[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Eventually they would reach Lorseth.Maybe the castle could holdout for a while, but sooner or later it would fall, and wave upon waveof barbarians would burst through the gates.They would penetrate Bonds of Fear 417the tower, smashing every door on their way, mount the stairs to hischambers, and they would find him.Helpless, naked, afraid.He wouldbe mad with fear by then.He would have heard the main gates comecrashing down.He would have heard the barbaric cries of triumphas their hordes filled the inner court.He would have seen themfrom the window.With only minutes to spare he would have startedfrantically searching for a place to hide, a way out.But of course therewas none to be found.Not fully understanding what was happening,he would be grabbed by strong, rough hands.Would he resist? Fightback? No, chances were all fight would have already gone out of him,leaving only mortal fear.He would cry out in anguish.Would he cryout for his brother? It would make no difference.He would not bethere to answer. No, no, no.I can t leave him there to fend for himself.Not afterhaving clipped his wings.Even if he were fully capable to defendhimself I would come running to him.I couldn t leave him in whatevercircumstances.I can t give up.I can t.He needs me.He needs me toprotect him.To keep him safe.My friends need me as well.My armyneeds me.The people need me.No, no, a thousand times no.I won ttake the easy way out.If I have to go down it will be with my swordin my hand, fighting till my last breath.Come what may, I will seethrough what I started, and damn my father, damn the Mukthars,damn Damydas, damn the consequences.I will not, I will not go quietly,I will resist them all, every, every inch of the way.I ll spit Fate in theface.I ll defend myself, what is mine, and those who stand with me. He stood up.His decision taken, all dark thoughts dismissed, hisfeverish mind turned immediately to the practical problems at hand. A hundred thousand barbarians.How am I ever going to stop ahundred thousand barbarians? Through squinted eyes, hands balled to fists, he looked out again 418 Andrew Ashlingover the fields, in his mind traveling over them from above, over theborder, over the Renuvian Plains, over the river Mirax, right up to. Of course.Of course.It is so simple.It is so simple I have seen itfrom the first days we got here.How could I have forgotten? He smiled calmly, the despair of only moments ago a distant,unreal memory. Of course, that s it.Damn you, Brenx.I almost let myself driftaway by your dire predictions.I have let myself be taken in by my ownterrible visions.But I don t have to change a thing.I just have to carryout the plans I already made in their entirety.Win this first battle anddrive them back from where they came.Chase them over the RenuvianPlains.Let them go and crawl to their brethren, crying for help, for allthe good it will do them. No.His father had most definitely not been right.Ximerion couldnot keep evading a decisive confrontation with the barbarians.Fighting a defensive war was a loosing game.Where had he read that?Ah, yes.In the private records of Arranulf XII they had found whenthey took over the administration of the duchy of Landemere.Thegrandfather of the current duke had been a very perspicacious manwith a sharp analytical mind.He was right.A full year of preparationsto prevent what in fact amounted to a border raid.The constantthreat of new invasions, the ever present blackmail of this infamousoath of Sherashty.It cost money.It drained their forces and nothingwas ever gained.All that expenditure, all those efforts for securing astatus quo.Arranulf XII was right.Tenaxos I was wrong.It was badlong term strategy.Sarth for sarth it was downright bad business.That was what Lorsanthia was doing in the south, he suddenlyrealized.They had created a threat, just real enough for the high kingof Ximerion to gather an army and to embark on a hasty program ofrepairs of the border fortifications.While Lorsanthia was sparing its Bonds of Fear 419forces, Ximerion was draining itself of its lifeblood.At least in the north it was all going to stop.Instead of fortifyinga border that was far too long, far too exposed and waiting tremblingon what would come, he would take the initiative.Strike back andstrike back hard.If need be he would take the war into Muktharterritory.See how they would like it, having their crops destroyed,their homelands invaded, their cities burned down, their homesviolated.His face contorted with anger for a moment, but he soon calmeddown.No, that would be one step too far.There was a time for everything,and this wasn t it.Not yet.He didn t have the means for a large scaleinvasion of the unknown Mukthar territory.Not yet.But maybesomeday.No matter.He would do the next best thing.It would bemore than sufficient
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]