'Then what is the point? You'll lose that nail unless you let me work on it.' 'The point…' 'Tell me,' said Miphon. 'I'm tired of…'
'Of what? Being attended to by a pox doctor? Do you think they'll get to hear about it on Rovac? Come on, give me your hand.'
Hearst extended his hand. Miphon heated the needle again and touched it to the thumbnail. He did it several times, slowly burning a hole through the nail.
'Does it hurt?' said Ohio.
'No,' said Hearst.
'But then, if you're a Rovac warrior, you wouldn't admit to the pain.'
'It shouldn't hurt,' said Miphon.
'I knew you were something special,' said Ohio, i always knew you weren't just the wandering swordsman you claimed to be. But I never guessed you were from Rovac'
Miphon touched needle to nail again. is that a Rovac sword?' said Ohio. 'How much is it worth?'
'The sword is from Stokes, where all the best steel comes from,' said Hearst. 'As to what it's worth, well, there's no price that would buy it.'
And he looked hard at Ohio. 'I've no designs on your property,' said Ohio, i was just curious.'
Miphon touched needle to nail one last time. Blood welled up from the hole he had made.
'That should take the pressure off,' said Miphon. 'There's no reason now why you should lose the nail, so long as you're careful with it.'
'Good,' said Hearst.
'Tell me about Rovac,' said Ohio.
'About Rovac?' said Hearst.
'Yes.'
'It's a place where the ground's the ground and the sky's the sky,' said Hearst. 'The people there are born of women, some nine months after their parents couple. To live they eat and drink; at the end of living they find they die.' 'But seriously,' said Ohio. 'Tell me -'
There was a shout as a pirate cried out in alarm. Looking to sea, they saw a Collosnon warship rounding a point of land. It was about five hundred paces away. Some of the crew cried out in panic. •Stand fast!' shouted Ohio. 'We'll be afloat before long! Stand fast, you – we can outfight that ship. Stand fast!'
There were murmurs of protest still among the crew. With their ship stuck fast they were in a bad position, unable to manoeuvre. They had taken heavy casualties in their last battle. Under the circumstances, they had little stomach for facing up to the Collosnon yet again.
On the enemy ship a battle-banner was run up high. Marines on the deck could be seen arming and armouring. Then four harpoon-head arrows slammed into the deck of the Skua. Each was armspan-long; they had been hurled by arbalests, winch-cranked crossbows used most commonly in siege warfare.
The Skua's crew began to take to the water. Ohio shouted at them, but four more outsize bolts hit the deck. This time each was wrapped around with fiercely burning rags saturated with whale oil. Fires started. A few men tried to put them out. Then one was cut down by a crossbow bolt. The enemy ship was three hundred paces away and closing.
The death completed the rout of the pirates. Ohio was left standing on deck, bellowing obscenities at those who were fleeing. They were clumsy swimmers, most using dog-paddle; their labouring efforts disturbed the dog- brown seals which lay on rocks near the shore. The fire on the ship was now out of control.
T could swear this ship is afloat,' said Ohio.
'It is,' said Hearst.
A small wave rocked the ship, scraping it against the rocks beneath. Only Miphon, Hearst, Blackwood and Ohio were left on deck. Four men could scarcely hope to put out the fire, let alone sail the ship.
'I'm going,' said Hearst, with a glance at the enemy craft. It was approaching slowly, with a man at the bows dropping a lead line to make sure the warship did not run aground on a shoal; it was too close for comfort.
Hearst, Miphon and Blackwood took the plunge to the cold shock of the sea. Burdened by clothes, boots and swords, they floundered through the bitter chill of the sea.
Ohio swore, then, drawing a knife, cut his thigh-high seaboots down to ankle length, then jumped. And was dragged straight down, for he wore a heavy treasure-belt at his waist. Ohio cut the belt free and bobbed up to the surface, a pauper. Trying to breathe, swear and spit out water at the same time, he almost drowned himself.
In the end, Ohio gained the shore, and, shivering uncontrollably, followed the other three up the tidal rocks, finding graspholds and footholds amidst slippery seaweed. Limpets and chitons clung to the rocks, armoured against the sea. Crabs retreated, some sidling into pools of water, others clattering into deep crevices.
Then the climbers reached the higher rocks, bare but for barnacles.
Ohio, gasping, sat down to catch his breath.
'You'd better hurry,' said Miphon to Ohio, 'or you'll never catch your crew.'
'What?' said Ohio. 'That cut-throat mob of Scourside eagermouths? What good's a crew without a ship? And where do they think they're running to? There's no fireside to the east for a hundred leagues. Would you run that way?'
'No,' said Hearst, getting the words out with difficulty because his teeth were chattering so hard. 'We'll go west.'
'Then I'll come with you, unless you object.' i don't mind,' said Miphon.
'The more swords the better,' said Hearst.
From the Collosnon ship came a shout: 'Sagresh!'
'I wish I knew what they were saying,' said Ohio.
'They're calling on us to surrender,' said Hearst. 'But they'll never catch us in the hills. Come on, let's go.'
They set off quickly to try to generate enough heat to warm themselves. Ahead lay a steep, rocky climb leading toward a high ridge. Mosses, lichens and stubborn salt-wind grasses grew amongst the rocks, but there was not a scrap of vegetation that could reasonably be considered as cover. The four knew they could be seen by the Collosnon, and that their progress would be followed closely; gaining the heights, they did not immediately try and hide, but instead turned to survey the shore.
The incoming tide had allowed the Collosnon warship to come right in beside the rocks of the shore.
'There's nobody ashore yet,' said Miphon.
'They won't follow us,' said Hearst. 'We've got too much of a start: they'd never catch us.'
But even as they watched, the ship started to disembark large white animals.
'Horses!' said Ohio.
'They must be dreaming.' said Miphon. 'They'll never get horses up that slope.' i don't think they're horses.' said Blackwood.
'I know a horse when I see one,' said Miphon. 'Even at this distance.'
Riders mounted up; a party of twenty turned east to follow the pirate crew, while eight started to make their way up the slope toward Hearst, Miphon, Ohio and Blackwood.
'Those aren't horses,' said Ohio.
'What did I tell you?' said Blackwood.
'They're the size of horses,' said Hearst, 'but they climb like goats. Miphon, what do they look like to you?'
Miphon listened, trying to catch the thoughts of the animals, but they were still far away. Besides, his powers were at a low ebb. He had been forever seasick on their voyaging, and had scarcely been able to practice the meditations at all.
T don't know what they are.' said Miphon.
'Who cares?' said Ohio. 'Let's run!'
Inland, a few leagues south, mountains rose abruptly from a landscape of peat bogs, lakes, pools and tarns: the broken country in between, with its skull-smooth outcrops of grey rock, offered no vegetation of any height. if we can make it to the mountains,' said Blackwood, 'we'll be safe.'
'You go then,' said Hearst, iil make my stand here. With luck I can hold them up long enough to give you a chance.'
'Don't be a fool,' said Ohio. 'For all we know, they'll turn back rather than chase us inland. Come on.'
And they began to run. There was only a light wind; there was no sound of bird or insect. Their feet went soft
