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Sul turned and pushed on, and gradually Mark could sense other forms moving in
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the water. "Rally on me." The voice was stronger now.
Several dozen forms were in the water ahead, and Mark forced himself to regain
his composure. For the first time since the explosion in the harbor, he became
aware of the throbbing pain in his right arm, and of the thin swirl of blood
streaming from it. Looking down at Sul's side, he saw a similar trail welling
out from his companion.
"We're a fine pair," Mark thought.
"At least we survived," Sul replied sadly as they joined the exhausted
remnants of the assault team.
"The captain made it," Goldberg called, dropping away from his ladulta to come
up and float by Mark's side.
Mark could feel his world going dark. "How bad?"
"Half the assault team is gone," Saito replied.
"Our people?"
"Not sure yet," Saito told him.
"Green Leader, Green Leader," an insistent voice whispered through the comm
link, and Mark finally realized that it had been calling for several minutes
now.
"Green Leader here," Saito called.
"Did you smash the portal? We saw a tremendous explosion," Ikawa asked.
Saito hesitated. "Negative, it was only their wall crystals. The attack is
finished."
There was a moment of silence.
"Is this Saito?" Leti called.
"I'm in command now."
"Mark--where is he?" Ikawa cut in, his voice edged with panic.
"Wounded." Saito looked appraisingly at Mark with the cold gaze of a combat
soldier judging the condition of another. "He'll pull through."
"Rally in to us," Leti whispered. "The sky is clear."
"Here comes Shigeru," Goldberg announced, pointing downward.
From the murk, Shigeru and Giorgini emerged, still towing Boreas. Alongside
them was Kochanski
pulling Smithie, who was now unconscious.
"We better get in to Leti before they pick us up again!" Saito announced,
leading the way straight up.
"I leave you now," Sul whispered.
"You and your herd are true warriors," Mark replied sadly, and let go of the
dorsal to gently stroke Sul.
"We stay to keep fighting?" the ladulta asked.
Torn, Mark looked at his friend. How could he tell him the battle was lost,
that Gorgon would break through and that Haven would be devastated in the wars
to come?
"Go out to sea. If we should win, we will call you. But if you hear no more of
us, know that we died to help preserve your world. Avoid all humans who are
left, for they will be servants of the evil one and might harm you."
"I will wait for your call," Sul whispered, nuzzling up by Mark's side before
turning away and swimming off into the darkness.
At last Mark broke clear of the ocean. Northward on the distant horizon he
could see the outline of
Patrice's city, a towering pillar of smoke above it. Saito circled for a
moment above the group, then pointed back toward a hill half a dozen miles
from the city and winged off.
Struggling, Mark tried to keep up. He spared a glance at the bedraggled
survivors. Barely a man was uninjured, and clusters of sorcerers clung
together, helping to pull their unconscious and badly injured companions
toward safety.
"Here they come again!"
Wearily Mark looked up and saw a scattering of dots straight ahead in the sky.
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Grimly he tried to force his shield up. The world seemed to close in as if he
was looking down a long dark tunnel swirling with dancing spots of light. The
tunnel closed into blackness, and he felt himself falling away into night.
"Just what in the name of all the gods did you do?" Patrice stormed through
the shattered wreckage of her audience chamber to confront Takgutha, who stood
defiantly in the middle of the room, surrounded by a dozen of his companions.
"They were breaking through. I used the wall crystals to stop them."
"Breaking through!" Patrice screamed. "You destroyed half my wall crystals,
you shattered my palace, hundreds of my people are dead in the streets. Damn
you, it looks like they did break through!"
"I stopped them," Takgutha growled.
"How did they get this far by sea? Was the harbor entrance blocked as I had
arranged?"
"The command was not properly passed," Takgutha said coldly. "The creatures
were not in position, but they did finish them off on the way out. It was a
good plan; we wiped them out."
"Where's Kuthna? I want to hear his side of this."
"He was killed in the explosions, my lady. I am sorry--he was a good battle
commander." A thin smile crossed Takgutha's features.
Wild with fury, Patrice whirled around. The bastard had set her up. He had
undoubtedly blocked the order to move the Cresus in. He wanted an attack from
sea to get this far and to use it as an excuse to smash most of her wall
crystals.
"You wanted this battle to prove yourself to your lord!" Patrice snarled.
"I am a warrior," Takgutha said matter-of-factly.
"Then prove it!" Patrice raised her hand and slammed a bolt into Takgutha
before he could respond, knocking him off his feet. Snarling, his companions
started to snap up their shields.
"Don't move!" Takgutha roared, coming to his knees. A torrent of blood poured
from his right arm.
Patrice struggled for control. "We'll have a reckoning on this." She swept out
of the room, Takgutha following her with a hateful gaze.
Down into the heart of her palace she stormed, cursing inwardly at the
wreckage--and cursing herself.
The Heart had been tantalizingly within her reach until the offworlders had
struck her. Now she channeled her energy to the ugly scorches on her side and
the back of her head. The pain eased, though true healing would have to come
later.
She was tempted to gather her forces and strike Leti again to finish it off.
Too much time had been wasted, though, and again she upbraided herself. So
what if her palace, her crystals, even her city was destroyed? She could have
had the Heart. Yet Gorgon was now so close to coming through. She had to be
present. Was Takgutha a portent? she wondered darkly. Would Gorgon betray her?
Her mind swirled with the contradictions arising to what she had felt to be
such a seamless plan for success. And she felt an inward chill now--for after
all, the one thing she could never truly read was what lingered in Gorgon's
heart.
She had to be present at the moment he came through, to judge him. Yet he had
promised so much, his voice whispering to her across the centuries, promising
all when this moment finally arrived.
Takgutha would pay for this; his blood would cement the bond. She wanted to
see Gorgon flay the living flesh from his vassal's body, and then she would
know. Patrice turned to one of her companions.
"Tell that bastard Takgutha I want him in the portal chamber."
The sorcerer looked at her coldly, and bowing, turned away.
Two sorcerers stepped from a side alcove and bowed low. "The traitor you
wanted," and they pointed to where Imada stood.
Patrice stopped and gazed at the boy, who looked at her with innocent eyes.
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Her features softened. "Why did you come to me?" she whispered, probing
inward, searching his mind.
"My Vena served you," he replied. "I did not know it, but you had bonded me to
you as well. When I
saw you, I could not harm you."
The boy fell to his knees and abased himself before her.
She did not know whether she felt disgust or something else at the sight of
him, so totally vulnerable, totally willing to do anything she might wish. She
hesitated. After all, he might be an amusing plaything.
Reaching down, she gently grasped his hair, raising his head and gazing into
his eyes before letting him go.
"Bring him along," she said softly, and proceeded on. She'd have to think
about him when there was time.
If she decided not to accept him, at least Gorgon would be amused to have an
offworlder to examine.
The doors to the portal room were wide open, the corridor lit with a lurid
blood-red glow. Demons lined the corridor and at her approach bowed low.
Without slowing she entered the chamber. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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Sul turned and pushed on, and gradually Mark could sense other forms moving in
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
the water. "Rally on me." The voice was stronger now.
Several dozen forms were in the water ahead, and Mark forced himself to regain
his composure. For the first time since the explosion in the harbor, he became
aware of the throbbing pain in his right arm, and of the thin swirl of blood
streaming from it. Looking down at Sul's side, he saw a similar trail welling
out from his companion.
"We're a fine pair," Mark thought.
"At least we survived," Sul replied sadly as they joined the exhausted
remnants of the assault team.
"The captain made it," Goldberg called, dropping away from his ladulta to come
up and float by Mark's side.
Mark could feel his world going dark. "How bad?"
"Half the assault team is gone," Saito replied.
"Our people?"
"Not sure yet," Saito told him.
"Green Leader, Green Leader," an insistent voice whispered through the comm
link, and Mark finally realized that it had been calling for several minutes
now.
"Green Leader here," Saito called.
"Did you smash the portal? We saw a tremendous explosion," Ikawa asked.
Saito hesitated. "Negative, it was only their wall crystals. The attack is
finished."
There was a moment of silence.
"Is this Saito?" Leti called.
"I'm in command now."
"Mark--where is he?" Ikawa cut in, his voice edged with panic.
"Wounded." Saito looked appraisingly at Mark with the cold gaze of a combat
soldier judging the condition of another. "He'll pull through."
"Rally in to us," Leti whispered. "The sky is clear."
"Here comes Shigeru," Goldberg announced, pointing downward.
From the murk, Shigeru and Giorgini emerged, still towing Boreas. Alongside
them was Kochanski
pulling Smithie, who was now unconscious.
"We better get in to Leti before they pick us up again!" Saito announced,
leading the way straight up.
"I leave you now," Sul whispered.
"You and your herd are true warriors," Mark replied sadly, and let go of the
dorsal to gently stroke Sul.
"We stay to keep fighting?" the ladulta asked.
Torn, Mark looked at his friend. How could he tell him the battle was lost,
that Gorgon would break through and that Haven would be devastated in the wars
to come?
"Go out to sea. If we should win, we will call you. But if you hear no more of
us, know that we died to help preserve your world. Avoid all humans who are
left, for they will be servants of the evil one and might harm you."
"I will wait for your call," Sul whispered, nuzzling up by Mark's side before
turning away and swimming off into the darkness.
At last Mark broke clear of the ocean. Northward on the distant horizon he
could see the outline of
Patrice's city, a towering pillar of smoke above it. Saito circled for a
moment above the group, then pointed back toward a hill half a dozen miles
from the city and winged off.
Struggling, Mark tried to keep up. He spared a glance at the bedraggled
survivors. Barely a man was uninjured, and clusters of sorcerers clung
together, helping to pull their unconscious and badly injured companions
toward safety.
"Here they come again!"
Wearily Mark looked up and saw a scattering of dots straight ahead in the sky.
Page 144
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Grimly he tried to force his shield up. The world seemed to close in as if he
was looking down a long dark tunnel swirling with dancing spots of light. The
tunnel closed into blackness, and he felt himself falling away into night.
"Just what in the name of all the gods did you do?" Patrice stormed through
the shattered wreckage of her audience chamber to confront Takgutha, who stood
defiantly in the middle of the room, surrounded by a dozen of his companions.
"They were breaking through. I used the wall crystals to stop them."
"Breaking through!" Patrice screamed. "You destroyed half my wall crystals,
you shattered my palace, hundreds of my people are dead in the streets. Damn
you, it looks like they did break through!"
"I stopped them," Takgutha growled.
"How did they get this far by sea? Was the harbor entrance blocked as I had
arranged?"
"The command was not properly passed," Takgutha said coldly. "The creatures
were not in position, but they did finish them off on the way out. It was a
good plan; we wiped them out."
"Where's Kuthna? I want to hear his side of this."
"He was killed in the explosions, my lady. I am sorry--he was a good battle
commander." A thin smile crossed Takgutha's features.
Wild with fury, Patrice whirled around. The bastard had set her up. He had
undoubtedly blocked the order to move the Cresus in. He wanted an attack from
sea to get this far and to use it as an excuse to smash most of her wall
crystals.
"You wanted this battle to prove yourself to your lord!" Patrice snarled.
"I am a warrior," Takgutha said matter-of-factly.
"Then prove it!" Patrice raised her hand and slammed a bolt into Takgutha
before he could respond, knocking him off his feet. Snarling, his companions
started to snap up their shields.
"Don't move!" Takgutha roared, coming to his knees. A torrent of blood poured
from his right arm.
Patrice struggled for control. "We'll have a reckoning on this." She swept out
of the room, Takgutha following her with a hateful gaze.
Down into the heart of her palace she stormed, cursing inwardly at the
wreckage--and cursing herself.
The Heart had been tantalizingly within her reach until the offworlders had
struck her. Now she channeled her energy to the ugly scorches on her side and
the back of her head. The pain eased, though true healing would have to come
later.
She was tempted to gather her forces and strike Leti again to finish it off.
Too much time had been wasted, though, and again she upbraided herself. So
what if her palace, her crystals, even her city was destroyed? She could have
had the Heart. Yet Gorgon was now so close to coming through. She had to be
present. Was Takgutha a portent? she wondered darkly. Would Gorgon betray her?
Her mind swirled with the contradictions arising to what she had felt to be
such a seamless plan for success. And she felt an inward chill now--for after
all, the one thing she could never truly read was what lingered in Gorgon's
heart.
She had to be present at the moment he came through, to judge him. Yet he had
promised so much, his voice whispering to her across the centuries, promising
all when this moment finally arrived.
Takgutha would pay for this; his blood would cement the bond. She wanted to
see Gorgon flay the living flesh from his vassal's body, and then she would
know. Patrice turned to one of her companions.
"Tell that bastard Takgutha I want him in the portal chamber."
The sorcerer looked at her coldly, and bowing, turned away.
Two sorcerers stepped from a side alcove and bowed low. "The traitor you
wanted," and they pointed to where Imada stood.
Patrice stopped and gazed at the boy, who looked at her with innocent eyes.
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Her features softened. "Why did you come to me?" she whispered, probing
inward, searching his mind.
"My Vena served you," he replied. "I did not know it, but you had bonded me to
you as well. When I
saw you, I could not harm you."
The boy fell to his knees and abased himself before her.
She did not know whether she felt disgust or something else at the sight of
him, so totally vulnerable, totally willing to do anything she might wish. She
hesitated. After all, he might be an amusing plaything.
Reaching down, she gently grasped his hair, raising his head and gazing into
his eyes before letting him go.
"Bring him along," she said softly, and proceeded on. She'd have to think
about him when there was time.
If she decided not to accept him, at least Gorgon would be amused to have an
offworlder to examine.
The doors to the portal room were wide open, the corridor lit with a lurid
blood-red glow. Demons lined the corridor and at her approach bowed low.
Without slowing she entered the chamber. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]