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themselves from their campsites and looking toward the source of the
disturbance.
Fylo remained calm, as the noble had instructed, and brushed his hand over his
beard. Agis grabbed onto a greasy braid of hair and clung there, with Wyan
hovering close by. Then, without looking back toward his pursuers, the giant
picked up a large boulder and lumbered down into the rubble-strewn gate-yard.
On the other side, two weary sentries guarded the great breach where the gates
had once hung. They seemed more puzzled than concerned by the commotion above.
Although they had risen from the stone blocks on which they
had been sitting, their heavy clubs still leaned against the shattered remains
of the wall. One of them was not even watching Fylo, but instead kept his
attention fixed on something outside the castle, in the Bay of Woe.
As Fylo approached with his burden, the sentry watching him raised a puzzled
brow. The half-breed ignored him, keeping his eyes on the ground and
attempting to trudge out the gate without having to give an explanation.
The sentry, a thick-waisted giant with the tattoo of a goat on his forehead,
held out a hand to stop Fylo. "What's going on up in the castle?" he asked.
"Beastheads," Fylo answered.
The second guard, who was almost gaunt by comparison to the first, looked away
from the Bay of Woe. "We know they're beastheads," he said in a sarcastic
voice. "What are they doing?"
Fylo met his gaze, as if to answer, and swung the hand holding the boulder.
The blow caught the guard completely by surprise, connecting beneath the ear,
exactly where Agis had instructed Fylo to aim. The giant's eyes rolled back in
his head, and his knees buckled.
As the unconscious sentry collapsed, his partner reached for his dub with one
hand and clamped his other on
Fylo's shoulder, spinning him around. "What are you-"
The half-breed hurled his boulder at the sentry's foot, and the question
erupted into a pained howl. Fylo ran for the causeway, following the path the
granite ball had cleared earlier as it blasted across the debris-covered
apron.
Although he was not a fast runner, his clumsy gait was more than adequate to
escape the sentry hopping after him.
As Fylo lumbered across the narrow isthmus, Agis poked his head from behind
the giant's beard. "Well done!"
That was when the noble saw what the gaunt sentry had been watching in the Bay
of Woe. The battered
Shadow Viper lay a short distance from the causeway. Without a shipfloater, it
rested up to its gunnels in silt.
Otherwise, the ship sat on an even keel and looked reasonably dustworthy,
despite its pock-marked decks and snapped masts. Dozens of slaves stood along
the rail, watching Fylo's escape with envious eyes. Now that there was no
longer a sentry watching them from the gate, a few were probing along the side
of the ship with their plunging poles, looking for a place shallow enough that
they could wade ashore.
Take me to the ship, Fylo," Agis ordered.
The giant stopped and turned to face the derelict, but made no move to go out
to it "You say run to other side of
Lybdos." he objected.
"I know, but I can't abandon those slaves," Agis said. "Can't carry them,"
Fylo said. Too many!"
"You're not going to carry them," the noble replied. He glanced toward the
gate and saw that they were in no danger of being caught by the thick-waisted
sentry. The giant was still trying to hop across the wreckage, using his club
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as a cane. Agis returned his attention to the ship. "The
Shadow Viper can escape by itself. All it needs is a shipfloater."
"You?" scoffed Wyan. "From what I've heard of your talents, the ship won't
make it out of the bay before you collapse."
"I'll get us started," Agis replied. "After that, Tithian will have to take
over."
"Tithian!" Fylo blurted. "Him not here!"
"He's in my satchel," Agis replied. As an afterthought, he added, "At least I
hope he is."
"He is," Wyan reported. "I saw him while you and I were scuffling over the
bag. He'll be thrilled to help, I'm sure." He smiled, a strange twinkle in his
eye. "I'll go tell the slaves to ready their plunging poles."
With that, Wyan floated ahead to prepare the crew. Fylo stepped into the silt,
shaking his head as he waded after the disembodied head. "This too dangerous,"
he said. "Head-thing only help slaves so you let Tithian out of sack."
"Yes, I know," Agis replied. "But it makes no difference."
"Does too!" Fylo countered. "Can't trust Tithian."
"I know that better than anyone," Agis replied, clutching the satchel. "But I
can't abandon those slaves just because I'm nervous about letting Tithian out.
It's the same as murdering them."
"No. Joorsh kill them, not Agis," the giant insisted.
Agis shook his head. "Those slaves wouldn't be here if I hadn't hired Kester
to carry me to Lybdos. That makes me responsible for their safety."
Fylo considered this, then said, "Maybe. But Tithian not care about slaves,"
the giant said. "Maybe him not want to help."
"He won't want to, but he'll have no other choice," said Agis. "Once he's on
that ship, he'll keep it afloat-or sink and suffocate with the rest of us."
A boulder sailed over Fylo's shoulder, bringing the conversation to an end.
The stone hit a short distance ahead, sending a silvery plume of dust high
into the sky. The giant twisted around to look back toward shore. Agis saw the
thick-waisted sentry grabbing another boulder off the bank of the isthmus,
apparently thinking it wiser not to wade
into the silt with only one good foot. The guard hurled the rock at them,
nearly falling over as he tried to brace himself on his injured foot, and the
stone fell wide. '
"Let's go," Agis said. "I don't think he has much of a chance to hit us."
As Fylo complied, an angry roar erupted from the entrance to Castle Feral, and
Nuta led his warriors out the citadel gate. They began picking their way
across the rubble-strewn apron, the chief shouting, "Stop, sachem-killers!
Oracle stealers!"
Fylo ignored the orders and started toward the
Shadow Viper with renewed vigor. As they approached, Agis saw that the battle
had taken a heavier toll on the ship than had at first been apparent. A
massive crack ran the length of the ship's keel, which had been raised so the
ship could rest on the bottom of the bay without tipping. Half of the
catapults sat in splintered ruins, as did both of the stern ballistae. The
ripped sails lay draped over the capstans and hold covers, with tangled mounds
of useless rigging heaped on top of them. Even the hull, more or less
protected by its immersion in the silt, had not escaped the fighting
completely undamaged. Through the craters in the deck, Agis could see at least
two places where the slaves had fastened makeshift patches to the interior
wall.
Despite the ship's condition, no bodies lay in sight At first, Agis took this
to mean that the slaves had escaped relatively unharmed, but when he saw [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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themselves from their campsites and looking toward the source of the
disturbance.
Fylo remained calm, as the noble had instructed, and brushed his hand over his
beard. Agis grabbed onto a greasy braid of hair and clung there, with Wyan
hovering close by. Then, without looking back toward his pursuers, the giant
picked up a large boulder and lumbered down into the rubble-strewn gate-yard.
On the other side, two weary sentries guarded the great breach where the gates
had once hung. They seemed more puzzled than concerned by the commotion above.
Although they had risen from the stone blocks on which they
had been sitting, their heavy clubs still leaned against the shattered remains
of the wall. One of them was not even watching Fylo, but instead kept his
attention fixed on something outside the castle, in the Bay of Woe.
As Fylo approached with his burden, the sentry watching him raised a puzzled
brow. The half-breed ignored him, keeping his eyes on the ground and
attempting to trudge out the gate without having to give an explanation.
The sentry, a thick-waisted giant with the tattoo of a goat on his forehead,
held out a hand to stop Fylo. "What's going on up in the castle?" he asked.
"Beastheads," Fylo answered.
The second guard, who was almost gaunt by comparison to the first, looked away
from the Bay of Woe. "We know they're beastheads," he said in a sarcastic
voice. "What are they doing?"
Fylo met his gaze, as if to answer, and swung the hand holding the boulder.
The blow caught the guard completely by surprise, connecting beneath the ear,
exactly where Agis had instructed Fylo to aim. The giant's eyes rolled back in
his head, and his knees buckled.
As the unconscious sentry collapsed, his partner reached for his dub with one
hand and clamped his other on
Fylo's shoulder, spinning him around. "What are you-"
The half-breed hurled his boulder at the sentry's foot, and the question
erupted into a pained howl. Fylo ran for the causeway, following the path the
granite ball had cleared earlier as it blasted across the debris-covered
apron.
Although he was not a fast runner, his clumsy gait was more than adequate to
escape the sentry hopping after him.
As Fylo lumbered across the narrow isthmus, Agis poked his head from behind
the giant's beard. "Well done!"
That was when the noble saw what the gaunt sentry had been watching in the Bay
of Woe. The battered
Shadow Viper lay a short distance from the causeway. Without a shipfloater, it
rested up to its gunnels in silt.
Otherwise, the ship sat on an even keel and looked reasonably dustworthy,
despite its pock-marked decks and snapped masts. Dozens of slaves stood along
the rail, watching Fylo's escape with envious eyes. Now that there was no
longer a sentry watching them from the gate, a few were probing along the side
of the ship with their plunging poles, looking for a place shallow enough that
they could wade ashore.
Take me to the ship, Fylo," Agis ordered.
The giant stopped and turned to face the derelict, but made no move to go out
to it "You say run to other side of
Lybdos." he objected.
"I know, but I can't abandon those slaves," Agis said. "Can't carry them,"
Fylo said. Too many!"
"You're not going to carry them," the noble replied. He glanced toward the
gate and saw that they were in no danger of being caught by the thick-waisted
sentry. The giant was still trying to hop across the wreckage, using his club
Page 140
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
as a cane. Agis returned his attention to the ship. "The
Shadow Viper can escape by itself. All it needs is a shipfloater."
"You?" scoffed Wyan. "From what I've heard of your talents, the ship won't
make it out of the bay before you collapse."
"I'll get us started," Agis replied. "After that, Tithian will have to take
over."
"Tithian!" Fylo blurted. "Him not here!"
"He's in my satchel," Agis replied. As an afterthought, he added, "At least I
hope he is."
"He is," Wyan reported. "I saw him while you and I were scuffling over the
bag. He'll be thrilled to help, I'm sure." He smiled, a strange twinkle in his
eye. "I'll go tell the slaves to ready their plunging poles."
With that, Wyan floated ahead to prepare the crew. Fylo stepped into the silt,
shaking his head as he waded after the disembodied head. "This too dangerous,"
he said. "Head-thing only help slaves so you let Tithian out of sack."
"Yes, I know," Agis replied. "But it makes no difference."
"Does too!" Fylo countered. "Can't trust Tithian."
"I know that better than anyone," Agis replied, clutching the satchel. "But I
can't abandon those slaves just because I'm nervous about letting Tithian out.
It's the same as murdering them."
"No. Joorsh kill them, not Agis," the giant insisted.
Agis shook his head. "Those slaves wouldn't be here if I hadn't hired Kester
to carry me to Lybdos. That makes me responsible for their safety."
Fylo considered this, then said, "Maybe. But Tithian not care about slaves,"
the giant said. "Maybe him not want to help."
"He won't want to, but he'll have no other choice," said Agis. "Once he's on
that ship, he'll keep it afloat-or sink and suffocate with the rest of us."
A boulder sailed over Fylo's shoulder, bringing the conversation to an end.
The stone hit a short distance ahead, sending a silvery plume of dust high
into the sky. The giant twisted around to look back toward shore. Agis saw the
thick-waisted sentry grabbing another boulder off the bank of the isthmus,
apparently thinking it wiser not to wade
into the silt with only one good foot. The guard hurled the rock at them,
nearly falling over as he tried to brace himself on his injured foot, and the
stone fell wide. '
"Let's go," Agis said. "I don't think he has much of a chance to hit us."
As Fylo complied, an angry roar erupted from the entrance to Castle Feral, and
Nuta led his warriors out the citadel gate. They began picking their way
across the rubble-strewn apron, the chief shouting, "Stop, sachem-killers!
Oracle stealers!"
Fylo ignored the orders and started toward the
Shadow Viper with renewed vigor. As they approached, Agis saw that the battle
had taken a heavier toll on the ship than had at first been apparent. A
massive crack ran the length of the ship's keel, which had been raised so the
ship could rest on the bottom of the bay without tipping. Half of the
catapults sat in splintered ruins, as did both of the stern ballistae. The
ripped sails lay draped over the capstans and hold covers, with tangled mounds
of useless rigging heaped on top of them. Even the hull, more or less
protected by its immersion in the silt, had not escaped the fighting
completely undamaged. Through the craters in the deck, Agis could see at least
two places where the slaves had fastened makeshift patches to the interior
wall.
Despite the ship's condition, no bodies lay in sight At first, Agis took this
to mean that the slaves had escaped relatively unharmed, but when he saw [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]