Grand Vizier of Krar

by W. John Tucker

  Blan’s idea was to leave the barrier in place and to cut openings in it, each just wide enough and deep enough for the biggest Free Alliance warship to pass through. As this might also allow the smallest quimals to pass and would certainly admit dragon boats, each opening would be fitted with gates consisting of two strong timber walls set at an acute angle in a V-shape which would remain closed until a vessel nudged up to the apex of the V-shape and pushed through. The gates were carefully hinged to open easily without human intervention: a nudge from a vessel as small as a dragon boat would push the gates open. There was no locking device on the exit gates (from the river to the sea) since an incoming vessel would be confronted by the convex side of the V-gate and would not be able to push through it. However, the openings for the entry gates were fitted with an underwater array of spiked beams capable of puncturing the hull of any vessel. This entry trap was held in place by a system of counterweights and could only be withdrawn if the key on the hull of the entering vessel matched one of the slots in the entry gate or if an authorised duty officer disabled the trap from inside a guard house built next to the gate. Once a vessel was through the gate, one of a set of counterweight systems would close the gate behind it. Guards would usually be on hand to oversee the operation, but the system was intended to work automatically when, say, the guards were under attack.

  The accommodation of different sized ships was tackled in a variety of ways. For example, holes were left in the gates so warship rams would not damage them; the hull keys were built on a wheel, so they could be brought to the exact level of the slot on the gate; a separate, small, manned gate would be used for very small craft.

  Pel designed the system on the basis of Blan’s concept, and Serunipa made sure that all the necessary workers and supplies were appropriated. The first exit was due to be completed by the end of January and another two exits and one entrance would be added soon after. Blan had thought about making the keys and keyholes variable so they could be changed if the enemy managed to copy them. However, she ended up agreeing with Pel and Serunipa that it would take too long to make unique keys for all the ships and to train skippers how to use them.

  “Besides,” Serunipa said, “even if the enemy stole the designs, they would still have to fight their way through the barrier one by one; not sail whole squadrons into the river as they did in November.”

  “I guess you are right,” Blan replied. “It’s one thing to have all these ideas about what can be done; it’s quite another matter getting the time and resources to put them into practice.”

  “Hear, hear!” Pel quipped.

  *

  Blan was sitting cross-legged on the terrace atop Silver Tower, the light of the full moon splashing across the smooth stones and adding a silver sheen to her golden hair. She had gone there needing a breeze in her face as she worked with Actio B. For the moment, however, she was unaware of either breeze or moon. Her whole concentration was focused on the Actio and its link to Control. She no longer had to look at the Actio to see maps and information, having acquired the skill of envisaging a panoptic view of everything displayed on the face of Control as well as the record plates placed on it and on its subsidiaries; her mental rapport with Control now enabled her to move her attention from one item to another and to expand any image by concentration alone. She had also just solved the last remaining obstacle to decoding the strange messages streaming between Krarisca, a ship at sea, and Port Cankrar. In fact, that ship was now approaching Port Cankrar.

  Blan leapt to her feet, noting that she felt a little slower and slightly heavier than usual. She had started to notice changes in her body, but she could not be sure whether that was due to her pregnancy or all the delicious food she seemed to crave these days. “Probably both,” she muttered. She had still not researched what to expect from pregnancy; there had not been time. As for asking others, Arnapa was the only person she had told so far, and Arnapa had no experience of bearing children either.

  Blan set off to report her findings to Carl and Arnapa. She would have trouble finding them. The New Year Banquet, having been postponed by one day to fool the enemy, had wound down just a few hours ago and both Arnapa and Carl had rushed to Lake Glorz to check a report from one of Nellinu’s spies that the enemy might be about to launch an offensive.

  Blan enjoyed the regular banquets. The atmosphere reminded her of the communal dinners she used to enjoy in her village, although the choice of foods at the village dinners had been rather mundane by comparison. The banquets were part of Carl’s strategy for boosting morale during the blockade. Feasts and dances were held all over the port, city and hinterland for the same reason, especially where enemy soldiers or sailors could see it through their telescopes. Wherever a party was in earshot of the enemy, the loudest and most jovial bards and singers would be there. The ordinary soldiers and mariners in the enemy ranks, however, were now short of luxuries, often short of necessities, and certainly short of humour. This was not because they lacked access to the wealth of the countries they occupied, but rather because of the inefficiencies and bottlenecks inherent in such a large body of people under the control of superiors too often infected by greed, self-importance, envy, and rivalry.

  As she descended the tower stairs Blan reflected for a moment. The first four months of her adventure had been packed with danger and activity. However, this last month, although very busy, she had actually felt secure, well fed and otherwise physically cosseted. There had been no new advances by the enemy, and no sign that a privileged and pampered life in the city was coming to a close. Two things had now occurred that would change all that.

  Blan saw that it was too late to call Carl and Arnapa back now. Even if she told them what she knew, they would be obliged to go on to help their people. They had no choice, but they now faced danger of a magnitude far greater than they expected, so Blan had to rally others to help.

  The first people she found were Memwin and Nellinar. She told them about the new danger.

  “I know you want to come with me, Memwin, but I’m relying on you to find Pel and Serunipa. If you see any of the others, also tell them what I have said.”

  Memwin nodded and ran off immediately. She really did want to go with Blan. However, she also understood the vital importance of what Blan had asked her to do.

  “What about me?” Nellinar asked.

  “I need your diving skills. It will be extremely dangerous. Will you come with me?”

  “I am at your command,” Nellinar said with a bow and sweep of his arm. Despite the peril she was drawing him into, Blan smiled at his antics. She ran for the castle entrance, Nellinar running beside her.

  By the time they had taken the funicular down to the causeway, Blan already felt tired. She was delighted to see Zeep ride up on a great white stallion, leading a similar horse behind her.

  “This will be quicker than the tramway,” Zeep cried. “Memwin told me to meet you here and take you to Lake Glorz by fastest means.”

  It was exactly what Blan needed, although she had not actually told Memwin. The little girl had taken it upon herself to anticipate Blan’s needs. She will make a fine leader if she is given the chance, Blan thought.

  Zeep suggested, “Let Nellinar come with me. I think you should concentrate on your own safety in your condition.”

  “Did Arnapa tell you?” Blan asked.

  “I hope you don’t mind. After all, everyone is going to know before long.”

  Blan laughed. In a way, she felt relieved that someone else also knew about her condition.

  Meanwhile, Zeep hauled Nellinar up behind her. Blan stifled a laugh as Nellinar grabbed Zeep around the waist and winked at Blan with a grin on his face. Blan imagined that Nellinar was already formulating the stories he would be telling the other kids when he got home.

  As for Blan, her weariness slipped away as she mounted up and they galloped across the causeway, through Causeway Fort, and on through Dabbinisca to Outer Wall. They made a dramatic sig
ht. Blan was taller than most men, and Zeep was taller and broader than most champion warriors. Both had their golden hair flowing out behind them in the wind, catching the light of their lanterns. News of their coming seemed to go before them, or perhaps it was the sight of them approaching, because all traffic seemed to have already parted for them before they reached it. Nellinar, mostly hidden and unnoticed behind Zeep’s cloak, was thoroughly enjoying the experience. He resolved to add horse riding to his repertoire as soon as possible.

  Beacons were flashing on both sides of the main gate in Outer Wall as they rode up. The gate flung open for them before they reached it. The gate captain saluted as they approached.

  “You have heard the news?” Blan asked.

  “The first signals came just minutes ago,” the captain replied. “We have sent word out to the army and we have called for all civilians to retreat behind Outer Wall.”

  “Who is in charge of the city?” Blan asked.

  “By order of his Grace, Admiral Serunipa is in command while the duke is beyond Outer Wall.”

  Blan was glad that Carl had trusted Serunipa with such a responsibility. The captain had thought to say ‘by order of his Grace’ because it was by no means normal for someone as junior as Serunipa to be appointed regent. There were many nobles and officers with greater seniority than Serunipa, but Carl was satisfied that Serunipa would carry out her duties in a way that accorded better with his own mind. Besides, Blan thought, Carl could often be seen looking at Serunipa. On other occasions Serunipa would often look at Carl with more than a follower’s interest in a leader. Blan wondered if Arnapa had noticed, and what she thought about it all.

  They galloped through the gate and over the narrow bridge which spanned the deep, broad ditch that stretched along the outside of Outer Wall. Beyond the ditch, treeless fields stretched for about a mile. It was called Outer Plain because it was lower, and its undulations less pronounced than the wooded hills on its eastern side or the low ridge upon which Outer Wall had been built. There were few lights now showing on the wall, other than messaging beacons, but no enemy could sneak up to the wall in any numbers without being noticed, even in the dark. Outer Plain contained some homesteads, shacks and many fences, used in peacetime for raising sheep and horses, but now heavily booby trapped against a long awaited attack.

  It was clear to Blan that the enemy would not easily take Outer Wall. Built many centuries ago along the path of a natural ridge, the outside face of the wall was perfectly smooth and stood ten fathomes above the plain and twenty fathomes above the bottom of the ditch. It was thick enough to drive ten carriages in a row along the top, or to launch a significant cavalry charge at enemies who might scale it. In addition, there were numerous bastions where huge catapults had been installed on rotating foundations. The major weakness was finding enough soldiers to man its length of six leagues, given that the coast of Township Farms and the River Docks also needed to be adequately manned. Every part of the wall was watched by sentries on rota, but an attack would be concentrated wherever the enemy chose and it would take time to reinforce the defenders at that point. As in the last war, the defences could be overrun by sheer weight of numbers.

  As they crossed the plain, Zeep called to Blan. They were in the open. The sky was clear and the full moon showed that there was nobody about who could overhear them.

  “Memwin told me what you needed, Blan, but she didn’t have time to tell me why. Can you tell me?”

  “Of course, you need to know, Zeep. I’m afraid I have dragged you and Nellinar into a very dangerous situation. I have been working on decoding enemy messages. Success came tonight when I found the final key and discovered that the enemy has launched a secret raid across the river just north of Lake Glorz. They plan to cut off and destroy the defenders to their north and south and then march on Port Fandabbin, killing everyone in their path. Unfortunately, I discovered this long after Carl and Arnapa had set off for Lake Glorz. By the time we get there they will have received the news from Serunipa by beacon and they will start an orderly retreat, but Carl and Arnapa are sure to remain until last and they are likely to be trapped.”

  “How did the enemy sneak through the defences? I thought every pace was watched and covered.”

  “It was the work of that treacherous former Prime Minister Binpin,” Blan explained. “He disappeared a few weeks ago and went into hiding. Now it appears that he went across to the enemy. He got some corrupt officials, ones he had recruited while he was Prime Minister, to gain the trust of a regiment of allies guarding a section of Glorz River. The corrupt officials vouched for a regiment of enemy agents disguised as Free Alliance soldiers and holding authentic-looking papers prepared by Binpin. The enemy agents slaughtered our allies during the night and signalled their main army to cross the river.”

  Zeep stiffened her back, checked her sabre for quick retrieval and then touched the bundle of javelins slung alongside her saddle. Nellinar only had a mariner’s knife, large enough to be a short sword for someone of his size; lean, lanky eight-year-old that he was. He checked it anyway. Blan had no weapons. She might borrow a sword, but she recoiled at the idea of hurting anyone by deliberately cutting them. She wondered if she dare use Actio B as a club. She had locked it, but she took the risk of taking it with her because she had not yet informed the other Actio users about the other piece of devastating news she had learned. If she lost Actio B, she would have to find her way back to Control somehow, but she must warn her friends and allies about the new turn of events alongside which her current mission was a mere sideshow.

  They galloped through the dark, rolling hills of the hinterland. Every now and then they were passed by a rider galloping the other way. After a while these occasions became more frequent and they soon started to pass platoons of soldiers marching toward the city and others setting up defensive positions along the road. Everything seemed orderly, so far. Every now and then, a commander would wave or salute as Zeep and Blan rode past, but nobody questioned them. Serunipa’s orders had been both speedy and complete.

  Clouds were gradually moving across the sky and the moonlight was starting to be threatened when Zeep, Blan, Nellinar and their two very tired stallions came to a ridge and looked down on Lake Glorz. The view was limited, between two hills, so they guided their horses up to the highest peak which was on their left. It would be all downhill from here, so the horses would have an easier time.

  They came to the top and saw that they were near the northwest corner of the lake. They could see the endless ranks of the enemy’s army right below them to their left, or so it seemed. The nearest ranks were less than a mile away and a hundred fathomes lower. The moonlight was enough to see the glimmer of polished armour, the glitter of spears and lances, and the incessant movement of horses, camels and elephants, some drawing massive catapults. Blan could hear the sounds of many individual voices rising within distant thunder made by the moving army.

  On the other side of the hill they could see Free Alliance troops crowded on the decks of six warships. These were moored near the shore and were now weighing anchor. A brigade of cavalry had remained on land and they were moving off southward along the shore.

  Zeep and Blan urged their horses down the hill toward the nearest Alliance position. As they did so, they saw a rider approach from another part of the hill.

  “Blancapaw! Zeep! Follow me!” the rider called urgently as he approached. “Serunipa sent word for us to expect you. She said you could help us. I don’t know how. I have just seen what you saw.”

  They followed him to the edge of the lake where they saw the ships slowly moving off. The last cavalry unit was just ahead.

  “Why are those horses carrying two soldiers each?” Blan asked. She could guess that there was not enough room on the ships, but she was really calling for more information about the plight of the defenders.

  “The enemy struck so suddenly that we have only been able to use ships that were already within range,” the man sai
d. “There are not enough vessels nearby to take everyone. The ships pick up all they can while the cavalry acts as rearguard and then takes the rest of the infantry to the next embarkation point. As soon as each embarkation point is clear, a messenger makes full speed to report to the duke. I am the messenger for this group. You were lucky to come across me when you did. Otherwise, you would have had to find your own way.”

  They galloped along the shore at great speed. They soon passed a brigade of cavalry riding at a disciplined pace, alert to the possibility of enemy ambush. After a mile, they came across another squadron of six warships, almost ready to set sail. Fortunately, there was another cavalry brigade there because there were yet more infantry needing transport by land.

  The next four embarkation points were serviced by only three warships each, some old barges, and a number of dragon boats. Blan was now passing platoons of infantry marching south, presumably because they had given up any hope of embarking on a vessel or getting a ride with the cavalry. It was now clear to Blan that many of the infantry might be trapped by the enemy advance.

  “The cavalry have a difficult task,” the guide said apologetically. “They must be free to delay the enemy advance as well as help our infantry move south to where the duke will make a last stand.”

  “Don’t worry, no last stand will be necessary,” Blan called out to him, putting as much confidence into her voice as she could. It had the desired effect because the guide looked clearly relieved to hear her say it. She only wished she was as confident as she sounded.

  At the sixth embarkation point Blan looked around as best she could while concentrating on riding at what seemed to be a terrifying pace. The rescue ships furthest north were launching burning missiles landward. Clearly, the enemy vanguard had reached the shore of the lake and was speeding south. A thundering cloud seemed to appear ahead and soon Blan was surrounded by the noise and dust of a cavalry brigade galloping past, this time going north to the battle.