[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

track across his face.
The Sword of Force, the keenness of its edges undented by that blow, again was
almost quiet, chanting its low rhythmic song of rage and barely suppressed
violence as if it were singing to itself alone. And still the gentle echo of
its counterfeit persisted, coming from somewhere nearby.
With a silent, emphatic gesture Wood ordered his squad back down the stair;
even though his Sword would protect him personally against rocks or any other
weapons, his escort was vulnerable here, and there was no point in wasting
useful men.
The sound made by Shieldbreaker subsided as the Ancient Master carried it back
down the stairs, and the echo of its imitation faded from his hearing also.
Once he had reentered the tower again, the wizard detailed a few of his men to
make another ladder, or else bring one of the proper size over from another
tower if that would be quicker. Of course, even if another ladder could be
set in place atop that exposed stair and somehow kept there, the top of the
central tower would still be very easy to defend. Undoubtedly there were more
rocks up on the roof, and even when rocks were exhausted, still only one man
would be able to come up a ladder at a time. And anyone standing on that last
stone step, where it would be necessary to stand to set the ladder into place,
would be an extremely vulnerable target to more stones dropped from above. A
man carrying Shieldbreaker might win through, of course -depending on how much
the defenders knew about the Sword. Wood did not intend to take unnecessary
personal risks to get at them, nor did he mean to hand over the Sword of Force
to any of his subordinates.
Remaining inside the tower himself, he led a quick exploration of the
accessible levels, and confirmed what his people were telling him, that these
ended one or two floors below the top. So it was possible, he supposed, that
the only way to get into those upper levels without tearing part of the tower
down might be from the roof. But yet Wood could not be absolutely sure of
Page 104
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
that-and suppose the impostor was able to get out some other way, and do more
damage?
Still, every course of action had its risks. The Ancient Master decided to
temporarily abandon his search for another way into the upper rooms, and
started toward the highest tower of the castle, from whose top it ought to be
possible to see the top of the central tower, and who was on it. Before he
had even reached the base of that tower, a report was brought to him. A small
flyer, carrying some object, had been seen to land on the roof of the central
tower. One witness said that the thing the flyer carried had been a water
bottle.
Wood swore oaths of great intensity. He yearned for his griffin, to be able
to go and pluck the renegade water-carrying beast out of the sky. Draffut had
somehow perverted Wood's corps of winged scouts, or some of them at least, to
the cause of his enemies.
But in a way the news about the water bottle was reassuring-if water was being
sent by that means to the people on the rooftop, that suggested they were
pretty effectively prevented from getting it any other way.
On the roof of the central tower, Mark, Ben, and Yambu rejoiced to receive the
written note that the flyer had brought out to them from Triplicane, along
with the unnecessary leather bottle of water.
The handwriting of the note was recognizably Zoltan's. In it he assured them
that
Honan-Fu's counterattack was going to be launched tonight.
From her small pouch of personal belongings, Lady Yambu got out a little metal
mirror, and began an effort at heliographic signaling to some of the boats in
the lake, and then to the people in green and gold uniforms who were now
gathering on several of
the small islands. There were a number of boats near those islands now, and
enough constabulary troops in gold and green on boats and islands to make it
unlikely that Wood would want to send out his own amphibious force, risking
his own remaining fleet of lake-
going craft, to challenge their possession. But her signaling drew no
response.
When the three on the roof strained their eyes in the direction of distant
Triplicane they thought they could discern another gathering of boats along
the dockside there.
Their talk came back to their enemy, and the Sword he carried. The sound of
Shieldbreaker had faded away very quickly after Yambu dropped that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]