A LEGACY OF LIGHT

TILLA

TILLA

Tilla stood in the square, arms pressed to her sides and chin raised. Her helmet topped her head. Her leather armor still squeezed her, so tight she could barely breathe. She kept her fist around the hilt of her sword.

Nairi stood before the phalanx, face twisted like a woman staring at dung upon her boot.

"Listen up, maggots!" the lanse shouted. "You are now divided into flights of three. These flights are your life! In tunnels and halls, you will swing swords in threes. In the skies, you will roar fire as three dragons. Every flight will have one leader--one attacker!--and two defenders. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Commander!" Tilla shouted along with the others.

It was the only acceptable answer, of course. One recruit, only an hour ago, had dared to ask a question. Nairi had driven her punisher into the girl for so long her flesh had cracked.

Flight commanders, Tilla thought and sucked in her breath. She knew that dragons flew in threes--two defending one attacker--but not how the attacker was determined.

I'm going to find out now.

"First flight!" Nairi shouted. "Forward."

Three recruits--those who formed the left flank of the formation--stepped forward. They glanced around nervously and clutched their swords. They were the daughters of farmers; Tilla vaguely remembered them selling eggs, fruits, and grains in harvest fairs. Today they wore armor and bore blades.

Nairi snarled at the farm girls.

"If you ask me, all three of you are worms. You should be squirming under my boots, not standing before me in armor." The lanse raised her voice. "The last one among you standing will eat and sleep tonight! The two who fall first--you will spend the night cleaning the outhouses. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Commander!" the three answered, faces pale.

"Your swords are blunt," Nairi said, "but they will still bruise flesh. Swing them! Last one standing will lead your flight."

The girls glanced at one another, hesitating.

Stars, oh stars, just swing your blades, Tilla thought.

Yet the girls did not move.

With a snarl, Nairi drew her punisher. She drove the crackling rod into one girl.

The recruit screamed. She fell into the dust. Her body convulsed, and Nairi knelt above her, growling and shoving her punisher against the girl's belly. The girl doubled up, weeping and begging and smoking.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Nairi withdrew her punisher and rose to her feet. She spat onto the fallen girl.

"This one is out," she said. She looked up at the two recruits who still stood. "Go on--fight each other! Or I'll burn another one."

The two recruits swallowed, drew their blunt blades, and began to swing at one another. Steel clanged.

"Faster!" Nairi screamed. "Harder! Beat her bloody."

The steel kept clashing. Finally one girl disarmed the other, slamming blade onto wrist.

"Finish her!" Nairi ordered. "Beat her down."

The armed girl's eyes were damp, yet she obeyed. She swung her blunt sword against her friend's legs, sending her falling.

Nairi spat in disgust. "Useless cockroaches, you are." She snarled at the last girl standing. "You lead your miserable trio of worms. Drag the other two back to formation." She turned back to the ranks. "Next flight--you three, forward!"