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Unless Jahcgroth simply takes down the walls with sorcery. Damn him.
The battlements were lined with archers, many of whom were women who had learned over the winter to
shoot a bow in order to free up more men for any hand-to-hand fighting. There were fire arrows to take
down any siege engines that might be brought to bear, as well as cauldrons of molten lead and boiling
water that could be dumped down on the attackers heads, if it came to that.
The sharp tap of boots on stone came to him over the wind, along with a familiar scent. He glanced to
one side, to see Londah making her way along the battlements. She was dressed all in gray, and her
waist-length hair hung behind her in a tight braid. Although her face was impassive as a marble statue, a
feral gleam lurked in her dragon-gray eyes, as if she ached for the battle to come.
She stopped beside him, giving the approaching army only a cursory glance, as if she thought it no threat
at all.  You have done well, my son, she said.
"Perhaps. He surveyed the defenses around him, the humans, Aclytes, and Wolfkin standing
shoulder-to-shoulder because they had no other choice but to die.  We're as ready as we can be, at any
rate. But we won't fight today."
"You think not?"
"Not unless Jahcgroth has changed greatly over the last year. He is far too canny to use force when
words will do the work for him."
Londah frowned slightly and looked out towards the army, as if she could see their cousin over the
distance.  And what do you think he will offer you, my son?"
Yozerf shook his head.  Nothing I can afford."
They stood together and watched the oncoming enemy in silence, and Yozerf wondered if Londah could
ever have guessed that her only child would come to this end. As the Argannese forces grew closer, he
could make out the cavalry in the front ranks, see the red-and-gold banners snapping in the breeze. Dark
shapes circled high overhead, and he felt his blood run cold.
"Watch the skies, archers, he called, and the nearest commanders echoed his order down the line.  The
Red Guard will attack from above. Bring them down if you can. If they come to earth inside the walls, let
the Wolfkin see to them."
By midday, the forces of Argannon came to a halt, well outside of bow range. As Yozerf watched,
unable to do anything to prevent it, rank upon rank of soldiers spread out, closing the keep in a half circle
that ended at the edge of the cliffs. With any luck, a few unwary men would fall over the crumbling edges
and onto the rocks below. He had no doubt that Jahcgroth would send soldiers to find the paths down to
the beach, in hope of discovering some way of attacking Vorslava from there. The beaches were too
narrow, even at low tide, to march many men along them, however, and were completely submerged at
high tide, so any expedition would be forced to march strung out. That would make them easy targets for
the archers hidden in the caves that riddled the cliff face.
Once the encirclement was as complete as it could be, the soldiers set about making camp, sending a
clear signal that they intended to remain for as long as needed. Even from a distance, Yozerf could see a
single tent that dwarfed all others; this, no doubt, served as Jahcgroth's home and headquarters, both.
Most of the creatures flying overhead came to earth, but a few stayed aloft, circling like great vultures
anticipating a feast.
In the midst of all the activity, two Red Guard appeared, walking on foot towards Vorslava. Their gait
was loping and ungainly. Their clawed talons dug up the dirt, and their great wings, folded against their
scarlet bodies, looked overlarge. One of them clutched a staff with a white flag tied to it, and Yozerf
almost wished that he had been wrong and that Jahcgroth had simply gone ahead and attacked without
warning.
"Don't shoot, he ordered sharply, worried that some archer might forget the white flag out of fear of the
creatures before them.  Jahcgroth wants only to frighten us by this display. He thinks we are children,
afraid of monsters under the bed."
A few of the archers around him hastened to hide expressions of fear and disgust, straightening their
backs and struggling to look stoic instead of terrified.
The two Red Guard stopped a few feet from the gate.  We would have words with the lord of this
keep, one said through a mouth filled with fangs.
The wind brought their bitter, acid scent to Yozerf, and he felt the hair on his nape rise and a growl
struggle to escape his throat. Swallowing his instincts, he asked,  Kktara?"
The two exchanged surprised looks, before their crimson eyes fixed on him.  No, said the same one that
had spoken before.  Who are you, who knows the name of one of us?"
Yozerf threw his head back, drawing about him like a cloak all the hauteur and arrogance he could
command.  I am Yozerf Jonaglir, son of Londah, descendant of Telmonra, and Lord of Vorslava. You
will take my words back to your emperor and tell him to leave me in peace."
The Red Guard looked at each other again, and he felt a bitter rush of triumph. For once, he had
managed to turn the tables and surprise Jahcgroth. He heard them exchange a few short sentences in their
own language, full of clicks and hisses.
"We will do as you say, Lord Yozerf, one said then.
Both bowed low, their fanged muzzles almost touching the earth, before turning and hastening back to
their own ranks.
That gesture unnerved him, and for a moment he considered ordering the archers to shoot them in the
back, just to keep the message from reaching Jahcgroth. But that would be foolish. I can't hide
forever. I don't want to hide it could be a bargaining point...
Jahcgroth killed the dragons, his own kinsmen, and betrayed Telmonra to her death. Surely he
won't hesitate to do the same to me if I stand between him and his goals.
But he said in Segg that he didn't kill the dragons, that it was always Ax, bringing down Caden in
an attempt to get advantage for Jenel ... Gods, but that's credible. More than credible.
It doesn't matter. Maybe it once did, but not now.
Whatever the case, Jahcgroth didn't waste time pondering his response. Instead, the two Red Guard
returned in haste, followed by a small cadre of Aclytes and humans or Red Guard in human
form who carried what seemed to be a tent and camp furniture.
One Red Guard Yozerf couldn't tell if it was the same one he had spoken to before or not bowed
obsequiously.  Lord Yozerf, the emperor invites you speak with him. If you allow it, we will provide a [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]