Valour and Victory (36 page)

Elliot was
genuinely sorry about Isobel Cocteau’s death. She had been his
betrothed and she had been so young.

He was sorry
about James too. The two of them had grown up together and had
shared many a prank and ploy.

He had been
upset about James’s desertion back in Duchesne but he had got over
it.

He made a
mental note to speak to the Archbishop about what to do with the
boy dukes and began, again, to wonder what was happening up in
Duchesne.

News was
sketchy. He was hoping for the best and preparing for the
worst.

The Quorko
could arrive any day. He could only warn his people about what to
expect and advise about how to mitigate the effects.

During the
quiet periods, of which there were few, Elliot’s thoughts would
return to the untimely death of Isobel and what it portended.

There were
already murmurings amongst the courtiers that he needed a wife,
even the Archbishop had mentioned it.

Only Elliot’s
mother was cautioning patience, telling Kellen Martin Taviston to
wait.

Robain was not
consulted. Many were half-afraid of the tall fair-haired northerner
who stood by Elliot’s side.

He, of course,
could have told them not to waste any sleep thinking about it.
Robain had a nagging suspicion that Elliot’s bride would come from
out-Kingdom or not at all.

* * * * *

Julia

“Julia?”
Weaponsmaster Jilmis ducked his head inside the command tent. “I’ve
just been advised that Danal, Asya and what I can only describe as
a motley crew of assorted individuals have crossed the border into
Duchesne.”

“A motley crew
Jilmis?” Julia lifted her head from the casualty lists. There were
pages of them and Julia had only just begun to assess the damage to
the Vada ranks. “You know, I think we’re going to have to graduate
all the senior cadets, not just the four stripes and post them to
the active Ryzcks. If we don’t then I have no idea how we’ll be
able to fulfil our obligations.”

“It’s definite
that the privateer ships have all disappeared back to the
islands?”

“I’m afraid so.
We probably shouldn’t have expected any different. Rand only
promised to help us until the Dglai had been eliminated.”

“It was in his
interest to do so,” answered Jilmis. “If we had been defeated and
the
Ammokko
not destroyed, the Quorko would have descended
on the islands and taken out his ships one by one.”

“I had hoped
…”

“That he would
see the error of his ways?” laughed Jilmis. “I never thought
it.”

“Which leads us
to the necessity that the Ryzcks must return to their duty sectors
along the coasts as soon as possible. I
have
to graduate the
cadets. I’m also going to accept the services of some of the older,
retired vadelns until we can train more, enough to at least partly
replace those who have been killed. Anyway, what was it you were
saying? That Danal and Asya return?”

“With a large
amount of ex-slaves they encountered in the desert and Susa
Zaoaldavdr and his Larg.”

“Now that is an
interesting development,” said Julia, shelving the problem of the
Ryzcks for the moment. “Any idea why here?”

“Seems that in
return for their help to find the gridref Danal promised them a
place of their own. It appears that most of them intend to decant
to the Island of Hallam, it is still rather sparsely populated
after that slaver raid some years ago. It’s where Captain Robain
Hallam originates. His missing sister is one of the ex-slaves.”

“They’ll be
needing transport?” enquired Julia. “Well, I think we can provide
that. Zaoaldavdr and his Larg?”

“It’s a bit
confusing, but he and the others of his kohort believe that they
are no longer a part of Larg. He also wishes a place of his own,
for him and his pack. The females and the young are hidden in one
of the mountain ranges to the south east, which is another problem.
Wherever these exiles go we shall have to provide transport for
them too.”

“Exiles?”

“His word, not
mine. They refused to answer the Largan’s call to arms, descended
on the desert and I believe actually fought and killed some of the
Larg who had picked up Danal’s trail and were hunting for
them.”

“No doubt we
can provide transport for them too once it is decided where they
are going.”

“And I was
speaking to Haru on my way here,” said Jilmis, “he says that
Zaoaldavdr and his rtath are most welcome on their continent.
Remember, the Lai don’t think of the Lind or the Larg as being
different. He also wondered about Big Island, it’s been uninhabited
for decades, since the slavers descended on it en masse and almost
depopulated it.”

Julia
considered the options.

“What does the
new Largan say?”

“He doesn’t
want them. Oh, I know he’s murmuring sweet words about peace
between us but he wants us to find somewhere else for Zaoaldavdr
and his rtath.”

“There will be
peace if the Lai have anything to do about it.”

“True, but once
the rest of the Quorko are hunted out and destroyed who knows?”

“The Lai intend
a
lasting
peace.”

“They might get
it too. The Larg I’ve met seem to think the Lai are some kind of
demi-gods, but this doesn’t mean that they will accept Zaoaldavdr
back into their fold. Haru suggests that we all have a talk about
it before Zaoaldavdr gets here. If he fancies the idea of Big
Island Haru says he and some of the others can fly them over to
inspect it.”

“Meeting at
Ninth Bell?”

“I’ll let him
know. Now, do you want a hand with these lists? Fastia and Xlei are
with the cadets, assessing the new ones with the help of the
seniors.”

Julia’s face
brightened a little. The melancholy job would certainly go much
faster with two.

“Would you
Jilmis, I would really appreciate it if you would.”

“Of course
Susa,” he answered, drawing up a chair.

* * * * *

Rilla and
Zilla

“Goodbye sis,”
said Rilla on the eve of the departure of the First Ryzck.

“Good bye for
now
,” Zilla corrected her as she hugged Rilla tight. “Come
and visit when I get home. I’ll write and tell you when I do.”

“That’s a
deal.”

“You look so
smart in your new uniform.”

A
self-conscious Rilla ran her hand round under her collar.

“The silver is
much nicer than the cadet white.”

“Still can’t
get used to it,” admitted her sister.

“What happened
to your friend Shona?”

“She’s with the
Fourteenth, so we are parted, alas.”

“You’ll miss
her.”

“Not as much as
I’ll miss you,” answered Rilla.

“Give Mother
and Father my love.”

“I will,” Rilla
promised. “Come home as soon as you can.”

Zilla’s answer
was an enigmatic smile.

* * * * *

Julia

Julia and Alyei
had one last duty to perform as Susyc.

They had to
order out those who were going to help the Lai and the Larg hunt
for and eradicate the world of the remnants of the Quorko.

There were
twelve of them unaccounted for.

They were
heading south at daybreak towards the swamplands where the Quorko
had been sighted, through an area where nolind had ever been
before.

It was the
Avuzdel who were going as were the fifty-first Ryzck.

Their route
would take them past the blast site where the
Ammokko
had
met its end.

Brion and
Quindya, Ryzckas of the Fifty-first had instructions to examine the
wreckage and to report back on any interesting finds. They hoped to
find some trace of Tala and Chizu but knew it was unlikely they
would find anything. The blast had swept most of the area clean.
Nothing would live there for many a long year.

“Good luck and
good hunting,” Julia said to Brion and Quindya.

* * * * *

Niaill and the
Lai

“Come visit us,
Niaill and Taraya of Vadath,” said Haru.

“We will,”
Niaill promised, “soon as we get the chance. We’ll be busy for a
while, helping Julia and Alyei rebuild the Vada but next long leave
we will come. This is a goodbye, not a farewell.”

“I must go,”
said Haru. He furled his great wings. Niall marvelled again at how
beautiful they were. “Don’t forget Niaill. We are friends, you and
I.”

“We will
come.”

* * * * *

Robain

A number of the
northern wounded were still in Duchesne, being too ill to travel
and with them were a number of doctors, medics, nurses and Holad.
Robain’s brother Liam had remained in the southern continent and
after the battle when he had found out where his older brother was,
he wrote to Robain.

‘
Robain,

I’ve just found
out that you are alive! Wonderful news, no one knew where you were
until Danal and Asya came looking for Danal’s brother Niaill who
commands the Vada First Ryzck and who also made it through the
battle. I was with Niaill at the time as it happened, pure chance.
They arrived that morning, together with a hodgepodge of assorted
people, Lind and Larg and wait for it! Our sister Aline was with
them! She had escaped from the slave-pens in Sahara and was living
in the desert with others.

You can imagine
what our reunion was like but that can wait. Suffice to say that
she is well and has turned into a beautiful young woman. She is
married to one Padrig, the leader of the escaped slaves. No
children yet, but I’m sure that’s on her agenda. Mother is dead, I
didn’t get any details, I suspect she doesn’t want to talk about it
and who can blame her?

Anyway, she
intends to depart for Hallam as soon as transport can be arranged
but only after she has seen you and Ansell, so get up here as soon
as you can manage it. Most of the ex-slaves are going with her and
Padrig, all but one who cannot be prised away from Danal’s side and
who says she is going to Vadath with him and Asya.

I do have some
other news and not all of it is good.

It’s hardly a
consolation but I thought it best you heard it from me rather than
through official channels. Hilla Talansdochter died in the battle.
She fought bravely by all accounts but fell on the second day when
the Larg broke through on the right wing. Very few of the Officer
Trainees survived. Her sister Zilla is very upset, she is one of my
volunteer nurses. She does wonderful work with the wounded, a born
nurse. The other triplet, Rilla is her name, did make it although
their brother Zak was killed the same day as Hilla. Now I hear that
it was their older sister Tala who died dropping the power-core on
the Dglai ship.

I’m so very
sorry about the death of your Hilla, I know how much she meant to
you. I grieve for you brother, as will Ansell when he hears but it
is hard to grieve for her on a personal basis, I didn’t know her
and there have been so many dead.

There are only
two words I can use to describe the battle, slaughter and carnage.
The wounds were horrific, great long gashes where Larg claws tore
their victims apart. I will find it hard to forgive them, I will
certainly never forget. I know they turned on the Dglai in the end
but it doesn’t stop me feeling as I do. The Lind are far more
forgiving. Danal and Asya tried to explain but I know that most of
the humans here think as I do.

Our medical
team will be here for another month at least. We will be one of the
last to leave, a compliment of a sort, I suppose though I’m
desperate to get home so that life can get back to normal
again.

By the way, I
met an old friend of yours the other day, his name is Duncin and
his Lind is called Stasya. They both asked after you and I told
them that I would include their best wishes when I wrote. When the
Duke of Duchesne and his son were killed, the two of them took over
command of the first division on the right wing. That’s where
Zilla’s sister Rilla was, how she and that blue-striped Lind of
hers emerged virtually unscathed I’ll probably never know.

Anyway, I’d
better finish this or else you’ll never get it. Susyc Julia is
sending her despatch to the Citadel (where I’m told you are) within
the bell.

Try and make it
up here.

Liam’

* * * * *

Elliot and
Robain

“Go on, read
it,” said Robain, sliding the close written sheets over to Elliot.
“It’s from my brother Liam.”

“Good news?”
asked Elliot, stretching a long arm and picking them up.

“Good and bad.
Hilla is dead.”

“Oh, I
am
sorry my friend. We seem both to have been fated to lose
our future wives. What’s the good news?”

“My sister
Aline has been found.”

“Now, that’s
all that’s wonderful!”

“It is,” agreed
Robain. He felt curiously unaffected by Hilla’s death. They hadn’t
seen each other for so long. He was sad but not inconsolable.

“So what are
your plans?” asked Elliot, beginning to read Liam Hallam’s letter.
“You’ll have to go see her.”

“I’d like that.
Little Aline! Last time I saw her she was just a kid. Wonder if
I’ll recognise her.”

But Elliot
wasn’t listening. His eyes had been arrested on sight of one name.
Zilla! Zilla Talansdochter was here in Murdoch. What an
opportunity. He looked at Robain.

“How would you
like to take my despatches north to Duchesne for me? You would be
doing me a great favour if you would and once you’ve delivered
them, seen your sister and brother you could possibly do me
something else on my behalf.”