Page 62 (1/2)

‘We want to think about that for a while, though,’ Vanion added ‘Sparhawk and I are still debating the issue I still think we’ll want tonorth If we leave here in about a ith banners flying and five thousand knights added to the forces we’ve gathered in this general area, we’ll have Zalasta’s full attention If we go out to sea, he won’t knoe’re coive hien’s plans for our special celebration of the Harvest Festival Both ideas have an ele about which surprise would disrupt Zalasta’s plans the an ihts, of course, coentry were too small and delicate to carry armored men, and the oversized plow horses used by Taood war-horses

They were always rushed now Caalador had given the order, and it was irrevocable Thethe Harvest Festival, whether their other plans were fully in place or not, and every ht the holiday thatthe return of Sparhawk and his friends froe fro roo the relative er handed Khalad’s note to Sparhawk

‘My Lord,’ he read the characteristically abrupt note aloud ‘The earthquake has jumbled the northeast coast Don’t rely on any charts of the area You’re going to have to come by sea, however There’s no e can cli for us at the botto with the Atans and Tikuues south of where the wall dives into the Taet here The other side is up to so’

‘That throws both your plans out the , doesn’t it,’ Eo by land, because you can’t clio by sea, because the sea’s filled with uncharted reefs’

‘And to ot about two days toto the north are going to have to startto reach the North Cape in tio have a talk with Captain Sorgi,’ Sparhawk said, rising to his feet

‘He and Caalador are down in the en advised him ‘They’re both Cammorians, and Cammorians like to be close to food and drink’

Sparhawk nodded, and he and Vanion quickly left the roo up between Caalador and Sorgi They were, as Stragen had pointed out, both Cammorians, and they even looked i’s was nearly silver by now, and they were both burly men with heavy shoulders and powerful hands ‘Well, Master Cluff,’ Sorgi said expansively as Sparhawk and Vanion entered the large, airy kitchen store-room, ‘have you solved all the world’s problei always called Sparhawk by the alias he had used the first tiot one that h’

‘Get the i,’ Caalador recoue when th’ tii smiled ‘I haven’t heard that dialect since I left home,’ he told Sparhawk ‘I could sit and listen to Caalador talk by the hour Let’s not worry aboutyou money when I lift o to a place where there’s been an earthquake recently,’ Sparhawk told hie The earthquake has changed things so much that all the old i told hies her bottoed ‘We put out a s and a clever one to heave the sounding-line They lead us through’

‘Isn’t that sort of slow?’

‘Not nearly as slow as trying to steer a sinking ship How big an area got churned up by the earthquake?’

‘It’s sort of hard to say’

‘Guess, Master Cluff Tellthe danger-spot is’

Sparhawk glossed over the cause of the sudden change in the coastline and described the ei assured him

‘How did you arrive at that conclusion, Captain?’ Vanion asked him

‘We won’t have to worry about any reefs to the north of your cliff,like that happen on the west coast of Rendor one ti It runs on out to sea – under the water – so once you get to the north of it, the water’s going to be a thousand feet deep Not too many ships I know of draw thatsoues and sail north I’ll take ues north of this new cliff of yours, we’ll turn west and run straight for the beach I’ll put your men ashore up there with no trouble at all’

‘And that’s the probleot a hundred ships If you take both the knights and their horses, you’ll only be able to take fifteen hundred up there to face the Trolls’

‘Is a-winnin’ this yere arg-u-ment real i for the best way, Caalador,’ Sparhawk replied

‘Then why not co in the , and you et things organized When Sorgi gets to a place ten leagues or so south of the wall, he can feel his way in to shore Youyour army on around the reef and puts you down on the beach north of the wall Then you can go looking for Trolls, and Sorgi can drop his anchor and spend his ti’

Sparhawk and Vanion looked at each other sheepishly

‘It’s like I wuz a-sayin’, Sorgi,’ Caalador grinned ‘Th’ gentry ain’t got hordly no coot room in ther heads fer more’n one i’dee at a time’

Inevitably, the day arrived when the relief column was scheduled to depart for Atan It was before dahen Mirtai came into the bedrooet up,’ the giantess announced

‘Don’t you kno to knock?’ Sparhawk asked, sitting up in bed

‘Did I interrupt sohed ‘It’s a custooes on in here’

‘Isn’t it al to get rid ofand I have decided to wait until after all of this is finished up Our weddings are going to be a little coh two cere’s not very happy about all the delay’

‘I can’t for the life of e’ Mirtai shrugged

‘They are indeed, Mirtai, but hoould we amuse ourselves without the on the padded, rust-stained underclothing with reluctance and eyeing his black-enameled suit of steel work-clothes with active dislike

‘Did you pack war chilly even this far south, so it’s going to be very cold up on the North Cape’

‘I packed it,’ he grunted, ‘for all the good it’s going to do No a steel’ He made a sour face ‘I know it’s a contradiction, but I start to sweat the ht I’ve ever known does the sa and icicles are forone into another line of work Bashing people for fun and profit starts to wear thin after a while’