Dragons and Destiny (40 page)

* * * * *

Niaill

Niaill shook
Master Annert’s hand in farewell.

“I don’t know
if we shall ever meet again,” he said to the old man, “war is
coming and I fear many of us will die before all this is over, but
it was an honour to meet you sir.”

“The honour is
all mine,” smiled Annert, “and I will do all in my power to find
the answers. We will work out how to turn the power-core into the
weapon it must become. Trust me. We will do it”

“I do sir,”
said Niaill with a nod as he dropped his hand and stepped back.
“The two Lind who are to be your contacts will be here within the
bell.”

“Good,” said
Annert. “I have prepared a place for them, in my spare bedroom of
all places. Miggi is having a thousand fits !”

Niaill
laughed.

“What people
are going to say about it all is anyone’s guess,” continued the old
man. “It can’t be kept a secret for much longer.”

“No need to
worry,” Niaill comforted him, “everyone is going to be too busy to
pay much attention to what is going on here. Stewarton will be in
too much of a ferment of speculation to wonder why you have
gathered together your team. They are here?”

“In the
library,” confirmed Annert.

“Then go to
them,” said Niaill and took his leave.

Annert entered
the library of the Guildhouse and the two men and the woman who sat
waiting for him at the long study table looked up.

Annert took a
deep breath.

“The reason you
are here,” he began, “is a serious one. One that will decide
whether we all live or we all die …”

* * * * *

The
Guildmaster

“We must
approach this task in a logical manner,” said Angus, Professor of
Mathematics at the University of Stewarton.

“First we must
understand what a ‘power-core’ is,” agreed Jeannie, his top
research assistant. “We know what power is, force, energy,
strength. We have hydro-electric power.”

“Is the
power-core an electrical object?” asked Journeyman Jhonas, who was
a compatriot and year-mate of Tala and the fourth member of
Annert’s team.

“It is energy,”
said Annert, “not electrical, an advanced object, technologically
superior to what we know and understand. I’ve made some notes which
I will read to you.”

“Begin,”
ordered Angus, with the mien of one conferring a great favour.

Annert hid a
smile. “The writings mention that the energy released from the
power-core is dangerous, that is why Peter Howard took steps to
remove the core out of harms way. He didn’t go into details but
here, I’ll read out what Tara Sullivan said about it. It is vague.
I don’t think she understood fully what she was writing about,
‘One way of looking at the core is as the means that drove the
space-ship. Linked to the engines it was a tool, nothing more, of
contained power. The other way to look at it is if it is reversed
and the core is made unstable it becomes really dangerous. It could
blow up, taking most of the surrounding area with it.’
That’s
all.”

“What does she
mean by reversed?” asked Jeannie.

“That has to be
determined,” said Annert, “but I believe it is our start
point.”

“We’ll have to
read our way through the print-outs to find out,” said Jhonas.

“Indeed, there
the answers are, along with much other information. We must read
them from start to finish, find the pages relating to the
power-core and work out how to reverse what it is that has to be
reversed.”

“How long do we
have?” asked Professor Angus.

“Not long, but
long enough if we bend all our minds and intellect to the problem,
perhaps two months at the outside,” answered Annert with a half
smile at his old friend.

“Better get
started then,” growled Angus. “Jeannie and I will start on the
print-outs and try and locate the section relating to the core. I
suggest you two begin on the guild technical specifications, the
oldest you have. You still keep your earliest stuff, do you
not?”

“Of course I
do,” said a bristling Annert as he rose to go find them.

* * * * *

Julia

Weaponsmaster
Jilmis and his Lind Alshya walked with resolute and measured step
towards the stone building that housed the offices and main
sleeping quarters of the Commanders and Training Officers of the
Vada.

Jilmis quite
understood the necessity of this meeting, it was not to assume
however that he approved of it. Like many a Weaponsmaster before
him he had an ingrained horror of placing part-trained vadeln-pairs
in the forefront of a battle. He was thinking about brigands and
pirates. The pirate raids had stopped and he had heard that some of
the privateers were helping the north prepare for what was to come.
He did not know what had caused this turnaround, perhaps he would
learn at the meeting.

: Pirates
believe what the Lai say :
telepathed Alshya.

Jilmis started,
he hadn’t realised she had been listening into his thoughts, not
that he was surprised.

: Really?:

: Something has
frightened them :

: It would have
to be something pretty bad to frighten such men :

: The privateer
Susa has been talking to Susa Julia since dawn, he has only just
left to get some sleep :

: Where? :

:He has gone
back to his ship in the bay :

: Tell those on
guard at the wharf to keep their eyes peeled :

Susa Julia and
her Lind Alyei would be waiting for him and Alshya. Jilmis thought
he knew why. Julia knew that Jilmis would not be happy with what
she was formally about to ask of him and had decided that the
matter must be discussed in private.

Jilmis was in
no doubt that the situation was dire. The Vada was going to war for
the first time in generations. The numbers needed would mean the
readmission to the Vada of older vadeln-pairs who were still
capable of fighting and admitting the best and oldest of the cadet
pairs. The Lindars were increasing their fighting numbers, bringing
back older Lind and were committing those who were under fourteen
summers old. This had distressed Alshya when she heard that the
fighting age was being reduced from fourteen to twelve summers.
Mothers with ltsctas over a certain age were going to war too,
their ltsctas to be looked after by those unfit to fight. It was
conscription on a scale unheard of among the Lind.

Could, should,
the Vada do any less?

This was not a
skirmish, this time it was the Larg nation in its entirety they
would be fighting and the Larg were allied to a technologically
superior enemy.

The Larg alone
would outnumber all the armies of the northern continent and even
if the regiments of Murdoch decided to ally with their northern
neighbours, they would still outnumber them.

What if the
Largan allies with Murdoch?

: They will
not :
Alshya seemed very sure of herself
: the Larg think
all humans are enemies now as well as Lind :

: The Lai think
the Dglai are using them and I agree. Don’t the Larg realise that
if we are destroyed the Dglai will enslave them as well? :

: They don’t
want to believe so don’t believe. They have long waited for the
chance to destroy us and that colours their perception of the Dglai
:

: You are
right, as usual but now I’ve got to interview Julia :

“There’s
someone I want you to meet,” said Julia after they had discussed
who should be included amongst the Vada going to the war.

The man who
entered the office was tall and broad and with a start of surprise,
Jilmis thought he recognised him.

“We have met
before you and I,” he said with a curt nod.

Rand, Captain
of the privateer ship
Armageddon
, looked at the Vada
Weaponsmaster with growing recognition.

“Sent you back
to sea with a tail between your legs,” Jilmis continued.

Rand chuckled,
“I believe I
do
remember. I lost a few good men that day. It
was a long time ago, during my first year as a captain.”

“During the
so-called privateer wars was it not?”

Rand nodded. “I
am not a slaver,” he declared, “we hate them as much as you
do.”

“I like a
divided enemy,” said Jilmis with satisfaction, “but good men
Captain? Well, perhaps we have a difference of opinion there but I
believe we are allies now, at least until this current crisis is
over.”

Rand nodded in
acknowledgement although Jilmis remained tight-lipped. Fighters he
had trained had died fighting this man and others like him.

“Captain Rand
has come to offer help,” said Julia, “and he has warned the Duke of
the Western Isles about the imminent arrival of the Dglai.”

“I sent a fast
boat but he laughed in my man’s face. He doesn’t believe in
intruders from outer space, nor does he believe in the Lai.”

“And you
do?”

Rand laughed.
“I’ve met them man, well, almost.”

“The Lai?”
asked a disbelieving Jilmis. “You’ve met the Lai?”

“No, these
Dglai creatures. Blew one of my best galleys out of the water, only
two of the men survived the experience. Course I believe in
them.”

“How did they
destroy your galley?”

“They were in
this great metal flying thing, one minute the crew saw it and a
flashing light, the next they were in the water and the galley a
smouldering wreck which sank pretty much immediately. The flying
ship flew away. Didn’t see us thank the gods, otherwise I’d not be
here talking to you.”

* * * * *

Elliot, Tala,
Danal, Niaill and Robain

In the end it
was decided that it would be just as quick for Elliot, Robain and
James to go to Vada with the others and take ship from there.

As Danal had
explained when Philip demurred, it was an eight day lind-run to
Vada compared to a four day lind-run to Port Lutterell but this had
to be balanced against the comparative sailing times from Port
Lutterell and the shorter crossing over Middle Sea from Port Vada
to Port Duchesne. After weighing up the pros and cons, Philip, with
Robain and Elliot’s agreement, had acquiesced to the change of
plan.

Accordingly, it
was a large party that made arrangements for the run south-west to
Vada. Those new to lindback riding were soon to discover a whole
mass of muscles they didn’t know they had but they wouldn’t have
given up the experience for worlds.

Elliot would
always look back at these days as being, despite the dire reason
for the journey, some of the happiest few days of his life.

The journey
began when they all congregated at the Vada Supply Station situated
in the small woodland park at the very edge of the Stewarton
suburbs. Everyone carried a knapsack on their back, filled with a
change of clothes, toiletries and whatever personal possessions
(the lighter the better) they felt they could not do without.
James, Elliot, Philip and Derek had packed various souvenirs from
their northern sojourn, Robain carried his summer Garda uniform,
Tala had packed her technical notebook and slide-rule and Danal had
slipped in the copies of the maps of Peter Howard and some notes he
had made about the possible location of the power-core.

Danal, Niaill
and their Lind were waiting for the other six and gathered to one
side were the six Lind destined to be their mounts, Inalei amongst
them.

It was Danal
who made the introductions. “Inalei you know,” he began, “the two
standing next to him are Denei and Jilsei. Like Inalei, they are
members of the Avuzdel.”

Elliot and the
others took in the fact that the two, like Inalei and Danal’s Asya
were brown, sandy coloured and large heavy-set specimens of their
species. The other three were lighter in build, with longer legs
and had the stripy coat more usual amongst the Lind. One, like
Taraya but smaller, had a blue-green stripe pattern and the two
last sported stripes of a dull red.

All eight Lind
were wearing the leather saddle-harness used by the Vada.

“These are
Radya, Balei and Sernei,” said Danal, pointing to each in turn.
“They have volunteered to carry you Elliot, Robain and James to
Vada. Radya is Vada, her vadeln is in the infirmary here, broke his
leg in a fall a couple of tendays ago and Radya wishes to do what
she can. She will return for Alun.”

“Balei and
Sernei?” queried Elliot bowing to the three who returned his bow,
eyes gleaming.

“On loan from
Lindar Dusnnei. They also wish to help.”

Radya stepped
forward and walked to Elliot, stopping in front of him, so close
that he felt her breath on his cheek. “You are the smallest,” she
informed him, “as I am so you will come with me.”

Elliot felt
excitement build up within him as he stared at the blue-green
striped female. Her eyes were green, large and sparkling. Her
whiskered muzzle and her ears were more blue than green. “Thank you
My Lady,” he stuttered.

“Radya will do
well enough,” she replied.

“Are you sure
Vadeln Alun does not mind?”

Her ears
flicked forward and back. “He is in bed and cannot move,” she
answered, “and I will remain beside him with my mind. In fact,” she
added in a low voice which only Elliot could hear, “I am glad to be
of service. Alun is not the most pleasant companion when he is
recovering from a hurt. I also speak your language which Asya said
would help. Balei and Sernei speak only Lindish.”

“Now,”
interrupted Danal, “Balei and Sernei will take Robain and James as
far as Vada. Jilsei and Denei will carry Philip and Derek and have
volunteered to come with us to find the power-core.”