Doom's Break

by Christopher Rowley

  Gillo nodded to him, and Rukkh felt his old assumptions crumble a little more. Rukkh nodded back then made a halfhearted salute, since he knew Gillo was a "kefern," which was their word for colonel. To his surprise, Gillo returned the salute, but in the monkey style with closed fist raised to the shoulder.

  Then the mot was gone, hurrying on to the Emperor's banner. Rukkh saw him pass through the guards and disappear.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  On the right side of the battlefield, where Toshak was marshaling his battered forces after the early morning fighting, the blue flash took everyone by surprise. The deadening effect on limbs and minds was noted, but it faded quickly, for this magic was not attuned so well to mots and brilbies as it was to men.

  Toshak and his staff watched the enemy assault Aeswiren's lines. Though Toshak readied two regiments for a flanking attack on the enemy columns, he held off from unleashing it because his army was still recovering. As they watched the battle seesaw back and forth on their left, the mots found themselves in the heretofore unheard-of situation of praying for a victory by the men of Aeswiren's army.

  Even before that fighting was done with, a young mot from the Seventh Regiment came up with a message from its commander. The enemy had sent an emissary with a message for General Toshak. Even stranger was the identity of this envoy, for it was a mot of the Land, a renegade now serving the enemy who sought to destroy his own people.

  Toshak showed the message to Thru and then ordered the emissary brought before him. A few minutes later, the guard parted to allow this figure, clad in man-made clothes of odd cut and appearance, to step through.

  Thru felt a shudder run down his spine as he locked eyes with Pern Treevi.

  "Well, well," said Pern, with a little bow in his direction. "If it isn't the amazing Thru Gillo, the gifted weaver of fine mats."

  Thru did not return the bow, but his eyes remained locked with Pern's.

  Pern turned away after a few more seconds. "General Toshak, I have brought you a message from His Lordship, the Great One, the Master of Shasht."

  Toshak did not speak but stood still, examining Pern very carefully. The emissary carried no weapons, of course, but was obviously comfortable in the high-cut trousers and thick, woolen jacket of the enemy forces.

  "What is your name, emissary of the enemy?"

  "I am Pern Treevi, once of Warkeen village, until I was victimized and hounded out by rogues led by this oaf at your side."

  Thru felt the blood rush to his head. "That is a lie!"

  Toshak continued to hold Pern's gaze with his own. "So, everything that happened to you was the fault of others and none of your own. And because of this, you found refuge among the men of Shasht and became the creature of the dread sorcerer that rules them."

  "Great is his power, as you have seen. Listen to me, General Toshak, and heed my words. The Master of Shasht desires an end to conflict with your army and our people. He wishes only to capture the hateful rebel Aeswiren and to end his usurpation of authority. If you stand aside and allow the Master of Shasht to bring all his force to bear on Aeswiren, this object will swiftly be attained. Once Aeswiren has been captured and brought to trial for his crimes, the Great One will leave the Land and retire to Shasht. There will be peace forever after."

  Thru felt his jaw drop. This offer was so palpably false and deceitful that he could scarcely believe the enemy would think they would entertain it for a moment.

  Toshak said nothing, however. Thru wondered at this for a moment. Then Toshak spoke. "Well, to say the least, we are surprised by this offer. However, perhaps it has merit. You say that your master will turn his attack solely upon the men under the Great King Aeswiren's command?"

  "That is so."

  "And that after Aeswiren has been defeated and captured, your master will leave the Land forever?"

  "Yes."

  "Well, this is something to think about." Toshak made a show of concentrating, while looking away to the forest on the right where the pyluk horde still crouched, threatening a flank attack at any moment. Then the general looked over to the left, where the enemy attack had finally foundered. Aeswiren's men were driving the enemy back down the hillside.

  Pern's eyes glittered. Thru made a huge effort to remove any trace of emotion from his own features. He saw at once that Toshak was out to gain more time from this strange development, implausible as it was.

  Toshak turned back to Pern. "Return to your master and tell him this: That I must confer with the King of Dronned, in whose service I am. That I do not reject out of hand these proposals, but that I find them intriguing. However, your master has caused my people great harm, and it strikes me as strange that he would seek peace after all that has happened here. Still, peace is better than war. So, tell him these things and then return here to hear our considered answer to these proposals."

  Pern bowed once more, exchanged a final stare with Thru, and turned on his heel and departed.

  When he was gone, Toshak let out a sigh. "Extraordinary. Can he really think that we would stand aside and let him destroy the Great King's army?"

  "He holds us in great contempt. Perhaps he thinks we are that low."

  "Perhaps he does, and if so then it is another sign of the arrogance that has helped us throughout this war. We shall use this breathing space to continue to fortify our positions and move the wounded to the rear. Meanwhile, Colonel Gillo, you will go to the Great King and explain what has happened."

  Toshak then dictated a message to Aeswiren, which Thru carefully translated into Shashti script. Then he set off along the lines toward Aeswiren's positions.

  Thru passed through the flank guards at the boundary between the two armies with little comment. His comings and goings had been so frequent that the guards knew very well who he was.

  Thru found the Emperor in the middle of dictating a slew of orders as he worked to move regiments around and shorten his line. None of the men with the Emperor, not even the guards, gave Thru a second glance as he waited patiently with his message. When Aeswiren had finished giving his orders to the assembled regimental officers and messengers, Thru was summoned by a staff aide.

  The Emperor was in good spirits and pleased to see him. "Welcome, Colonel. Good to see you're still in action."

  "Thank you, Lord, and may I say the same to you. We heard that you were in the thick of it yourself."

  "Ho, had you now? Well, what you heard was probably greatly exaggerated, but we did have a little scuffle here. So, what news do you bring me?"

  Thru handed him the scroll from Toshak. "Strange news, Lord. The enemy has sent an envoy, a renegade from my people, to talk peace with General Toshak."

  "Has he now? By the fire of the old gods, that's an odd move."

  Aeswiren frowned in concentration as he read the message. "Mmm, your penmanship is getting better by the day, Colonel Gillo."

  "Thank you, Lord," said Thru.

  "But your Zs are still a little off."

  "We do not even have this sound in our tongue, Lord."

  "I know, but you do have plenty of ung-ung and shi-shi, and sometimes I don't remember which should go first after ah."

  Aeswiren grinned a moment and then turned serious. "And what does this renegade want, do you think?"

  "Oh, it's simple enough, Lord. He wants Toshak to betray you. He says that all he wants is to take your head and recover your army and take it back with him to Shasht. He says that he has abandoned his scheme to conquer the Land. He calls for Toshak to form an alliance with him and to allow the pyluk through our positions so they can fall on your flank."

  "By the purple ass!" growled Aeswiren. "This foul thing has misjudged your people again and again. Especially your General Toshak."

  "Indeed, Lord. We know this is a tissue of lies. But we gain some time by considering it."

  "So, General Toshak sent the renegade away?"

  "Yes, Lord, but he returns soon for an answer."

  "And what will General
Toshak tell him?"

  "That is what he wishes to confer with you about, Lord. He would say either that he has no interest in such low and ignoble treachery, or that he must consider it very carefully, to dissemble and keep our enemy waiting."

  "Yes, I see the logic of that. Put up a smoke screen. But, of course, he will see through that."

  "Yes, Lord, the entire offer is surely untrustworthy. Our scouts are working very hard on the right flank to make sure we are not taken by some surprise attack."

  Aeswiren scratched his beard lightly. "Tell the general that I would say something along these lines: That he requires a token of this change of heart on the part of the enemy, and an explanation for it. Because, not so long ago, this enemy of ours insisted that your people were abomination and must be exterminated. Because the only reason that these armies of ours are in your land, shedding blood, is because he insisted that we build these fleets and attack you. So, ask that of him, and then ask the enemy to come to a personal parley himself. I would like to see him, from concealment. Prisoners say he has a new body, a huge one, young and vigorous. He has taken new flesh since last I saw him."

  "Yes, Lord, I will tell Toshak this."

  "May fortune continue to aid us, Colonel!"

  "Yes, Lord, Great King of Shasht."

  Thru saluted then left the Emperor and began to trot back along the crest of the hillside toward the lines of the army of Dronned. The brightly colored regimental flags and pennons were snapping in a sudden breeze. Men stood at easy in their lines, conversing in quiet voices; some had fallen out to work on their weapons or shields. Ahead beyond a thirty-yard gap, he saw the lines of mots, where the Eleventh Regiment, raised in Dronned city itself, held the left flank.

  Thru noted the close resemblance of the mot regiment to that of the men around him and felt again the force of the changes that had been imposed on the mots of the Land by this war.

  He nodded to the mot guards and went on through. Ahead he saw Toshak's personal banner waving just above the curve of the hillside and quickened his step.

  He did not see the sudden commotion behind him at Aeswiren's command post. The Emperor had just been struck by a terrible premonition. He instantly gathered his personal guards and set off at a run in Thru's footsteps.

  Unaware of this, Thru reached Toshak's command point. The general and his staff were studying the dispositions of the enemy in the valley below and marking them on the map spread out on a folding table. Nearby stood four guards and the mot holding Toshak's personal banner.

  Standing in front of them, quite alone, was Pern Treevi. His eyes glittered momentarily as Thru stepped in front of him.

  "The emissary has come back sooner than expected," said Thru to the sergeant of the guard.

  "Damn his hide. Can you believe he'd betray his own kind?"

  "That's Pern Treevi, Sergeant. He's not a friend to mot or mor, never has been. Lives only for himself."

  "You know the creature?"

  "I'm afraid I do."

  Toshak was busy with the map. When a staff aide whispered to him that Colonel Gillo had returned, Thru was ushered to the map table.

  "What did the Great King have to say?"

  In a quiet voice, Thru repeated Aeswiren's message while Toshak nodded. No one at the table as much as glanced toward Pern Treevi, who continued to stand immobile in front of the four guards and the banner.

  "Yes," said Toshak after a moment's reflection. "The enemy dissembles. There is some evil intent to all this, but for now it lets us strengthen our position."

  Toshak directed Thru's attention to the hillside above, where he saw that another trio of catapults had arrived and been set up. Stacks of spears were set ready beside them.

  "There are more on the trail from Dronned. We will have twelve catapults in place soon. Enough to hurt any attack, by my calculations."

  They heard a shout, then another. Looking off to the left, they saw a small group of men running flat-out toward them.

  "By the Spirit," said Thru, "that's the Great King himself."

  "What can it be?"

  "An attack?" Thru looked down the hillside. The enemy troops were either standing still down by the riverside or digging trenches and erecting protective fasciae. "No, the enemy aren't moving."

  Unfortunately, one enemy had been overlooked.

  As the Emperor and his men drew closer, their cries of warning became clearer. Alas, before they were comprehended by Toshak and his staff, they set in motion the very weapon they warned against.

  Pern Treevi quite suddenly sprang into action, leaping up with an audible snap as if he were a spring-driven mechanical toy. The four mots of Toshak's guard were taken by surprise by the impossible speed with which Treevi moved.

  One moment he was standing there as before, patiently waiting for Toshak's attention. In the next he was among them, and with a slender stiletto he had already taken one of the guard's lives with a deft stab into the heart.

  The mot buckled, and Pern grabbed his spear. That was buried in the chest of the second guard in the next instant.

  Screams of horror surrounded him, but he easily ducked the first spear thrust his way and wrenched that guard's weapon out of his hands and turned it on the stunned mot. The surviving guard, on the right side, got his shield in front of Pern. Pern's spear thrust slid off the wicker, but Pern caught the shield's edge with his free hand and pulled it away before kicking the guard senseless.

  In five seconds, Pern had destroyed Toshak's guard. Now he sprang directly at the general.

  While Thru was still drawing his sword, Toshak met the attack with the upturned map table as a shield. Pern's spear broke the table, but the stroke was deflected. Pern and Toshak came together for a moment, and then Pern flew away, head over heels upside down, tossed by Toshak's kyo.

  Pern landed on his feet, however, and bounced in place as if made of rubber. A staff officer swung a sword at him. Pern seized the mot's wrist, bent his arm, and the sword was wrenched away. In a flash, the sword was thrust through the staff officer's belly.

  Pern leaped for Toshak once more, covering a good four yards, five feet off the ground. Toshak's sword glittered in a beautiful arc, engaging, deflecting, and riposting Pern's death stroke.

  Toshak brought all his great skill in sword fighting to bear, and he had never needed it more, for this enemy was death itself, inspired with unholy power drawn from some poor wretch's life spirit, sucked from his body by the sorcerous horror that had control over half the world.

  Pern fought with an insectal rapidity, his blade flickering back and forth too quickly to be seen. Toshak defended, his own blade parrying, deflecting, nicking away the deadly strokes.

  Thru hurled himself at Pern's back and succeeded in grappling with his old enemy. But Pern, with the strength of five brilbies, kneed Thru in the belly, smashed him in the face with a fist like a rock, and hurled him away.

  Toshak took advantage of the moment and drove in. His sword sank into Pern's belly. Pern quivered, perhaps for a fraction of a second, then he tore the sword out, and out of Toshak's hands, and resumed his attack.

  The last young guard had regained consciousness and staggered to his feet. He interposed his shield and absorbed the blow meant for the general. His spear thrust narrowly missed Pern's head. The next moment, Pern struck again, his face twisted into a curious rictus devoid of emotion. His blows hammered on the guard's shield, beating it back, breaking it, cutting through to sever the guard's shield arm. Then he hewed down once more to cleave the mot from neck to hip.

  Thru had managed to pull himself to his knees by this point. He looked up in time to see the Emperor, with his guards in front of him, his bodyguard at his side, hurrying the last few yards to the scene.

  The noise of the fight, the commotion in the army, all were deafening, but Aeswiren's battle challenge cut through them all. "Face me, foul creature of the Old One!"

  Toshak had spun back several paces and drawn the sword from one of the fa
llen guards. Pern was caught between the two leaders of the allied army. For a long moment, indecision wracked his spell-driven mind. He feinted toward the charging Aeswiren and then sprang in a curious leap, like an enormous flea, high in the air, descending to within a sword's length of Toshak.

  Their blades came together again. Toshak's borrowed sword was sundered in a flash of red sparks, and Pern's sword was buried in Toshak's chest the next instant.

  Thru felt something inside him sag as he saw Toshak fall, blood spurting from his mouth.

  Then Aeswiren and his men attacked. Klek knocked the wizard-thing off its feet with a mighty blow from his sword. One of Aeswiren's guard drove a spear into its guts, pinning it to the ground. Aeswiren himself sank his sword, two-handed, down into the traitor's chest and worked it back and forth.

  "No, Lord," said Klek, "remember Hesh?"

  "Only too well, dear friend," said Aeswiren, standing back.

  The thing on the ground was writhing about the spear that held it in place.

  "Be quick!"

  Klek cut down. His sword sank into Pern's shoulder, but it was pulled from his hand in an instant.

  Thru was there.

  "Take the head!" roared Aeswiren.

  Thru swung with every last ounce of strength, and his blade removed Pern's head.

  There was a dull flash of reddish light, and Pern's head flew ten feet across the ground, tumbling as if propelled by a fountain. Blood spasmed forth, and the writhings of the thing began to subside, slowing and finally halting altogether.

  Aeswiren and Thru stood together, shoulder to shoulder, as they absorbed the extent of the disaster.

  "Toshak is dead," said a staff orderly.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  The army of Dronned, the protector of the Land, confronted the unimaginable. Great Toshak was dead.

  Toshak's staff stood or knelt in a circle around his body. Some wept openly. Toshak had been more than simply the commander of the army; he had embodied this army. The great general had been the driving force behind it since its formation.