The Wizard of Anharitte (21 page)

A quantity of rope had been recovered which presumably had been used to haul the flexible ‘tunnel’ across the river and to secure it in place.

‘Tell me how it works,’ implored Catuul Gras.

Ren pursed his lips. ‘It’s an old Terran device. That large elastic tube, when filled with air, will float and will easily bear the weight of a man on the water. Fitted with flaps through which a man can enter without losing too much air and an air pump sufficient to keep it filled, it makes a floating bridge. It’s cheap, simple, and expendable—you can afford to set fire to it if you fear your enemies might try to follow you across.’

‘Then it isn’t magic?’ asked Catuul. He sounded almost disappointed.

‘Far from it. In a smaller and modified form it’s used in a common Terran water sport—men tie themselves into large plastic bubbles and run races over lakes and rivers. It’s simply the clever application of a common outworld principle.’

‘Which reinforces your suggestion that the
Imaiz
is a Terran?’

‘I don’t know.’ Ren thought about his answer carefully. His words were colored by a new caution. ‘There’s a Terran influence, certainly—but that could be acquired from books. The main factor that emerges from this affair is that Dion and his men are effectively policing Anharitte. They seem to be trying to prevent a catastrophic breakdown of your society even as they are undermining it. A restructuring without a revolution. Quite a trick—if you can achieve it.’

‘But didn’t Dion break faith with his own at Di Guaard yesterday? Slave against slave was something no one had expected.’

‘He broke faith only if you assume that his interest is the emancipation of the slaves. But perhaps his real policy is a larger purpose—that of emancipating the
Ahhn
as a race. But in any event I can’t see that either free trade or the societies can survive the transition. We’re both part of the old pattern.’

‘So you intend to go through with your march on Magda?’ asked Catuul gravely.

‘To Magda it is. And in view of Dion’s manumission bill this may well be the last chance we’ll get. I propose we strike Magda as soon as possible and with the largest force we can muster. Whatever happens, we mustn’t fail. A great many people will be watching the battle. If we lose, the
Imaiz
will not only gain Anharitte but probably his policies will win him all Roget as well. Our assault on Magda could have a great bearing on the shape of history. That’s why we must plan it well.’

, ‘What did you mean by the emancipation of the
Ahhn
?’ asked Catuul after a while.

‘It’s a relative concept that would only be apparent if you’d lived outworld,’ said Ren, realizing his mistake.

“At the head of the Trade Road the watchmen were waiting for Ren to return. Their interception of him was swift and deliberate. The stave-bearers were halted.

‘What’s the meaning of this?’

‘The prefect requires your presence, Agent Ren.’

‘Again? This is becoming too much of a habit. But it’s early and I’ve not yet breakfasted. Tell him I will come to him later.’

The leading watchman shook his head. ‘Our orders were to bring you in all haste. The Lord Di Irons is in a fury.’

‘Then I’m afraid his fury must wait for a proper time. Stand aside.’

Ren had observed that the stave-bearers had drawn to the side of the road and the way in front of him was clear save for the three watchmen. The craft’s cushions were still inflated and he doubted the law-enforcers would stand in the path of the vehicle if it began to move. He edged it forward, slowly at first to warn the men out of his way, then faster. He was gratified to note that they made no attempt to halt his progress, but retired to the road’s edge to discuss the situation.

Ren continued swiftly, having no thought of returning for the stave-bearers who still stood waiting for a decision from the watchmen. When he was out of weapon range, he began to breathe more freely. This had been a trial of strength between himself and the authority of Di Irons—and for the moment he had won. As he drove unescorted to the fruit market he honestly questioned his own motives for refusing to accede to the watchmen’s demands. He found his reasons not as clear as they had seemed moments earlier. As one of the prime movers of events in Anharitte, he had come to resent the prefect’s imperious demands on his time. Yet now he thought about it, it grew more plain that he was attempting to set himself up above the law—and the only persons above the law in Anharitte were the lords.

He became interested—and slightly apprehensive—about how Di Irons would react. At worst, and if it suited the prefect’s purpose, Di Irons would be justified in detaining him and demanding his deportation. At best, Di Irons might overlook the slight and await Ren’s coming at a later hour. Ren’s surmises, however, in no way covered the actual reaction his stand had provoked.

Within the hour Di Irons himself was announced on his doorstep.

‘Didn’t you hear, Tito, that I needed words with you at once?’

‘My apologies, Prefect, but I was about early and was greatly in need of food. I was coming to see you soon.’

The prefect waved the matter aside impatiently and accepted a plate at Ren’s table.

‘First I have to thank you for sending me Sonel Taw. Under threat of torment he has told me much that explains last night.’

‘Did he kill Di Guaard?’ asked Ren.

‘The fool tried, though I doubt if he had the courage to perform the deed himself. Di Guaard died in the fire, nonetheless. But that wasn’t why I wanted words with you. Taw also hinted at a liaison between you and the Lady T’Ampere. Can this be true?’

‘Liaison’s too strong a term. She has offered me men to reinforce my society in feud against Dion-daizan.’

‘At what price?’

‘I struck no bargain on price. She claims Dion is out to kill her—which may or may not be true, though I hope it is—and she offered me help if I would lead a strike against him. This I’ve agreed to do, but on my own terms.’

‘How many men did she offer?’ Di Irons seemed angry, not with Ren directly but seemingly with all the world.

‘She suggested five hundred—if the society would find a like quantity.’

‘Five hundred? T’Ampere has five thousand to use if she chooses. If you should take Magda, what do you suppose will happen to the rest of Magda province?’

‘I’d not given the matter a thought.’

‘Then I’ll tell you. With the
Imaiz
removed, T’Ampere would take the rest of the province, because nobody, not even I, could stop her. You’re the only man in Anharitte who would dare to take arms against Dion-daizan, so she sees in you a useful catspaw. If you should succeed, you will hand her Magda province on a plate. If you lose she’s lost at most five hundred men. Do you now see in what you’ve become involved?’

‘I hadn’t known the details of her ambitions,’ said Ren. ‘Therefore I find your warning timely. But I’m not sure it modifies my plan.’

‘I hadn’t expected you to be easily swayed. But if you’re still intent on turning Thirdhill into a battle ground, you should at least know in what cause your blood is being spilled. It’s your life balanced against her gain. Do you think it a fair bargain?’

‘Are you trying to warn me not to proceed with the exploit?’

‘I don’t give a damn whether you proceed or not. You’ve almost no chance of winning and a very high chance of getting killed in the attempt. Even if you win, T’Ampere will take the major prize. You can work out the odds for yourself. But I warn you—you’re engaged in an unholy alliance if you’ve listened to T’Ampere. She’s made the almost identical proposition to most of the lords in the past, but history has taught them caution. Only T’Empte ever fell for the ruse.’ reinforce my society in feud against Dion-daizan.’

‘Catuul Gras spoke of T’Empte as an empty province. What happened to the House of T’Empte?’

‘The House of T’Empte was destroyed partly by T’Ampere’s treachery and partly because Dion’s revenge was so terrible. Since T’Empte was the catspaw, T’Ampere escaped more lightly. The old vixen’s been sitting nursing her wounds these many years, waiting for someone else for her to thrust first into the fight with Dion.’

‘And now you think I’ve been elected?’

‘You’re the first new major force to emerge in Anharitte since the destruction of T’Empte. It was only a matter of time before you became included in her schemes.’

‘I’ll mark well what you’ve said,’ said Ren. ‘I promise it will he taken into account before a decision is reached. But if I decide to storm Magda—where will I find my Lord Di Irons standing?’

‘Slightly to your rear, looking the other way. You’re taking T’Ampere’s banner. Noble house against Noble house still has legitimacy—they have the right to bear arms anywhere in the city, Even the planetary government couldn’t object to your action under T’Ampere’s shield. But the cost of digging your graves will certainly be passed on to your Company.’

‘You paint a black picture.’

‘Traditionally the rocks of Thirdhill have been awash with the blood of attackers since the stones of Castle Magda were first raised. I see no reason to suppose that this occasion will be any different.’

Slowly Ren’s plans took shape. Dubious at first, Catuul Gras rapidly became an enthusiastic convert when he saw the scope and thoroughness of the agent’s ideas. Much preliminary work needed to be done and Catuul’s standing with the elders of the clans foreshortened many otherwise lengthy negotiations. A large quantity of small boats was purchased along the coast to provide ready transport both for the attack and the unlikely event of a forced withdrawal. Canvassing around the Tyrene village produced scores of useful contacts whose services would be needed when the great day came. Ren watched the steadily mounting bill for purchases and bribes and knew that this was going to be his final attempt. If this venture failed, he was unlikely to be given the money or the opportunity to try again. He had to succeed.

The more involved Catuul Gras became with the planning
of the exploit, the more he began to appreciate how Ren’s unique outworlders’ view of Anharitte threw up ideas and perspectives by no means apparent to those who had spent their lives in the city. Although Ren’s knowledge of
Ahhn
history was not complete, his understanding of the causes and motivations of political events was a revelation to the scribe. Ideas which in outline were received in doubtful silence won enthusiastic favor when Ren placed them in careful context. Whatever the results of the coming battle, the event was certain to find a permanent place in Anharitte’s history.

For Ren the affair was necessarily a compromise. After hill experiences with Alek Hardun he felt compelled to eschew the benefits of modern outworld weaponry. This limited his armory to what could be made or found from native resources. However, he felt no such limitations on his ingenuity. Many
Ahhn
craftsmen found themselves building instruments of siege and war which belonged not to their own history but to that of another race far across the legendary stars.

Logic dictated that rocket projectiles would have been more effective against Magda than ballistae and chain-cannon, hut Ren was aware of a growing sense of responsibility toward the
Ahhn
. The release of too much advanced weaponry into their feudal society could have destroyed them just as effectively as if the ships of Rance had succeeded in their task. Alternatively, to go into battle ill-prepared was to invite disaster.

Nor were the words of Di Irons on T’Ampere overlooked. In his planning, Ren had attempted to cover all of the many aspects of the exercise brought to his attention and several facets which he had determined for himself. Overall he had contrived to construct a time of chaos such that even the prefect would find it difficult to determine exactly what was taking place. It was also hoped that even the
Imaiz
’s spies would present such a mass of irrelevant information to Dion that much could be achieved before the true pattern of the attack became apparent. All in all, Ren was rather pleased with his design. He was certain that Director Vestevaal would have given the whole scheme his heartiest approval.

At last Ren was ready to make his move. With the initial attack on Magda scheduled for late afternoon a messenger was sent that morning to call out T’Ampere’s men. The messenger returned with the news that the party from Secondhill would join them at midday. This was largely as Ren had anticipated. He then waited for reports from the spies he had posted on T’Ampere’s borders before ordering his men into the field.

His judgment proved correct. Coincident with the sending of five hundred men from T’Ampere to join Ren’s sortie against Magda, the mistress of Secondhill had ordered nearly ten times that number of men to the shores of the River Daizan in the east, flanking Magda province. When he had received confirmation of this fact, Ren caused signals to be flown to set in motion the next phase of his plan. T’Ampere was due for a nasty shock.

The notion pleased Ren—it was with a wolfish smile on his face that he went to marshal his own forces. Against agreement, the five hundred from T’Ampere came complete with their own officers. These were neatly disarmed by the Pointed Tails and removed from the scene with some alacrity. Moreover, the five hundred were outnumbered at least two to one by members of the Pointed Tails and other societies brought in by Catuul as reinforcements. Lacking more direct orders from T’Ampere, the five hundred accepted the viewpoint offered them and soon became integrated in the total army marching on Thirdhill.

It was thus with fifteen hundred men rather than a thousand, that Ren crossed Firstwater to Magda’s shores. Here again his strategy was not immediately obvious. Instead of taking the hill road leading directly up to the township and thence to the castle, his men marched round at the foot of the slopes defining the hill—only when they had formed a full circle around Thirdhill did they begin to ascend. Even then their activity was limited. At the rough contour where the grasslands gave way to the steeper outcrops of gray rock on which the township and castle of Magda stood, they halted and began to prepare their positions as if in readiness for a siege rather than a direct attack.