‘No,’ she admitted. ‘Nothing base, Talaban. You are a good man. But I am no longer the village girl. I am something far more, and greatly less.’ She winced suddenly. ‘I must go and rest,’ she said.
‘You are in pain?’
‘A little. It will pass.’
He watched her move across the cabin. The sway of her hips made him feel breathless. When she had gone he sat down at the desk, his mind in turmoil. What he would not give to be able to hold her close, to slip that blue robe from her pale shoulders.
He heard a tapping at the door. ‘Come in,’ he called. Questor Ro entered.
‘Am I disturbing you, Talaban?’
‘Not at all. May I offer you some wine?’ Ro shook his head and sat down. He seemed troubled.
‘How did Sofarita seem to you?’ he asked.
‘In what way?’
‘Her health.’
‘Fine,’ said Talaban. Then he paused. ‘She is in a little pain, I think.’
Ro nodded. ‘It will increase. We may have a problem.’
‘I’m listening.’
‘Her power comes from her ability to draw on crystals. There were thousands of them in Egaru. Not so here. There is the chest, the zhi-bows, and our own personal stones. Rael had the Sunfire moved to the city walls. I have warned her of the danger of this journey and she is trying to block herself from drawing on the power here in the ship.’
‘And the problem?’
‘Think of the Vagars who become addicted to narcotics. When they are separated from their opiates they become agitated, sometimes violent. They are filled with cravings. Some have even killed to gain coin to satisfy their desires. Sofarita is suffering now, and we have only just left the city. It will take three weeks to cross the ocean. If she cannot fight the craving she could drain the ship. Or worse.’
‘What could be worse, Ro?’
The Questor tugged at his beard. ‘We feed the crystals with human life. The gems merely hold the energy. If Sofarita became desperate we could all be crystal-drawn by her.’
‘She would not do that,’ said Talaban. ‘She is a fine woman.’
‘It may prove beyond her control,’ said Ro.
‘What then do you suggest?’
‘How fast can we travel?’
Talaban considered the question. ‘We are already moving at speed. Sailing vessels would take two months to cover the distance.’ He paused. ‘However, if we do not concern ourselves with conserving power, and if there are no sudden storms, we could make the journey in twenty days. But there are perils, Ro. Travelling at such speed if we struck a whale, or a reef, we could suffer serious damage.’
‘Twenty days is too long,’ said Ro. ‘Sofarita’s hunger will overcome her before then.’
‘What time scale are we talking of here?’ asked Talaban.
‘I would guess three days.’
Chapter Twenty-Five
The demons were mighty, their weapons awesome to behold. Those who lived in the Heavenly City gazed upon the Hell Horde and knew fear. Ra-Hel, the king of the gods, watched them assemble. The Queen of Death watched also from afar. Oh, my brothers, this is a tale of heroes and of war. The demons were as many as the leaves of the dark forest, but Ra-Hel was the god of the Sun. And he called upon its power.
From the Sunset Song of the Anajo
In a battle, Rael knew, timing was everything. Sofarita had told him that the Crystal Queen could observe and listen to all plans of action. She could then inform her commander Cas-Coatl, and he would take appropriate measures. This required time. It was the only advantage Rael had.
The Almecs had massed their men just over a quarter of a mile from Egaru’s walls – just out of range of the zhi-bows. Behind them, even further back, were more than 40 firing tubes of gleaming bronze. Even the Sunfire could not hit them at this distance, and even if it could Rael no longer had the power for 40 charges. With luck he might manage three.
Mejana and Pendar had joined Rael on the battlements. ‘Why don’t they come?’ asked Pendar nervously as the morning wore on.