John Carr - Siege of Tarr-Hostigos

Phidestros felt the chill of Roxthar s words cut right through his buffalo skin jacket. He would not want to be in Kalvan's boots at this moment. His earlier victory joy was all gone and the only taste in his mouth was of ashes.

The sounds of gunfire filled the night air, waking Sirna from a sound sleep. What's happening? she asked herself, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. The shouts grew louder and she heard what sounded like fireworks going off in the Foundry courtyard.

Sirna, who'd been sleeping fully dressed ever since the invasion of Sashta, got up off her straw tick. She hadn't been sleeping very well ever since word had come from a ragtag gang of soldiers that Kalvan had been defeated and the Army of Hos-Hostigos was in retreat. She picked up a musketoon from beside her bed. Hers and Aranth Saln's had been the only voices of reason as the Study Team elected to stay in Hostigos instead of taking the conveyer home.

Varnath Lala was convinced she could negotiate with the Styphoni and sell the Study Team's skills to the invaders, thereby learning invaluable information about the inner workings of the newly reformed Styphon's House. Talgan Dreth had run once from the Styphoni, "But never twice. Never again!"

The rest of the Team echoed one viewpoint or the other in a marathon gab session that tried Sirna's patience to the breaking point.

Skordran Kirv, the Paratime Police operative, had been just as stubborn; if the Kalvan Study Team wouldn't leave, neither he nor his men would use the transporter either. "Nobody will take it amiss if we post a few extra sentries on the towers, Dralm damnit! If we don't we'll look like fools to the Styphoni and traitors to the Hostigi."

"Treason? Are you mad?" Talgan Dreth asked.

"Great King Kalvan's last words to me at Tarr-Hostigos, before he left for Beshta, were: 'If things go badly, be sure to evacuate the Foundry in a timely fashion. Whatever the cost, do not let them be captured by the Grand Host!' Would you like to explain to Duke Harmakros why you attempted to keep me from observing the Great King's orders?"

"Harmakros is-"

"Not dead, yet. Until he is, he'll be watching over Hostigos Town and everything nearby. Which includes us."

Harmakros was probably already seething. Word had come from Tarr-Hostigos yesterday to start evacuating the Foundry. The horns of Skordran Kirv's dilemma were: first, neither he nor the Paratime Police dared let the University Study Team go into exile with Hostigi refugees for fear they would blow their cover under the adverse conditions they'd encounter; second, the Paracops couldn't evacuate the Foundry until such time as the Grand Host were near enough that the Styphoni could be blamed for the disappearance of the Zygrosi brass-founders and helpers.

What the Paratime Police didn't want was some refugee telling Kalvan the Foundry had been evacuated a day before the Grand Host had even arrived! Kalvan had proven he could add and even multiply on a number of different occasions. The last thing anyone wanted was to have Kalvan start adding up his strange journey and the peculiar habits of the Zygrosi Foundry workers.

What evacuation meant to Sirna personally was the end of her assignment on Kalvan's Time-Line. Kalvan would write off the whole Study Team as 'lost in action,' which meant Sirna would be returning to Home Time Line-for good. She'd greeted this possibility with both regret and anticipation. Regret that she would have to leave this bustling time-line when things were going very badly for people she had grown to know and admire. Anticipation at leaving some of the more unpleasant University faculty for the peace and quiet of the library where she would write her thesis, and at living again where civilized amenities were taken for granted.

Regret at having to confront Hadron Tharn and having to explain why she had not provided the information she had been charged with obtaining.

"Well, if there is one thing I've learned from living here, it is to confront problems directly. If Tharn makes any threats, I'll just tell him to desist, or I'll have a polite chat with Paratime Police Chief Verkan Vall. That should shut Tharn up like nothing else.

"I still think there is time enough," Talgan Dreth continued. "Every hand we set to watching for enemies still hours or days away is one less man to move things into-to safety."

Sirna smiled. Talgan Dreth had to be overwrought indeed to come that close to breaching Paratime security. She rather wished he'd come closer. Anything to make sure the Kalvan Study Teams wouldn't be encumbered with him when they returned to Home Time Line.

"You are gambling too much on your notions of what the Styphoni might do," Kirv replied. "I say they could be here much sooner than that. We need to guard against what the Styphoni can do, not what they might do."

The old argument of capabilities versus intentions. Three years ago Sirna had barely heard of it. Two years ago it was still a theoretical question, even if Aranth Sain could talk about it for hours. Now it was a life-and-death matter.

"Captain Kirv," the Study Team Director said, using his most formal classroom voice. "We not only have a large number of computers and recording machines to remove, but also a number of priceless tools that were obtained from other time-lines at great expense. I would like to transport as much of this material as possible to Fifth Level so that future Kalvan Study Teams will have a chance to become familiar with these tools and not waste time importing them from the Kalvan Control Time-Lines.

"I'll hold off posting the sentries for another half-day," Kirv said reluctantly. "We do have a number of charges to set around the Foundry. Kalvan does not want the Foundry to fall into Styphoni hands. We'll have to deal with the 'protected' conveyer storeroom later; after a war like this what will one more big explosion mean to the survivors? But hear this, Talgan: get your people organized for the moving party! I'm posting sentries where they're needed, and may Galzar's Mace strike anyone who argues."

"You start posting sentries without my orders and I'll report you to Chief Verkan!"

"I don't care if you report me to Great King Kalvan. Anything they'll do to me for disobeying your orders isn't half what they'll do if I neglect my duty!"

Kirv turned away from Talgan Dreth and walked straight past Sirna without seeing her. As he passed, he muttered in a voice obviously not meant to be overheard, "If any of us live that long."

Sirna was about to hurry after him and ask for an explanation when she sensed someone behind her. She turned, to see Urig, the senior warehouse foreman.

"Mistress Sirna. I thought I'd best warn you. Some of the lads-they're talkin' about makin' off with the horses on their own."

"Thank you for the warning, Urig. We're going to want everyone to help move equipment for at least two or three candles; what can be moved goes into carts. What can't be moved goes into the warehouses, with tar and fireseed laid ready. Then we'll be dividing up the extra horses, food, money-everything. Those who have given good service won't be forgotten. And who knows? Even if Kalvan loses this one battle, he may win the next."

Urig's look told her that the last sentence had been a waste of breath, but he jerked his head. "I'll give 'em your words, Mistress Sirna. It's grateful they'll be. The lads trust you, you're not like some of them-" He made a pointed glance over at some of the senior faculty.

Sirna didn't know if that was the actual plan, if indeed Talgan Dreth had any plan at all. His habit of being close-mouthed made it impossible to tell. Sirna only knew she was going to see that something was done for the Foundry workers-even if it meant defying the Director.