a Red with the Allegiance. As far as we know, the Allegiance is being rounded up. Some whisper got a hold of one of them and cracked the poor man right open. All the safe houses and escape routes. Tore it out like a bad tooth. We’re trying to cooperate, or look like we’re cooperating at least. Keep our own safe. Not much we can do for the Allegiance. They weren’t smart about this. Weren’t smart at all, and we’re going to suffer for it. . . .
The Red Watch officer’s account refers to the assassination of Queen Andura’s brother and heir, Prince Marcas, in 197 NE. He was killed by a Red uprising in Harbor Bay. I assume the “Allegiance” referred to above was a predecessor to the Scarlet Guard.
Increased movement out of the Lakelands along the River, look to be Red soldiers. Odd, they don’t head south, but turn east and head upriver at the Fork. All pay in full up front. Have ferried the same group twice this year. Other ferriers say they’ve done the same. I’ve got a strange feeling about this lot. I’ve got a strange feeling about this lot. They aren’t running, that’s for sure. And they aren’t acting on Silver orders. They pay too well for our descretion discretion.
The Red soldiers gave me enough coin to buy my boat twice over to move them now and move them quick. Paid again at the border. Couldn’t resist. Took them up the Ohius, along the Nortan border. Dangurous Dangerous ground. Won’t risk that again. Still haven’t gotten their names, but there they’re heading north, judging by their gear. Far, far north.
The Lakelander smugglers tipped off the ferriers at the Fork. Sivlers Silvers will be cracking down on the border checks, and have orders to destroy our boats if we land on their banks. There’s been some trouble with Reds on the Lakes. Enough to keep an eye on the border. They’re hunting.
COL. FARLEY: Started slow, started small. Enough not to be noticed. A bridge collapse backs up transports and convoys for a few days. A citadel doesn’t get a weapons shipment on time. A troop march can’t go out. They have to double-time to keep a schedule, and the officers are frustrated, frazzled. Maybe one takes a bad step and cracks his head open. Maybe his children come to visit, and end up lost in the woods. That sort of thing.
JACOS: That sort of thing.
COL. FARLEY: You look a bit green, Jacos. I thought you studied this? Thought you’ve seen worse?
JACOS: Words on the page are very different from hearing it firsthand, sir. So you say this began in the army?
COL. FARLEY: That’s right. My unit wasn’t assigned to a Citadel or specific legion. We floated. We were good at war, good at killing. The Silvers sent us where we were needed. To the front—or somewhere else.
JACOS: Within the Lakelands?
COL. FARLEY: The border, mostly, but yes. We were dispatched all over.
JACOS: I believe it’s your turn to look a little green, Colonel.
COL. FARLEY: That’s what did it, in the end. Sending us after our own. Making us stop a riot any way we could. Pull a mother away from her child as the kid’s taken away to conscript. It didn’t sit well.
JACOS: I can imagine it didn’t.
COL. FARLEY: We had a Silver officer keeping us in check, but he liked to drink. Liked to eat. Liked life with the higher-ups at the Citadels. And so long as we showed up where we had to be, he didn’t mind what we did in the meantime.
JACOS: Blowing up bridges and killing officers.
COL. FARLEY: Right. We kept the circle small. Just my unit at first. We were all from the Hud, the north, a cold and barren place. You learn to hunt when you learn to walk up there. Sentry was with me from the beginning, and so was Crimson. He was our best contact with the Rivermen.
JACOS: The Rivermen?
COL. FARLEY: That’s what we call the ferriers and smugglers of the Disputed Lands. No one better at getting you over the border or moving along the river. We weren’t allowed to travel with weaponry, but they were good at keeping us armed when we needed to be.
JACOS: So the Command Generals code-named Sentry and Crimson were part of your unit. How did you meet the others?
COL. FARLEY: Crossed paths over the years. Most of them were doing the same thing we were. Sabotaging the Silvers without much plan