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Visions? Images?
Those and all the scattered reports.
So we need a superweapon? A magic sword that slices armsmen in quarters
without anyone holding it? Or perhaps a magic bow?
Nylan. Ryba s voice was as cold as the ice on Freyja.
I m sorry. What am I supposed to do? Make more blades? Even with better
blades, we still lost a lot of good guards. He cleared his throat, his eyes
flicking to the window and Freyja, the ice-needle that sometimes seemed warmer
and more approachable than Ryba.
We can t afford those kinds of losses again, Ryba said. Even with all
the new recruits& we can t train them well that fast, and half are scared to
death of men with weapons. It takes time to overcome that.
Nylan rubbed his forehead. At times, especially when he thought of weapons,
his head still ached. Huldran is working on arrowheads. She can t give them
that final ordering, but she makes good arrowheads. I can make more, too. I
don t like it, but I can. Or blades. What do you want?
The weapons laser. I told you we d need it for the big battle. How usable
is it?
We ve got one bank of firm cells left. They re at about eighty percent and
deteriorating-probably won t be much good past the coming winter. The
generator s gone; so we re stuck with what we have in the cells. He looked at
the marshal. How big a battle?
I don t know the exact numbers, but they ll have enough troops to cover
the ridge fields. They ll have some siege engines for the tower. That s why I
told you to save the laser for the battle with this Lord Sillek. He s
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supposedly using all his loot from taking over that seaport for just two
things. Fortifying his hold on the conquered city& and building up and buying
armsmen.
The laser won t be enough, then. Nylan massaged his forehead again. We
need some defensive emplacements. I have an idea-if I can have some guards.
How many? I don t have that many of the original marines left.
New ones will be fine, with maybe one experienced one.
Can you tell me what you have in mind?
It s an idea. Call it a booby trap. One way or another, it will work. He
sighed. It will work. Everything I build works.
All right, but stop feeling sorry for yourself about it. It takes strength
to survive here, and there s nothing either one of us can do about that. The
marshal paused, her eyes straying to the window again, before she continued.
There s another thing. From what Relyn learned from the two survivors, before
we sent them off, Gerlich was stupid, and this Lord Sillek isn t.
Stupid in what way? asked Nylan.
Gerlich got caught up in the fighting and forgot his original plan. The
wizard was supposed to throw firebolts at the guards and incinerate them one
by one. Instead, Gerlich charged, and when everyone got mixed together, the
wizard couldn t.
That was probably because you parried that wizard s fire, Nylan said.
Parried? I didn t do that.
I saw it. You threw up the blade, and the firebolt turned.
It must be your blades, then, Ryba laughed. The great smith Nylan whose
blades turned back the wizards fire.
Nylan not only doubted her analysis, but failed to see the humor. That s
probably why Gerlich ordered the charge. He thought the wizard s fire wouldn t
work, and that the guards would pick off his men one by one.
Our arrows can t pick off a thousand invaders.
That many?
That few, if we re lucky.
Nylan stood. I think I d better figure out more than a few tricks.
Nylan& we still need arrows and the laser.
I know-and magic blades, and a complete set of armaments from the
Winterlance. He tempered his words with a forced grin. And a lot of luck.
We can t count on luck.
Of course not. We re angels. He inclined his head. Maybe Relyn can pray
to his new religion.
For the first time in seasons, Ryba looked surprised. His what?
Once we destroy Lornth, he s going out to preach the faith of the angels,
the way of black order-something like that. He s convinced you and I and
Ayrlyn will change the world.
I can t say I like that. Not at all. Ryba s fingers seemed to inch toward
the blade at her hip.
Let him go, Nylan said wearily. If we win, we can use all the propaganda
we can get, and religion s good propaganda. If not& it doesn t matter.
It won t be the same. It won t be Westwind-what we believe. The last thing
this forsaken planet needs is a new messianic religion.
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