Chapter the Twelfth, in Which More of a Character's Back Story is Revealed.

Now the reader knows who Soapy Washer really is and what he is up to. If he acquits himself well at the Battle of the Predictive Pines this is likely to stand in his favour, as his undercover mission could be viewed as espionage. Unless General Froc has kept King Verence in the loop. Neither ruler has any reason to like the Elves.

The action was brief and quite ruthless. Sabres thrust and cut. Raiders fell. There is no need to paint a picture (1) and at the end of it only one of them was in a fit state to answer questions without the assistance of a post – mortem communicator.

Field chains are not the sturdiest restraints on the Disc. Sometimes a defaulter must be marched many miles to court martial or an intelligence asset to debriefing. (2) The chains serve more than anything else to remind the prisoner he is under detention, and inhibit him from trying to seize a weapon. There were times when this relative flimsiness could be exploited as a 'dirty trick' (3) against an inconvenient or particularly heinous prisoner. Currently Major Blouse was taking great care to remind himself he was above such acts. (4) The prisoner's strange behaviour under such light restraint was helping him to maintain that standard of conduct.

Lord Rose Hip was disorientated. He was confused. Unusually for one of his kind he was afraid. He did not mourn his fallen companions though. Elvish lack of empathy saw to that. (5) He kept seeing one of the men he'd killed horribly peering at him from time to time. One of the two who had borne iron weapons. This wasn't helping his mental equilibrium, or being unsure if he was alive or dead.

A leaden voice spoke to him, its meaning not so much delivered to the ear as dropped directly into an already teeming mind.

'BELIEVE ME YOU ARE NOT DEAD. I AM HAVING TO RESTORE ORDER TO A MOST UNSEEMLY DISTURBANCE HERE. THERE IS A DECEASED SOLDIER ORGANISING YOUR VICTIMS INTO A POST – MORTEM LYNCH MOB AGAINST YOUR SLAIN COMPANIONS. THIS IS ALL HIGHLY IRREGULAR. IF THIS HELPS YOUR ORIENTATION ISSUES, I WILL SEE YOU LATER.'

He was not aware that he was babbling his current experiences to the world at large, much to the confusion of the soldiers who had captured him.

'Trooper Metzger, he thinks you are dead. And I believe you were, and in bits, when we found you.'

'I got better sir, it happens when you are a yennork (6) serving in an army.'

'Can you make anything at all of his raving Metzger ? I've never encountered a bandit quite like this one. And have you seen his ears ? The Igors will want to check out this crew. Though I expect the hangman will be checking this one out first. Horrific murders on this scale have to be seen to be punished. Justice for what he and his associates did has to be public.'

'I know I have one foot in the supernatural sir...'

'I hope that is not the beginning of a rebuke, trooper.'

'No sir, just not used to being considered an expert on anything but combat (7) and surviving industrial accidents. As it happens I've heard of these Alfar (7a) and would consider never meeting them again for the rest of eternity a day too soon.'

'I appreciate that 'unpleasant' understates your encounter with these men, but your contribution of intelligence could be of great value here. Please elaborate.'

'They are from another reality whose gates lie near stone circles. They come through as bandits when there are disruptions in the world's magic. A wizard would put better words to it sir, but I'll do my best. Something big must have happened. They have a lot of magic at their disposal and they use it to help them raid, with a lot of cruelty. But iron disrupts their magic. That's why you were able to cut these raiders down, your armour and weapons were a,' he paused, 'countermeasure and their own primitive weapons and lack of skill did the rest.' (9)

'Thank you Metzger. Igor, I know you have been writing down the raider's rantings, have you anything you can make sense of ?'

'He theemth to with he'd joined another raid on a lumber camp working on predictive pineth in the vithinity of Lancre. The magic ith a lot thronger there and would have worked in their favour. Permithion to document the prithoner iconographically, thir ?'

At this point Major Blouse made one of his now rare mistakes. He gave Trooper Igor the consent he had requested.

Lord Rose Hip was lined up with the stone circle behind him to get as much informative detail into Igor's iconograph picture as possible.

He recognized there was something that looked mechanical being pointed at him with a voice coming from inside it.

'Tell me when you want to take the shot.' (10)

Lord Rose Hip's consciousness focused heavily on the word 'shot.'

Panic and adrenalin did the rest.

He broke out of the field chains and legged it for the stone circle. A stand of trees became visible within it. Predictive pines.

When you are not expecting that kind of speed, getting yourself moving in heavy armour is a challenge. The soldiers didn't catch him.

The iconograph imp complained bitterly about how hard Igor made it work producing pictures of the fugitive's escape.

It has to be said that their previous elimination of the other nine raiders, the useful details in the pictures, Igor's notes and Metzger's testimony prevented too much censure for losing the prisoner when General Froc had Major Blouse on the carpet over the incident.

It did lead to his mission into Lancre in the guise of a laundryman, 'to apprehend the bandit styled Lord Rose Hip and return him for trial. If this proves impossible, to slay the bandit and return with proof of success.' (11) (12)

(1)I would have to use quite a lot of red...

(2)In Borogravia/Zlobenia/Uberwald neither is likely to be fun.

(3)See Sir Terry's Thud for Captain Gud's treatment of Sergeant Detritus.

(4)Johann Blouse has high minded ideals per the standards due from an Officer and a Gentleman.

(5)Magic user, feels no pain and no empathy. Among humans, a recipe for a dangerous psychopath.

(6)Monomorphic werewolf. Usually outcast from the Packs. Still hard to kill, so prized as soldiers.

(7)Mostly brawling. Yennorks and similar entities like Ludmilla Cake often have short fuses.

(7a)Ok, 'Elves' if you insist on translation...

(9)If you can englamour an opponent, you don't need much martial skill.

(10)In hindsight, the iconograph imp's words could have been better chosen.

(11)A certain war film comes to mind, but General Froc doesn't waste time on euphemisms.

(12)Trial by lawyer was a new concept to them, they were still developing the details of due process.