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toward where the two alectors had been.
 Majer! Sir? Are you all right?
 Just hold your post, Saluft, Mykel called back. Even speaking was an effort.
He kept walking. Although he was convinced that the pair of strange alectors
were dead, he still could sense something remaining.
To cross the fifty yards between the melted rock and the dead alectors felt
like it took a good glass, although it was probably only a fraction of that.
In the darkness, despite his night vision ... he could see nothing except two
piles of clothes, and a pair of weapons that looked similar to the lightcutter
that Submarshal Dainyl had used on Majer Vaclyn.
The uniforms were the source of the faint aura. Mykel squatted. He had the
feeling mat bending would intensify the pain in his back. A shock ran through
his fingers as he picked up the black tunic that shimmered with its own light
in the dark. The material was like the dagger of the ancients imbued with
life, although it felt as if it had been dipped or twisted through
pinkish-purple. Was that why knives and bullets didn t penetrate their
uniforms?
His back felt like it had been flayed, but he forced him-self to fold the
uniforms into a bulky bundle, with the lightcutters inside. He slipped the
bundle inside the front of his tunic, wincing as the fabric of his tunic
tightened across his back.
That left boots and belts.
 Sir?
 I ll be back in a moment, Saluft.
Mykel picked up one pair of boots and carried them far enough toward the rocks
that he could throw them underhanded into the jumble of stones. He repeated
the process with the second pair, and then with the belts.
By then his back was an even greater mass of fire.
He turned and trudged toward the west gate.
 Sir, offered the sentry as Mykel approached.  There was a blue flash. What
was it?
 Lightning, I think. Mykel had to force the words out.  It melted some of the
rocks and burned me... my back. He held the rifle before him to conceal the
bulges in the front of his tunic.
Saluft stepped back, and Mykel made his way through the archway.
He was halfway across the courtyard when Rhystan appeared.
 Majer? The sentries alerted me ...
 I heard something ... think I got my back burned with lightning... melted
some rock there. I ll need someone to dress my back. If you would have them
come to my quarters ...
 Lightning ... it is cloudy, but I thought I heard shots, not thunder.
 Saluft saw the flash, Mykel said.  The sounds you heard must have been the
crack of the lightning.
 I ll get Systryn. He s as good as we ve got. I ll be right back.
Mykel forced himself to his small space, where he knelt and managed to get the
uniforms and the lightcutters hidden under his bedroll. He managed to get die
ammuni-tion belt off, but couldn t lift his arms quite high enough to strip
off his tunic. So he lit the small lamp and waited.
The two arrived within moments.
 I m going to need some help getting the tunic off.
Mykel almost passed out as Rhystan and Systryn peeled off the tunic.
 You d better sit down, sir, suggested Rhystan.
Mykel knelt on the bedroll. Sitting cross-legged would have just added to his
discomfort.
 There are lumps of stone here, sir, offered the ranker.  They re ...
melted... and part of the uniform is charred. There s only one deep burn,
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
though.
 Just clean things up and dress the wounds, Mykel said dryly.
The cleaning and dressing took more than half a glass, and was one of the less
pleasant experiences Mykel had undergone if not nearly so bad as being shot
and nearly dying in Dramur.
Rhystan said nothing until Systryn had left. Then he looked at Mykel.  I
thought you weren t going to scout things out by yourself.
 I didn t think getting some air was scouting. I had my rifle. *.
 Mykel... can you tell me what is really going on? Sir?
Could he? What could he tell Rhystan? Finally, he cleared his throat.  You
know the strange creatures?
 I think we re all familiar with them, sir.
 There are other creatures like them, and some of them look like men from a
distance. I haven t wanted to say much because the last thing I want is for
the men to be shooting at anything that looks like a man. That s all we d need
here. I have to wonder if something like that was what got the garrison here.
That s why I ve ordered so many sentries at night.
 What does that have to do with your back?
 I wish I could tell you. All I know was that I had the feeling mat something
might be outside. I went out to see, and there was a flash of light, as bright
as lightning, and the rock beside me melted.
 Is that the official explanation?
 It s also the only explanation so far, Mykel replied with an ironic laugh.
Rhystan shook his head.  Only you, sir. You start out your career by getting
shot in the ass, then get knifed by your own commander, and burned by
lightning outside your own garrison. I m not so certain that it s not safer
for you to be in real combat.
 Sometimes I wonder.
 Get some sleep, sir, if you can. Rhystan stepped back, offered a concerned
smile, and then departed.
As Mykel lay face down on his bedroll, too tired to move, and in too much
pain to sleep, he thought over the situation. He had no illusions about what
had happened. Rhystan knew that more was involved, but he d make sure everyone
knew the  official version. If someone found the boots and belts... if it
happened to be scroungers from the town, no one would even connect me
incidents. If some ranker did, the odds were that he d try to sell them in
town and make a few coppers and keep it quiet. There might be barracks talk,
but there was always barracks talk.
That was the least of Mykel s problems. He could only hope that it wouldn t be
too long before the submarshal got his message and did somediing. Then,
despite what the soarer had said, Mykel didn t believe that all alectors were
out against him and the Cadmians, but most of them might well be out after him
if they discovered he had the same kind of talent as the alectors did.
He just didn t know what more he could do not to be discovered, short of
deserting, and, if he did that, what protection would his men have if more of
the flying crea-tures appeared? Deserting would also have everyone looking for
him, including the Myrmidons, and trying to escape from pteridons wasn t
exactly recommended. Still... he d best be ready to leave at a moment s notice
if it looked like there was no other option. But he didn t like the idea.
60
Mykel forced himself to get up at his nor-mal time. Getting his undertunic and
tunic on was almost impossible, but he managed, although he had to blot his
forehead when he finished. He had just about finished his
breakfast of too-dry mutton and eggs that were brown from overcooking when
Rhystan appeared.
 Majer, sir... how are you feeling this morning?
 Sore and stiff, Rhystan, but better than last night. Ac-tually, Mykel wasn t
sure that he was. While his back didn t feel like a fiery mass of pain, it
throbbed, and he had not slept well at all.
 I was wondering if you wouldn t mind taking a short walk with me, sir. I was
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