Liam packed his bag on his barrack’s wrack. He sighed heavily, unable to get his mother’s weeping face out of his mind. He jumped when another pack bounced on his bed.
“You have to be more alert than that.” Jorren flashed him a boyish grin. “Are you ready to go to war?”
“Almost.” Liam stuffed his pack with another shirt.
Jorren’s grin deepened to show his dimples. “I got myself switched to serve with you under the Lord General Crompton’s command.”
“How did you manage that?” Liam asked, surprised. It was rare to have a reassignment, and Liam suspected more so Jorren had something to do with his own reassignment.
“I called in several favors.” Jorren sat on Liam’s bed, examining the open pack. “Jackson is taking my place.”
Once Liam finished packing, the two reported to their commander. They would start their march toward Salatia in only a few hours. “Were you able to see your family?” Liam asked Jorren as they waited.
“A few weeks ago, before the war was announced,” Jorren told him.
Liam nodded and fell silent. He was glad he had been able to see his parents before they left, but he wondered if it was worth it, knowing he’d picture his mother’s crying face before every march and battle.
The day’s march was long and tiring. Liam wiped his glistening brow with the back of his hand as he walked. The scouts said they would reach their first destination in just a few hours. They only made it ten miles that day, and at this rate, it would take them two months to reach Salatia. It’d only been a week, but with their size, the army had to frequently resupply and could not travel more than two leagues a day with the soldiers carrying their packs and warring supplies.
“Partner up, men! This camp needs to be set up within the hour!” Lord General Crompton bellowed to the crowd. “We can’t have an incident like last night where we almost didn’t have shelter.”
“Yes, sir!” Liam answered with the rest of the men. He jogged over to his commander, pack bouncing behind him. “Do you need any help setting up your tent, sir?”
“Do I need help?” Crompton looked amused. “I’ve been setting my own tents since before you were born, and I don’t need you slowing me down. I saw the work you did yesterday.”
“Er…yes, sir. Sorry, sir.”
Crompton shook his head, laughing. “Do I need help?” he muttered as he walked away, laughing again.
His lips pursed, Liam went to find Jorren. “Let’s get this over with. I’m ready to get off my feet.”
“I’ll grab a tent off the wagon.” Jorren dropped his pack next to Liam before he joined the line of men for their supplies.
Liam gratefully threw his pack down and helped set up their tent when Jorren returned. He was thankful it was only two men to a tent and he could share it with someone he liked. Last night had proved if you didn’t find the right person to share your tent with, there would be fighting—and there had been lots of fighting between the men. Liam climbed onto his bedroll and took his boots off, rubbing his blistered feet.
“Be kind, and put those boots back on!” Jorren boisterously jested.
Liam rolled his eyes and continued rubbing his sore appendages. All the soldiers had been given new boots and lacked the proper time to break them in before the march started. “Be quiet, and sit down.”
Jorren complied, stretching out on his roll.
“Did you see Elaine at all before we left?” Liam inquired, realizing he’d never asked.
Jorren’s dimpled grin said it all. “She likes the idea of a soldier going off to war.”
Liam chuckled at him. “You’ve finally gotten what you wanted, then. Do you think she will be there when you return?”
“I guess we’ll have to wait until we return, won’t we?” Jorren asked.
“I suppose we will.”
Liam groaned when someone shook him awake. He cracked his eyes open to glare at Jorren. “Leave me alone; it isn’t even light out yet.”
“That sound, my friend, is the rain.” He shook Liam again. “We have to help roll up the tents before they get too heavy to carry.”
“Shouldn’t we just stay here until it stops raining?” Liam ran a hand over his face and grimaced at how sticky his skin was with the humidity.
“Lord General Crompton wants to travel as far as we can today. ‘Every step counts,’ when it comes to getting to Salatia.”
Liam sighed, pulling on his boots before he got off his bedroll and packed it up. “How much of the camp is done?”
“Maybe a quarter of it. The other men are having a hard time dragging themselves out of bed with this weather.” Jorren began pulling at the bindings keeping the burlap in place.
Liam helped him. “Why did no one have these waxed? It’s spring for Heaven’s sake. It rains!”
“Why don’t you ask the lord general about that?” Jorren grinned. “I’m sure he’d be happy to answer all of your resentful questions.”
“I’m sure he would be.” Liam grimaced. He couldn’t seem to get on the lord general’s good side, despite his best efforts.
Once the canvas was off its frame, Liam and Jorren held it between them to wring it out. Water poured from the fabric, creating a puddle. They moved as quickly as they could to avoid the tent being soaked through again before they could put it in its bag. Liam grimaced. It would mildew by the time they had to take it out again. Whoever had neglected waxing the tents would make them all suffer. The bag, at least, had been waxed to keep the water out. Maybe, after this, the lord general would order them to take a day to properly prepare their tents for this type of weather. It would do none of them any good if half the army grew sick from sleeping wet.
The frame was torn down next and added to the same bag as the canvas.
“I’ll take it to the wagon,” Liam offered, holding the muddy bag away from himself.
“You sure?”
He nodded, scowling when the ground squelched as he walked. They would be lucky if they only had three broken ankles on their march today. Liam shook his head when he saw another soldier slip in the mud on his way to the supply wagon. “This is pure idiocy,” he muttered to himself.
“What was that Private?”
Liam jumped, sliding in the mud. He went down hard, landing on his back. He groaned, trying to sit up.
Hands came under his arms and lifted him from the ground with ease. It was the lord general, and his mouth formed a hard line while he glared at Liam.
“Sir?”
“Do you have something to say to me, Private?”
“No, sir.” Liam stood straight, keeping his hands tightly to his sides.
The lord general stepped closer to him. He was a shorter man than Liam, but it made no difference. He had the presence of a giant when he was angry. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell me how idiotic this move is?”
Liam hesitated.
“Well?”
“Sir, I’m worried for the men. This mud will only make it harder to move, and we could lose several men to broken bones.”
“Do you think all of Anatalia is made of mud, Private?”
“Well, no, sir, but—”
“Do you think I would risk good fighting men because I want to get to Salatia sooner?”
“No, sir, but—”
“I don’t need to explain my orders to you, Private, but just a league past that grove over there are several grassy fields that can be easily walked on and won’t sink when we move the camp there,” Crompton said. “Don’t question me again.”
“Yes, sir!” Liam said as Crompton walked away. He slouched and let out a sigh when the lord general was out of sight. “Good going, Liam. He really likes you now.” He tossed the tent into the wagon and returned to Jorren and his pack.
“What happened to you?” Jorren asked, laughing. “You’re covered in mud!”
“The lord general surprised me when I was telling myself how stupid this was.”
Jorren laughed again, bending at his middle. “Oh, I’m sure he loved that.”
“He did—so much so, I got a talking to.” Liam wiped some mud from his neck before digging his shaving mirror from his pack.
“You’re going to have to change into your spare,” Jorren said as Liam examined himself. “You look godawful, and if the lord general sees you like that again, you’ll get another talking to.”
“Why is it I just can’t seem to get on his good side?”
“You’re trying too hard. You want to be on his good side instead of just doing your job and excelling with your actions.”
Liam sighed. “You’re probably right.”
“I’ll see you in formation, yeah?”
Liam nodded, unbuttoning his uniform jacket. “Be careful of what you say.”
“Never.” Jorren laughed, snatching up his pack and slinging it over his shoulder before he walked away.
Liam sat on a stump to rest his feet while their group gathered to hear their orders.
“Do you think you’re more special than the rest of us, Private Fulton?”
He jumped to his feet and turned around. Lieutenant Bryant stood in front of him, his brow furrowed. He was another leader whom Liam could not seem to get along with. Likely because Lieutenant Bryant and Lord General Crompton were thick as thieves. Liam had managed to avoid Bryant their first month of marching by some miracle. He had a worse time with him than he did Crompton.
“No, sir, I don’t.”
“You don’t get a break just because you happened to find a stump. Everyone else is standing for their lord general,” Lieutenant Bryant scolded. “Have some respect.”
“Yes, sir.”
Lieutenant Bryant gave him one last scathing look before going to the front of the crowd with Lord General Crompton.
“We’ll be staying a few days next to Camaveia to recruit some new soldiers,” Lord General Crompton told them. “You do not have permission to enter the town for any other purpose. You will have no relations with anyone in the city; you will not sleep in the city because it’s more comfortable; you will only recruit men who want to join. No one will be forced into service like they do in Salatia.”
There were a few groans from the men, but no one protested outright. They knew not to disobey Crompton. He was not afraid to exact punishment swiftly and thoroughly.
“We’ll camp for the evening and get some rest before going into the city. I want all your uniforms cleaned and professional looking, and you will be inspected before you can leave. If you fail your inspection more than once, you will not be allowed to leave camp. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!” the group called.
“Back in formation!
The men fell in line as they marched away to make their campsite closer to the city. They were still too far away to see the city, and if they wanted to have enough rest to explore Camaveia, they would need to make it there in record time.
Liam brushed his hard leather boots with his boar-bristle brush to get the caked mud off them. He scrubbed until they began to shine, squinting at them in the light.
“Don’t you think you’re going a little overboard?”
“Hm?” Liam looked up, surprised anyone was in the tent with him. “I thought you left.”
“I did. I’ve already been approved to go into the city. You’ve been scrubbing those boots for half an hour, Liam.”
“I have?” He examined the boots again. “I don’t want to be rejected. I’m already not liked. I don’t want to fail my inspection.”
“You won’t. The lord general and Lieutenant Bryant are already in the city.” Jorren took the boot from Liam’s hand to inspect it himself. “This is cleaner than mine, and even I have approval. Get dressed, and go see Sergeant Flammel so we can go. He’ll pass you for sure. I’m sick of seeing just the men here.”
Liam laughed. “Have you already forgotten about Elaine?”
“Never,” Jorren declared. “She’s my heart and joy, but I want to see new people. And if they happen to be a pretty woman, all the better for my spirits. Now get up and go!”
“All right, all right!” Liam took his boot back and slipped it on. “Don’t get yourself all in a huff. I’m going.”
Liam grinned as they neared the city. Jorren was right, it was good to see new people. It’d been a month since he’d seen anyone besides his fellow soldiers, and it lifted his spirits to see the bright colors of everyday clothes.
A woman in a lavender day dress and yellow shawl passed by, smiling at them both in turn. “Good day.”
Jorren took off his hat and bowed with a flourish. “Good day to you, miss.”
She giggled and continued on, her cheeks rosier than they had been moments before.
Jorren grinned at Liam, returning his hat to its place. “It’s good to be here.”
“Do you smell that?” Liam’s stomach growled as he sniffed the air. “It smells like bacon.”
Jorren lightly tapped Liam’s chest with the back of his hand. “Let’s go get some breakfast. See if we can get any extras for defending our country.”
Liam grinned at him, following his nose to an eatery named The Blue Vine. “Maybe we can actually find a recruit there. At least, that’s what we’ll tell people.”
The Blue Vine had few patrons within, and only a few men sat at the bar, shoveling food in their mouths.
“Let’s sit at the bar.” Liam nodded toward the men sitting there. “I think we might have some luck recruiting after all.”
The pair split apart and sat on either side of two of the men already at the bar.
The serving girl put ceramic cups of water in front of them within moments of being seated. “We’ve got eggs ’n’ bacon, an’ porridge.”
“Bacon and eggs,” they said together and laughed.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had bacon,” Liam commented, winking at the serving girl. “Could we have some extra?”
She smiled. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Jorren grinned at her. “Bless you.”
The man between Liam and Jorren snorted, shoveling another fork full of food into his mouth.
“Something wrong, friend?” Jorren asked as the serving girl walked away.
“You’ll be lucky if she even comes back,” he said. “She doesn’t like anyone in this town.”
Liam shrugged. “We aren’t from this town.”
“That’s obvious, isn’t it?” The man looked between the two soldiers. “Showing up here in uniform. Should I be guardin’ my cup in case you try to conscript me?”
“Ah, no.” Jorren took a long drink from his cup. “I’m afraid the only people who drink at His Majesty’s expense are the people who volunteer to.”
“Can’t say I’ll be doin’ that.” The man sloppily drank from his cup, water dripping down his chin. He let out a gruff, satisfied sigh. “I like my freedom, thank you,” he said with a smirk.
The serving girl came from the kitchen with three plates, two heaping with eggs and one solely dedicated to steaming bacon. “No extra charge,” she said when she set them down. “Got to keep our soldiers strong.”
The smirk fell from the man’s face, and he let out a grunt of protest. “You told me you didn’t have any extra to give when I asked!”
“Shut up, Ed!” the serving girl snapped. “These soldiers are hungry.”
“But—”
“I said shut it!” she yelled before she turned to Jorren and smiled sweetly. “Let me know if I can get you anything else.”
“I will.”
The serving girl gave one last glare to Ed before she walked away.
Liam pushed the plate of bacon closer to Ed. “You’re more than welcome to share. It’s more than we can eat comfortably.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Ed snatched several pieces of bacon from the plate and wasted no time shoving one of them in his mouth.
“You know,” Jorren said between bites, “we are recruiting if you know anyone who wants to join. I’ve no doubt we’ll be treated just like this wherever we stop at towns. And I imagine even better once we win the war. We’ll have women throwing themselves at us.” Jorren waggled his eyebrows before shoving a piece of bacon in his mouth.
“What’s the serving girl’s name?” Liam asked Ed.
“Mackenzie.”
“What’s something you can’t get here? Anything they absolutely refuse to serve here?” Liam watched in some disappointment as the other men left. At least there was still Ed they could try to conscript.
“The cook hates okra and won’t go near the stuff.”
“Mackenzie!” Liam called when he caught sight of her.
She rushed over to him, her cheeks pink. “What can I do for you?”
“Mackenzie.” He smiled at her. “I’m feeling a bit homesick smelling all this wonderful food. I wonder if I might get a bowl of roasted okra? My ma used to make it for me any time I was feeling down.”
She hesitated. “Well…”
Liam looked at her with sad eyes. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen her, and I don’t know if I will again.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Mackenzie disappeared into the kitchen.
“You’re not going to get it.” Ed laughed, shaking his head. “They don’t even have it in the place.”
“Just do it!” They heard Mackenzie screech from the back. She reappeared shortly afterward and smiled at Liam, resting a hand on his. “We’ll make sure you feel like you’re home here.”
“Thank you, Mackenzie.” He picked her hand up and kissed her knuckles. “I appreciate you taking such good care of us while we’re away from our families.”
She blushed and pulled her hand from his. “We’ve all got our parts to do.” She slipped away to tend to other customers.
“I still don’t think you’re going to get it.” Ed crossed his arms over his chest.
“Why don’t you wait around and find out?” Jorren asked.
Ed laughed. “You think I’d leave now?”
Liam snorted, clapping him on the shoulder. “Have some more bacon, Ed.”
Thirty minutes later, Mackenzie presented Liam with a steaming bowl of roasted okra. “I hope it’s just as good as your ma’s.”
Ed’s jaw dropped as he stared at the forbidden food. “You actually got it.”
“Women love a soldier,” Jorren reminded him, grabbing a piece of okra and popping it in his mouth.
“Where do I sign up?”