Jeffrey Lord Blade 02 The Jade Warrior

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the corners of his mouth. He twisted his decaying spine and clawed at his
chest with both hands.
Blade knew, even before the Khad fell silently forward from his throne, that
he was seeing the falling sickness. It was epilepsy. He had forgotten that the
Khad was subject to fits.
Only Blade was surprised by the sudden convulsion. The others watched in
silence as the Khad lay on the rug, foaming at the mouth, kicking and
twitching and making horrible sounds. He picked up a
corner of the rug and thrust it into his mouth and began chewing savagely.
Morpho gave Blade the tiniest wink as he hurried past to the Khad's aid. The
dwarf carried a small round cylinder of wood, and passed so close to Blade
that he could see the teeth marks in the wood.
Morpho deftly inserted the piece of wood into the Khad's foaming mouth. Four
huge blacks came forward with a litter and the twitching figure was lifted on
it and carried out.
Blade, thinking of the Sea Caths, hoped their sea moat was efficient. There
would be no mercy for them now. Then he remembered that he would be in the
foremost rank of attackers. He could not afford to waste sympathy on the Sea
Caths. He had to think about himself.
Chapter Fourteen
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The Mong armies were arrayed in the plain before the city. When the sun shot
over the horizon they would attack. All night the horsemen and foot soldiers
had been moving into position and, once there, sleeping on the ground.
Rahstum, who commanded the center, kept Blade close to him. His manner was
curt, near to insulting at times, but he had designated Blade to fight at
his right hand. It was nearly dawn before they found a chance to speak alone.
Rahstum said: "What of this marriage, Blade? Do you and Sadda plot against
me?"
They were riding along the line of battle, well forward, near the lip of the
huge ditch. There was no moon and the city was dark but for an occasional
vagrant light, but the star sheen was sufficient for Blade to see the
Captain's face. It was grim. The gray eyes glinted hard at him.
Blade had foreseen this moment and thought it out. He could not go on forever
picking his way through plots. He must choose. He had chosen. He told Rahstum
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as much as was needed to indicate
Blade's loyalty. They reined in the horses and Rahstum listened without
comment. A sea breeze sprang up and moved salt air across the plain. Horses
nickered softly.
When he had finished Rahstum fingered his beard and said, "She is clever. I
never doubted that. And it is a good plan. But how is she going to force
Morpho to slay the Khad? What hold can she have over him?"
Blade knew of one possible hold, one lever, and yet he did not see how it
could be. And he dare not mention it. He had given his word.
He said: "I do not know. Yet she seems positive. Perhaps she deludes herself.
It is all a fantasy, or a lie. I cannot say."
"Waste no time thinking about it," Rahstum said harshly. "I will strike first
and that will settle the matter. My men are ready. I am more than ready, for
this waiting has been agony."
Blade watched a torch moving in the city. "The plan is the same, then?"
"The same. It should be easier now. He is going fast into madness, and when we
sack the city he will grow worse. He has told me of his plans for the Sea
Caths. No quarter. And afterwards a great feast to celebrate his triumph. Be
you ready when the time comes."
Blade said: "What of Sadda?"
Rahstum snarled like a wolf, showing his white teeth. "What of her? She dies
also, man! Surely you see that? What good to kill the big viper and leave the
small one? She has men loyal to her and would raise a revolt against me. She
is also a princess of the blood and has law and tradition on her side. I could
not rule with her alive. She dies!"
He was right. Blade said: "As you say. I only ask that I not be the one to
kill her. After all I have made love to her, shared something of her life, and
do not want to be her murderer."
The Captain laughed curtly. "You are a strange man, Blade. But no more of this
now. You saw those gates holding back the sea? Do you think they will open
them?"
Blade was surprised. He had not thought the Mong command astute enough to
notice the sluice gates, or guess at their use. But Rahstum was not a Mong.
"They will let in the sea," he said, "if they are losing the battle which they
may not do, Captain. This will not be an easy victory."
Rahstum agreed. "I know. And they will let in the sea. I am counting on it. I
intend to use most of the
Khad's men, as many as I can, to storm into the dry moat. I will hold back my
own as long as possible.
The more of his men drowned the better!"
At this Blade was not surprised. He nodded and said, "I have gauged the depth
of that moat. When full it will rise to ten feet, well over the heads of our
men and, as you say, many will drown. But there is a way over it if the men
can be protected while a bridge is laid down."
Rahstum looked at him in puzzlement. "How know you how deep it is? You have
not been close to it, or in it."
Trigonometry would have meant nothing to the Captain.
"A thing I learned in my own land. Suffice that I know. And the bridging will
not be hard if the men are protected."
"I know of bridges. We Caucas built them. But in our country there were many
trees, enough timber.
Here we have nothing."
Blade told him how it could be done. The sun shot up then, an instant red ball
of flame, and the
Mongs scrambled from sleep and into formation, rubbing their eyes and gnawing
on chunks of cold horsemeat. Trumpets brayed and officers ran to and fro,
dressing the ranks and cursing, prodding and slapping with the flats of their
swords.
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Sea Caths lined the ramparts of the town, waiting. No huge cannon here, or
they would have fired it before now. But they had catapults of a sort, like
massive crossbows on wheels, mounted at intervals along the ramparts and
firing twelve arrows at a time.
Chunkkk

whanggg
! The first catapult was fired and a dozen long thick arrows screamed over
Blade and Rahstum and did bloody work in the first rank of Mongs. Two men,
transfixed by the same arrow, flopped and scrabbled like fish on a single
hook.
Rahstum gentled his nervous horse and cast an expert eye at the Cath ramparts.
"A good weapon,"
he told Blade, "but they cannot depress. When we move forward they will be
firing over our heads. That is all to the good." His teeth flashed beneath the
beard. "They will be firing into the Khad's men then.
Now, Blade, heed well! We will lead the first attack in and move the obstacles
and plant scaling ladders against the far wall of that ditch. We will lose
men, but not too many, and the Khad will think nothing but that we are
valorous to go first. While he sits in safety and drinks bross and caresses
some poor child!"
Blade followed the Captain's contemptuous glance. On the crest of the rise
behind them the Khad's throne had been set up. He was on the throne now, Sadda
standing beside him, the sun brave on his honor guard and the lances flaunting
horsetails and skulls. As they looked the Khad shielded his good eye with a
hand and peered toward them. He raised a hand in command. The order to attack. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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