Chapter 36: Water City Self-Defense Force
After the five accounts in the notebook were crossed out, Violet did not rest.
The next day before dawn, she was already standing in Water City's central square. Fifty people stood before her. Gray Bone at the very front, shovel in hand. His eyes still carried the red veins of incomplete sleep. Finn stood beside him, rubbing his eyes, yawning. Darryl leaned against the city wall, long blade cradled in his arms, his face unreadable. The remaining forty-seven were young men and women selected from Gray Rock Tribe and the other tribes. The oldest not yet thirty. The youngest just sixteen.
"From today on, you are the Water City Self-Defense Force." Violet's voice was a little hoarse in the early morning air. "When the beast tide comes, you are the ones who defend these walls. Before the beast tide comes, you are the ones who defend Water City."
No one spoke. Dozens of pairs of eyes fixed on her. Some yawning. Some rubbing their eyes. Some sneaking glances at the people beside them.
Gray Bone raised his shovel. "Who's the captain?"
"You."
Gray Bone paused. "Me?"
"You've fought battles. You know the roads. You know the people. You're not afraid to die."
Gray Bone set his shovel down, then picked it up again. "You want me as captain, I'll be captain. But I have one condition."
"Speak."
"Finn as vice-captain. He's young. Learns fast."
Finn's mouth fell open. "Me?"
"You." Violet glanced at him. "Gray Bone says you can do it. Even if you can't, you have to."
Finn closed his mouth.
---
Training ran into problems from the very first day. Not problems with people. Everyone came. No one was late. No one slacked. It was a problem of method. Violet stood in the square, a sharpened wooden stake in her hand. A straw target stood before her.
"A Thorn Wolf's weak point is its throat. There's no bone in the throat. Aim true, and one wooden stake can kill."
She turned sideways, stepped forward, and thrust the stake upward from below. It buried itself in the circle drawn at the center of the straw target. The movement wasn't fast, but it was accurate. Someone beside her laughed. Not malicious. Amused. A young hunter raised his hand. "Cecilia, we don't kill wolves with wooden stakes. We use blades."
"And when you have no blade?"
"We won't be without a blade."
"The beast tide comes. Your blade breaks. Your blade is lost. Your blade is chipped dull. You use your teeth?"
The laughter stopped. Violet tossed the stake to the young hunter. "You try."
The young hunter caught the stake and walked to the target. He imitated Violet's stance. Turned sideways. Stepped forward. Thrust. His movement was faster than Violet's, but the tip went wide. It grazed past the edge of the circle. Didn't strike true. His face flushed red. No one around him laughed.
"Again." Violet said.
He did it again. This time he struck true, but the force was insufficient. The stake sank in two inches and stopped. Violet walked over, took hold of his hand, and pushed the stake half a foot deeper.
"A wolf's throat has no bone. You thrust in, you thrust through. If you don't thrust through, the wolf doesn't die. You die."
The young hunter's hand was trembling. Not from fear. From exertion. He pulled the stake out, stepped back, and didn't speak again.
When training ended in the afternoon, Gray Bone walked over. "Today you taught them to kill wolves with wooden stakes. They don't accept it."
"Acceptance doesn't matter. Survival matters."
"You made Finn vice-captain. He doesn't dare speak."
"He'll learn."
Gray Bone looked at her. "You've changed. When you first came, you didn't involve yourself in anything. Now you involve yourself in everything."
Violet crouched down and gathered the wooden stakes from the ground, bundling them together. "When I first came, I only had to keep myself alive. Now I have to keep fifty people alive."
Gray Bone said nothing. He picked up his shovel and left.
---
Night. Violet sat on the steps outside her small house. The map spread before her. She was marking tomorrow's training location. The open ground on the east side of the city. Large enough to run drills. She was thinking about tomorrow's training content. The wolf's weak points had been covered. Tomorrow, the wolf's habits. Thorn Wolves feared fire. Feared loud sounds. Feared sudden light. This knowledge she had read in the original book. The original book had written it in great detail. So detailed that every chapter taught the same lesson. Wolves are like people. They have things they fear.
Leon walked over and sat beside her. He held a leather flask in his hand. Passed it to her. "Drink."
Violet took it and drank a mouthful. Not water. Alcohol. So strong it made her frown.
"Where did this come from?"
"Ulric gave it. He said you borrowed his wolves, so you should treat him to drinks. You didn't drink with him, so he drank for you. This is the portion he drank on your behalf."
Violet took another drink. Less harsh this time.
"How is the training?" Leon asked.
"Chaos. Fifty people. Fifty opinions. Some say wooden stakes are useless. Some say formations are too rigid. Some say a woman shouldn't teach warfare."
"What did you say?"
"I didn't say anything. Let them train. After they've trained, whoever still says a woman shouldn't teach warfare, I'll fight them."
Leon glanced at her. "You'll fight them?"
"Not a real fight. A contest. Who kills fewer wolves. Whoever kills fewer shuts their mouth."
The corner of Leon's mouth moved. "You'll lose."
"I won't lose. I have you."
Leon's hand paused. He looked at the fire and said nothing.
In the distance, the sound of stones being moved rang out again. The wall had risen to the height of a man and a half.
Violet finished the alcohol and handed the flask back to Leon. "Are you coming tomorrow?"
"I'll come."
"To do what?"
"Watch you teach them to kill wolves."
"You're not teaching?"
"You teach well. No need for me to teach."
Violet stood and brushed the dust from her robe. She took two steps, then stopped.
"Leon."
"Yes."
"Yesterday when you stood on the city wall. Were you waiting for me? Or guarding the city?"
Leon was silent for three seconds. "Can't separate them."
Violet walked into her small house and closed the door. In the darkness, the egg glowed beside her pillow. The light brighter than yesterday. Bright enough to see the moonlight seeping through the crack of the door. She picked the egg up and held it to the window. The thing inside was no longer curled up. Its four limbs had stretched out. Its head had lifted. The two small protrusions were more distinct than yesterday.
A thin crack had appeared on the shell. Running from the very top all the way to the base. Fine as a strand of hair. She touched it with her finger. The crack was there, but hadn't split open.
Soon.
She placed the egg back beside the pillow and lay down. Closed her eyes.
Tomorrow she would teach fifty people how to kill wolves. The day after too. And the day after that. Teaching until the beast tide came, or until the egg hatched.
Which would come first, she didn't know.
---
End of Chapter Thirty-Six
Fifty people. Fifty opinions. Some say wooden stakes are useless. Some say formations are too rigid. Some say a woman shouldn't teach warfare. Violet didn't argue. Let them train. After they've trained, whoever still says a woman shouldn't teach warfare, she'll fight them. Not a real fight. A contest of killing wolves. Whoever kills fewer shuts their mouth. Leon said, "You'll lose." She said, "I won't lose. I have you." The alcohol is finished. The fire has died. A thin crack has appeared on the eggshell. She doesn't know what's inside. But it's about to come out. The beast tide too.