David Gemmell - Echoes of the Great Song

The question shocked him. 'This is not about Chryssa.'

'How strange then that you should fall in love with two crystal-cursed women.'

'That is unfair. I did not know you were so afflicted when first I saw you. And when Chryssa and I were betrothed she was also fully flesh and blood. Do not play mind games with me, Sofarita. I believe I would have loved you had I ridden into your village and seen you working in the fields. If you doubt me, read my mind.

Look into my heart. Do you see anything base there?'

'No,' she admitted. 'Nothing base, Talaban. You are a good man. But I am no longer the village girl. I am something far more, and greatly less.' She winced suddenly. 'I must go and rest,' she said.

'You are in pain?'

'A little. It will pass.'

He watched her move across the cabin. The sway of her hips made him feel breathless. When she had gone he sat down at the desk, his mind in turmoil. What he would not give to be able to hold her close, to slip that blue robe from her pale shoulders.

He heard a tapping at the door. 'Come in,' he called. Questor Ro entered.

'Am I disturbing you, Talaban?'

'Not at all. May I offer you some wine?' Ro shook his head and sat down. He seemed troubled.

'How did Sofarita seem to you?' he asked.

'In what way?'

'Her health.'

'Fine,' said Talaban. Then he paused. 'She is in a little pain, I think.'

Ro nodded. 'It will increase. We may have a problem.'

'I'm listening.'

'Her power comes from her ability to draw on crystals. There were thousands of them in Egaru. Not so here.

There is the chest, the zhi-bows, and our own personal stones. Rael had the Sunfire moved to the city walls. I have warned her of the danger of this journey and she is trying to block herself from drawing on the power here in the ship.'

'And the problem?'

'Think of the Vagars who become addicted to narcotics. When they are separated from their opiates they become agitated, sometimes violent. They are filled with cravings. Some have even killed to gain coin to satisfy their desires. Sofarita is suffering now, and we have only just left the city. It will take three weeks to cross the ocean. If she cannot fight the craving she could drain the ship. Or worse.'

'What could be worse, Ro?'

The Questor tugged at his beard. 'We feed the crystals with human life. The gems merely hold the energy. If Sofarita became desperate we could all be crystal-drawn by her.'

'She would not do that,' said Talaban. 'She is a fine woman.'

'It may prove beyond her control,' said Ro.

'What then do you suggest?'

'How fast can we travel?'

Talaban considered the question. 'We are already moving at speed. Sailing vessels would take two months to cover the distance.' He paused. 'However, if we do not concern ourselves with conserving power, and if there are no sudden storms, we could make the journey in twenty days. But there are perils, Ro. Travelling at such speed if we struck a whale, or a reef, we could suffer serious damage.'

'Twenty days is too long,' said Ro. 'Sofarita's hunger will overcome her before then.'

'What time scale are we talking of here?' asked Talaban.

'I would guess three days.'

In a battle, Rael knew, timing was everything. Sofarita had told him that the Crystal Queen could observe and listen to all plans of action. She could then inform her commander Cas-Coatl, and he would take appropriate measures. This required time. It was the only advantage Rael had.

The Almecs had massed their men just over a quarter of a mile from Egaru's walls — just out of range of the zhi-bows. Behind them, even further back, were more than 40 firing tubes of gleaming bronze. Even the Sunfire could not hit them at this distance, and even if it could Rael no longer had the power for 40 charges. With luck he might manage three.

Mejana and Pendar had joined Rael on the battlements. 'Why don't they come?' asked Pendar nervously as the morning wore on.

'They will,' said Rael.

At that moment the bronze tubes loosed their fireballs. They sailed high over the battle lines, curving down to strike the wall at three different places. Stone ramparts were smashed, men hurled to their deaths. A gaping crack appeared and a section of wall fell away some 300 yards to Rael's right. Peering over the battlements Rael saw the Almec engineers re-calibrating their weapons. Now all the fireballs rained down on that one spot. The 40-foot-high wall withstood twelve of the explosions. Then it collapsed, creating a 30-foot gap through which the enemy could invade the city.

Rael shouted instructions down to Goray and Cation below. A wagon was hauled into place and twenty men rushed forward to unload it. The bronze Sunfire from Serpent Seven was carried, in sections, up to the ramparts.

Four soldiers hefted the base and gear wheels and these were set on a platform alongside Rael. Then the barrel was strapped into place, and lastly Rael and Cation connected the golden wires from the power unit. Rael swung the Sunfire to point at the earthworks barrier which preventec the Luan from flooding in the rainy season.

The machine began to vibrate.

Rael glanced nervously at the line of Almec firing tubes. They were silent for the moment, but engineers were recalibrating three of them. Rael knew that within minute; fireballs would be hurled in his direction. 'You'd better get back,' he told Mejana. 'We will be the targets now.'

She shook her head and stayed where she was.

The Almec army was marching forward in a broad line towards the hole in the city wall.

The Sunfire ceased vibrating. Rael sighted the weapon on one section of earthworks and, closing his eyes, pulled the firing lever. The massive bolt struck the earthwork;

For a moment nothing happened. Then, deep within the barrier the bolt exploded. An enormous cloud of dust and earth billowed up. The freed waters of the Luan began to pour through the gap, gushing down over the plain.

The power of the river tore away a 60-foot section of the barrier and the flood began.

The Almecs continued to march. The water flowed over their feet. Holding their fire-clubs high the advancing soldiers came closer and closer to the gap.

Rael swung the Sunnre again. 'Lift the rear,' he called out to Goray and Cation. With the barrel resting on the crenellated battlements the two men, and three other soldiers, grabbed the rear section and lifted it high.

To Mejana their actions seemed almost comical. Thousands of men were about to attack them and the Avatar General was wasting his time with a single weapon. Even if he struck the advancing lines it would kill perhaps twenty men.

Two fireballs were loosed. They sailed high then dropped towards the battlements. The first thundered against the ramparts, sending a tremor along the wall. The second flew over the defenders, crashing against the roof of a warehouse, and setting it ablaze.

Rael put his hand on the lever of the Sunfire and looked down on the men splashing their way towards the city. Mejana came alongside him.

'What is it you are planning?' she asked him.

The vibration in the weapon ceased. 'Close your eyes,' said Rael softly. Then he fired the weapon.

The bolt flashed down, missing the first line of marching soldiers and striking the water behind them. Mejana opened her eyes — and saw the horror that followed. Blue sparks rippled out from the point of impact, dancing across the water. Hundreds of Almecs began to jerk spasmodically. Blue flames spread over them. Their clothing caught fire, their weapons discharged. Everywhere men were dying. The advance faltered.