Return To Kaldak

Chapter 21

«You're absolutely sure it was Voros himself?» said Geyrna. «You only saw him once, in poor light, and in a hurry.»

«I'm sure, Aunt,» said Baliza. «Between what I saw and what I wormed out of Bekror, it couldn't be anybody else. Unless you think it's my father the Sky Master Blade come back again? She laughed and stretched catlike. It felt fine to be safe at home in Kaldak again, able to relax and soak up the sun and good food. It wasn't going to last very long, though.

«You almost said that as if it was a joke,» said Geyrna. Baliza felt her face going hot, but her aunt didn't seem to notice as she went on. «Certainly Voros seems to be almost as good a fighter and leader as the Sky Master. He also seems to have the same gift for talking sense and making you realize it. I can't imagine he would have impressed that stubborn old cynic Bekror otherwise. By the way, how was he?»

Baliza couldn't quite suppress a pleasurable wriggle at the memories. Her aunt laughed. «Still good, eh? I had him a few years ago myself, and I couldn't complain either.»

A servant came in with beer and snacks, interrupting the flow of bawdy chatter. When the two women were alone again, Geyrna got down to business.

«So now we know Bekror and the Tribesmen intend to launch a major strike at Detcharn's rockets. If it's true Voros is among them, we can be sure the training of the Tribesmen is in good hands.

«But that may not be enough. With what he'll have, Voros can only take thirty, maybe forty men, to near the base. They'll have to walk the rest of the way. Suppose he had two or three real Doimari lifters, such as the ones we've captured in past wars? Suppose he could take sixty or eighty men in those lifters all the way to the rocket base before anyone there knew anything was wrong? And suppose, also, men were sent from the City Regiment to help Voros?»

Baliza's eyes widened. «Of course. I should have thought of that myself. Aunt, you wouldn't be such a bad soldier yourself.»

«Thank you. But I had good teachers, like Sidas. I listened to everyone who ever talked about war while I was around.»

«You also heard some wise words from Bairam,» said Kareena.

Geyrna frowned. «Not his wisdom, I think. More likely what he heard from the Sky Master and passed on.»

«You do him an injustice, I think.»

«You would say that even if you didn't think it, just to annoy me.»

«If more people had said it to you twenty years ago, Bairam might not have started drinking.»

«He started drinking because I would not stay fifteen years old forever. That was what he loved, not the woman who knew she could do better at ruling Kaldak than he.»

Baliza sighed. It was an old and bitter quarrel between them, and right now even more pointless than usual. «Forgive me, Aunt. But you know what I have thought on this for so many years. I keep hoping that one day you'll listen.»

«Perhaps I will, one day. Certainly not before we've stamped Detcharn and his plans into the ground.» She sipped her beer. «But let's be serious again. To get those Doimari lifters and additional men, we're going to have to go to Sidas.»

«So?»

«Sidas is a hard-headed son of a munfan, as you should know. Sidas is also very shrewd, and he's going to notice you're full of thoughts you won't confess, about this mysterious Voros. He may ask questions. When he does, you'd better be ready to tell him the truth, or as much of it as you know yourself.»

«I'll do my best.»

«Your best had better be pretty damned good, Baliza!»

«You next, Shangbari,» the woman Sparra said.

Shangbari lay down, his fire rifle pointing out in front of him. It was strange, obeying a woman so easily. But it no longer seemed un-Lawful. Voros followed the Laws of the Cities, which said that women might be warriors and hunters; Shangbari had sworn to follow Voros.

Some of the warriors of the Red Cats had still been stupid enough to think that Sparra was a woman for bedding, in spite of their oaths. Some of those would not be thinking of women for many days-or at least thinking would be all they could do. Sparra had done the work on them herself, too. She'd said that Voros taught her those ways of fighting.

Was there anything about war Voros did not know or could not teach? Shangbari doubted it. Certainly he did not wonder that the Red Cats were beginning to call the new leader «Voros the Wise.»

«All right, Shangbari,» Sparra said. «This is an Oltec rifle. Remember, it shoots burning hot light, not single bullets. You must take your finger off the trigger the moment you hit the target. Otherwise the rifle will lose its magic too quickly.»

«I understand.» He'd begun to understand more than he wanted to admit to this woman or even to Voros. Among the things he'd begun to understand was that there was no magic in Oltec. If you had the right tools and knew how to use them, it was no harder to make one of the «magic» rifles than it was to tan a hide or sharpen a spear.

Someday the Tribes would have those tools and know how to make their own rifles. Then they could avenge their dead on all the Cities. But-if there were people in the Cities like Voros and Sparra-yes, and Bekror-might there not be peace someday between Tribe and City?

That thought was so new and frightening that Shangbari had to grip his rifle more tightly than ever. He did not want Sparra to see his hands shaking, or miss his target.

He was ready to shoot again, when suddenly a City sky-machine passed over the clearing. A moment later if floated down to a landing place on the other side of the little stream which divided the clearing. All the men practicing with the rifles jumped up and shouted. Sparra was shouting, too. She seemed angry that the men would not listen to her. Then she saw Voros himself walking toward the machine, and shrugged.

«All right. It's pretty late anyway.»

By the time Shangbari reached the machine, the City men in it were unloading boxes. Voros counted them as they came out. Shangbari recognized the writing on some of the boxes. They held the «explosives» which they would use to destroy the Doimari machines.

Now a big man in City clothing stepped out of the sky-machine. «Hoy, Voros!» he shouted.

Voros turned. «What the-? Ezarn?»

«Have you ever met anybody else as big and smelly, old friend?» He stepped up to Voros and gripped him by both shoulders. «How's the work here, Voros? Got enough to give me some?»

«You can stay?»

«If you'll have me.»

«Will I have you? Does rain fall down, or smoke rise? Come and have a beer. It's the Tribal brew, I'm afraid, but-«

«Won't need to drink that tonight, Voros. I came with a barrel of my own from Bekror's.»

«Even better.»

The two big men walked off side by side. Shangbari wondered who the new man, Ezarn, was. Obviously a City warrior, and he looked like a good one who would make the attack on the Doimari much stronger. He'd also greeted Voros as though they were sworn brothers or at least old battle-mates.

Then why did Voros look and speak as though he did not understand Ezarn's coming, or even feared it?

Outside the hut it was dark. Blade piled more wood on the fire and rolled the empty beer barrel out of the way. Sparra was already asleep under the furs in the corner. Cheeky was curling up in the crook of her arm, not only asleep but snoring.

«So, old friend,» said Blade. «What really brought you out here-besides Bekror's lifter, that is?»

Ezarn had either drunk enough to slow his thoughts, which weren't too fast to begin with, or else he was, picking his words with care. «When I got back from leave, they asked me to come out here. Well, they really asked me if I'd go out to Bekror's, to help train his men. I'd get regular pay, and maybe more than that from Bekror.»

«Who asked?»

«The High Commander Sidas.»

«He asked, not ordered?»

«Couldn't say. But then, you know him. Could you tell if he was being nice or giving an order?» Ezarn had a point there. So why was Blade thinking that «couldn't say» might have a double meaning?

«I couldn't refuse,» Ezarn went on. He hiccupped. «So I came out, and Bekror tells me about you and the friendly Tribesmen. Are their women friendly, too? You've got your own, I see,» he said with a wave at Sparra.

«If you're a friend of Voros and observe their customs-yes, the women are friendly enough.»

«Good. Real good.» Ezarn cocked his head on one side, as if he was thinking hard. His head stayed at that angle, then Blade heard a long rumbling snore. The beer had finally got to him.

Blade got up and arranged Ezarn so he could sleep comfortably in the chair. Then he barred the hut door, pulled off his clothes and crawled in under the furs beside Sparra. She murmured contentedly as she felt him beside her, and pressed one firm breast against his arm. Cheeky went right on sleeping-but then, he could sleep through an earthquake if he wanted to.

Blade's feeling that somebody he didn't know was taking a hand in the game was stronger than ever. Or maybe several somebodies? It was no worse than usual in the secret-operations business, but that didn't mean he had to like it!

Ezarn's coming out here was a good sign, though. Nobody who knew much about the big soldier would send him on any mission dangerous to «Voros.» Anybody, who didn't knew Ezarn's loyalty was too stupid to be very dangerous, whatever they wanted.