[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

strong, reaching into Vorgreberg itself.
That fell apart.
"Stupid, greedy pigs!" the old man grumbled for days. "We had it in our hands.
But they had to try cutting us out." Even Carolan stayed out of his way.
He decided there was no choice but to bring in eastern troops, to give the
rebels backbone. And, to use a little wizardry.
News of the sudden shift at High Crag (where the ruling junta had for a decade
discouraged mercenary involvement in actual warmaking), that had led to an
offer of three veteran regiments to the Crown, again pushed the Captal toward
despair. It was contagious. Mist became a sad, resigned woman. She returned to
Shinsan to prepare a legion for transfer to Maisak when the snows melted.
The Captal, self-involved, overlooked her mood. Burla, Shoptaw, and Carolan
understood Mist's unhap-piness. The man she had lost, and his brother, had
reappeared. In Ravelin. Working the other side again.
v) Glitter of an enemy spear
Three men crouched beneath an ice overhang and, when not cursing the
temperature, considered the fortress west of them.
"It'll work," promised the one with a single eye. "They can't sense us."
"The spells. The spells," another grumbled. "If that Shinsaner bitch wasn't in
there, I'd believe in them."
"Just think about the gold, Brad," said the third. "More than... More than
you've ever dreamed."
"I believe in that less than Haroun's spells. Maybe this's his way of getting
rid of us. We know too much."
"A possibility," Derran admitted. "And I haven't overlooked it."
"If there's trouble, it'll come at payoff time," Kerth said.
"Uhm."
Page 138
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"It's dark enough," said Brad.
"Give it a few more minutes," said Derran. "Let 'em start thinking about
bedtime. Some of those things can see like cats." For the hundredth time he
patted his purse. Inside, carefully protected, lay a small bundle of plans of
Maisak's interior, obtained by bin Yousif from a winged man taken several
months earlier.
"You're sure there'll be no sentries?" Brad asked.
Derran concealed his exasperation. "No. Why the hell would they be watching
for someone in this?" He gestured at deep snow now invisible in darkness:
"Probably someone at the gate, but that's all that's logical." He checked the
night, the few lights visible in the fortress. "Hell, you're right, Brad.
Let's go."
It took a half-hour to slog the short distance to the castle wall, then just
minutes to set a grapnel and climb up. Five minutes later they had finished
the two owl-faced creatures at the gate and prepared it for their retreat. If
all went right, they would be well on their way before their visit caused an
alarm.
Maisak was thick with smells and smokes, but in the outer works, in the winter
chill, they encountered no other evidence of occupation.
"Lot of men here," Kerth observed. "Wonder how they keep them fed?"
"Probably with transfers from Shinsan," Derran replied. "That door there, with
the brass hinges. That look like the one we want?"
"Fits the description."
"Okay. Brad, you open. Kerth, cover." He went in low and fast so Kerth could
throw over him, but the precaution proved unnecessary. The corridor was empty.
"All right," said Derran, "let's see. Commissary down that way. Third room
this way."
In that room they found a half-dozen odd little people sleeping. "Look like
rabbits," Brad said, after they had been dispatched.
"Place's supposed to be full of weirds," Derran replied. "Kerth, find the
panel. We'll clean up." Soon they were climbing a dusty circular stair in
complete darkness.
The stair ended in a landing. There was a wall with peepholes. Beyond the wall
lay an empty, poorly lighted corridor.
"Brad, you watch." Derran felt for the mechanism that would allow access to
the corridor. A small panel scraped aside. They awaited a reaction. Brad
hastily assembled a crossbow.
"Go." Derran tapped Kerth's shoulder.
Daggers in hand, the man rushed the one door opening off the corridor. He
paused beside it. Closed, he signaled. Derran joined him, pointed to the
regular stair. Kerth checked it, signaled it was clear. Derran dropped to his
stomach and peered beneath the door with his good eye. From his bundle of
plans he took one of the Captal's library, indicated the position of each
Page 139
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
person in the room.
A final problem. Was the door locked? Barred? Haroun's captive had claimed
there were no locked doors in Maisak, only hidden ones.
Derran stood, placed his back to the door, took its handle in his left hand,
held his sword vertically in his right. Kerth readied his daggers, nodded.
Explosion. Derran slammed the door open. As hismomentum carried him out of the
way, one of Kerth's weapons took wing. Its pommel smacked the Shinsaner woman
between the eyes.
Derran didn't pause to appreciate the throw. It was what he had expected.
Kerth had spent countless hours practicing.
The woman was the key. If she weren't silenced, all was lost.
In passing he crossed blades with the old man, pushed through his guard, left
him clutching his wound in amazement. He grabbed the woman, shoved a hand into
her mouth, with his free hand tossed Kerth his dagger. Kerth took it on the
fly and turned to two weird creatures who had thrown themselves in front of
the little girl...
A wall opened up and men with swords stepped in. Ragnarson's men.
FOURTEEN: The Roads to Baxendala
i) In by the back door
Though April was near, the snow remained deep and moist. The two men fought it
gamely, but were compelled to take frequent rests.
"Must be getting old," Turran grumbled, glancing up the long, steep slope yet
to be climbed.
Valther said nothing, just made sure moisture hadn't reached his sword. He
seldom spoke even now.
"Almost there," Turran said. "That bluff up there... That's the one that
looked like a man's face." The last time they had been in the Gap it had been
summer and they had been hurrying to their fates in Escalon. Nothing looked
familiar now.
Valther stared uphill, remaining statue-still till a bitter gust reached him.
"Better camp," he muttered.
"Uhm." Turran had spotted a likely overhang. It would yield relief from the
wind while they hunted a usable cave. Though those were reportedly numerous,
they had become harder to find near Maisak.
"Think they've spotted us yet?" Turran asked after they made the overhang.
Valther shrugged. He didn't care. He would feel nothing till they had come
face to face with Mist.
"That looks like one," said Turran, indicating a spot of darkness up the north
slope. "Let's go."
Valther hoisted his pack and started off.
Page 140
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
They had little firewood left. Turran used the minimum to heat their supper,
then extinguished the blaze. They would wrap in their blankets and crowd one
another for warmth. The mouth of the cave was small and inconveniently located
anyway. The smoke didn't want to leave.
During the night Turran shivered so hard that when he rose he had cramps.
Valther didn't notice the chill.
For breakfast they had jerky warmed by their body heats, washed down with snow
melted the same way.
Afterward, Valther said, "Time to begin."
"Is she here?" Turran asked.
Valther's eyes glazed. For a moment he stared into distances unseen, then
shrugged. "I don't know. The aura's there, but not strong."
Turran was surprised his brother showed that much spirit. He seemed genuinely
eager for the coming confrontation.
Turran was not. He saw no way they could best the mistress of Shinsan.
Surprise was a tool that could be used against anyone, but how did one
surprise a power so perceptive it could detect an enemy's heartbeat a hundred
miles away? [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]