by Candy Rae
“I hope he’s put all the record volumes back on the shelves,” said Tala, “otherwise when everyone returns to work they’ll start wondering.”
“He will have,” Robain assured her.
They found Annert waiting for them in his comfortable salon. He looked rested though his lined face still showed signs of strain.
“Got it,” announced Robain as he laid the sack on the table.
“Sure it’s the one?”
“Positive sure. Danal opened it. It’s the print-outs all right.”
“Not as many as I expected,” said Annert, peeping inside.
“The paper is very thin,” replied Robain.
“And full of very small printed numbers and letters,” added Tala.
“Niaill will be here by Midnight Bell,” interrupted Danal who had been having a mental conversation with Asya. “He, Taraya and Inalei will go to the Supply Station and then he’ll come here. I’ve said I’ll meet him there, he’s only been in Stewarton once before and might get lost.”
“You’re both welcome to stay the night,” suggested Annert, fingers twitching with the itch to open the box and to start reading the print-outs at once. There was no telling what interesting things they contained.
“Thank you but I think I’ll be off now. Asya waits. We’ll see you in the morning.”
Danal left them with a jaunty wave. The door shut with a bang at his heels.
“You two?” inquired Annert.
“We have to go too. We need something to eat and baths, both of us, we’re so filthy. A decent night’s sleep will help as well. We have to speak to some friends.”
“I could …” said Annert.
“Go on,” grinned Robain, “read all night if you want but remember that you’ll need all your wits about you for the meeting tomorrow.”
“I might just have a quick skim through,” said Annert, rubbing his hands together at the prospect.
* * * * *
The Quorko
Quio was not an imaginative Dglai. He wondered fleetingly how he could understand most of what these creatures, these Larg, were saying but he set that thought aside.
How wonderful a Dglai would his Leader think he was, he that could communicate with these creatures so soon and so easily?
He decided not to tell his superiors.
His four crew did not question his decision.
It was not the Dglai way.
* * * * *
Robain and Tala
Leaving Annert, Tala and Robain made their way back the Urquhart house. The house was in darkness. They knew that most of the servants would have returned by now but their quarters were in the back regions.
Matt had given Tala the latch key so they could let themselves in.
“Better make sure the library door is locked,” said Robain. “I’ll do it; you go and find out if the coachman’s gone for Philip and the others yet.”
Tala complied, heading towards the green baize door that led to the kitchens.
“See if you can find us something to eat,” he called after her.
Having made sure that the door was indeed locked and the key gone, Robain went into the withdrawing room where he stoked up the fire before settling down to wait.
Tala arrived shortly after with the house-parlour-maid who was carrying a tray piled high with sandwiches, a jug of piping hot kala which she laid on the hearth to keep warm and six cups, saucers and plates.
She placed the tray on the long table. “Master gave orders to cook to prepare this before he left to join Madam and the children.”
“Are all of you back now?” enquired Robain.
“All but the footman and the tweeny,” she replied, bobbing a curtsey. “Mr Dorson has gone for the Master’s guests, left a quarter bell ago. Will you be needin’ anything else sir, Cook asked me to ask.”
“Is Mr Dwoles not around?” asked Tala who had wondered why Cook was asking and not Matt’s butler.
“Went with the Master,” she replied.
“Tell Cook that you can all go to bed,” Tala instructed, “also that I’ll see her in the morning to discuss what’s to happen with my sister and brother-in-law away.”
“Very good Miss.” She bobbed another curtsey and left, closing the door behind her in the silent way of all experienced house servants.
“He asked Cook to prepare enough for us all,” said Tala, sitting down in the chair opposite Robain. “We’ll be needing it before the night is over.” She yawned, “but I’m tired. I could go to my bed now if not immediately.”
Robain was staring in a morose manner at the flickering fire.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“I’m working out in my head how to tell Philip and the others.”
“The truth? They’ll need to know sooner or later.”
Robain smiled a rueful smile.
“Think they’ll believe it? I can hardly believe it all myself.”
“They’ll believe you. Baron Ross knows there’s something up already. He’s not stupid.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Danal. First, there was no real reason for Danal to warn him to take care of Elliot; he was doing that already. It sounded like an excuse to speak to you. Second, both you and I have been incommunicado for the gods only know how many bells. Third, Matt insisting that he send over their clothes to the ambassadors. They could quite easily have returned here and if the coachman wasn’t available got a hackney.”
“Four?”
“Four, you’re a hopeless dissembler, you and Matt both. At breakfast this morning any fool could have worked out that something serious was afoot.”
“Philip never said anything.”
“No, but he is thinking it. Believe me, he knows.”
* * * * *
The Quorko
“We will help you destroy the humans and the Lind. All we ask in return is some minerals from the land and food and water when we leave.”
The Larg neither knew nor cared about minerals - there was plenty of water but food stocks were another matter.
“We can take the humans,” Quio said helpfully, “alive or dead, it does not matter and some of the other species; say one third?”
The Largan thought for a moment then nodded.
“With one proviso,” he rasped, “you will leave with us the young of the Lind and also a small number of the humans. We wish to breed with the former and have learnt that for some things humans are useful creatures to have around.”
“Half the Lind young and five hundred humans,” the Dglai countered.
The Largan was satisfied.
“We agree.”
When the Dglai left the Largan gloated over the glories of what was to come. When a runner arrived, bearing tidings of a small group of Larg from the small, secret pack who lived on the very edge of the nadlians of the Larg were approaching, he didn’t blink a furry eyelid.
“They ask for audience.”
The Largan knew what the pack represented; he did not wish to hear about what they wanted to tell him, so full he was about the glorious ascendancy of the long awaited destiny of the Larg.
“Kill them,” the Largan ordered before turning away to dream about the victories and killings to come. He licked the saliva from his lips. He did so enjoy the taste of man.
* * * * *
Robain, Elliot, Niaill, Danal and Tala
The party-goers were in high spirits. Although the ambassador’s soiree had been a small one by court standards, he was noted for the excellence of both food and wine.
Elliot’s alias had held. If any of the guests had guessed that Kellen Walter Merriman was not who he claimed, they had held their tongues.
Anyway, Philip reasoned, we will be leaving for Port Lutterell in the next few days so it doesn’t matter.
Waiting in the withdrawing room, Tala and Robain heard the carriage draw up.
“Here we go,” said Robain as he headed for the door to invite them in for a n
ightcap.
“Don’t mind if I do,” said a jovial Philip when Robain asked and Derek agreed he would come in for one. Both men seemed surprised to see Tala.
The inebriated James and Elliot decided that bed was the best place.
“All of you,” commanded Robain and both boys took notice. “I’ve got kala, might sober you up a bit. Now,” added Robain in a voice that brooked no argument and had cowed many a Garda.
The two turned and squeezed past Robain into the room.
They were also surprised to see Tala.
Robain closed the door and locked it.
“What’s up?” queried Philip, unsteadily pouring the kala into the cups.
“I’ve got news for you all,” answered Robain, standing in front of the open fire, hands clasped behind his back. “Take a seat gentlemen, this may take a while.”
Elliot jumped to an erroneous conclusion, “what’s happened? Is it my Father? The King?”
“The news is not from Murdoch.”
“The Larg then?” pressed Elliot.
“No, now listen very carefully.”
Within the bell, all four southerners were shocked, amazed and very sober.
Robain and Philip sent the younger members to bed with orders to get a good night’s sleep if they could.
They then spent another bell discussing the situation and its ramifications. By the time they had reached their decision, it was very late indeed.
At first light they were up, breakfasted and waiting for Niaill, Danal and Master Annert.
It had been decided that the Guildhouse was far too busy a place for the serious matter they were about to discuss.
“The print-outs and the books of Tara that Niaill brought are locked away in the cupboard in my salon,” Annert told them.
“We’ll get back to that later,” Danal informed them, “let me just say for now that Master Annert intends to gather together the best technical minds he can find. They will work out how we can make the power-core of the Electra into a weapon we can use to destroy the Dglai when they come.”
“Inalei and two other Lind came east with Taraya and me,” added Niaill. “The two will keep everyone informed about what Master Annert finds out.”
“Us?” queried Elliot.
“You go to Port Lutterell as arranged,” said Niaill after a glance at Danal, who nodded. “You need to get home quickly and one of the Argyllian naval vessels will take you to Murdoch.”
“You’ll be travelling alindback,” grinned Danal, trying to cheer the young prince up a little.
Elliot’s face brightened.
“Really?”
“It’s the fastest way to get anywhere. Any objections?”
“None whatsoever.”
“When you get home,” Philip added his bit, “to Duchesne by choice, it will be your job to convince your Father and the Dukes about the truth of this matter and to help them in any way you can.”
“Me?” asked a confused Elliot, “but you’ll be with me surely?”
Philip shook his head, “I’m afraid not Elliot, I have another task ahead of me. So does Derek.”
“But, but, you’re saying that James and I, on our own have to persuade first the Duke of Duchesne then the others? I can’t do it.”
“You are the Prince-Heir, it’s time to prove your mettle and it won’t just be you and James.”
“I will be with you,” said Robain. “Philip will write letters to both the Duke and to the Lord Marshall explaining the situation.”
“They’ll still not believe,” fretted Elliot.
“I think you’ll find that the Lord Marshall will,” Danal interrupted. “He will believe and he is a formidable man. By the time you arrive on the shores of your country, he will know much of what has happened and what is about to happen. Trust him if no other. Elliot, you must raise the battle standards of all the Regiments of Murdoch, you and the Lord Marshall; on your own if need be. Murdoch will be the first place the Larg will strike. With the Dglai behind them they won’t be able to resist the chance to wipe Murdoch off the map before they head north to destroy the Lind. The Lind are already on their way. You will leave first thing in the morning.”
He paused for a moment to marshal his thoughts.
“The rest of us go to Vada. You Philip and Derek, you also be going alindback so be prepared to travel light.”
“Will do,” answered Philip.
“Why are you going to Vada?” asked James.
“We are going to examine Susa Julia’s old map,” Niaill answered, “to see if we can work out where the gridref is located. If we can well and good, if we can’t, well we still have Peter Howard’s journal with his notes about the journey and we shall have to work it all out from there.”
“When do we leave?” asked Philip.
“In the afternoon,” said Niaill, “I still have to brief Master Annert. Taraya and Inalei have to eat and rest before the run to Vada. We’ve travelled both day and night to get here.”
“Then what do you do?” asked Elliot.
“Then we go south to find the power-core,” said Danal, “Philip, Derek, Asya and me.”
“And me,” said a quiet voice, “so you’d better arrange for another Lind.”
“You must stay and help Master Annert,” said Danal, shaking his head. “He needs you here to help him decipher the print-outs.”
She shook her head.
“Quite impossible,” Tala looked Danal straight in the eye, “and you know it. What will you do with this power-core when you find it?”
“The instructions will be sent to us via the Lind.”
“And do you think you will understand these instructions when you get them?” she demanded. “Do you have the technical expertise? Will you be able to use the tools? Can you tell the difference between a magnetic screwdriver and another? I can. You need someone with the skills both to understand the instructions and to implement them, to adapt them to changing circumstances if need be.” She turned to Master Annert. “Tell him,” she implored.
The old man nodded his head. “What she says is true though I wish I did not have to say it. Tala here is one of the best journeymen I have ever had the good fortune to work with. She is clever and resourceful. She is also adaptable. She came out top in her year group and that by a long way. I do not wish to lose her but I feel in my old bones that she is right. You do need her.”
“What do you think Niaill?” Danal asked his brother.
“She should go,” he answered. “I wish I could too, but my duty is clear. I am Ryzcka of the First Ryzck and I cannot let my vadeln go to war without me. I think my part in the greater game is over and it is up to you to carry it on. Robain, James and Elliot will go south and help Murdoch prepare to fight for its survival. Philip, Derek, Tala, Danal and Asya will go south where they will find the means to save the planet from the Dglai. Master Annert will stay here and will find the method. All the indications are that the Larg will attack not just your kingdom Elliot, but the north as well.”
He paused and looked at them all in turn.
“Elliot,” he said, “one last thing. You must try to persuade the Duke of Duchesne of our good intent. It is possible that the Susyc will wish to meet the Larg and the Dglai in battle south of the Island Chain, I know that she and Alyei are considering the possibility. We must keep the Dglai away from the northern continents. They mustn’t find out that the Lai are on the planet or all our plans will come to naught.”
“I’ll do my best,” promised Elliot.
“Good lad. The war is coming my friends and there is nothing we can do to stop it. The muster of the north begins. Susyc Julia and Alyei have already called for the Lindars and they are beginning to run east. The Ryzcks are moving south and east towards Settlement too. Julia is also writing the orders commandeering all ships within the ports as is her right in time of need. The Council of Argyll will receive the Susyc’s command demanding the muster of the Militia the day after tomorrow and the Garda is
already on alert. Events are moving and there is nothing anyone can do to stop them. Good luck to us all.”
“Hear. Hear,” cried out the irrepressible James.
* * * * *
The Lindar
The sun was low on the horizon when the members of the Lindar of Rtath Hanei began to congregate in the clearing at the centre of their domta.
The Susa of the Lindar was called Sadei. He also commanded the front ryz, or rank. On either side of Sadei stood the commanders of the middle and the rear ryz.
The front ryz was made up of the strongest and the most experienced fighters. They were mostly male but included a few of the larger females. The middle ryz was made up of fighters just as experienced but not as large nor as strong with a high predominance of females. The rear rank was made up of both sexes and was composed of the youngest with a sprinkling of the older and those females returning to the Lindar once their young were grown up.
At one side of the clearing stood another Lind, pure white, who was the Elda of Rtath Hanei. The rtath, as tradition decreed, bore his name and would do so until the time when Hanei either died or stepped down.
For the first time ever, the Lindar, some thousand strong, was going to war, not with three ranks but with four. Hanei was going to command the fourth. Too old to fight within the three ryz, he was however more than able to take charge of the extra one.
The entire Lind nation was going to war, not just the Lindars.
The extra, fourth ryz was a mix of Lind, some not old enough to join the Lindar proper (Lind joined the Lindar when they attained the age of fourteen summers) and some too old, those who no longer had the speed and endurance to fight a long and ferocious battle against the Larg.