The Cyber Chronicles VII - Sabre (19 page)

"If none of
them turn against him, I will be on my own," he said.

"Unfortunately, yes, until I can come to your aid. In that case,
you must circle around and march to Arlin, where you will join
forces with me."

"If all your
soldiers remain with Torrian, what army will you have left to fight
with? And there's Bardock."

Tassin
inclined her head. "There is that. It is unlikely, however, that
all my men will remain loyal to Dellon. Bardock will have to march
for a month to join the battle."

"But if it
happens, we will lose."

Sabre looked
up. "Then we cut off the head of the snake, and the rest will
die."

"Kill Torrian?
That will not be easy while he is encamped with an army. Who will
do it?"

"I will."

Tassin nodded.
"That would be a last resort. Not because I am averse to killing
Torrian, even though it will throw Pradish into chaos, but because
it will be dangerous."

"Not if I use
a laser. I can kill him from a kilometre away in open country."

"Why don't we
do that then?" Dena asked, looking excited. "That way we can stop
the war before it even starts."

Tassin shook
her head. "Tempting though that idea is, it is not a good one. I
did not mean it was dangerous for Sabre to kill him, I meant the
consequences will be dire. He would be charged with Torrian's
murder. The Pradish nobles and royals will demand his execution,
and, when I refuse, they will foment war between Arlin and Pradish
with the aid of Traynar."

"If I kill him
from a distance, no one will know who did it,” Sabre pointed out.
“They might even think it was a bolt of lightning, or divine
intervention, since they’re a superstitious bunch of
primitives."

"That plan
will only work if Torrian is with the army that comes to Mandor. He
might stay in Arlin. But finding out if he is with his army will
put us in danger. We cannot risk it."

"We'll pass
his army on the way to Arlin. I could spy on him in disguise."

"He'll have
scouts. It's too dangerous. I need you with me, to protect me. If I
fall into Torrian's hands, he'll kill me."

Sabre nodded,
leaning back with a sigh. "All right. Your plan is better."

"Thank you. A
fine compliment from one so skilled in the art of warfare."

"Usually, the
loss of one life would be inconsequential, but in this case it
would result in defeat. That's not a common scenario. People whose
lives can affect the future of an entire country don't usually go
into battle. Which is why you mustn't."

Tassin smiled.
"I don't know what's going to happen, but I don't plan to lead any
cavalry charges."

"Good, then
you've acquired some sense since the last time, when you wanted
to."

"That was an
impulse brought on by extreme duress."

"But you would
have done it," he said.

"Must we argue
about this now?"

He shrugged,
looking away. "I just don't want a repeat performance."

"I can't
guarantee that. I would do whatever it took to save you, and you
know it."

"That would be
foolish."

"No it
wouldn't. All I’ve done has been to rescue you. What would be the
point if I lost you?"

Sabre glanced
at her, then away again. "Perhaps this isn't a good time to discuss
it."

"There is no
discussion. That's just the way it is. If you think I'm going to
stand by and do nothing while you're killed, you're a fool."

"And if you
rush in and get yourself killed to save me, so are you," he
said.

"Fine, we're
both fools, because you'd do the same for me."

"Yeah, but I'm
not the Queen."

Tassin
frowned. "My title would mean nothing without you. If it cost your
life to regain it, I'd rather not even try."

"I'm a lot
harder to kill than you, okay? This plan isn't without risk, but I
think you're the one who will need protection, not me."

"If we're
going to die in this conflict, we'll do it together."

Dena sniffed
and wiped her eyes. "As will Sharmian and I."

Sabre raised
his hands. "This is ridiculous. No one's going to die."

Tassin nodded.
"I agree. So we stick to the plan. Tomorrow Sharmian will leave for
Lord Morrel's estate, and I'll set off for Arlin with Sabre and
Tarl."

"I'm going
with Sharmian," said Dena.

Sharmian shook
his head. "No, you're staying here."

"I'll be safer
with you and the army than in a poorly defended castle, which
Torrian will certainly loot."

"Dena's
right," Tassin said. "She should stay with you, My Lord. If Torrian
captures her, he'll use her as a hostage."

"Very well."
Sharmian did not appear to be particularly averse to the idea.

Sabre asked,
"So, you're utterly committed to this course of action, Sharmian?
You have no doubts, no remorse? You intend to see it through to the
end?"

The King’s
brows rose. "Of course. Why would you doubt it?"

Sabre studied
him for several seconds. "It's a big step."

"I'm aware of
that, but I want my kingdom free of Torrian's tyranny."

"Of
course."

Sharmian rose
to his feet. "I must attend to matters."

As soon as the
door closed behind him, Tassin turned to Sabre asked, "Did he
pass?"

"Yeah. Flying
colours."

Dena frowned.
"What did you do?"

"Just made
certain Sharmian doesn't have a hidden agenda," Tassin said.

"How could you
doubt him? He's my husband!"

"Affection can
be faked, and your marriage would be of no consequence if he
planned to hand you over to Torrian."

"But he
doesn't, does he?" Dena demanded.

"No."

"You shouldn't
have doubted him." She rose and stomped out.

Tassin sighed.
"Love is so blind."

"You should
have waited until we were alone," Sabre said.

"It wasn't my
idea to test him."

"Dena didn't
know what I did."

She nodded.
"War is an ill thing. All this ugliness and death could be avoided
if you would just call Fairen."

"I won't ask a
boy to fight my battles for me."

"A boy with
the power to achieve so easily what we must fight and many good men
must die for. He wouldn't mind."

"It wouldn't
be right,” he said. “Overlords only intervene in problems involving
entire planets, or solar systems, not in the petty wars of
countries on backwater worlds."

"Or where
their affections dictate."

"My life isn't
in danger, or yours, and we may not be. We can do this without his
help."

"But it's not
without risk, so why must we wait until we're in danger, by which
time it might be too late? We've been through so much, and come so
far; why must we risk it all now? If you're killed, everything will
have been for nothing."

He took her
hand. "Hey, have a little faith in me."

"I have the
utmost faith in you. I know what you can do. You don't have to
prove it."

"Is that what
you think I'm doing?"

"Are you?"

"No."

She nodded,
biting her lip. "Good. I'm just so afraid that something terrible
will happen, when we're so close to achieving our goal."

"This is just
another bump in the road, and there’s going to be plenty more. If
you think all our troubles will be over once you get your crown
back, you’re dreaming. I’m still got a mega-corporation after my
blood, and an Overlord. This is a long way from being over."

Chapter Fourteen

Tassin gazed
at the tall grey walls of her keep, her heart filled with a
poignant mixture of joy and anguish. The sight of it brought a rush
of homesickness and memories, blighted by Dellon's green and yellow
colours flying from the battlements. She wished she could march
inside and rip down the offending flag.

The journey
from Mandor had been achieved without mishap, thanks to Sabre's
scanners, which had kept them safe from Torrian's scouts and picked
up the leading edge of the army.

Judging by the
number of soldiers patrolling her castle���s battlements, Dellon had
kept a sizeable force at the castle, as she had suspected he would.
Torrian's colours were not in evidence, which meant he had left
with his troops, to her relief. Torrian's absence would make it
easier. Once Sabre had Dellon hostage, the battle would be won,
essentially. Nothing had gone that smoothly since she had left
Arlin, however, and she was sure something would go wrong
again.

Tassin glanced
around as Sabre came to her side. They stood within the forest,
hidden from the castle. He cast her a smile when she slipped her
hand into his.

"Are you ready
for this?" he asked.

"No. Are
you?"

He shrugged.
"The longer we wait, the more Sharmian and Dena are at risk. I'll
go at first light, while Dellon is still in bed. Once I have him,
I'll order your banner raised and the gates opened, and you walk in
and take over."

"You make it
sound so easy."

"If all goes
to plan, it will be. Just stay away until you see the banner, no
matter what, okay?"

She sighed.
"We don't even know how many men he has in there. It could be as
many as three hundred."

"It won't
matter. Don't be so pessimistic."

They returned
to the campfire, where Tarl cooked the two rabbits Sabre had shot
before they camped. Sabre stared into the flames while he accessed
the image of the map of the castle Tassin had drawn, which the
cyber had stored, and studied it again. The King's bedchamber was
on the far side, overlooking the sweeping valley beyond. To reach
it, he would have to scale the wall, but that did not daunt him.
What awaited him inside the room was his only cause for
concern.

After Tassin
fell sleep in her blankets, Sabre pondered what lay ahead, and the
potential pitfalls. Tarl sat opposite, huddled in a blanket,
yawning. Sabre looked up as the cyber tech rose and came around the
fire to sit next to him.

Sabre raised
his brows. "Do you want to hold my hand now, too?"

Tarl chuckled.
"Not really. Just wanted to make sure you're ready for
tomorrow."

"Do I need a
tune up?"

"Your attitude
does." Tarl sighed. "Three hundred is a lot of soldiers, bud."

"They only
have primitive weapons."

"Which, in
some ways, are worse than modern ones. You'll be almost blind to
them."

"I don't plan
to fight them,” Sabre said. “Once I have the King, the battle is
won."

"But you might
have to if things go wrong."

Sabre
shrugged. "I have two lasers, with a full complement of power
packs, a grenade launcher and full cyber armour."

"What's your
bio-status?"

"I knew that
was coming."

"Yeah, you
should by now. What is it?"

"Eighty-seven
per cent."

Tarl grimaced.
"That's not so good."

"I'll
survive."

"Yeah, you
probably will, but you have to win."

"I'll do my
best. You just keep Tassin here until you see her banner. Don't let
her come rushing in there, no matter what you see or hear."

"I will," Tarl
said.

"I'm counting
on you. It's important."

"When have I
let you down?"

"You
haven't... yet."

Tarl added
wood to the fire. "I want you to know, I have only the greatest
admiration for you. You... you're a real good guy, better than me.
You should be proud of how far you've come, and how well you've
adjusted. I am."

"You make it
sound like you don't expect to see me after tomorrow."

"Who knows?
I'm not nearly indestructible, like you."

"And if
anything happens to Tassin, I'll kill you myself."

Tarl smiled.
"No, you won't, but don't worry, I'll look after her."

"You'd
better."

"Count on it.
Night bud." Tarl rose and thumped Sabre on the back hard enough to
make the cyber sway, then retreated quickly to the other side of
the fire, grinning.

Sabre
chuckled, shaking his head. "Pathetic."

Sabre crouched
behind a hedge at the bottom of the castle's eastern wall, gazing
up at the window high above. Dawn's first faint light brightened
the sky, and dew whitened the grass. A quartet of yawning,
bleary-eyed guards had wandered past a minute earlier, and the time
had come to scale the wall. Rising, he walked over to it and set
his fingers into the cracks between the stones, pulled himself up
and slipped the toes of his boots into more cracks. Using these,
and the tiny ledges made by protruding stones, he worked his way up
the wall, pressed against it.

When he
reached the window two storeys above, he swarmed over the ledge and
dropped down inside, where a pair of green velvet curtains
concealed him. The scanners showed two life signs in a four-poster
bed on the other side of the room, and another two outside the
suite’s main doors, detectable through the archway that led into
the lounge. The structural scanners mapped everything that was not
stone, which appeared as a green grid, impenetrable. Glad that
Dellon did not keep hounds in his room, Sabre opened the curtains a
crack and peered out at a spacious chamber. Tapestries and
portraits adorned its walls, and several rugs warmed the granite
floor. A carved wardrobe stood against one wall and a dressing
table with a lacy cloth on it, spread with pots and brushes, stood
against another. Sabre turned his attention to the bed's occupants.
A plump blonde girl lay beside the weedy nineteen-year-old King,
her arm flung across his narrow chest.

Sabre pushed
through the curtains and walked across the room on silent feet.
Bending, he pressed his fingers to the woman's throat. Her eyes
opened and widened before they glazed and closed again. Pulling her
arm off the youth’s chest, Sabre moved her aside and gripped
Dellon's throat, tightening his grip when the King woke with a
gasp.