Chapter 168: State of the Protectorate
The guards at the army barracks gate recognized Beorn at once. One lifted a hand in acknowledgment, then returned immediately to the change-of-post sequence. No one broke formation for him.
That was how it should be.
He passed through the gate and into the yard before it had fully closed behind him.
Training occupied both sections of the grounds.
The larger section followed the standard blank-fire rotation. The near rank drilled pistol loading. The far rank worked with Sceotans. Each group alternated through the sequence that had become routine over the past season.
The routine itself hadn’t changed.
The numbers had.
Beorn studied the far rank as he crossed the yard.
There had once been a time when Sceotans were rare enough to draw attention whenever they appeared. Production limitations had ensured that. A company performed well, received a handful of the weapons, and treated them almost as a privilege.
That was no longer true.
The boring machine’s output through autumn had changed things. Sceotans now outnumbered pistols in the far rank by nearly two to one.
They weren’t special equipment anymore.
They were standard equipment.
The smaller training section near the western edge of the yard focused on something entirely different.
A squad was building a wall.
A portable wall.
Stone-and-timber sections lay stacked beside them. The soldiers worked through an assembly sequence while a squad leader stood near one corner, counting each step aloud.
The construction wasn’t smooth.
One soldier reached for the wrong corner piece and immediately forced two others to adjust around him. Another hesitated before locking a support beam into position.
The mistakes were small, but they revealed the same thing.
The men were still thinking through the process.
The skill hadn’t become instinct yet.
Even so, the sequence itself was correct.
The squad leader carried one folded page in one hand and checked it between counts while timing each stage of the assembly.
Good.
The training had begun.
Beorn continued across the yard without interrupting either exercise and entered the building that had once housed the quartermaster’s office.
Godric and Lewin were already waiting.
Both men stood as he entered.
The surveyor’s map occupied the center of the table. A lamp had been positioned carefully beside it so the light fell across the southern and eastern territories.
Foothills. Ruins-band markers. Outpost locations.
Lewin’s notation system covered portions of the map in neat, precise markings.
Godric carried a folded stack of papers inside his coat.
Lewin already had a field ledger open.
"Been here since the second hour," Godric said. "We have everything."
Lewin added, "All outstanding deployments, current territory status, and one item requiring a decision."
"Let us start."
Beorn moved near the table.
Godric shifted his attention to the map.
He began, "The three autumn operations are fully accounted for. The mercenary groups were defeated without complications and the supplies seized match the expectations."
He turned a page.
"Casualty figures as the captains’ reports. No revisions."
Beorn nodded once.
"How’s the northern route?"
Godric shifted his eyes to it on the map, "The captain established position on the primary mine route before winter. The patrol coverage currently extends roughly four miles beyond the last reliable marker, and supply traffic reaches all three mines regularly."
Another page turned.
"They reported a brief engagement against a Hollow Hound pack. No other contacts."
"Very well. And the bandits territories?"
"Largely pacified."
Godric’s voice remained professional, but satisfaction showed through anyway.
He glanced down briefly. "Most of them relocated away. Two attempted to fight back, but the 11th company easily removed them."
Beorn looked at the route on the map.
A predictable outcome.
Patrols created security. Security created movement. Movement created growth.
Simple systems often produced the most valuable results.
"How’s Harr?"
"The company’s back."
Godric reported. "Returned three days ago. The third mine is operational and the surrounding territory has been secured. There was persistent creature activity east, and Harr’s company cleared it before withdrawal."
A short pause.
"The reclamation is complete."
Beorn opened the ledger and added a note beside the third mine entry.
One project finished.
One company freed.
Harr’s men could return to the city garrison schedule, refill their ranks and rest.
Lewin stepped forward and placed a finger near the protectorate’s distant edge.
The single road leading toward Grimholt was clearly marked.
"They refused the first proposal," Lewin said. "As expected."
Beorn wasn’t surprised.
Most settlements distrusted outside authority until circumstances convinced them otherwise.
Lewin continued, "The captain set camp three miles from town. Six days later, the council accepted the proposal."
He turned a page.
"They requested one condition. Their settlement sits at the end of a single road with moderate creature activity. They wanted a promise of security included."
"The northern road outpost already covers that area."
"That’s what the captain told them."
"And?"
"They agreed."
A faint satisfaction touched Lewin’s expression.
"Grimholt is now submitted into the protectorate system."
Good.
Another piece added to the structure.
Beorn moved on the topics, "How’s the eastern highway settlement?"
Lewin shifted his finger along the map.
He continued with faint satisfaction, "Cooperative from the beginning. They understood what Ashmark’s protection would mean for trade."
Practical people.
The easiest negotiations were often conducted with individuals who could make simple decisions.
"They also provided information regarding eastbound traffic."
He tapped the ledger. "The volume is considerably higher than previous estimates. Grain shipments. Metal goods. Livestock convoys."
Beorn considered that.
"Does their settlement have any special service?"
"An unofficial waypoint."
Lewin gave a slight shrug.
"Travelers stop there. The town charges them for the privilege."
Which meant they had accidentally become infrastructure.
Interesting.
He moved on to the next subject, "Report from the salt formations?"
Lewin moved southeast.
He reported evenly, "The deposit is larger than preliminary surveys suggested. Initial extraction preparations are complete and waiting for spring."
His finger remained on the location.
"The captain estimates at least two seasons before the full scale of the deposit becomes clear."
Beorn made another note.
Salt had been a logistical weakness since the first supply reviews.
A larger deposit changed long-term planning considerably.
"Now copper and tin."
Lewin moved northeast toward one of the ruins-band markers identified during the intelligence department’s correlation work.
"We have presence established. The most promising deposit is here."
His finger rested on the location.
"The area will require pacifying operations before infrastructure can be built."
Beorn studied the marker.
"Ruins status?"
"Inactive during the latest survey. No fracture events or abominations activity nearby."
Lewin tapped the position.
"But it remains inside the risk band."
Which meant danger.
A distinction worth remembering.
"Delay extraction planning until we understand the site better."
Lewin nodded.
"Understood."
Beorn looked across the larger map.
"Environmental picture."
Lewin turned several pages.
His voice strained slightly, "Native fauna remains within seasonal norms. The monsters are acting within what is expected from them by historical accounts."
Nothing unexpected there.
Then Lewin paused.
"The abominations are different."
Beorn focused on him.
"Appearances near the outposts have increased. Individual incidents remain manageable, but frequency is elevated."
"How elevated?"
"Approximately one and a half times the expected baseline."
Lewin glanced at the map. "And the correlation remains consistent. Every outpost reporting abomination activity falls within range of at least one flagged ruins location."
The connection continued to exist.
Interesting.
And unfortunate.
"And beyond outpost range?"
"Unknown."
The answer came immediately. "My network only extends approximately one day’s march beyond established positions. Any conditions deeper in the Badlands remain unverified."
Beorn studied the arc of ruins markers.
The conclusion wasn’t difficult.
The old spire remnants had reacted.
The ruins-band theory predicted exactly this result.
More magical activity.
More abominations.
Especially near former support-spire locations.
Unfortunately, understanding a problem and solving it weren’t the same thing.
Not at the current scale.
"Continue monitoring," Beorn said. "Report any change in frequency or behavior."
"Understood."
Lewin stepped back.
Godric resumed.
The garrison report was brief.
Two companies had rotated from city duty to field outposts.
Three companies returning from the foothills had rotated into the city.
Harr’s company now occupied a city garrison slot.
The minimum ten-company requirement remained satisfied.
"Well done," Beorn said.
Godric nodded.
Then he hesitated.
Only slightly.
It was enough for Beorn to notice.
This wasn’t another report.
It was the remaining item requiring judgment.
"There was a civilian woman recovered from the Ashen Company slave pen."
Beorn waited.
"She was directed to Lewin’s intelligence officer after the operation."
"That occurred," Lewin confirmed.
"What I’m flagging is that she’s still with the company."
A brief pause.
"Apparently she wasn’t forced into it, but willingly chose to stay, and the captain resigned to it."
Lewin glanced at his ledger.
The motion looked less like searching and more like verification.
"The intelligence interview concluded during the first week after the Street Dogs returned."
He turned a page. "She provided everything she knew regarding the northern merchant and associated movement routes."
Another pause.
"My officer now has a name. Also a general location north of the former Ashen camps."
The intelligence aspect was straightforward.
A name was considerably more valuable than what they had possessed before.
The ruling itself was simpler.
"Any personal concern doesn’t mingle with the army."
Godric waited.
"As long as company performance remains unchanged, the situation remains unchanged."
That answered the question.
Godric accepted it immediately.
No further discussion followed.
The briefing was complete. Operations accounted for. Territory reviewed.
One decision delivered.
The map remained spread across the table. Lewin’s markings covered much of the eastern territory. The lamp burned steadily beside it.
Outside, faintly audible through the office wall, the squad leader continued counting.
"Three."
A pause.
"Four."
Another.
"Brace."
Then,
"Lock."
The construction training continued.
Beorn closed the ledger.
Neither Godric nor Lewin moved.
Both recognized the shift before he spoke.
The briefing had ended. Something else was beginning.
"As for the field ration packs, first aid procedures and the rest. I want performance data."
Godric’s hand was already moving toward his coat pocket before the sentence finished.
The motion carried easy confidence. He had anticipated the question and prepared for it hours ago.
