The Complete Psychotechnic League, Volume 3 by Anderson Poul

Author:Anderson, Poul [Anderson, Poul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, science fiction, Action & Adventure, General, Collections & Anthologies
ISBN: 9781481483377
Publisher: Baen Books
Published: 2018-07-02T21:00:00+00:00

They went down the street. There was a narrow passage between the Ship and the wall. On the other side lay a broad open square, lined with impressive temples. . . . No more sound of fighting. Odd!

A sailor troop emerged from behind one of the columned sanctuaries. “It’s the Man!” squealed somebody, they ran toward him and drew up, flushed. The leader gave a sketchy salute.

“I think we just about have the town, sir,” she puffed. “I was patrolling on the east end. Didn’t see anyone.”

“Good!” Davis shuddered his relief. He could not have used a blaster on women, the memory of the dead Whitley girl was burned too deeply in him.

“Get our people together here,” he said. “Post guards. Round up all the Doctors left, herd ’em into one of these chapels . . . and don’t use them for target practice! Set up a sickbay for the wounded, and that means enemy wounded too. Nelly, you take charge, I want a look around.”

He walked through empty avenues. Behind him he could hear cheers and trumpets, the tramp of feet and triumphal clang of arms, but he was in no mood for it.

Minos was a thin sliver, with Bee sliding close. Nearly eclipse time . . . had all this only taken three hours?

The Whitleys trailed him. He heard: “I take a lot back, Val. You fought pretty good.”

“Hell, Babs, you’re no slouch yourself. After all, darling, you are identical with me.”

The street opened on a narrow space running the length of the east wall. There was a doorway in the center, with wrought-iron gates. Davis looked through the bars to the causeway and the marshes. Mud gleamed on the ridge which the road followed, birds screamed down after stranded fish. The tide was ebbing, the ships already trapped . . . but what the Evil, they had won, hadn’t they?

Hold on there!

The highway bent around a clump of saltwater trees three kilometers from the city. Davis saw what approached from the other side and grabbed the bars with both hands.

“An army!” he croaked.

Rank after rank poured into view, with war-cries and haughty banners; now he saw leather corselets, iron morions, boots and spurs and streaming cloaks. They were the hill people and they were riding to the relief of the Doctors.

“A couple of thousand, at least,” muttered Barbara. “The legates must have gone after them as soon as we attacked. They’ve been waiting around to kill you, my dearest—” She whirled on him, her visored face pressed against his side. “And it’s too late to retreat, we’re boxed in!”

“Not too late to fight!” shouted Valeria. Sea women on the walls lifted horns to lips and wailed an alarm.

Davis looked at the gate. It was locked, but it could be broken apart. His hand went to the blaster. Before Cosmos, that would stop them. No!

The rebel army pelted into the open space. Right and left, arbalesters swarmed up the staircases to the walls. Hasn’t there been enough killing? thought Davis.

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