Lloyd Alexander - Westmark 03 by The Beggar Queen

Author:The Beggar Queen
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2012-06-04T15:04:32+00:00

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15

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MICKLE LOVED her city. She now spent half of her time calculating how to destroy it. She spent the other half calculating how to spare it.

She had gone over the plans again and again: with Theo and the section commandants, with Las Bombas, and in her own mind. As soon as Florian landed in Westmark, the uprising would begin. A strong force would attack the Mariana Caserna and engage the city regiment.

“Dear girl,” said Las Bombas, who had appointed himself to his old role as the queen’s military adviser, “you realize that attacking the Marianas will be like wrestling a wild bear.”

“Yes,” Mickle said, “unless we find a way to muzzle it. I’ll try to think of something. Otherwise, I’m afraid we’ll just have to wrestle our bear.”

At the same time, other sections would attack the Juliana. “The Ankaris will be too busy defending the palace to do much else,” Mickle said. “Don’t tell me that’s another wild bear,” she added to Las Bombas. “I know it. But if we do well, and I think we can, we’ll keep the fighting from spreading all over the city. I don’t see much sense in holding Marianstat if there’s nothing left of it to hold.”

Even so, she tried to take other possibilities into account, to make allowances for whatever might happen. She needed Witz. She now missed him and his passion for details more than ever. She continued to pore over her maps to make certain that nothing had been overlooked.

Ingo, by ways known only to himself, had provided her with architectural drawings of the Mariana Caserna. She studied them, looking for weak points that could be attacked most sharply. She was still searching when Theo and Las Bombas came back from the old farm.

From Theo’s face she could tell that he had found Justin. She could also tell it had gone badly. She listened carefully while Theo reported Justin’s demands.

“You agreed?” She looked uneasily at Theo.

“I had no choice. If that’s his price for supporting Florian, it has to be paid.”

“Perhaps.” Mickle frowned. Something was setting her teeth on edge. “You know there will be reprisals. Against the townspeople. Against us.”

“There will always be reprisals, whatever we do.”

“Too many losses and all our other plans are going to be blown sky-high. We’ve worked them out too carefully. I can’t see ruining them.”

“Justin only wants a show of strength. He wants proof of what we can do. I’ll give him that.”

“Yes,” Mickle said. “You’ll give it. You. Are you trying to show him what your people can do? Or what you yourself can do? Is it Justin’s good opinion of the Marianstat resistance? Or of you?”

“It makes no difference what Justin thinks of me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I am.”

Mickle saw his face flush. She said no more, sensing it would only lead to a quarrel.

It was the first time he had lied to her.

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