Alan Burt Akers [Dray Prescot 07] Arena of Antares (pdf)

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of Turismond, no doubt drinking and wenching in his reckless way, and so was unavailable to come with
us. Korf Aighos was in the Blue Mountains. But with Seg and Inch I wanted no other companions.
Except for Nath and Zolta, my two oar comrades, those two rascals I had not seen for long and long.
In all this preparation Turko wandered like a man in a dream, dazed, and every time he saw me he
would say, Prince Majister, and shake his head. Then he would flex his muscles and so I would know
he was all right. He would get on with my comrades, with Seg and Inch, for all that they were Kovs these
days.
The day dawned when our preparations were ready. In the end his Pallans persuaded the Emperor it
would be folly for him to go with us, and grumbling and reminding us of how he had fought the last
bloody remnants of the third party led by Ortyg Larghos outside his own palace, he gave way. I felt
relief.
Seg was bringing three thousand of his Crimson Bowmen of Loh. Tom ti Vulheim was bringing a
thousand Valkan Archers. There were five thousand of my old Valkan fighters, men I had trained myself
in the arts of war and with whom I had thrashed the aragorn and the slave-masters and so cleansed my
island of Valka. Many of them still addressed me as Strom Drak. I did not mind. It was a name of honor.
We did not take a single mercenary. I had no desire to lead Chuliks or Rapas or Fristles up against the
apims of Canopdrin. I had received a new insight into them, on the battlefield of Mackee, around the
fires, among the wounded. They were men. We must deal with their noble masters, and then, I devoutly
hoped, we could come to terms.
By the Emperor s express commands we collected an impressive fleet of fliers. They might fail us on the
way. We had to accept that. The Vallian Air Service, trim in their blue uniforms and orange cloaks,
would do all they could to bring us through. Chuktar Farris, the Lord of Vomansoir, would lead. I was
pleased, for although we had met and got on well, our paths had not crossed as often as I would have
wished.
We even had a few commercial airboats, and I was amused to see a couple of ice boats there, gray and
ugly but fliers, able to take a platoon of men into Havilfar.
So it was that under the light of the Suns of Scorpio we took off, a great aerial armada of better than a
hundred and fifty fliers, slanting up against the rays of the suns, heading due south.
I had bidden farewell to the twins, Drak and Lela, and wondered what they made of this ugly-faced old
graint of a fellow, who claimed to be their father. I could not find Delia. This was odd. I raged about the
high fortress of Esser Rarioch, shouting, and maids and servants and guards ran hunting, but she was not
to be found. My flier, which should have been up there leading the host alongside that of Chuktar Farris,
waited on the flight platform overhanging the sea.
Then I slapped my gauntlet down on my thigh.
I should have known my Delia!
Seg and Inch had left, each leading his own contingent, and Inch had brought eight hundred bonny
fighters from his Black Mountains, for we had not called on Korf Aighos for any of his Blue Mountain
Boys. We were remiss in that, as Delia had prophesied, and the Korf followed us, in what fliers he could
scrape up, swearing and cursing and his fingers itching for plunder.
So I vaulted up into the flier, and nodded to young Hikdar Vangar ti Valkanium, who had been a Deldar
when I had been in most desperate straits in Vondium, and who now commanded my airboat. He saluted
and started to yell his ritual orders to cast off, for he had seen how I had observed the fantamyrrh as I
came aboard.
In the aft cabin, and hidden beneath a great pile of silks, I saw a rounded bottom in tight buff leathers
only half concealed. I did not slap. The itch was there, but I did not.
I hauled her out.
She came, laughing, joyful, her gorgeous face glowing with fun and pleasure, that marvelous hair tumbled
about her, her glorious brown eyes filled with the light of love.
I stood back and looked at her, and I put an expression on my face that would have cowed a leem and
she laughed she laughed! and shook me and kissed me and so I was done for.
She wore buff leathers, and a brave scarlet sash around her waist, so narrow, so slender, so beautiful.
Her form was something to take a man s breath away. She wore buff boots of supple lesten hide,
reaching to the knee. At her side swung a rapier, and opposite the Jiktar she wore the Hikdar, the
main-gauche. Her face glowed upon me.
You did not think, darling Dray, that you could escape me again?
I had thought to leave you mewed up, in Esser Rarioch, to care for the sewing and the darning, the
pot-washing and the clothes-scrubbing and the floor-cleaning. They seem fitting occupations and the
twins?
This was a serious note.
They are safe and cared for as no other children in all the world, my heart. Aunt Katri is there, and
Doctor Nath the Needle, and there are so many nurses and handmaidens the children will never remain
unwatched. And, Dray, they are so young! And, too, there is my father . . .
All right, you female schemer. But remember, as soon as we have freed the Miglas from the Canops
it is home for us!
Amen to that, my heart.
So we pressed on through the air levels. Due south we drove, keeping mainly over the open ocean and
retracing the course taken by Turko and myself. We passed the Koroles, the group of islands extending
tongue-like from the eastern seaboard of Pandahem. We kept a lookout, for the Pandaheem do not buy
airboats from Havilfar, but they had a few examples, all the same, and we wished for no trouble from the
ancient foes of Vallia. I wondered how Tilda the Beautiful fared, and her son Pando, the Kov of
Bormark, an imp of Satan if ever there was one. And Viridia the Render was she still pirating away
over there up the Hoboling Islands?
Over the northern coast of Havilfar we passed, crossing Hennardrin but too far east to see the White
Rock of Gilmoy. Now we crossed the vast plains and the enormous areas of cultivation, until we sped
above the wild lands. We avoided that area where no flier would go but not by much and we saw
only a few spots in the sky to indicate we might be observed. We understood the risks we ran. More
than one flier had to descend because of these infernal faults of the airboats supplied to us by the
manufacturers in Hamal. We pressed on, and those left behind carried out repairs and so took up the
chase again. Straight to the northwestern shore of the Shrouded Sea we flew, independent of air currents
or winds, and so swung away to the west and gave Yaman a very wide berth, to land within the circle of
the back hills of Migla.
The Miglas greeted us in stupefaction.
Hamp and Med Neemusbane gaped, their ears flapping, their eyes goggling. Only Mog retained her
composure. She cackled and her old nutcracker face snapped at me.
I always knew you were no ordinary man, Dray Prescot. You conjure an army out of thin air
An army I should have brought at the start. Then you would not mourn so many of your dead. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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