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Corus. Against the shadows, the timeworn crimson stone spires, carved ages
before out of the cliffs, stood out as a hard red.
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Legions of the new Myrmidons, all in their blued armor, stood on the steps
leading up to the Vault, but they faced westward, looking down upon the
polished redstone plaza beneath those steps. Upon the plaza were twenty
pteridons, creatures from before the Cataclysm, formed into a wedge. Beside
each blue leather form stood a rider, wearing the blued armor that had not
been seen in Corus since the
Cataclysm. Each rider held a length of shimmering blue metal, the ancient
skylances once carried by the original Myrmidons.
Beside the lead pteridon stood Aellyan Edyss, his silver-blond hair glittering
in the morning sun, his arm raised, holding the skylance overhead. He jabbed
the lance skyward once, then turned toward his pteridon, slipping the skylance
into the holder that extended forward of the saddle. Then, with a mighty leap,
he vaulted into position astride the pteridon and settled himself into the
blue leather saddle that seemed invisible against the pteridon s hide.
In turn, the pteridon leaped forward and spread its wings, wings that suddenly
stretched more than twenty yards on each side, and with strong strokes bore
Aellyan Edyss aloft.
A single explosive cheer echoed from the new Myrmidons arrayed on the steps of
the ancient Vault.
One after another, the remaining pteridons lifted off from the shimmering
expanse of polished stone below the Vault and, following Edyss, circled upward
into the spring sky, higher and higher, until they re-formed into a wedge that
arrowed southward.
From just forward of the pillars of the Vault, the councilors watched, their
mouths slightly parted, as the wedge of pteridons swooped down at the targets
to the south, targets that flared into blue flame as the narrow beams of blue
light struck.
21
Another Quattri came and went,another week, another ten days of increasing
warmth and dust, and continued quiet in Emal and upon the roads in the eastern
part of the Iron Valleys. On Quinti, Alucius took fourth squad east beyond
Tuuler, up along the river road toward the second cataract, not that he
expected to find much of anything. He and Egyl rode side by side at the head
of the column, and two troopers acting as scouts were more than a vingt ahead,
well out of sight around the gentle curve in the river road.
As if following a celestial glass, once spring had turned, the snowfalls had
stopped, and the skies had cleared, and there had not been a drop of moisture
falling across the entire river valley for almost a month. The light breeze
picked up the road dust, and even at a walk, the squad s mounts left a trail
hanging in the air that followed the riders.
Alucius wiped the faint grit from his damp forehead and looked at the curve in
the road ahead, the shed to the left, and the orchard to the right, with the
small green leaves of spring already cloaking the branches of the apple trees
and the faint perfume of the last white blossoms lingering in the air. There
was not a single sign that barely a month before there had been a skirmish or
ambush along this section of the road.
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Alucius could sense the roar of the distant second cataract, and he glanced
toward the river, running high enough that the underbrush along the normal
shoreline was a good yard underwater.
There s been talk around, sir, Egyl said cautiously. Things like the men
might not get paid, and that we ll all be put out of service. That d include
those with more n a few years.
I ve heard the rumors, Alucius said. We got the pay chests almost two weeks
ago, and there s enough in them for spring and summer, and sometime into fall.
I don t see us going short on pay anytime soon.
That s good to hear, sir. Still& Captain Feran s been quiet, too. Jissop says
that s not a good sign, and he s been a squad leader with Captain Feran for
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almost four years.
Alucius considered. What could he say? Finally, he said, You re right. There
has been talk, but there are always rumors. There always have been. It s not
secret that the Council has always been hard-pressed to come up with funding
for the militia. He forced a shrug. It s something the militia has always
had to live with.
What do you think will happen, sir? Egyl pressed.
I don t know. There are some traders who think we should become part of
Lanachrona. There are others who don t, and there are some of each who sit on
the Council. I know that the colonel doesn t favor that, but I ve heard that
the Council still owes a large sum that they borrowed from the Landarch of
Deforya in order to pay for supplies and troopers during the Matrite War.
They ll probably have to raise tariffs to pay that off, and that won t set
well with anyone. How it will all turn out your guess is as good as mine.
Egyl laughed. I d not be thinking so, sir. You ve always seen things the way
they would be. That s why
I asked. You re not saying, and I d be thinking that you re as worried as
Captain Feran. Would I be wrong in that, sir?
Alucius turned in the saddle and looked at Egyl. No, I am worried. But until
we know what s likely to come down, I can t say what might be the best to do.
There are times to act, and there are times when it s best to wait. This is a
time to be prepared for anything and to wait.
You think we ll be seeing attacks by the Southern Guard?
Alucius shook his head. No. We might see an attack by someone else, but not
by the Southern Guard.
There s no one else on this border, sir.
We ran into raiders who were supposed to be from Deforya, as I recall, less
than a month ago.
I see your meaning, sir.
Alucius hoped they wouldn t see any more attacks, but he could also see that
attacks by outsiders
would be a way to put more pressure on the Council to force the militia to use
resources it really couldn t afford. We ll just have to be alert and see what
happens. That s all we can do.
He just hoped that would be enough.
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22
South Pass, Spine of Corus
Vestor rode into the chill wind,following directly behind the vanguard of the
Praetorian Legions, a small cart drawn by a single horse behind him, each
chest within the frame of the cart containing one of his devices. A second
cart remained well guarded within the main body of the foot companies and
horse troopers who filled the high road for more than three vingts back toward
Catyr. Despite the clear skies and the full sunlight, Vestor wrapped the heavy
fleece-lined jacket around his slender form more tightly, trying to ignore the
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