Burning Night: A Tale of the Everburning City

Chapter 14, Part 1: Adrian

They had been mustered at the crack of dawn, and marched at a slow run for nearly two miles, to the edge of the field where one of the causeways passed overhead. The field had recently been harvested, and was devoid of labourers or machines.

It was also, Adrian noticed, dry.

"It hasn't been irrigated in weeks," Gerald said aloud, beside him. The months of harsh conditioning training were yeilding results, leaving them able to converse at a slow run.

"Why do you think that matters?" Adrian asked.

"No one wants to train in the mud. The Sergeant did say she wanted to teach us Valkyries," Gerald speculated.

"She was kidding," Caitlin said from behind them. "No one teaches recruits Valkyries."

"So the metal tube coming down that winch is just a new form of irrigation pipe?" Gerald asked, pointing up the causeway.

Adrian looked up and caught the glint of polished metal reflecting in the rising sun. Even from a distance, the ungainly metal tube shape was easily discerned.

"No burning way," Caitlin hissed. "She was serious."

They followed Varnell to almost exactly where the guns were being dropped. Just below the gun, a small cart with large, wide wheels waited.

"Hope we don't have to wheel that very far," Farah said from just ahead of him. "That thing looks monstrously heavy."

"We can't wheel it very far. That thing will sink into the farmland," Caitlin replied. "It looks like we're going to be training with them here."

Adrian followed Caitlin's pointed finger and marked three other mounts.

"Recruits! Fall in!" Varnell shouted, ahead of them.

The group of recruits streamed into a single line in haste, and were nearly assembled by the time Sergeant Varnell turned around to speak to them.

"As you might have gathered, we will have a half-dozen Valkyries set up within the hour." Sergeant Varnell announced. "Now, I understand Miss Dremora will need a minute to recover from the incredulity of teaching these to recruits, but Valkyries are the second mightiest weapon the City has, and the first one we deploy. Ideally, they're used by well-trained specialists. But I'd be negligent if I graduated you without at least teaching you to load one. Who knows, some of you might become artillery specialists."

Varnell smiled,  and pointed behidn her. "To begin, form groups of twelve around each gun. Dremora, Raeth, you may not work together. Keates, Respelli, Trask, take different cannons. Gunnery crews usually work in groups of four, so you'll sort yourselves into smaller groups and take turns. Go."

All of them moved at a jog to the guns, dividing themselves up into smaller groups as the neared the cannons. To Adrian's surprise, Caitlin clapped an arm around his shoulder and pointed him towards one of the guns. "I am definitely working with you, Keates. Lamppost can pine over you from somewhere else."

"I'll take my broken heart out on whatever we're shooting at," Gerald replied, waving as he parted ways with them.

"You want to work with me?" Adrian asked, surprised.

"Of-burning-course, Keates. You're a walking bag of good fortune. Under my guidance, you'll go far," Caitlin insisted, clapping him on the shoulder.

"If you can aim a cannon like you shoot a Salamander, we're all going to look good," Adrian remarked.

"Are you kidding?" Caitlin asked, smiling. "Gerald and I are going to play lawn darts with cannon balls today. The rest of you are just here to load the guns for us."