Free Act of Will by A. J. Hartley Page B

Section Four.”
    Another half-brick. The captain shrank a little and his voice went a little up in pitch and down in volume.
    “Garrison intelligence?” he said. “They only handle internal operations.”
    “Exactly,” I said. “Perhaps we should continue this conversation in private.”
    There was a pause, and then a light seemed to go on inside the captain’s head and his mouth fell open. “But how do I know if you are really . . . ?”
    I climbed down from the wagon and started walking away, and a moment later, he followed. When we reached the circle of soldiers, he gave a hurried nod and they parted for us. I kept walking away from the road till we were safely out of earshot.
    “Now, just a moment,” said the captain, recovering a little of his former poise. “Where do you think you’re going? . . . ”
    “You call him Commander Liefson,” I said, turning quickly and speaking urgently. “And he has a seat on the council, but you might also know that he’s really Central Intelligence’s witch-finder general: something the most well-informed rebels have never guessed.”
    That wasn’t so much a half-brick as a ton of them. The captain took another step back and his mouth began to move as if he was searching for words that wouldn’t come.
    The captain paused, knowing that this was true and that this was far from common knowledge.
    “I am William Hawthorne,” I confessed. “I am also Major Johan Twiness, Section Four, Special Agent Eighty-three. You’re thinking I’m young to be a special agent, I’m sure. Recruited from Homewood Prep at age twelve. You know it?”
    “Yes,” he said. “I didn’t attend, unfortunately, but yes, I know it.”
    “Well,” I said, moving on, “I think my cover for this mission is now well and truly shot. And Liefson is going to hit the roof when he finds out that the regular infantry have sabotaged an internal espionage mission because they didn’t bother to consult with high command before turning the dogs loose.”
    He blinked, and I took the moment to motion him closer with a nod of my head.
    “You are Seventh Infantry, yes, Captain?” I said, my voice lowered conspiratorially.
    “Yes, sir. Captain J. F. Danek. Served throughout the Bowescroft campaign. Decorated for bravery in the siege of Althwaite, now placed with the Cresdon B Garrison, sir.”
    “Good man, Danek, outstanding,” I said. “So here’s the thing. I’ve been undercover for months. This morning some idiot corporal tried to take me in. Caused all kinds of trouble. I will have to lie low for a while so the rebels don’t get suspicious. Now, it seems to me that this situation can be saved if we move along swiftly, and you keep what you have learnt to yourself. Make your way slowly back to Cresdon and—this is most important—report none of this to your superiors, whom Section Four seem to consider unreliable.”
    “Are you suggesting, sir, that my commanding officer may be a security leak?” said the soldier, unable to conceal the faintest hint of glee.
    “Infantry man too, is he?” I asked.
    “No, sir,” said the soldier. “Straight from Thornbridge Staff Officer Academy, sir. Barely twenty-four. No active service.”
    “I see. You have my sympathy, Captain Danek. If I were you, I would lie low, say nothing, and watch your young commander like a hawk.”
    “I will do that, sir. Your suggestion to return, sir, is that an order?”
    “Would it make life easier for you if it were?”
    “I have to submit the reports on my company’s actions,” he said, slightly embarrassed by his predicament.
    “Very well, Captain Danek. You may consider my suggestion an order.”
    “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” He thought for a moment and then stood to attention, adding in his best military bark, “I shall lead my company back to Cresdon and complete my orders, sir!”
    “Good man,” I said. I received his salute with a superior nod and a smile of satisfaction and then marched back to