[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

massing in a great spiral over the camp.
They were of every size and description. Their kilts formed a brilliant
quiltwork in the sky.
Then the spiral began to unwind as the line of bats and birds flew over the
Gate to meet the coming threat. They
intercepted the Plated Folk fliers near the line of combat.
As soon as contact was made, the Plated Folk forces split.
Half moved to meet the attack. The second half, consisting primarily of
powerful but ponderous beetles, dipped below the fight. With them went a large
number of the more agile dragonflies with their single riders.
"Look there," said Mudge. "Wot are the bleedin' buggerers up to?"
"They're attacking ground troops!" said Aveticus, outraged.
"It is not done. Those in the sky do not do battle with those on the ground.
They fight only others of their own kind."
266
THE HOUR Or THE GATE
"Well, somebody's changed the rules," said Jen-Tom, watching a tall amazonian
figure moving across the wall toward them.
Confusion began to grip the advance ranks of warmlanders.
They were not used to fighting attack from above. Most of the outnumbered
birds and bats were too busy with their own opponents to render any assistance
to those below.
"This is Eejakrat's work," muttered Clothahump. "I can sense it.'It is magic,
but of a most subtle sort."
"Air-ground support," said the newly arrived Flor. She was staring
tight-lipped at the carnage the insect fliers were wreaking on the startled
Page 129
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
warmlander infantry.
"What kind of magic is this?" asked Aveticus grimly.
"It's called tactics," said Jon-Tom.
The marten turned to Clothahump. "Wizard, can you not counter this kind of
magic?"
"I would try," said Clothahump, "save that I do not know how to begin. I can
counter lightning and dissipate fog, but I
do not know how to assist the minds of our soldiers. That is what is
endangered now."
While bird and dragonfly tangled in the air above the Pass and other insect
fliers swooped again and again on the ranks of puzzled warmlanders, the sky
began to rain a different sort of death.
The massive cluster of large beetles remained high out of arrowshot and began
to disgorge hundreds, thousands of tiny pale puffs on the rear of the
warmlander forces. Arrows fell
Aom the puff shapes as they descended.
Jon-Tom recognized the familiar round cups. So did Flor.
But Clothahump could only shake his head in disbelief.
"Impossible! No spell is strong enough to lift so many into the air at once."
"I'm afraid this one is," Jon-Tom told him.
"What is this frightening spell called?"
"Parachuting."
267
Alan Dean Foster
The wannlander troops were as confused by the sight as by the substance of
this assault on their rear ranks. At the same time there was a chilling roar
from the retreating Plated Folk infantry. Those who'd abandoned their weapons
suddenly scrambled for the nearest canyon wall.
From the hidden core of the horde came several hundred of the largest beetles
anyone had ever seen. These huge scara-
baeids and their cousins stampeded through the gap created by their own
troops. The startled wolverines were trampled underfoot. Massive chitin horns
pierced soldier after soldier.
Each beetle had half a dozen bowmen on its back. From there they picked off
those wannlanders who tried to cut at the beetle's legs.
Now it was the wannlanders who broke, whirling and scrambling in panic for the
safety of the distant Gate. They pressed insistently on those behind them. But
terror already ruled their supposed reinforcements. Instead of friendly faces
those pursued by the relentless beetles found thousands of
Plated Folk soldiers who had literally dropped from the sky.
The birds and their riders, mostly small squirrels and then-
relatives, fought valiantly to break through the aerial Plated
Folk. But by the time they had made any headway against the dragonfly forces
confronting them the great, lumbering flying beetles had already dropped their
cargo. Now they were flying back down the Pass, to gather a second load of
impatient insect parachutists.
Glee turned to dismay on the wall as badly demoralized troops streamed back
through the open Gate. Behind them was sand and gravel-covered ground so
choked with corpses that it was hard to move. The dead actually did more to
save the wannlander forces from annihilation than the living.
When the last survivor had limped inside, the great Gate was swung shut. An
insectoid wave crested against the barrier.
268
THE HOUR OF THE GATE
Now the force of scarabaeids who'd broken the wannlander front turned and
retreated. They could not scale the wall and would only hinder its capture.
Page 130
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
" Strong-armed soldiers carrying dozens, hundreds of ladders took their
places. The ladders were thrown up against the wall in such profusion that
several defenders, while trying to spear those Plated Folk raising one ladder,
were struck and killed by another. The ladders were so close together they
some-
| times overlapped rungs. A dark tide began to swarm up the
| wall.
| Having no facility with a bow, Jon-Tom was heaving spears
I as fast as the armsbearers could supply them. Next to him
| Flor was firing a large longbow with deadly accuracy. Mudge
I stood next to her, occasionally pausing in his own firing to
| compliment the giantess on a good shot.
I The wall was now crowded with reinforcements. Every
II time a wannlander fell another took his place. But despite the number of
ladders pushed back and broken, the number of climbers killed, the seemingly
endless stream of Plated Folk
: came on.
; It was Caz who pulled Jon-Tom aside and directed his attention far, far up
the canyon. "Can you see them, my friend? They are there, watching."
! "Where?"
"There... can't you see the dark spots on that butte that juts out slightly
into the Pass?"
Jon-Tom could barely make out the butte. He could not discern individuals [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]