"Chimi, Poole, approach." Dad ordered as the room broke to prepare for a roam.
She approached two steps behind Poole as standard and saluted with him as soon as they were before father.
"Walk with me, we're going to give her a tour."
"Sir, with respect, have you informed her?"
"Yes," he said, "She knows she will take my place, a prophecy is still a prophecy, some part of it must come true."
Poole nodded, "Nice to work with you, Chimi, don't worry about most of us ignorant knobheads, they don't know to be pissed at Ravalel for his heresy."
She smiled, "Thank you, Lieutenant Poole, Sir."
They followed Dad through the back doors, into an open space where the clank of metal and surge of steam filled her ears. From the corner of her eye, she took out a hairpin and stuck a whiteback spider to the wall. It squirmed, struggled and died seconds later.
Poole and Dad turned to look at her.
"You can see that from lookin' dead ahead?" Poole asked.
Dad seemed equally flabbergasted, "After this, a test," he said, "This is the forge," he gestured.
Chimi looked around; spears, clubs, and axes all assorted into their boxes and coats. The forge men worked tirelessly to forge more and more.
To the left of the room, men and women worked on short bows, long bows, and one man tinkered with a strange device. It had a metal and wood shaft, strings and some contraption.
"What's that?" she asked quietly.
"Dryke," Poole said, "Get over here, lad."
The man looked up and nearly gave a start when he straightened himself up to salute and march over with the contraption in hand.
"Sah," he said in a deep rasp. Grey eyes and ball haircut, he arched an eyebrow at Chimi, "We got a fit girl joinin' the engineers?"
Poole snatched the contraption from him and pointed at the floor, "In your dreams, kid, now do twenty. This is Chimi, Commander Angus' daughter."
Chimi was more surprised that Dad didn't scold him.
When Dryke rolled his eyes, Dad said, "Thirty."
"Yes, sah.." he got down and started pushups.
"What's this contraption?" Angus asked.
"We're tryna make a bow that fires bolts, then we're gonna try to make it do it itself without the pull back on the string," Dryke said between each lift of himself.
"Bloody good idea, keep it up." Dad chuckled, "Where's your team?"
"Guymar's takin' care of mumsie, Josie went with him, Hawisia is doing field service today with Raimond in the defence force."
Angus and Poole shared a laugh.
"If you believe that you can add twenty more push-ups and make them do fifty when they're sore from each other," Poole said and placed the contraption on a nearby table.
"Make sure that task is complete," Dad said to Dryke, "Solid idea, that is. Takes a while, that does."
He had to be in a bloody good mood about the idea of an automated bow.
"One more thing." Dad turned, "Chimi is your sister in arms, remember that. Dryke."
"Yes, Sah," he said with only half his bloody spirit.
They passed through the weapons teams, Angus pointed out kite shields, spears and their project to replace horseback weapons. There were a few metal weapons on the wall that looked like a new idea to replace spears with some added length.
The handle had grips engraved into it for a gauntleted fist. She knew the idea wouldn't ship for a while, but she could see his vision. Dad always had ideas on how to effectively slaughter people, monsters, and demons.
"The lance, we'll call it," he said, "If we can make it work and produce more, we'll turn the tides of horseback battle." Dad said, "Now, Chimi, what's the thing that'll hold our ashen arses back from this?"
"Trick question," she replied meekly, "There is no one thing, but many things, the division of the steppe, the fae infestation and other potential unknowns from our divided front."
Poole nodded sagely with a set to his jaw; she could tell the man was thoroughly impressed.
"That's my kid, Poole, you see her." He swung his arm around Poole's shoulder.
"Nicely done, sah, I'm sure she and my son will get along. He's always had his snout in a book but never gotten his bottom out to fight. Mage tents turned him soft."
"Deepe's always been soft, Poole."
"Don't gimme that shit, sir."
"It's not shite, s'truth!" he barked a laugh.
"S'truth as bloody faes havin' eyes in our heads," he spat, "Bloody fairy kid."
"Even you admit it." Dad clapped him on the back.
"Fairies look good in dresses," Chimi said.
The two men looked at each other as if trying to picture the other's thoughts and cracked up.
"Right," dad said, "Next, fairy bookies." he took a cloak off the wall and a package, "This is your armour, maintain it, keep it well."
Chimi gripped them both. "Thank you, father," she curtsied.
"We'll wait for you by the door," Dad said and marched out with Poole in tow.
She rolled her shoulders and swung her arms in the gambeson, layered the fur over and attached the cloak. When she left the changing booth, she was greeted by one of the girls from her squad. Natalie, daughter of Gutts.
"Chimi," she said with cold indifference, "Your daddy's the commander, but you're in our unit. If you start bringin' down hex and calamity on us like you did to Asher-"
"That's enough, Nat." Harrison pushed her back, "Get back to your girlie court," he said flatly.
"Harrison, son of Gutts," he extended a hand to Chimi.
She shook. His grip was firm, his big hands were scarred and blistered with practice.
"I don't bleedin' like you either, oathbreaker. But you're a soldier now, boxie. Remember that."
She searched his person for rank and noticed the chevron, "Yes, sir, lance corporal."
He gave her a nod and strode back to Natalie, who folded her arms and openly glared at Chimi. He dragged her away when she refused to budge.
Chimi straightened out her straightened gambeson and headed out after they were gone from sight. By the door, Dad glanced at Natalie and Harrison, then back at her. She shook her head. He gave her a knowing look with lidded eyes before he opened the door for them to follow him outside into the snowy morning.
They walked through the town, and people were already going to and from their daily tasks and work. Hunters gathered by the gate after the latest news of monsters and bounty loss, no doubt after an escort from their unit going out today.
She wondered how they were doing for food stocks; snow could easily be collected on the steep rooftops inside containers lined with primed charcoal to be cleansed even from the drainage pipes. The benefit of having mages to inscribe runes to bind objects and materials. In fact, she certainly believed that all houses on the Steppe were built by the great mage Cordelia all those years ago.
Fifteen minutes of marching through town, greetings and dark looks from passers by who pulled themselves up once they realised dad and Poole were with her, they were joined by Egeon.
"Mages are on their way out to group with the hunters." Egeon said, "What's this now?"
"Takin' her to the mage court, seein' if those fairies'll finally assess her potential," dad said, "And she needs to meet the mages she'll have under her command."
"Setting a hard task, eh?" Egeon looked back at her, "Chin up, lass, you'll do well."
She nodded. Determined, magecraft and weapons together, a great asset, and if she was good, she could become invincible. Yes. This is it.
The mage building was a small shop that sold trinkets, items and oddities, with a small castle tower at the back made of stone.