Cursor's Fury (Codex Alera #3)(42)

Cadius Hadrian followed the captain's look, then saluted and slid down the platform's ladder to the earth. The leader of the Legion's scouts nodded silently to Tavi and Magnus as they saluted him, and paced away.

"I've brought him for you, sir," Magnus called. "And I told you so."

Captain Cyril had a blocky, largely immobile face, tanned to leather by his time in the field, and even a small smile sent creases across his features. "Send him up."

Tavi turned to the ladder, and Magnus touched his arm. "Lad," he murmured, almost too low to be heard. "Remember your duty. But don't play him false."

Tavi frowned, then nodded to Magnus and scaled the ladder to join the captain on the platform. He reached the top, came to attention, and saluted.

"At ease," Cyril said easily, beckoning with one hand as he turned back to the field. Tavi stepped up to stand beside him. Neither said anything for several moments, and Tavi waited for the captain to break the silence.

"Not many novice subtribunes would stand up to their commanding officer like that," Cyril finally murmured. "That takes a certain amount of courage."

"Not really, sir," Tavi said. "He couldn't come against me without revealing what he'd done."

Cyril grunted. "There are ways he can get around it. Not to hurt your career, perhaps, but he can make your duties unpleasant."

"Yes," Tavi said, simply.

Cyril smiled again. "A Stoic, I see."

"I'm not afraid of work, sir. It will pass."

"True enough." The captain turned speculative eyes on Tavi. "I looked into your records," he said. "You aren't much of a furycrafter."

A flash of irritation mixed with pain rolled through Tavi's chest. "I've just got my Legion basics, " Tavi said-which was true, as far as the false records provided by the Cursors were concerned. "A little metal. I can handle a sword. Not like the greats, but I can hold my own."

The captain nodded. "Sometimes men go out of their way to conceal their talents, for whatever reason. Some don't want the responsibility. Some don't want to stand out. Others will embarrass an illegitimate parent should they do too much. Like your friend, Maximus."

Tavi smiled tightly. "That's not me, Captain."

Cyril studied Tavi for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I don't have those kinds of gifts, either. Pity," he said, and turned back to the field. "I was hoping I might round up a few more Knights."

Tavi arched an eyebrow. "Knights? Don't we have a full complement, sir?"

Cyril's armor rasped as he shrugged a shoulder. "We have Knights, but you know what a valuable commodity that kind of talent can be. Every High Lord in the Realm wants all the Knights he can beg, buy, borrow, or steal. Especially given the tensions lately. Our Knights are largely, ah... how to phrase this."

"Fish, sir?" Tavi suggested. "Knights Pisces?"

The captain snorted. "Close enough. Though I would have said young and clumsy. We've only got one Knight Ignus, and he's currently being treated for burn wounds." Cyril shook his head. "A batch of a dozen or so Terra and Flora aren't bad, but they've got a lot of work to do, and there aren't nearly enough of them. We've got no Knights Ferrous at all. And all the rest, sixty of them, are Knights Aeris."

Tavi lifted his eyebrows. "Most Legions would kill to have that many Knights Aeris, sir."

"Yes." Cyril sighed. "If they could fly."