by Larry Niven
Acclaim for Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
and
The Burning City
“Pournelle and Niven provide a full quota of invention, speculation, and adventure. Their characters leap vibrantly off the page.”
—Realms of Fantasy
“Another absorbing book from [Niven and Pournelle]…bodes well for yet more of the collaborations.”
—Booklist
“Niven and Pournelle are in fine form….”
—Locus
“Vivid and unusual.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Larry Niven
TALES OF KNOWN SPACE
THE INTEGRAL TREES
WORLD OF PTAVVS
RINGWORLD
PROTECTOR
THE SMOKE RING
N-SPACE
PLAYGROUNDS OF THE MIND
CRASHLANDER
FLATLANDER
THE RINGWORLD THRONE
DESTINY’S ROAD
RAINBOW MARS
Jerry Pournelle
JANISSARIES
HIGH JUSTICE
KING DAVID’S SPACESHIP
EXILES TO GLORY
RED HEROIN
PRINCE OF MERCENARIES
FALKENBERG’S LEGION
STARSWARM
Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
INFERNO
OATH OF FEALTY
THE MOTE IN GOD’S EYE
LUCIFER’S HAMMER
FOOTFALL
THE GRIPPING HAND
THE BURNING CITY
BURNING TOWER
Larry Niven & Steven Barnes
DREAM PARK
THE BARSOOM PROJECT
THE CALIFORNIA VOODOO GAME
DESCENT OF ANANSI
ACHILLES’ CHOICE
SATURN’S RACE
Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle & Steven Barnes
LEGACY OF HEOROT
BEOWULF’S CHILDREN
Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle & Michael Flynn
FALLEN ANGELS
Jerry Pournelle & Roland Green
TRAN
Jerry Pournelle & S. M. Stirling
GO TELL THE SPARTANS
PRINCE OF SPARTA
Jerry Pournelle & Charles Sheffield
HIGHER EDUCATION
POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2005 by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Originally published in hardcover in 2005 by Pocket Books
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-4871-3
ISBN-10: 1-4165-4871-8
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For Roberta and Marilyn
Cast of Characters
Tep’s Town Basin
LORD REGAPISK: Sandry’s cousin, assigned to Fire Watch
LORD SANDRY: Chief of the Fire Watch
PEACEVOICE FULLERMAN: Lordsman assigned to Fire Watch
YANGIN-ATEP: the fire god, now gone mythical
STRAFREERIT: a Lordkin of Serpent’s Walk
WANSHIG: Lordkin chieftain, “Lord” of Serpent’s Walk, and brother of Whandall Feathersnake
LORD WITNESS QIRAMA: a judge
GLEGRON: Lordkin Fireman killed by fire
BONWESS: Chieftain of the band of Lordkin called Bull Pizzles
SHANDA: Sandry’s aunt, First Lady of Lordshills
RONI: Shanda’s daughter
QUINTANA: Lord Chief Witness of Lordshills, Lord’s Town, and Tep’s Town
CHALKER: Sandry’s valet, a retired Peacevoice of the Lordsmen
YOUNGLORD MAYDREO: an officer cadet
TORONEXTI: a Lordkin band; formerly tax collectors
BORDERMASTER (once MASTER PEACEVOICE) WATERMAN: Lordsman
DIBANTOT Lordkin of Serpent’s Walk, guardian of the Fire Sale Inn
LORDSMAN YILER: spearman
SECKLERS: a Lordkin of Serpent’s Walk
EGMATEL THE SAGE: a Wizard hired by the Lords Witness
WALE: apprentice to the Sage Egmatel
LADY WHALANI: Lord Sandry’s mother
HENRY: a Lordsman guard
Bison Tribe and the Wagon Train
BURNING TOWER OF BISON TRIBE: daughter of Whandall Feathersnake and Willow
GREEN STONE: wagonmaster of the lesser Feathersnake Bison Tribe wagon train; younger son of Whandall Feathersnake and Willow; Burning Tower’s older brother
NOTHING WAS SEEN (LURK): a bandit’s child now adopted into Bison Tribe and a scout in the Feathersnake wagon train
TWISTED CLOUD OF BISON TRIBE: wagon train shaman; daughter of Hickamore, deceased, once shaman of the Bison Tribe wagon train
CLEVER SQUIRREL (SQUIRRELY): daughter of Twisted Cloud and the god Coyote
MOUSE WARRIOR OF BISON TRIBE: A wagon train guard officer
WHANDALL FEATHERSNAKE: master trader; born a Lordkin in Tep’s Town, now a merchant prince of Bison Tribe; owner of the wagon train
WILLOW FEATHERSNAKE: born a kinless of Tep’s Town, now Whandall’s wife and mother of Green Stone and Burning Tower
Avalon
WHEEREEZZ: a mer wizard schoolmaster
CONAL: a wizard of Avalon
MORTH OF ATLANTIS: Atlantean wizard; refugee, formerly of Tep’s Town and now resident in Carlem Marcle, a sea town far north of Tep’s Town
COYOTE: a god
The Wagon Expedition
TREBATY, a Lordkin of Serpent’s Walk
SECKLERS, a Lordkin of Serpent’s Walk
YOUNGLORD MAYDREO
YOUNGLORD WHANE
FALLEN WOLF: of Bison Tribe
LEFT-HANDED HUMMINGBIRD: a god
SPIKE: a one-horn born as a kinless pony
Condigeo
PERGAMMON: Commodore of Condigeo
GRANTON: First Captain of Condigeo
PEARL, wife of First Captain Granton
GRANDIN: wife of Captain Wartin
LORD WITNESS QU’YUMA: Lady Shanda’s husband and Roni’s father; ambassador from Lordshills to Condige
BETTING MASTER CALAFI: of Bell’s of Condigeo
TRAS PREETROR: a teller; onetime friend of Whandall Feathersnake
ARSHUR THE MAGNIFICENT: a Northern Barbarian
SPOTTED LIZARD OF THE HIGH TRAIL: a guide
JUNIOR WARMAN GUNDRIN of the Condigeo Marines: an officer cadet
LORDSMAN BANE
The Angie Queen
SAZIFF: captain
THE OARMASTER
FETHIWONG and THE GHOST: oarsmen
RAILILIEE: first mate
Crescent City
ZEPHANS MISHAGNOS: an Atlantean wizard
BUZZARD AT PLAY: Mayor of Crescent City; onetime shaman of the Road Runner wagon train
FUR SLIPPER: a shaman
JADE COIN: a money changer
RUSER OF LOW STREET: a jeweler
ERN: Wagonmaster of the Road Runner wagon train
BLACK STONE: proprietor of Black Stone Inn
LAUGHING ROCK: his daughter
Sunfall Crater
GREAT MISTRESS HAZEL SKY: Governor
CAPTAIN SAREG: of the Imperial Guard
REGLY: Chief of the Office
of Imperial Gifts
THUNDERCLOUD: Chief of the Office of Rain
JARAVISK: Chief Apprentice in the Office of Rain
MANROOT: an Imperial Officer
Aztlan
FLENSEVAN THE JEWELER: brother and partner of Ruser of Low Street
Archpriests:
COYOTE
ROAD RUNNER
JAGUAR
PRIEST MANY NAMES
LEFT-HANDED HUMMINGBIRD
BIGHORN SHEEP
BISON WOMAN
MAMMOTH
PRAIRIE DOG
THE EMPEROR: the Almighty one, Son of the Sun
LADY ANNALUN: a talented courtesan
MOUNTAIN CAT: of Bison Tribe (resident at New Castle, present by sand painting)
DOENTIVAR: the Grandson of the Sun, heir to the Emperor
PINK RABBIT: son of Flensevan
EGRET: the stronger son of Flensevan
Book One
Terror
Birds
Chapter One
Devil Wind
The hot wind was rising. Kinless called it a Devil Wind. Lord Regapisk had his doubts about devils, but any devil might have invented that wind. It was hot and dry and gusty and it was whipping fire into a frenzy. A dozen houses had already burned. They were only Bull Pizzle houses, not in the territory Regapisk was guarding, so they weren’t his business. Five houses on the other side of the Darkman’s Cup gorge were part of Serpent’s Walk, but there was no way to save them. Regapisk’s Firemen had tried, but no one would blame him for losing those houses.
They’d been able to loot the occupied houses before the fire got them. Gather, Regapisk thought, grinning. His Lordkin Firemen would call that “gathering.” And if the Lords’ Council asked him, Regapisk would say “salvage,” but it was looting all the same.
Lord Regapisk coughed. The smoke was blowing across the canyon, thicker now, and the wind grew hotter. The fire was coming.
A chariot clattered up the road along the edge of the canyon. Regapisk turned with what he hoped was well disguised contempt. It wasn’t that he didn’t like his second cousin. Sandry was a likable boy. But he was younger than Regapisk, so recently a Younglord that he still answered to the lesser title, and yet he was put in charge here, while Lord Regapisk, fully a Lord for three years now, was assisting his young cousin.
He got lucky, Regapisk thought. I was busy at the Harbor when the Congregation of Lords Witness decided to organize these Lordkin as Firemen. Cousin Sandry was available and I had other work. One day it would be different; the Council would put Lord Regapisk in charge of all the fire brigades. Until then, Lord Regapisk nominally worked for his younger cousin—
“Hail, Cousin.”
“Hail, Lord Regapisk,” Sandry said formally.
His cousin always did that, used formal titles, when their Lordkin Firemen were around. Sometimes it drove Regapisk to distraction. What was the need for all that? But you had to admit, Sandry made a handsome figure, standing tall in his chariot, the reins held so loosely that it looked as if Sandry could guide the big horses by talking to them. Whatever else you thought about Lord Sandry, he knew horses. Loved them more than he did people.
The chariot was one of the larger war chariots, with room for two spearmen and the driver. It held only Sandry and a small kinless boy.
“Hail, Firemen,” Sandry said. He waved to the four Lordkin who worked with Regapisk. The Firemen got to their feet and acknowledged Sandry’s greeting with waves and a few muttered words. Sandry was popular with the Lordkin Firemen of Serpent’s Walk, and this was wild enthusiasm compared with the way Lordkin usually acted around someone they worked for.
With, Lord Regapisk reminded himself. Lordkin worked with you. Even though both you and they knew that they were working for you. Lord Regapisk could understand that.
“I see we lost the houses on the other side of the Cup,” Sandry said. “Too bad the wind came up like that.”
“Yeah, we tried, but there just wasn’t any way,” Regapisk said.
Sandry nodded. “No use crying about it. But we have to stop the fire here,” he said. “At this gorge, before the wind whips up and drives it across this road. We need a firebreak just here, and I can’t spare you any more men.” Sandry dismounted and looked across the canyon to the wall of flames. The wind was blowing it toward them, along with smoke and hot ashes. The fire hadn’t gone down into the canyon yet, but that was a matter of minutes.
Lord Regapisk knew what a firebreak was. Peacevoice Fullerman had explained it when the Council put Regapisk into the fire brigade. It was one of the things fire brigade officers had to learn. “Won’t have time with just four men,” Regapisk said. He pointed to the rising flames. “Once it gets down into the canyon, it will be up here in moments.”
Lord Sandry nodded. “I know, Lord Regapisk. We’ll use a backfire.”
Regapisk frowned. “You sure about that?”
“It’s chancy, but it’s the only thing we can do.” Sandry inspected the gorge, then stooped down and picked up a handful of dust. He released the dust and watched it blow. “With this wind, I’d say about four paces, wouldn’t you?”
“Four paces,” Regapisk said. “Sounds about right.”
“Good. Get torches and go four paces down the canyon. Light fires. When the fire burns here to the road, get through the ashes and go four more paces down and do it again. I doubt you’ll have time to do it again after that, but if you can, do four more paces. I’m pretty sure an eight-pace firebreak will stop that fire, and I know a twelve-pace break will do it.”
“Yeah, twelve paces will do it,” Regapisk said. He looked down into the canyon, then across. The fire would start down into the canyon pretty soon. “This is going to be tricky—”
“Yes, so get started now. You understand—four paces, set fires and let it burn off, then four more. Start the second fire as soon as the first one burns off. And be careful; you don’t want to get trapped between fires. Right?”
“Right.”
“Good. I have to go. We’ve got more fires to the south. They’ll be harder to stop because there’s nothing like the canyon there. We’re tearing down houses to build a firebreak. After this fire season, we’re going to have to plan more firebreaks—”
“Sure.”
“Good luck, then,” Sandry said. He leaped into the chariot and twitched the reins in one motion. The horses turned sharp left, turning the chariot around in its track on the road. “Git,” Sandry said. The chariot clattered off, the kinless apprentice boy hanging on for life, but Sandry stood balanced in the chariot, just swaying with its motion.
He sure can drive, Lord Regapisk thought. He looked up. The fire was already closer to the canyon lip.
This was how the land lay:
Fire held the valley. The wind was blowing the fire uphill toward this road. The road was wide; it must have been a mammoth trail once. If the fire jumped the road, it might take a hundred houses before it burned out.
A year ago, fire would not burn indoors. An adobe exterior wouldn’t burn either, then or now. Fighting a fire was easier when houses wouldn’t burn.
But the fire god was dead, was myth, for most of a year now. Lord Regapisk felt he understood fire, fire under the new rules.
“Let’s do it,” Lord Regapisk said.
Lordkin Strafreerit asked, “Why do twice the work? Lord, let’s just go eight paces down and light it off there.”
Lord Regapisk thought about it. Later he remembered the way the other three were grinning. Now he didn’t notice. “Good,” he said.
Strafreerit measured off eight paces…odd paces, stepping long here, shorter here. What was he doing? He’d picked his place and was making his paces match, Lord Regapisk thought, but he didn’t quite have the nerve to speak.
They spread out in a line through the brush. All together, they set off the fires, then stepped back in case the wind changed. But the wind held steady; the fire leaped upward in a great roar. Lord Regapisk
waited until the flames died down and then followed the fire up the hill, stepping over the still-burning roots. The stalks and dried grass burned hot, but they burned out quickly—
The fire had jumped the road. Brush was burning on the other side.
Lord Regapisk yelled. “Help! It’s jumped the gap!” He whirled off his cloak and began beating at the flames. Only when he’d clearly lost the battle did he wonder why he had no help.
Then he looked down across a ten-pace gap of black ash and saw his four Lordkin searching where the brush had burned away. They barely looked up at his yells. Then fire swept around them, and that got their attention. They ran.
Four houses were burning now. The fifth and sixth were just catching. Where was that misbegotten Lord? Regapisk was supposed to have backfired to make a firebreak! Sandry, moving at a careful run with a bucket in both arms, looked about him through smoke and red-and-yellow light.
Wanshig’s Lordkin Firemen ran with buckets, splashing water all over themselves. One was caught in a sudden gust of flame; he doused himself with the bucket and ran with it still on his head. Good move, Sandry thought. Wanshig was yelling his head off. A few did hear: they converged on the eighth house and hurled their half-bucketsful at the roof.
No sign of Lord Regapisk.
He was torn between rage and fear for the do-nothing Lord and his men. Fire can sweep around and have you surrounded. Fire can take your mind. Fire can burn indoors—
But men did not obey Regapisk. If it was a talent, Regapisk didn’t have it. Or it might be that the Lord expected too little of himself, and men saw that.
The wizard Morth of Atlantis had sunk Yangin-Atep the fire god into the tar. He was myth now, a myth that lived under the Black Pit: children were told to fear the fire god as well as the tar. You’d think Yangin-Atep’s town would have fewer problems with fire!
And the Lordkin were holding it.
Take a moment, savor that: these were Lordkin. You couldn’t make Lordkin work. They wouldn’t be anywhere on time; they wouldn’t get up if they were sleepy; wouldn’t hoe grapes even to get wine, wouldn’t carry anything but loot. But under attack, they’d be awake and sober in an instant.
