David Gemmell - Echoes of the Great Song

'I know that,' snapped Rael, 'but this is not the time to discuss it. As we all saw, eight ships have sailed down the estuary towards the lands of the Erek-jhip-zhonad. I would estimate there to be perhaps three hundred fighting men per ship. That means around two thousand five hundred warriors will be landing somewhere to our rear. An equal number have sailed south. Were I in command of their battle fleet I would land my forces on the marshes three miles south of Pejkan. This is the weakest of the five cities. It will fall within a day. Boria and Caval will follow. There is only a token force of Avatar soldiers in each of the three cities, and they have orders to march to Egaru as soon as the enemy is sighted. The city councils have been ordered to surrender if approached. Most Avatar families have already left, and all crystals and power sources have been renloved or dismantled.'

'We are giving them up without a fight?' said Niclin. 'I don't like the sound of that.'

'You think I do?' snapped Rael. 'As Cas-Coatl so rightly pointed out we have fewer than two hundred Avatar soldiers, and only fifteen hundred trained Vagars. You may recall that the Council has always believed in — how did you put it, Caprishan? — the folly of having too large a Vagar force within the cities. Now we pay the price.'

'I was not alone in my fears,' said Caprishan.

'No, you were not.' Rael sighed. 'And in many ways I agreed with you. But none of us could have foreseen the arrival of such an enemy. In the past our zhi-bows have more than compensated for lack of numbers. Not this time, I fear. All our efforts must be concentrated on Egaru and Pagaru,' insisted Rael. 'The walls of both are high and strong, and the power chests are here. In the short term we have two elements in our favour. Serpent Seven, under the command of Talaban, and one land-based Sunfire which, on my orders, Questor Ro has hidden, fully charged, in the Harbour Tower.'

Niclin interrupted him. 'The Sunfire has not been charged or used in… what?… two hundred years. Even if it does not explode on first use, the enemy will see where the blast comes from and concentrate their attack upon the Harbour Tower. It will be a death-trap.'

'In which case, cousin, you will finally be rid of me,' said Ro, 'for I shall be manning the weapon.'

'I do not wish to see you die, Ro,' said Niclin, softly. 'We are rivals, and political enemies. But it would grieve me to see harm befall you.' He turned to Rael. 'What is it you wish me to do, cousin?'

'Get to Pagaru before the enemy closes the estuary to us. Hold it to the last. Make them suffer for every inch of ground they take. You will have only sixty Avatar soldiers, but more than two hundred zhi-bows. Ensure a supply is always fully charged. Caprishan, you will go with Niclin. Your role is to ensure supplies continue to get through to the two cities, and also to Questor Anu. This will not be easy once the enemy has landed. The mist is due to be dropped tomorrow. Make sure a message gets to Anu about the situation here.'

Caprishan nodded. 'Anu and his workforce are twenty miles inland. We cannot protect him.'

'He will need no protection,' said Rael. 'Any of the enemy who cross the mist will rot and die within a few heartbeats. The danger will come when he drops the mist to allow supplies through. You must see if there is any way he can create a secret channel through it.'

'I will, cousin, but surely if he can wield such power in the valley he could wield it here? Could he not lay a line of mist before the cities, destroying our enemies as they land?'

Rael shook his head. 'He would not contemplate it,' he said. 'Anu is not a killer. And there is no way I can force him into such an act. Believe me, I have tried. Now are there any further questions?' The Questors remained silent. 'Good. Let us be about our business, my friends, and may the Source bless our endeavours.'

Within the hour the evacuation had begun. Vagar troops moved through the streets, ushering bewildered city dwellers from their homes. There were some arguments, but the presence of blue-haired Avatar councillors quelled the crowds. No-one wanted to be arrested for civil disobedience and subsequently crystal-drawn.

Assurances were made that Vagar troops would patrol the deserted areas, protecting homes and possessions from looters.

But it was a slow business, and as the two-hour deadline approached more than a thousand homes had yet to be cleared. Refugees choked the roads and avenues, and more than once fights broke out, once as a wheel fell from a heavily laden wagon, causing the line to stall, and again when a Vagar merchant tried to spur his horse through the throng. A woman was hurled to the ground and her husband dragged the merchant from his mount and began to beat upon him with his fists. Vagar troops moved in on both occasions.

Questor Ro crouched inside the Harbour Tower and applied a little oil to the gears and wheels of the Sunfire.

Three Avatar soldiers waited with him, and further back ten Vagar labourers awaited orders to remove the machine once it was discharged. The tower was constructed of heavy stone blocks and seemed safe enough, especially here on the ground floor. But Ro had no idea what weaponry would be brought to bear on it. With a soft cloth he wiped excess oil from the gears and idly polished the long bronze tube. The weapon had been aligned with the small window, but there was only a narrow field of fire. Ro moved to the window and stared out across the bay. From here he could see all eight golden ships. But they were at least a half-mile from him. Could they loose their weapons from that distance? Ro did not know.

The Sunfire had been kept in the Museum for almost ninety years. Ro had been present when such a weapon had last been used, against the warships of the Khasli. They had been destroyed utterly. As indeed had the Khasli themselves during the Fourteen Year War. We are the Khasli now, he thought. Ro struggled to remember the delay between shots, as the crystals repowered. But he could not. All he knew was that once fired the weapon needed some minutes to recharge.

Calling the soldiers forward Ro re-sighted the tube, covering the mouth of the bay. With a long rule he checked its positioning, needing it to be parallel to the floor. It was out by a hair's breadth. Mentally he calculated the effect this might have over a range of 400 yards. Sweat trickled from his temples. Ro was not a warrior and had little experience with the weapon. But then, apart from Rael, neither did any other Avatar in Egaru. The Sunfires had not been needed in almost 200 years. Zhi-bows had been more than adequate against the tribes. Moving to the rear of the weapon he raised the sight, a thin arm of bronze to which was attached a circle of gold. This he lined up with the short spike at the far end of the tube.

His mouth was dry and he requested a cup of water. One of the soldiers filled a cup from a pottery jug. Ro sipped the liquid and flicked his gaze to the hourglass. The coloured sand was trickling slowly through. Not long now, he thought.

Three of the golden ships began to move, heading across the bay towards Pagaru. Four others began to glide towards the harbour. There was something about their movements which filled Ro with fear. Serene and assured, they radiated strength of purpose and enormous confidence. This is what it was like for the Khasli who faced us centuries ago, thought Ro. He shuddered inwardly. And activated the Sunfire. As the charge built up the machine began to hum. Ro could feel its vibration. This small movement in the weapon made the coming battle suddenly real. Ro felt panic welling within him.

You are an Avatar, he told himself sternly. Sweat dripped into his eyes. He wiped it clear with the oily cloth.

'You want us on the roof, Questor?' asked one of the soldiers.