[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.I don’t see them leaving us alone.”“Neither do I,” replied the captain.“You’ve got your troopers well placed.We’ll be here if they do.”Koryt nodded.Alucius returned the gesture and headed for his quarters.He thought he ought to try to get some sleep.Feran looked up from where he lay on his bunk as Alucius entered the dark quarters.“Anything changed?”“Not yet.The nomads are still down there, and everywhere else.”“They’ll attack tonight.They were building up fires.”“Look who’s the cheerful one now.”“Get some sleep,” Feran suggested, rolling over.Alucius wondered if he would sleep well—or at all—even after he stretched out on his bunk and could feel his eyes close.He had barely drifted into sleep when distant shots echoed down the sandstone corridor, and he bolted upright in the narrow bed.“Attack! All officers and companies forward!”Alucius yanked on his boots and grabbed both rifles and the ammunition belt.Feran was close behind him.Once outside, Alucius could hear shots passing well overhead as he made his way to where Twenty-first Company was forming up in the darkness, just forward of the barracks area of the sandstone cliff.Fifth Company was forming just to the west of Twenty-first Company.Again, Alucius was grateful for the night vision that allowed him to see as if it were only early twilight.He frowned.What about the pteridons? Could they see or fly at night?He cast out his Talent-senses…but he could find no sign of the flying creatures.“Twenty-first Company, ready, sir!” Longyl snapped.“Thank you, Longyl.” Alucius barked out the orders.“Twenty-first Company! By squad! From the eastern end!” Then he walked toward Feran.“You ready to take the middle section?”“We’ll do it.” Feran raised his voice.“Fifth Company, middle section!”“Stay low as you near the edge!” Alucius called out.“Low!”He watched as the troopers ran, then crawled into position to reinforce the two squads of Eleventh Company.The firing from below became stronger.Alucius checked the skies once more, with eyes and Talent.Still no pteridons.Alucius sprinted forward and eased his way into a prone position beside a trooper—Ryem, he recalled.“Sir?”“Just keep your eyes on the nomads, Ryem.” Alucius took aim on one of the lead nomads, less than fifty yards down the trail, then fired.A sheet of rifle fire sprayed across the narrow trail, already littered with bodies, mostly of men, rather than mounts, indicating to Alucius that the attackers had attempted the assault in stealth and on foot.Under the intensity of fire by the defenders, the nomads either fell or fell back.How many Alucius had shot, he had no idea, only that he had been effective, but in the darkness, no one would know, and that was certainly for the best.After a half glass of silence, Alucius eased back away from the ledge and stood.“Twenty-first Company…back to barracks!”“Fifth Company…” echoed Feran.“Eleventh Company…” came from Koryt.“Fourth and fifth squads, hold.First, second, third squads, back to barracks until the next watch…”Alucius paused, waiting until the troopers passed him.He looked up into the night sky, still puzzled by an attack without the pteridons.Was it too difficult to fly in darkness, or was there some other reason? As he pondered, his eyes took in the greenish half-disc of Asterta, the moon of war and of the horse goddess.Did the nomads feel she favored them? Did it matter? He wondered how many more attacks there might be—and whether there really was another way out of Black Ridge.He hoped the scouts could find one, even as he considered, fitfully, how they might be able to attack and evade the nomad hordes.61After the attack, Alucius did not sleep well, even though there had not been another attack, and he ended up rising before dawn.He doubted many had slept that well.There were circles under his eyes as he ate a breakfast moments after dawn, a breakfast prepared by the Deforyan cooks.That they had been left behind didn’t surprise Alucius, but little about the Deforyans did any longer.He ate silently, with Koryt, since Fifth Company was manning the ledge posts, and since Heald and Third Company were still on station manning the defenses on the trail to the north.He hadn’t even finished when he saw a trooper outside the mess room, looking at him.Leaving his platter, he hurried out.“Sir…Overcaptain sent me…lots of nomads on the old road to the north of Third Company…maybe ten or twelve companies.”As the messenger spoke, Draspyr appeared at Alucius’s shoulder, but the majer said nothing.“Thank you.Get yourself something to eat, then be ready to ride back.The majer and I will let you know what we’re doing.”“Yes, sir.” The round-faced trooper nodded, then hurried away, toward the troopers’ mess.“They’ll need reinforcements,” Draspyr said [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]