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‘So that’s what set this off’ Sorgan exclaimed ‘Were you able to find out just exactly where they were bound for?’

‘I was indeed, Captain Sorgan,’ Gunda replied with a broad grin ‘We kept our ht, but I rowed my little yawl on up to the south coast There are four or five church ships anchored just off the beach any place where there happens to be a far before long’

‘We sort of expected that,’ Ox said, his eyes narrowing

‘I thought you ht have,’ Gunda said ‘It’s a very old church custo the Empire for centuries now The slave-ships have black sails, but the sails on the church ships are red The Amarite church is very fond of the color red It tells everybody who passes by just how terribly irinned suddenly ‘I think we’ve cos, Gunda,’ he announced

‘Oh?’

‘Fire’s sort of red, wouldn’t you say? After my people have set fire to every one of their ships, they’ll probably wish that they’d never heard the word "red"’

‘What a wonderful idea!’ Gunda replied ‘Nohy didn’t I think of that?’

Sorgan laughed an evil sort of laugh ‘When you see Narasan, tell him that we’re down here, and we’ll do e caan You have a nice day now’ Gunda grinned at the pirate and then climbed back down to the Albatross

There were still a few ships anchored off the beach near Veltan’s castle, but most of the fleet had already sailed off to the north, so Gunda didn’t see any reason to stop

The coast to the north of the castle was quite a bit ed than had been the case farther south, and there wereup a fewat the mountains

‘Enjoy the pretty when you start cliion where we’ll alhten my day There’s a narrow sort of pass that’ll take us on up to the top, and that’ll slow us down quite a bit I don’t think we’ll be able to go up through that pass anyto take us quite a while to get the whole arhed ‘Oh, well,’ he said ‘Difficult wars pay better, I guess’

‘Only if you’re still alive when payday rolls around,’ Gunda re day when they reached the mouth of the River Vash, and it appeared that most of the ships that had carried the advance force were anchored there Gunda saw the Victory, the ship that belonged to his cousin Pantal, near the center of that fleet, and Gunda and Andar took the Albatross and rowed on over to find out just how things stood

‘We haven’t heard very much yet, Gunda,’ the stocky Pantal adulch - or whatever you want to call it - have it pretty well blocked off, so nobody’s able to come back down and let us knohat’s afoot up there’

‘That happens a lot in hilly country,’ Gunda said ‘How far upriver is this pass located?’

‘About two days Are you faadier Danal?’

Gunda nodded ‘He’s been in Narasan’s ar as Padan and I have’

‘He’s e at the mouth of the pass He’s been very useful He had histhe north bank of the river, and when you’ve got a pier on both sides of a ship, you can unload your troops in a hurry He’s having a bit of a probleh A hs a hundred pounds doesn’t move very fast’