Scorpio Drums [Dray Prescot #42]

by Alan Burt Akers

  “Now,” said Deb-Lu, scratching his nose. “Now we have what we are doing with the Fish Faces sorted out, we can get on with the Skantiklar.”

  That there could be anything more important than the Shanks came to mewith a profound shock. Carazaar, Deb-Lu believed, was quiescent after his late defeat.

  “I'll tell you something that ought to amuse you, Dray.”

  “Yes?”

  “There are nine gems. We know Fantong has the one he stole in Kothmir. There is one in Makilorn, among Kirsty's jewels. And there is one in the ceremonial regalia of Vallia. What d'you think of that?”

  “By Vox!How charming.”

  “And so we must have worn it, many times, all unknowingly.” Delia tinkled a laugh. “How quaint.”

  “So that leaves six,” said Deb-Lu.

  “Well, the rumors were that Fantong was going to Murn-Chem or Notesov. Damned jungles.”

  “Yes, Dray—” and Delia fixed me with a gimlet eye “—and if you think you are running off again on your own—think again, sunshine.”

  “You will recall, will you not, that I fell in the water?”

  “Oh, you'll find any excuse!” And we both burst out laughing.

  “All the same,” put in Seg. “The gems in Makilorn and Vallia are vulnerable to a clever thief with some magic.”

  “I have placed a caul of protection about the jewel in Vallia.” Deb-Lu did not sound testy so much as impatient. “Makilorn is being attended to by Khe-Hi.” He made a quick gesture. “It may be I shall have to go across there myself. Inconvenient.”

  “What of the other six?” said Inch.

  “Once I fix a lead on Fantong he should lead us to the gems.”

  “He is a very clever and slippery customer, Deb-Lu.” I frowned. “You caught a glimpse of him on some steps I remember.”

  “Oh, yes. As I said then, a Capital Adversary.”

  What I expected happened with expected rapidity. Nath Javed, old Hack ‘n’ Slay, face a brilliant scarlet, said: “The expedition against the Fish Heads in Tambu is being formed. My brigade, the Forty Third, will be coming back off leave and joining in. Now, Bogandur, what of—?”

  “The decision must be yours, Nath.”

  “You would release me from command of the brigade if I so chose?”

  “I would.”

  “Then I will delay my decision until you are ready to set off. In the meantime I will make sure that Jiktar Volans is an even better brigade commander than I am.”

  “I wouldn't tell him too much, Nath. We might not go.”

  He gave me that big bold confident look. “Don't you worry about that, Jak. We're going. I can smell it!”

  I tended to think he was right.

  Another Nath—Nath na Kochwold—was an altogether more difficult headache. He was the Kapt of the whole of Vallia's Phalanx Force and was down here in Loh with the Fifth to—as he put it—go off on a spot of adventuring. Now the Tambu affair had come up, could he bear to leave his beloved Phalanx, the brumbytes all aligned in their files driving on with pikes leveled, could he bring himself to abandon them?

  When Deb-Lu, on a morning of bright suns shine and a brisk little breeze, came in to tell me he had located Fantong, only then was I brought up face to face with the problem confronting me.

  With the Fish Faces busily establishing a powerful base on an island of Paz, how could I possibly contemplate any other course of action save taking the expedition over there and sorting out the Shanks?

  This was the personal problem I'd overlooked. Now it rose up and gave me an almighty thwacking. “Deb-Lu! I can't go off chasing after mysterious red gems, and mysterious sorcerers! I've got the Shanks to fight!”

  “Your forces will fight well enough without you. You are not indispensable—”

  “I never claimed to be—”

  “But you are in other circumstances. You have to go yourself.”

  “Now look here, Deb-Lu! Is this damned Skantiklar really all this important? I mean—”

  “By the Seven Arcades, Dray! You know the power that he will gain when he can unite all nine gems. You know what his middle name is. Doesn't that give you a clue to what he's up to?”

  I sagged back. “Oh, no. No, no, he couldn't do that.”

  “But he could.”

  “You say you've located him?”

  “Yes.”

  “I'll gather the lads, the ones we need. We'll start off before the hour of mid. There is no time to lose.”

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  * * *

  Chapter nine

  Of course, it was not as simple as that.

  I should have known. I, Dray Prescot, Lord of Strombor and Krozair of Zy, had had experience before of organizing expeditions.

  Everyone wanted to go along and let someone else go and bash the Shanks. The time we'd had this trouble when I'd needed to go down to Hyrklana to see about Naghan the Gnat, and Tilly, and Oby, the solution had been taken out of my hands. This time, too, was different because I shamelessly worked on the lads’ loyalty. “Paz!” I declaimed. “There lies our duty. Where I must go is sorcerer's work—all for the good of Paz—and your duty is to go and blatter Fish Faces.”

  “But—Kendur!”

  In the end we agreed that I ought to accept the First Emperor's Sword Watch, the First Emperor's Yellow Jackets, and—because Delia was going along—the Empress's Devoted Life Guard. Nath Karidge, the Beau Sabreur who commanded EDLG, commented acidly that it was about time he got to join in with an adventure. In addition, small parties of the other regiments, selected by lot, were to accompany us. I heard of enormous sums being promised to buy a lucky person's place in the expedition. There were few takers.

  All the same, we were venturing up into Chem, among those blasted jungles again, and a useful fighting force might well be vital. We had no idea of what we would be facing.

  Rollo told me: “Drajak! If I am not allowed to go with San Quienyin then I shall cast a most awful hex upon you.”

  I said: “It lies with Deb-Lu whether or not you go.”

  “I'll fix it with the san,” he said, and if he'd had a beard he'd have been muttering in it.

  San Deb-Lu-Quienyin's heart was too soft to deny his apprentice.

  Mevancy came to see me, very flushed of face, not beautiful to outward seeming, all her fire and spirit from within. “Cabbage! You will take us, will you not? Kuong and Llodi? They sent me to speak for them as you are so aloof in these days.”

  “By the diseased liver and lights of Makki Grodno! I know I'm damned well aloof—it's all the damned work I have to do. Of course you can come along, pigeon, and my warmest welcome to Kuong and Llodi. By Chusto, pigeon, are we or are we not comrades?”

  “Aye, cabbage. And you and I are kregoinye for the Everoinye.”

  “Well, I've just done a job for them up in Walfarg, as you know.” I'd told her all about it as a fellow kregoinye. “If they want us again, we'll soon know.”

  “The situation remains as is, then. You are the emperor; but I am the senior kregoinye and I run our affairs for the Star Lords.”

  “You run the ship, pigeon.”

  What the hell—I wasn't going to disabuse her of her notions.

  In the end we got everything sorted out, and, by Krun, it wasn't finished by the hour of mid. Oh, no, by the time all the argy-bargying had been completed and the dust had settled down, we were well into the hour of mid on the following day. Nath na Kochwold, faced with going adventuring with us or going into a battle against the Fish Faces with his Phalanx, just dithered.

  When, sweating, annoyed with himself, almost shamefaced, he came in and said: “Well, Dray, I've made up my mind. I cannot abandon my Phalanx,” I felt relief. He would be a splendid companion on an adventure; he would be far more valuable running the battles ahead. I held out my hand.

  “We've been through a lot together, Nath. You will turf those Fish Heads out of Tambu neck and crop.”

  “Aye. We have and I
will!”

  One last soul came to see me with reference to going on the adventure—Ian Vandrop, his goatee neatly trimmed, his spare, athletic figure dressed now in the yellow of EYJ, still with the pakzhan at his throat.

  “Since my regiment was disbanded after the Time of Troubles, jis, I've been seconded here and there and have accomplished nothing of consequence.”

  “Your value is undisputed. You are now an ord-Jiktar—”

  “Without a proper command. You told me my grandfather was once kind to you, and you have been kind to me. Jis, I ask you, may I go on this expedition with you?”

  Well, how in a Herrelldrin Hell could I refuse?

  Jiktar Ian Vandrop departed, beaming.

  The handsome black face and powerful figure of Balass the Hawk showed up as Vandrop departed. He was doing some arithmetic on his fingers.

  “Now look here, Dray! That gaggle of—of—well, that bunch you foisted off on me. They're all assuming they're coming along.”

  “They're all right, Balass—”

  “Of course they're all right. Am I to remain their nursemaid?”

  “You're so damned good at it.”

  “Very well, then. And if I catch that Fan-Si without her armor again, I'll—well, I'll do something, by Kaidun!”

  So the party for the expedition formed.

  When the little squadron took off and sailed up into the streaming mingled radiance of the Suns of Scorpio I still couldn't believe what I was doing. Was I really flying off on some hare-brained scheme to snatch a gem before some damned sorcerer could get his grubby little paws on it, instead of leading a powerful force to smash the Opaz-forsaken Shanks into oblivion? What in a Herrelldrin Hell did I think I was up to?

  So then, of course, Delia walked up with her superb swing and said: “Now, then, Dray. Brassud! Pay attention to what Deb-Lu tells us.”

  “It's all so—so—”

  “Yes. And will be more so if you don't perk your ideas up.”

  “Deb-Lu did say how important all this is—so, obviously, it is.”

  “As dear old Hack ‘n’ Slay would say: ‘Indisputably'.”

  “Indisputably.”

  So, as I often remark, my Delia can see through me as easily as glass.

  Na-Si-Fantong's whereabouts, he had no doubt considered, had been cunningly camouflaged by misdirecting rumors. Murn-Chem and Notesov lay far enough apart, by Krun. A line drawn between the two, originating at the centers of the two respective countries offered a beginning. Deb-Lu narrowed down the area and with Khe-Hi and Ling-Li assisting, at last defined the location. All the maps showed was jungle. Damned jungle!

  “It'll be hot work,” observed Inch. “Also, by Ngrangi, there will be far too many opportunities for me to break a taboo or three.”

  “By the Veiled Froyvil, you broomstick—I believe you enjoy busting a taboo for the sake of standing on your head or whatever—”

  “Seg!” exclaimed Milsi, trying to stop from laughing.

  Sasha inclined her head. “He may be my husband, and I may have my own taboos—Inch is Inch and maybe Seg has the right of it.”

  “There you go!” said Seg, cheerfully, as though he'd just won a thousand talens.

  All this time the squadron sailed on through the limpid air. Trust my blade comrades not to take a little trip like this too seriously. When we got down to handstrokes they'd operate with swift and lethal efficiency; until then, why, dom, the world is wide, the suns are shining and the breeze is sweet on your face.

  Now, if Seg was the Inspector General of Archers, then Balass was the Inspector General of churgurs, the heavily-armored sword and shield men. Both had a tremendous regard for the swods in the ranks, the ordinary soldier on whose shoulders the whole military edifice rested. This by way of explanation for what happened to the scouts. All the kreutzin volunteered, as was to be expected, and a party of a dozen selected, led by Hikdar Ronal the Waspish, went off to check under the trees.

  They did not return.

  “Deb-Lu?”

  He pulled his ear where his turban had slipped. “Very strange. I can—ah—detect nothing apart from residual magic. Odd.”

  Jiktar Thana ti Vincentsmot spoke up. “Another party will have to go down and find out. I shall lead it personally.”

  Again, how strange this was. In the old days there'd have been no nonsense of sending in scouts first. I'd have been first, as always.

  The second party did not return.

  “This is becoming unpleasant.” Seg sounded grim.

  “Aye,” I said. “We'll have to take a look.”

  Deb-Lu shoved his turban straight. His plain varnished wooden staff glistened in the light of the suns. “Take Rollo with you.”

  Rollo pushed forward in the group on the deck. “You don't have to tell me. I'm volunteering.”

  At that the usual uproar of voices of folk all desperately anxious to venture down to what could easily be a nasty death caused a babble of volunteering. In the end we had it sorted out. I said: “Deb-Lu, give us two burs after we dip under the trees. Then you must do what you think best.”

  In efficiently run navies captains and admirals do not go running off in landing parties every time they make landfall on an unknown coast. If they did so, promotion would be swift for those left alive. But, here you see my cunning. I was not the captain, Oby was the skipper. I refused to allow the girls to go with us.

  “If you think, Dray Prescot, I'm letting you go gallivanting off—”

  “We're only going to look under the trees.”

  “Then there's nothing stopping me going along.”

  “Or me,” said Sasha and Milsi together.

  Seg said: “It's no good, my old dom. You can't win this one.”

  “They'll only get into some other mischief if they stay,” said Inch.

  Short of not going myself, I was stuck. We climbed into a small voller, observing the fantamyrrh, and Delia took the controls. Down we swooped, leaving the squadron hovering in the bright air, down and through a tiny gap between the treetops.

  I expected the heat and gloom of other rain forests. We looked down and below us a great city spread out in granite walls and towers and battlements. Trees grew everywhere, spaced out, soaring up to spread their branches to form the canopy above. The effect was at once eerie and superb.

  No one said anything for a space as Delia swung the voller in circles. I sniffed. There was very little scent on the humid air and that was odd. Then Seg said: “They can't like suns light.”

  “They're all probably anemic.” Inch did not look up from staring over the side. “Look! There are people.”

  Following his pointing finger I made out a shadowed avenue with a considerable crowd of people. Just what they were doing I couldn't guess. They did not move and were extremely quiet. No one looked up at us. At the end of the avenue a platz opened up and this was crowded with people. Everybody was quite obviously standing still and listening to what the nobs on the platform had to say. This was a grand occasion of some sort.

  The quietness over everything remained impressive.

  I'd never experienced crowds who could stand so still and quietly before. Other avenues opened from the central kyro and these held a few people. The folk here were dotted along the avenue and you'd swear they were hurrying along to the square. So why didn't they get along? Why did they halt half way? Their clothes were bright enough, swathing robes for some, breechclouts and bare chests for others.

  Delia said, very sharply: “The vollers!”

  Sure enough, the two vollers which had taken down the scouting parties were landed on the flat roof of a sizeable building. From there they could lift off easily. They appeared undamaged. And—the crews were still aboard, peering over the sides, just as we were.

  “The first one landed,” said Seg. “And the second landed to see what happened to the first,” went on Inch. And Delia finished: “So we land to make number three.”

  Rollo said: “It is clear, now.
Some kind of enchantment has been cast upon this city. Everyone is in a state of paralysis. Animation is suspended. If we go lower we will be caught—”

  Before he could finish a bolt of fire lanced up from a tower below. The blazing mass missed the voller by a whisker. The noise and the heat as it flashed past stunned us.

  “Up, Delia, up!”

  Another lance of fire, spitting and hissing—the voller started to rise—a third and the airboat rocked like a cockleshell in a gale—we were whirling over and over and the whole world filled with fire. We began to fall.

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  * * *

  Chapter ten

  We were falling straight down, tumbling out of the air. Below us lay some damned magic which would entrap us and paralyze us. The airboat lurched as another fireball hissed past in a confusion of fire and spitting sparks.

  At the controls Delia remained firmly in command. She is a brilliant pilot and she used her skill to right the voller and bring her up in a long soaring slant that was not a direct line. Only four more bolts of fire were let off, and then the shooter must have given up, recognizing that the pilot was better than he was.

  Up and up we lifted. The humid air tasted sweet then, by Krun!

  Up between the leaves Delia took us and then—out in the radiance of the Suns we soared with the breeze in our faces.

  Milsi said: “Oh, Delia—!”

  Sasha started to say: “Flying skill—” and didn't finish.

  Inch said: “That rast down there couldn't hit Delia; but he needs us to go down and sort him out.”

  Seg just leaned forward and gave Delia a little kiss on the cheek.

  My Val! What it is to know my Delia!

  Rollo said: “Deb-Lu will sort this out.” Then, probably because he was the youngest and brashest aboard, he said what really had been eloquently said already. “You fly a mean voller, majestrix.”

  Delia, without the slightest sign of a smile touching her lips, said: “Why, thank you, Rollo.”

  He didn't get it. We others did, though, knowing Delia was sending young Rollo up in the nicest possible way. Every now and then his habitual arrogance would break out. Anyway, he fancied himself as a voller pilot.