Homage and Honour (47 page)

His son, Holad
Vadeln Medic Nadil and his Lind Zaya and Holad Vadeln Nurse Jessali
and her Lind Axei were to accompany the army. These two were
married with two young children who would remain with Talin while
their parents went to the war.

“Susa,” Talin
greeted her, “I never thought this day would come.”

“You and me
both Talin,” Lynsey replied, shaking his hand in greeting. Indeed,
this duty station had, since its inception, been the quietest on
record. Nothing much ever happened here. The Holad duos spent their
days travelling around visiting the packs in turn, dealing with
pregnancies, disease and the occasional accident.

“I’ve got what
supplies we have packed already,” Talin said. Unexpected as the
emergency was he was eager to prove that, despite his advanced
years, he was more than capable. Before old age had forced his
retiral from active Ryzck service, he had been a Vada Cadet at the
same time as Harld and had been accustomed to making decisions. Age
had done little to blunt this edge. Lynsey was thankful that it was
Talin greeting her and not his bumbling predecessor. “You’re going
to Fountains Head at once?” the old man asked.

“Within the
bell if I can,” Lynsey answered and began the introductions of the
other senior members of the advance party.

“Ranolf you
know.”

Talin nodded.
They were old friends. “I see that to you has gone the honour of
holding the Standard.” Ranolf nodded with pride and took a tighter
grip of the furled banner of the Vada.

“This is Johan
and his Lind Baltimalya, my Second-in-Command, new since your
time.”

There were
guarded nods between Johan and Talin although their two Lind
greeted each other with expansive grins of welcome. They came from
the same pack.

“Melody and
Dei, who command the senior cadets of the comms pivot and Rhian,
our Weaponsmaster with Tadei.”

“Pieter?”
queried Talin.

“He commands
the First Ryzck. Their Ryzcka is ill and I felt …”

Talin smiled,
“better one who knows them.”

Lynsey nodded
agreement, “and these are Tana and Tavei, Nalda and Ilyei and Rick
and Stasya, Vadryzkas on the staff at Vada. They’ll keep control of
the seniors at the CP.”

“No juniors?”
queried Talin.

“I couldn’t
bring them,” confessed Lynsey, “and they are needed elsewhere to
help plug the gaps in the coastal defences.”

“And finally,”
smiled Lynsey as a cheery-faced individual appeared at her side,
followed by a very intelligent looking Lind, “this is Doctor Hannah
and her Lind Kolyei.”

“The Doctor
Hannah Knutson who found the cure?”

“She leads the
Holad from Vada,” said Lynsey, “I know she’s young but she’s the
best we’ve got.”

She and Bernei
left the group talking amongst themselves. Bernei had told Lynsey
of a large white Lind waiting to speak to her.

: It is the
Gtrathlin :

Lynsey needed
no telling. He was the most senior Lind of all. The old white was
too frail to fight in a Lindar but he was hale enough to make this
journey to meet the Susyc.

As she and
Bernei approached him she could hear Hannah and Talin begin to
discuss the details of the medical dispositions. There would be
hundreds of wounded, perhaps thousands and to Hannah had fallen the
task of making sure that everything was done that could be done to
take care of them. She had to co-ordinate the entire medical
support, human and Lind and that included making sure that all the
supplies would be at the appointed place at the appointed time.

Hannah and
Kolyei would go with the advance party to Fountains Head where she
would arrange the casualty station there. To pack Jannsdei had been
detailed the task of defending the medics and also those at the CP.
In the past the Larg had made a point of killing as many of the
injured and communications pivots as they possibly could.

Lynsey and
Bernei bowed low before Redei, the Gtrathlin who returned the
bow.

“Dangerous
times,” he said in greeting and understatement. “We of the
rtathlians have answered your call to muster.”

This was not
the time for making small talk. “The rtaths between Fountains Head
and the coast?”

“All but one
have heeded your warning,” Redei answered, “and have left their
domtas.”

“What one?”

“That rtath
does not believe the Larg are coming. You must forget about what
will happen to them Susycs Lynsey and Bernei, as I have had to,
difficult though it is.”

“We are sworn
to protect all,” Lynsey fretted.

“You are sworn
to defend,” Redei corrected her, “for the greater good of all you
must do as I ask. I will try again to persuade their Susa and their
Elda but they are old, set in their ways.” Redei sighed. “It is
hard for them, the Larg have never attacked here before. The rtath
is a small one. Now, you must tell me more about your plans. You
have decided not to meet the Larg in the nadlians, is that correct?
You will wait for them in the lian at the valley?”

“Yes,” Lynsey
answered, “in the woods, both sides of the valley. It is a deep
one, wide with low undulating sloping sides at the entrance, the
valley narrowing and the sides growing steeper closer to the
waterfall that feeds the Tarklei. “

“It is a good
choice,” said Redei. “I must abide here though some of the Gtratha
will go with you. They may be of some help. Alei too, he brings the
Avuzdel to fight.”

“They will be
of help and thank you,” said Lynsey. “At the Battle of the Alliance
I read that their presence was of great value to Susyc Jim and his
Lind Larya. He wrote that their support and encouragement helped
turn the tide of the battle.”

“I have also
ordered that all the nearest rtaths help with transporting what is
necessary,” Redei continued, “and are horses coming? I will be
interested to see them.”

: Why, he
sounds quite excited at the prospect :
‘exclaimed’ Lynsey.

: He has
never seen a horse because he comes from a pack far to the north
:
Bernei supplied the information.

“My brother
commands the army of Argyll,” said Lynsey, gathering her wits, “and
yes, he brings horses. As Lind have defended him and his, now it is
his turn to fight for you and yours.”

: Well put
:
‘said’ Bernei.
: Now if you would be pleased to say your
goodbyes to the Gtrathlin we can get something to eat and be on our
way :

* * * * *

Rakthed (Fifth Month of Winter) -
AL166

War (6)

Dawn came and
there were groans as the dom came to life. There was still no word
of the Larg kohorts.

“It’s a
miserable time of the year to travel,” complained Lynsey to no-one
in particular as she rolled up her soggy bedroll. It was very wet;
these last few tendays of winter had begun with rain and it was
still raining. With the rain had come a slight increase in
temperature that had begun to soften the ground making everywhere
wet, soggy and boggy. This part of Lind was flat and full of
streams and rivers with few trees or woodland to provide cover.
Bernei shook himself trying to get rid of the excess water. The
advance party was only a half-day’s run from the rendezvous. She
accepted a mug of kala and a generous slice of maize bread from
Tana. As she ate she prepared herself for the rigours of the day.
In the distance she heard the bellows of the zarova and the bleats
of the kura who were being driven towards the rendezvous. She
fretted that there would be enough walda grass there to feed them
all and Bernei had to reassure her that Talin had it in hand.

Thank the
Lai for Talin
, was Lynsey’s heartfelt thought.

It was after
breakfast that the Lind became still, their faces tight with
concentration as they ‘listened’ to the news that was being
telepathed to them.

: Many Larg
sighted :

“How many?”
demanded Lynsey.

: Pack Cdidya
reports :

The visual
image came next.

Susyc Lynsey
paled. Hundreds of Larg! How had so many managed to cross over the
Trent Reef so fast? Almost as one, the faces of those around her
turned in her direction.

“So they have
arrived at last and at the place we thought they would,” was
Bernei’s bland comment. His snout lifted as he received another
message.

: The Susa of
Cdidya reports that he will not be able to hold them and he has
ordered the evacuation of his domta :

As others
received the message and imparted its contents to their human
partners, Lynsey spied many worried faces. Pack Cdidya was about to
pay the price for not believing that the Larg were coming. They had
been warned and had chosen to disregard the warning, not really
believing that the Larg could attack other than over the
Argyll-Graham route. After all, the Larg had never come this way
before. Even the Gtrathlin had been unable to persuade them that
the danger was real.

Everyone in the
dom knew that there was little chance that the majority would get
away. Although the Larg did not have the innate speed of the Lind
they could run fast over short distances. There were ltsctas in the
domta, many of them very young and they and the old would be unable
to sustain a long run. Mothers with young would not leave them to
be tortured and killed by the invaders.

Those fit
enough to escape would now be saying their farewells to loved ones
who would not be escaping the domta with them. Lynsey felt sick at
heart, an emotion shared by the girl beside her.

“What will
happen to them?” the fresh-faced senior cadet attached to the
Command Post for messenger service asked in a shrill voice.

“They will
die,” answered her Lind. “Those remaining and who are able, will
fight but will probably die too. Mothers will kill their own
ltsctas before the end. Better the quick clean kill at the mouth of
a mother than an agonising death. Mothers with older ltsctas will
run, hoping they can keep up. If the Larg catch up, the mother will
turn on them and take as many with her as she can to try to delay
them long enough so that the faster ones amongst her young get
away.”

“The Lindar?”
asked the cadet in distress, “can they not help?” Her Lind
continued to explain the realities of the situation in a voice
devoid of emotion and loud enough so that the other youngsters
could hear too. “There is little one Lindar can do to stop an
entire Larg army. Their Susa has his orders, he will accompany them
as far as he can but will not permit any suicide fights. The Lindar
will run until the great Tarklei river then east towards the
Dantrapper Forest, to us.”

:
All rtaths
between where the Larg have landed and the Tarklei have been
ordered to evacuate towards the Dantrapper. The Lindars make for
the rendezvous at all speed :
Bernei informed Lynsey.

Lynsey nodded.
The plan that she, Rhian and Johan had set in place for this
eventuality was clicking into place like a well-oiled wheel,
non-combatants to the forest, the Lindars to the rendezvous in the
hills beside the Tarklei. Some might not have believed her when she
had told them their rtathlians were the target, but she was the
Susyc, they had listened to her order to muster and had obeyed.
Now, the Lindars, the Garda, the Vadathian Militia, the Light and
Heavy Horse and the Ryzcks were closing in on the Tarklei from all
directions. Lind were carrying everyone who might otherwise have
had to march on foot. Even Lind as young as seven and eight summer
seasons were carrying equipment and the lightest soldiers.

“How long?”
mouthed Lynsey to Bernei.

“Three
suns.”

“Four days, we
must delay them for four days until the army arrives,” Lynsey said.
“The cavalry has disembarked as have the Ryzcks who came by ship.
They will be here in two. Tell the Lindars between us and the Trent
Reef to drive the zarova and kura north, all of them, they must not
leave any for the Larg.”

“That is the
same direction as the evacuees,” warned Bernei.

“Even better,
the Larg won’t know who or how many. The Larg need to eat. They
will follow the herds.”

She turned to
the Ryzckas of the Third and the Sixteenth, the Ryzcks who had
accompanied the advance party. “Dirty tricks time. We have to make
sure the Larg kohorts go in the direction we want them to. Left to
their own devices, the Larg will follow the coastal route east. We
must stop them. Scorched earth policy ladies and gentlemen. Just as
we planned.”

The Ryzckas
looked at each other. Now they knew why they had been ordered to
bring bottles of fireoil in their packs.

“Burn the woods
and the grasslands along the coasts and up to say, three miles
inland,” Lynsey ordered. “With the herds moving towards Fountains
Head and the eastern route impassable the Larg will have no choice
in the matter. I need them on the battlefield of our choosing, not
of theirs.”

She turned to
Tana, “your Tavei can ‘send’ far. Ask him to try to find out where
the
Powderflower
is. She should be approaching the Trent
Reef by now. I need the Ice Bridge blown before the entire Larg
nation arrives.”

* * * * *

Captain Wylie’s
small flotilla was nearing the Trent Reef. Despite her valiant
efforts, the
Powderflower
, was delaying them. She was not a
new vessel; her keel had been laid down in AL72 in the shipyard at
Port Lutterell. Her timbers protested every wallowing league as she
sailed on this her final voyage.

Captain Wylie
was worried about the slow time the
Powderflower
was making,
she might be a wallowing nightmare at sea but she was specifically
designed to carry combustible materials. She was also flat-bottomed
and would be able to sail very close to the reef without tearing
her bottom out.