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fast you people are regaining knowledge hidden in the Quis. I've never seen
anything like it. From knives to machine guns in one generation." He downed
his drink in one swallow. "What next? Nuclear warheads?"
Suddenly she understood. "You saw me in the courtyard with the gun we tested
today."
He set down his glass and came over to her. "I hate being the cause of this."
She drew him into her arms. "Ai, Kelric. It's not your fault."
But as they held each other in the fading sunlight, she knew there was no
solace even here in the Calanya, either for her or for Kelric.
The door of Ixpar's office slammed open and Anthoni burst into the room. "Two
Varz riders over the airfield shooting." He heaved in a breath. "The tower is
blind and city co lines are dead."
Ixpar was on her feet before he finished. "Get on Estate co." She ran to the
vault and took out the machine gun. "Sound the alarm and have our defenses
armed."
Anthoni grabbed her arm. "You can't go out there. You could get killed."
"Let go of me."
"Ixpar, for wind's sake "
"Get on that co." She yanked her arm away, then slung the gun over her
shoulder and ran out of the office.
It took only minutes to cross the city. Ixpar heard the boom of the defense
cannons as she was running through the factory district near the airfield. The
area around her lay in ruins:
smoke roiled in bilows, fires flared, cracks rent the pavement. Two Varz
riders swept into view, flying in a strafing run, their blistering attack
spurring an explosion in a nearby warehouse,
i
c "
1
396 Catherine Asaro i
f Then the Kam 5now a pride of Ixpar's air force, |
appeared in the sky, climbing above the smoke. It went at the ;
Varz riders like an althawk defending its territory. As the craft | engaged in
the sky, Ixpar raced for the meager shelter of an .]" awning
One of Snowhawk's missiles caught an invader dead center, setting it off like
a firebomb. As debris rained out of the sky, the second Varz rider fired.
Snowhawk tried to veer off, but the |:
missile caught its wing, blasting the slats. Snowhawk careened ' into a
burning warehouse, caught the shredded remains of its | wing on an upthrusting
column of wood, swung around like a v toy on a stick, slammed into a blazing
wall and detonated in . a plume of orange and black.
Ixpar's lips drew back in a snarl. When the surviving Varz rider swept low
over the awning where she had sought cover t she stepped out and brought up
the machine gun. Standing 1;
with her long legs planted wide, she braced the gun against her j:
body and fired at the craft's belly. Bullets stabbed its engines
reckety-reckety-reckety, so loud that even in the chaos of the burning
district the noise deafened her. The Varz rider lurched f into a roof and met
its death in a roaring balloon of fire. 'Jt
Then the only sound was the crackle of flames. |
Ixpar stood tensed, half expecting another rider to material-
nowhere. As her adrenaline slowed, the foolhardy . nature of her actions
soaked into her mind. 3
People were emerging from the shelter of nearby buildings staring at her as if
she were a reincarnation from the Old Age. She looked back at them in silence,
fighting an inner war no j one but she would ever witness. Her mind recoiled
from the ? knowledge she had just killed another human being i'
But the beast within her burned, its rage whetted, its thirst | for vengeance
unquenched.
'
A Fourth and a Sixth Level; they played Quis as never before
known on Coba. | Mentar set an onyx
rod into a column-of-time structure that | represented Kam. Kelric placed a
sapphire rod, the color of | foresight, on top of the column. The structure
persisted in |.
The Last Hawk 397
evolving into a Kara Ministry despite it being implicit in the session that
the Ministry was at Varz now rather than Kara
Mentar studied the structures. "You play more like a man my age than yours."
Kelric glanced up, disoriented by Mentar's voice. "We're almost the same age."
The Fourth Level smiled. "You flatter me. I was fifty-six last season."
And I? Kelric thought. He had been thirty-four when he crashed on Coba and
that was ... fourteen years ago? No, that wasn't it. He had been at Kam for
over three years now, so he had lived on Coba for sixteen. Sixteen years. He
was almost fifty-one.
The Outside doors slammed open and Ixpar strode into the room, fiery hair
flying around her face, her clothes streaked with ashes, a belt of ammunition
crisscrossing her chest, and a massive machine gripped in her hand.
Discreet as always, Mentar withdrew from the alcove. As Kelric stood up, Ixpar
stopped in front of him and spoke with no preamble. "If Varz ever succeeds in
breaking through to the Estate, the first place they will come is here,
looking for you. I'm going to move everyone, but I want you to stay in my
suite."
"Then give me the machine gun," he said.
She stared at him like an oncoming tank that had run into a wall. "What?"
"Give me the gun. So I can defend myself."
"I can't do that. You're a Calani."
"For flaming sake, Ixpar. I used to be a Jagemaut."
"We only have this one."
"Then give me a rifle. Hell, a sword. Anything."
It took Ixpar a moment to absorb the concept. Then she said, "A rifle. Yes."
He nodded. "Why do you want me to stay in your suite?"
"It has access to underground halls that would be safe even if Kara were razed
to the ground. I realize you may prefer not to share rooms. That what you
feel don't feel " She looked as if she wanted to stop, but felt it was no time
for reticence.
398Catherine ;l
"I know I can never replace Savina. If you prefer I live 'iiH another suite
while you stay in mine, I understand." "No, don't move. But I have a
condition." He brushed ,«W1!;
blood off a gash in her arm. "What do you think happens to ;ii army when its
commander fights on the front lines?" "You're as bad as Anthoni." "Kam needs
your leadership. You, Ixpar. Not the Elders " t, your staff or your air force.
You. You're irreplaceable."
Her scowl would have done justice to the wildest Kej war-1 rior queen. "You
want me to hide while Varz attacks my city '. "Yes." .
J She started to speak, then stopped and regarded him with
>i odd expression. "If I had a successor you would also advise me t to keep
her protected, yes?" "Yes. Of course." i.
"Then why did Imperator Skolia your brother have ife fighting on the front
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