Page 46 (1/2)

Argavisti stared at hied Borvorius

"What did he say?"

Borvorius, as better at thinking than the others, said, "Are you talking about surrender?"

"Yes If that's the word"

Argavisti exploded

"You can't do that!"

"Someone will have to Please listen to h What about your soldiers? They tried to sack our city!"

"Do your soldiers obey your orders?"

"Certainly! "

"And they'd cut me down here and now if you commanded it?"

"I should say so!"

"And I'm unarmed," said Brutha

The sun beat down on an aard pause

"When I say they'd obey- Argavisti began

"We were not sent here to parley," said Borvorius abruptly "Vorbis's death changes nothing fundaer a threat"

"It is not We will sent old, if you like We will reduce the size of our army And so on Consider us beaten We will even open Oions wish to build holy places here"

A voice echoed in his head, like the person behind you who says, "Put the red Queen on the black King," when you think you have been playing all by yourself

I What?

"This will encouragelocal effort," said Brutha

IL Other Gods? Here?

"There will be free trade along the coast I wish to see O its fellow nations"

III I heard You Mention Other Gods

"Its place is at the bottom," said Borvorius

"No That won't work"

IV Could We Please Get Back To The Matter Of Other Gods?

"Will you please excuse htly "I need to pray"

Even Argavisti raised no objection as Brutha walked off a little way up the beach As St Ungulant preached to any ould listen, there were plus points in being a s worse

"Yes?" said Brutha, under his breath

V I Don't See Worshiped In Omnia?

"Ah, but it'll work for you," said Brutha "People will soon see that those other ones are no good at all, won't they?" He crossed his fingers behind his back

VI This Is Religion, Boy Not Co! You Shall Not Subject Your God To Market Forces!

"I'm sorry I can see that you would be worried about-

VII Worried? Me? By A Bunch Of Pri Women And Muscle?bound Posers In Curly Beards?

"Fine Is that settled, then?"

VIII They Won't Last Five Minutes!what?

"And now I'd better go and talk to these ht by athe dunes

"Oh, no," he said "The idiots

He turned and ran desperately toward the beached fleet

"No! It's not like that! Listen! Listen!"

But they had seen the army, too

It looked impressive, perhaps h that a huge ene, pillaging, and-?because they are fro catcalls at the wo the theoods, I don't know, show theht to their heads, you'd think there was so with the local ladsthen people either head for the hills or pick up soet Granny to hide the faht of it

And, in the lead, the iron cart Steaain

"Stupid! Stupid!" Brutha shouted, to the world in general, and carried on running

The fleet was already for battle-lines, and its commander, whichever he as amazed to see an apparent attack by one ed towards a line of spears

"I see," he said "Keep us talking while your soldiers got into position, eh?"

"No! I didn't want that!"

Borvorius's eyes narrowed He had not survived thea stupid man

"No," he said, "maybe you didn't But it doesn't matter Listen to me, my innocent little priest Soo too far for words There'sother forces Nowgo back to your people Maybe we'll both be alive when all this is over and then we can talk Fight first, talk after That's hoorks, boy That's history Now, go back"

Brutha turned away

I Shall I Smite Them?

"No!"

Il I Could Make Them As Dust Just Say The Word

"No That's worse than war"

III But You Said A God Must Protect His People

"What would we be if I told you to crush honest men?"

IV Not Stuck Full Of Arrows?

No

The O the dunes A lot of them had clustered around the iron-shielded cart Brutha looked at it through a o down there alone?" he said

Sirim smile