to pull it open - it was the other two Commanders come over for a parlay!

Tashka felt Dar's hard grip on her arm, he dragged her into his embrace, hiding her head with his, pressing her face into his neck with a hard scarred hand on the back of her head.

"I ... I prithou pardon us!" Commander-Sir Darien's voice exclaimed.

Without moving his head, Dar said angrily: "Sweet Hell! What time of night is this to come and disturb me!"

Tashka pressed her face into his shoulder, her left hand was stuffed up under his red felt tunic. Dar held her in a painfully hard grip and her hip was caught on the side of his chair. She had a nervous desire to giggle. She bit her lip, trying to relax her red felt clad body over Dar's. It was so difficult to ignore Clair's training and allow the small curve of her breasts to press into her brother officer's muscled chest. She could feel his cheek burning against her temple. 'Vaie always blushed easy,' she thought and had to repress another snigger.

"We, er, we just wanted to look at the maps again," Darien was saying, "and since your candles were alight ..."

"Angels' sake! Take the cursed maps and give me a bit of peace!" Dar growled.

There was a quick crackle and a rush and the embarrassed Commanders were gone.

"Hell!" Dar breathed, letting Tashka go. "You are always trouble, el Maien!"

She sat back on the ground at his feet and looked up at him. His face was pale now. She was trembling. Dar put a shaky hand through his hair and then moaned: "Oh Hell! They will look round to see which little Lieutenant is missing from their troops and find them all on station! They will think I have been seducing one of my own juniors. You damned dog, el Maien!" He added fiercely: "And make sure you tell Hanya the whole truth of it or he will hear some rumour and think I have given him the go-by."

She started giggling. "'Fore the Angels!" she exclaimed. "You think it is bad for you? Hanya knows what you are like, you slut. What trouble will my husband give me for it, not three days married!" She flashed him a wicked wink and they both sniggered nervously and helplessly.

"So you are with us," she said in warm arrogant el Maien tones, giving him a loving grin.

"I know it will be bad for me!" he groaned, burying his head in his hands. "You are always trouble!"

~#~*~#~

It was early in the morning, not long before dawn. When it became light they would lose hope and give Tashka up for a prisoner at best. Vadya sat in Clair's armchair in the sitting-room with one finger hooked in Imp's collar. If he let Imp go, Imp would run off through the hallway and try to go after Tashka.

Clair lay on the sofa with Pava. Some hours earlier they had fallen asleep but Vadya sat staring into the embers of the fire and biting his lip. Opposite him, Arianna slept in her armchair under a warm blanket that Pava had put gently over her when her eyes closed.

Imp gave a sudden whine, starting up under Vadya's hand.

She came walking softly out of the shadows, her tired eyes gleaming in the dim light thrown by the fire. He looked up at her and nodded, curtly. If he tried to get up and hug her, he would burst into tears, he knew it. She sat down on the carpet by his feet, gave Imp a buffeting caress and hugged Vadya's legs to her. He put his hand on her head.

"Is Vaie with us?" he asked huskily.

She sniggered. "Of course," she said softly. "He will never give his vow to Clair the go-by. Nobody who has ever served under Clair would go above his fingers."

Vadya looked over at the sleeping face of his brother by marriage. Sleep softened out the arrogant slanted eyes and thin mouth, it smoothed out the habitual light frown of suffering under which Vadya knew now that Clair hid a hot loving heart. Clair lay softly over the sofa against Pava el Jien's broad shoulder, his head resting against Pava's neck, Pava's arm loosely cast around him.

"I had better report to him," Tashka said, getting up again and telling Imp to lie down and stay on station. She leaned over and pressed her mouth to Vadya's forehead, he half-lifted his hands but then he let her go to that first allegiance, her brother.

Tashka trod softly through the sitting-room. It was strange to see her in the red Sietter uniform with the silver Lieutenant's buttons and gold embroidered collar. When she got to the sofa she gave Clair's shoulder a firm shake so he started quickly awake. He looked up at her and then reached and gripped her to him, pressing his head into her chest. She sat back on the sofa and let him hide his tears in the red felt of her single-breasted tunic. Pava was stirring and Arianna sat up.

"Angels," Clair said at last, sitting up and wiping his hand over his face. "You smell of some other man's perfume! Whatever have you been about?"

"Oh it must be Vaie's," Tashka looked apologetically over at Vadya. "I'll explain it to you, el Gaiel."

"Vaie's perfume on you!" Pava exclaimed. "You cannot have been dallying with him. The sweet slut has never had a woman among the long list of his one-day-one-nights."

"One-day-one-nights!" Clair said sarcastically. "Vaie's little bits of stuff are lucky if they get ten minutes in the back of a stable. Although he used to give Tashka the eye to a dreadful extent if he thought we were not looking. Ow! What?" as Pava kicked him. He looked over to the fireplace into Vadya's gentle brown eyes and Arianna's intent blue eyes and blushed. "Er, not that I would know about Vaie's preferences. Personally. Being his commanding officer. Um, although of course there are circumstances when a commanding officer, um, er."

"And how is young Vaie?" Pava inquired.

"He is very well," Tashka stretched and yawned, "and thinking of getting married."

"Shut it!" Pava and Clair cried both at once.

"What a story!" Pava scoffed.

Tashka grinned at the two of them with a glinting smile. "We have had a fine old chat. And of course he is on our side." She put her hand gently on Clair's arm.

Clair sighed, leaning his elbows on his knees and putting his face in his hands. "I know not why," he said softly, "after I deserted them all at Shier Bridge."

"You got them peace," Tashka replied. "And you stood with your arm their signal and they love you. You know it well. Their hearts are strung on your fingers, Clair. Be happy that they love you."

"And now I have to use that love to lead them to war," Clair said bitterly.

"Better they come to war for your love than for van Sietter's money," she answered. "You will lead them truly in the best interests of their hearts. That is why they will always love you."

He shrugged and his mouth pouted in a mournful smile strung with tears, as thin as a spider's web glistening with dew.

"My darling," Arianna got up and came over to stroke Tashka's head and cover it in kisses. Clair turned and watched with narrowed eyes as she ran her long fingers caressingly all over Tashka's head. Tashka turned her head contentedly into Arianna's hands like a cat, sleepily smiling. "Come and have a bath, I will sit in the bath-house with you."

"Oh that would be nice," Tashka said in a pleased voice. "And, Clair, can I have some tea and toast? Ask them to make the toast just golden with no black edges and to spread the butter thinly. Vadya, come, come with us. I will explain to you about Vaie. It is not what you think."

Vadya walked over to her, his eyes full of a complete loving trust. He said, "yes, I will come and then you might make us a full formal report, before you sleep a while?"

"Sir," she said smartly. She got out of the sofa and, casting a wicked glinting look back into Clair's narrowed eyes, put an arm tightly around Arianna's waist, whistled Imp to tell him he could get up, and went off, leaning very close to Arianna and sniggering about something she was whispering into Arianna's ear.

Clair watched them go, staring narrowly at his sister's red felt clad arm around his wife's waist and his wife's blonde head leaning close to his sister's infamously beautiful rose-petal mouth. Pava watched Clair with a laugh on his wide red mouth. Tashka had always been able to get him on the go!