Nightchild

Chapter 37

Hirad strode through the partially collapsed entrance of the house, happy to be on dry land again. Behind him, Denser was enjoying his reunion with Lyanna. The Unknown, his hip painful after the uncomfortable journey from the Catalan Sun, was taking his time, limping up the path.

With glass crunching underfoot, Hirad wandered into a big, damp-smelling entrance hall, saw to his right collapsed beams and doorways and so headed left.

'Ilkar?' He walked up a long, soaking corridor, counted the doors off on his left and looked right out on to an orchard. Drifts of leaves lay in sheltered areas and away across the ranks of damaged trees he could see hints of the demolition job that had been done on other parts of the house. Above him, water dripped through holes in the ceiling and large splinters of wood were scattered along the length of the corridor.

A door opened ahead. Ilkar came out and walked down to him.

'Hirad, we're in trouble.'

'Glad you noticed.'

'No, not all this. The Al-Drechar. One of them is dead, the other three not far off. If they can't shield even part of this place…'

'Right,' said Hirad. 'Have you been around the house?'

'Yes and it's not good. I'll show you when The Unknown and Darrick get here. How far are the Protectors behind?' asked Ilkar.

'An hour, The Unknown says.'

'How is he?'

Hirad scratched his head and looked over his shoulder. 'Is there some food anywhere? I'm starving.'

'Sure.'

Ilkar took Hirad to the kitchen and sat him down with some soup

and a mug of tea. The gorgeous smell of baking bread filled the room.

'Bread's still in, sorry,' said Ilkar. 'Now, The Unknown. And no stalling.'

'Well, it's not good. He wouldn't sit down the whole journey and now he's walking up the path like an old man. I thought Erienne was supposed to have sorted him out. Doesn't look much like it to me.'

'Bloody hell, Hirad,' said Ilkar sharply. 'Seven days ago he was practically dead. Now he's up and walking about. What more do you want? She's rebuilt his hip, knitted back muscle and tendon but she's not a miracle worker. The job isn't anywhere near finished yet and he'll never be the same as he was. There was too much damage. Right now, he needs gende exercise and plenty of rest and he's not going to get either. What you've got now is the best you're going to get for the fight to come, so deal with it. The question is, can he? That's what I'm asking.'

'Hmm.' Hirad ate his soup. It was a tasty thick vegetable broth, filling enough that he hardly missed the bread. T know what you're saying. I just want him to be the warrior we all know and he's not. Not at the moment.'

'And up here?' Ilkar tapped his head.

Hirad shrugged. 'He wants to believe that he can fight like before but it's pretty obvious he won't be able to. I think it'll affect his confidence and that's why he's asked for Aeb to be on his left. I mean, Darrick's a more than capable fighter but he's no Protector, is he?'

'Yes,' said Ilkar. 'The question is, what are we going to do about it?'

'Not let on that we're worried about him, for a start.'

A door to the kitchen from the ballroom swung open and The Unknown limped in.

'Then you'd better keep your voices down or he'll hear you,' he said. Ilkar closed his eyes.

Darrick stood looking at the collapsed west wing from outside in the orchard. The Al-Drechar were tottering about behind him in the company of Erienne, Lyanna, Ren'erei and the Guild elves. There

were no grounds for confidence there and precious little more in front of him.

With the light fading fast and prospects for an attack growing as night took over, he'd come straight from his long boat to survey the house. To his surprise The Raven had put the defensive decisions in his hands while they discussed what to do about the Dordovan mages. He knew it was a mark of their respect for his ability but even so, they were The Raven. He couldn't deny the pride he felt.

Having established that there was nowhere else to hide or protect anyone on the island, he'd turned his attention to defending the house. Already, Protectors were blocking rear entrances to the main building and the three standing wings; and more were assessing the main entrance.

Signalling Aeb to come with him, he walked down the orchard towards the front of the house, taking in the tumbled brick, slate and wood and the teetering roof where it sat on unsound foundations. Much of the huge wing had slipped into a crack in the ground but beyond the immediate devastation, there were walls still standing. The two men walked through the warped wooden doors into the main entrance hall, took in the work on the entrance and stopped by a series of doors into the west wing.

'Here,' said Darrick. 'All this needs to come down. I don't want there to be any way they can come in this side. Send some to the far end and do the same there as necessary. Our main problem will then be entry through the orchard, through the three eastern wings and through the ballroom roof, if they find the hole. And there, of course,' said Darrick, pointing at the main entrance. 'Gods but this place isn't going to be easy.'

'It will be done,' said Aeb.

They walked across the hall and up the corridor with the orchard on their right. There were three pairs of double doors, one leading into each of the wings which Erienne had described as insect legs from above. The first housed what were now little-used rooms, the middle, the Al-Drechar, and the last one the Guild quarters. That latter had passages into the ballroom, kitchens and store rooms. There were also return ways to the other wings. It was a warren of passages that troubled Darrick.

'We could bring the ceilings down,' said Aeb.

'But it doesn't necessarily stop access. These structures are sound enough, unlike the opposite side. They can come in through any window, any hole. And we have to assume we will win. We can't demolish the place unless we have to.' He looked into the impassive mask of Aeb. The Protector's eyes gave not a flicker, his shoulders not a shrug.

'Victory first, living later,' he said.

They were walking along the central corridor of the first wing. Doors led left and right to suites of rooms, dining areas, bathing facilities, indoor fountains, and roofed rock pools. Though the area had been soaked by flood water and rain that washed in through broken roof tiles and shattered windows, the structure didn't appear to be weakened.

'I understand your thoughts but we have a responsibility to those we eventually leave behind,' replied Darrick. That said, every turn they took increased his sense of desperation. Less than thirty warriors to defend a house that could have housed hundreds.

They walked through a service passage that linked the ends of all three wings, finishing in the Guild wing. They took a quick look at the passages to the kitchens and beyond, assessed the entrances into the wing from outside and returned to the service passage.

'This,' said Darrick. 'This has to be blocked in two places. We can't afford free movement through here.'

'Even our best efforts will not stop them forever.'

T know,' said Darrick. 'It's a question of driving them to where we want them to come, then withdrawing to the next dead point if we have to. It could be a very long day.'

Aeb nodded. 'They will all have to die.'

Spread among the masted skiffs and overcrowded long boats, the Dordovans made slow but steady going towards the island. The sun had gone down but a pale light still filtered across the sky from the moon, reflecting off the sea. The weather had calmed and, with cloud cover light and broken, Vuldaroq felt that at last things were beginning to go the right way.