David Gemmell - Dark Moon

he closed his eyes. His body felt as if it were floating in a boat on a gentle current. He felt her kiss upon his cheek, then drifted away into a dreamless sleep.

When he awoke it was close to midnight and Shira lay fast asleep beside him. Reaching out he drew her to him, holding her close. In ten days they would join the first of the refugees, heading for Loretheli. Once he had settled Shira there, he would strike out south-west to the lands of the Eldarin. Shira awoke in his arms and snuggled closer. He could smell the sweet perfume of her hair and skin, and feel the warmth of her body.

Arousal grew in him and he made love to her, slowly and without passion, kissing her softly. Then he lay back, still holding her. 'I love you,' she whispered.

'And I you.' It seemed then that there was no world outside. The whole universe was contained in this one small, cosy room. Placing his hand on Shira's swollen belly, he felt the life there. His son. The thought brought a lump to his throat. His son! 'He will be born in the late spring in a city by the sea,' Shira had said.

'I will show him to the sunrise and the sunset. He will be handsome, like you, with fair hair and your eyes.

Not at first, for all babies are born with blue eyes. But they will turn grey-green as he gets older.'

'Why should he not have beautiful brown eyes, like his mother?'

'Perhaps he will,' she had said.

Karis sat quietly as Tarantio told her of the journey, and the recovery of the Pearl. Forin, Necklen and Vint were sitting close by, while Brune was in the kitchen, preparing a supper for them all. 'You believe it?

About the Pearl, I mean?' she asked.

'I do,' said Tarantio. 'Brune told me about the resurrection of the Oltor. And Brune does not have the imagination to lie.'

'I hope that you are right. What concerns me, however, is that the Daroth were at the monastery at all.'

'What do you mean?' Tarantio asked.

'All of our plans are predicated on the fact that the Daroth do not like the cold, and will not arrive before the full spring thaw. Now you tell me they climbed a mountain trail in sub-zero temperatures and murdered scores of priests. By that token they could be here within days. And we are not ready.'

Karis swung to Forin. 'What do you think?' she asked.

'There is a difference between a small group tackling the frozen wilderness and an army doing the same thing. In spring there will be sufficient water for their soldiers and their horses. In winter the streams and rivers are frozen. Likewise grass for their mounts, which at present is under the snow. I think we still have time - albeit less than we would like.'

'I agree with Forin,' said Necklen. 'And since there is nothing we can do about it, I suggest we move on as we have planned.'

Karis nodded. 'The new catapult is wonderfully efficient. Three more are being assembled now to protect the eastern wall.'

'What about west and south?' asked Tarantio.

'I am not too concerned about the western wall. The land falls away from it; there is no site for a catapult, and any charge from foot-soldiers would be slowed by the steep slope. In the south we could have a problem; but if we have weeks left before the siege then more catapults will be assembled and raised to protect it. I think the Daroth will strike first from the north, where they will try to breach the walls and storm through.

Our first - and main - task is to stop them there.'

'Ozhobar tells me you and he have other plans,' said Necklen. 'When will you share them with us?'

'I won't be sharing them, my friend,' replied Karis. 'The Daroth are telepaths. I do not believe they will seek to read our minds before the first charge, for they are arrogant and believe us to be pitifully weak. When we turn them back, however, that arrogance will begin to leach away. Then they will concentrate on learning what else we have in store. It is vital that our secondary plans remain secret. That is why neither Ozhobar nor myself will be on the walls — or in sight of the Daroth - at any time.'

'I take it,' said Vint, 'that is why the stonemasons have been gouging deep holes in the stonework behind the gates?'

'It is. You will see many such activities in the days to come. Try not to be curious.'

Vint laughed. 'Easier said than done, my lady.'

'I know. I remember the silly mind-games Giriak used to play. One of them involved not thinking about a donkey's ears for ten heartbeats. It was impossible. Even so, you must try. Also warn all the men along the north wall: any sudden headaches or feelings of warmth in the skull are to be reported and the men questioned. I tend to think the Daroth will concentrate on officers, but I could be wrong.'

'How many fighting men will we have, Karis?' asked Necklen. 'Already the numbers listed for the refugee columns have reached ten thousand, and they are still rising. Councillor Pooris says he and his department are weighed down by the requests.'

'The closest estimate is fifteen thousand fighting men,' said Karis. 'We should outnumber the Daroth by three to one. However, that statistic is meaningless, since our troops will need to be spread around the four walls. It is likely we will be evenly matched on the north wall.'

Brune brought in several trays of meat, bread and cake, and a large flagon of red wine.

'Prentuis fell within a day,' said Necklen. 'One blood-filled, terrible day!'

'This is not Prentuis,' said Karis. 'And they were not led by me.'

The logistics of the problem had initially excited Pooris. Several thousand refugees to be shepherded to the city of Hlobane, just under 300 miles south-west, and then a further 410 miles south and east to the port city of Loretheli. The problem was now much greater, and Pooris sat with Niro and a score of clerics in the hall above the Great Library, frantically trying to collate statistics.

Fourteen thousand people had now declared their wish to leave Corduin, almost 20 per cent of the adult population. The Duke's riders had made a score of hazardous journeys south with messages to and from Belliese, the Corsair Duke, who had demanded five silver pieces for every refugee, a further ten for any who wished to be transported on to the islands. The sum was not extortionate, but was now coming close to emptying the treasury.

Considering the fact that there were more than 10,000 mercenaries now in Corduin who demanded payment on the first day of every month, the problem was serious indeed. Without the windfall of the executed Lunder's fortune, the project would never have been begun. Even with it, Pooris now doubted whether the city's finances would stretch far enough.

The spidery figure of Niro loomed over his desk and Pooris glanced up. 'There are not enough wagons, sir,' said Niro. 'Not by half. The price of those there are has trebled already. It will rise higher.'

'How many have we purchased for movement of food and silver?'

'Thirty, sir. But the main holding yard was broken into last night, and five were stolen. I have placed extra guards there.'

'Were our wagons marked as ordered?'

'Yes, sir. A yellow strip hidden by the rear axle.'

'Order a full search. When the wagons are found the owners are to be hanged.'

Niro hesitated. 'You are aware, sir, that they will have been sold on in good faith? The people who now have them will not be the thieves.'

'I am aware of that. Before they are hanged they will be questioned as to those who sold them the vehicles.

Anyone named will also be hunted down and hanged. We will leave no-one in any doubt as to the severity of punishment should such thieving continue.'

'Yes, sir.' Niro moved away and Pooris leaned back and rubbed his chin. The bristle growing there surprised him. How long had he been in the building? Fourteen hours? Eighteen?