Conqueror

things that should not burn-one of the constants of war. He had smelled the same in Gurnyca, and in burnt-out cities down on the Zanj coast. Worse, once, when they had shelled a warehouse full of holdouts in Lamoru and the dried copra inside had caught fire.

'Lord Amir, a lucky sniper from the wall-'

'I do not think this is a plot to assassinate me, Hussein,' Tewfik said. Allah alone knows what it is, but not that, I think.

Men climbed up the cable the mortar had thrown. The first of them had a stick with a white rag attached to it thrust through the shoulder harness of his webbing gear; a flag of truce, by the one and only God. Let Whitehall respect it; he had a name for being scrupulous in such things.

The men climbed in through a narrow window high above the bridge that carried the railway over the moat and through the city wall. Tewfik waited with iron patience. A mirror flashed from the parapet.

Tower apparently empty, he read. He clawed at his forked beard, nostrils flaring instinctively as if to smell out a trap. More silent waiting, until there came the muffled thud of an explosion behind walls, and very faintly, a scream.

The officers around him tensed. A half-minute later, the mirror blinked again.

Boobytrap, six casualties. Tower deserted. Walls deserted. No enemy in sight.

A hubbub of oaths and excitement broke out around him; the word spread along the siege lines as the great gates swung open and revealed the dogleg passage beyond. A long slow roar like heavy surf welled up, as men climbed out of the entrenchments and onto the gabions, and others dashed from the tents and the cooking-fires behind.

'The city is ours!' someone shouted. 'The kaphar have fled!'

Tewfik felt a great hand reach into his chest and squeeze. Azazrael's wings brushed darkness over his eyes. Almost, he prayed that the dark angel would come for him now; surely this would count as dying for the Faith, in the Holy War. Hussein and one of his mamluks cried out in shock and rushed to support him; he brushed them aside and staggered forward to the edge of the main works.

Fled? he thought. 'Fled? Where? Northeast, to the valleys of the Borderers? To hide in their mud-built forts and make little raids, while we bottle them up with one-tenth of our strength and march to the gates of East Residence with the rest? Whitehall?'

'But. .' The aide's face was fluid with shock. 'If not north, then where?' He looked at his commander's face, and fear replaced the shock. 'What is it, Lord Amir?'

'Kismet,' Tewfik said. 'Fate. If not north, then south. .'

'But, Lord Amir, the message stations, the outposts along the road-we have heard nothing!'

'Exactly.' He whirled. 'Hussein. Twenty men, each with three led dogs. Kill the dogs with haste if they must, but make such speed as men may. To the commandant of the railhead camp; maintain maximum alertness, enemy in your vicinity.'

Hussein gaped. Tewfik seized him by the shoulder-straps of his harness and shook him. 'Fool born of fools, the entire raid across the Drangosh was a diversion-their bridge a disguise for boats and rafts to float their force south.'

'May the Lovingkind have mercy upon us!'

'Go!' He turned to the others. 'Sound the alert. Mobilize the cavalry, all of it-'

'Lord Amir,' one officer said urgently. 'The Settler. .'

The Settler, who will delay for hours before he grasps the necessities. And with him every one of the great noble houses, and the orders of the Maribbatein and ghazis, all of whom will jealously insist on being consulted before a major move is made.

He raised his hands. 'Allah! One day! That is all I ask of You, one day.'

Never had he prayed with such sincerity.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

'Messers, the garrison is ten thousand men, not counting civilian laborers.'

The Companions bent over the sand-map for the last briefing. Antin M'lewis hung back slightly, although his scouting this afternoon had provided the last-minute updates. Considerations of social rank aside, he didn't have a line command; his men would be split up and acting as trail guides for the actual units.

Raj went on, pointing with his sword. The wet sand allowed a surprising amount of detail; he'd spent about an hour getting it right, just possible with Center to overlay holograms and make each motion perfectly efficient. The long shadows of evening brought it out well.

'As you can see, it's a square earth fort; two-meter ditch, two-meter palisade and earth rampart, chevaux- de-frise in the ditch. Pentagonal bastions at each corner, gun lines along the fighting parapet, and four gates at each of the compass points. The railroad leads in from the east, and the pontoon bridge out from the west side. There are ten-meter watchtowers on either side of each gate; the gates are spiked timber barriers. Most of the artillery is concentrated in the bastions, which are as usual higher than the main berm; they bear along each wall.'

'Ten thousand men,' Jorg Menyez said thoughtfully. 'Heneralissimo, that's a Starless Dark of a lot of firepower.'

Raj nodded. 'If we let them apply it, which we won't. They're line-of-communications troops, railroad labor battalions and engineers and supply specialists. Also they're not expecting us. We're not going to give them time to get ready, either; and there's one last little surprise to distract them.

'We're here.' He moved his sword point north on the sand map, tapping a point on the east bank of the Drangosh. 'Less than two klicks north of the objective as the pterosauroid flies. We'll move separately, by battalion columns, marching on foot, as follows.'

He named the battalions, moving from left to right, east to west. '17th Kelden County Foot and the 24th Valencia on the extreme left-they'll have the farthest to go, but they're better foot-marchers. Cavalry battalions in the center, Sandoral infantry on the right, nearest the river. The 5th Descott and the 18th Komar will take the median and assault the camp's north gate. Colonel Menyez, you will have overall command of the left wing; Colonel Staenbridge, of the center; Major Gruder, of the right. I'll accompany the central command.

'Colonel Dinnalsyn, you'll split your guns into two Grand Batteries. One will accompany the 24th, one the Sandoral garrison battalions. Your objective will be to neutralize the enemy artillery in the corner bastions for the duration of the assault. One fast hard stonk, then shift fire to support, and when our banners are over the berm and palisade, cease fire and prepare to move up as directed. Understood?'

The artillery commander stroked his thin mustache with his thumb. 'It can be done, mi heneral. But to be effective, I'll need time for ranging fire.'

'I'll provide precise range data when we arrive,' Raj said.

'That will be satisfactory, of course, heneralissimo,' Dinnalsyn said carefully, the crisp East Residence vowels sounding a little strained. From the glances, everyone knew what it meant: it's bloody eerie. 'You have an excellent eye for it.'

Raj continued: 'Messers, your approaches will be by the following paths.' His sword sketched them out, through the maze of badland cliffs, naming the battalions. 'I hope I don't need to emphasize the absolute necessity of caution as you approach the edge of the badland zone and the low country directly north of the enemy camp. There's a company of the Rogor Slashers in place, guided by members of the Scout Company. They'll take out the Colonial watchposts immediately before you debouche into the plain, and there'll be very little time after that-the attack, and the usual rocket, will be your signal. Come out of the hills in column, deploy as you move, and hit the wall running. By that time, the artillery will have the bastions under fire. Nothing fancy, gentlemen; we go in with the bayonet and one round up the spout, climb the wall and sweep' — his sword moved from north to south- 'the wogs out of their camp. Then we stop for the night.'

He drew his watch and opened the cover. 'Synchronize, please. It's 1900 at. . mark.' There was a subdued clicking as stems were pressed home. 'Two and a half hours