The Pastel City (v-1) by M. John Harrison(1971)

Author:M. John Harrison(1971) [Harrison, M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sf_fantasy
ISBN: 0-04-823333-1 / 978-0-04-823333-2
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Published: 1987-03-19T05:00:00+00:00

*

With a wild yell, the Northerners threw themselves at the knoll, and it shook beneath the onslaught. A spearcast blackened the air, and when it had cleared, pikemen advanced unimpeded up the lower slopes, gutting the survivors and treading in their wounds.

Behind the pikers came a never-ending wave of swordsmen, and axe-men, and berserk metal-prospectors from the north-most reaches of the Waste, wielding queer weapons dug from pits in the ground. The shattered, pathetic remnant of Water-beck's expeditionary force fell back before them, and were overcome, and died. They hit the summit of the hill like some kind of earthquake, and they split the Methven, so that each one fought alone – Tomb the dwarf sniggered and swung his greedy axe. He towered above them, and they ran like rats around his silver-steel legs -Birkin Grif cursed. His sword was shattered at the hilt, so he broke a Northrnan's neck and stole another. He called to his smugglers, but all that brave and dirty crew were dead -Old Glyn lunged. 'You've never seen this one before,'he cackled, as he put his hidden knife in, 'eh?'His opponent was astonished -Cromis ducked and rolled like a fairground acrobat. The metal vulture was above him, the nameless sword was everywhere -They came together, and made their stand.

'Methven!'cried Cromis, and they answered him 'Methyen!'

Something in the grey air caught his eye, a movement beneath the cloudhase. But a blade nicked his collar-bone, and death demanded his attention. He gave it fully. When he next looked up, there were seven airboats in the sky where there had been four, and three of them bore the arms of Methvet Nian, Queen Jane of Viriconium. 'Grif! Up there!'

'If they are couriers,'said Grif, 'They come a little late.'

The crystal launches clashed with a sound like immense bells. As Cromis watched, the Northern squadron-commander closed to rain: but the sky exploded suddenly around his ship, and burned, dripping cold fire; and, tail-first and crippled, it dropped out of the sky. Faint violet bolts chased it down.

'There's a cannon aboard one of those ships,'said Tomb the dwarf wonderingly. 'It is the Queen's own flight.'

Confused by this sudden renaissance in the air, the Northmen drew back from their prey and craned their necks. The dying airboat ploughed through them and blew up, scattering limbs and bits of armour. Howling with rage, they renewed their attack, and the Methven on the hill were hard put to it.

Up above, one of the Viriconese boats left its sister-ships to a holding action against the remaining three northern craft, and began to cruise up and down the valley. But the Methven were unaware of this until its huge shadow passed over them, hesitated, and returned. Tomb crow ed. He tore off Cromis'tattered black cloak with a huge steel hand and waved it about above his head. The airboat descended, yawing.

Ten feet above the top of the hill, it swung rapidly on its own axis, and fell like a stone. The energy cannon under its prow pulsed and spat.

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