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Exactly. Fierral took inventory. That little firefight cost us nearly
three hundred rounds. That s actually pretty good. One in nine shells counted.
Except we only have about six hundred rounds left. That s maybe two battles
like we just went through. Ryba bowed to the marine force leader. Without
the marines, we d all be dead or slaves.
Ryba turned to Nylan. I fear you were correct, Ser Engineer, about the
need for a defensive emplacement, a tower.
Nylan nodded. You never answered the question about blades.
Most of their blades are hatchet-edged crowbars. That hand - and - a -
half blade the leader carried is a fair piece of work, and so was one other
thing like a sabre. Why did you ask? Ryba smiled tightly. You don t ask
questions, ser, unless you know the answer.
I saw what your blade did to the local leader, Nylan replied honestly. I
just wondered what the comparisons were.
If we could find blades like mine, it would give us an advantage-not so
much as slug-throwers-but I don t see those for a long, long time to come.
Neither did Nylan.
But, continued the captain, I don t know how we could find or forge
blades like mine.
Nylan frowned, then pursed his lips. Was there any way? He shook his head.
What about the language? Ryba turned to Ayrlyn.
That doesn t make sense, either. It sounded like an offshoot of Anglorat,
said the comm officer.
Nylan nodded, mostly to himself. He should have recognized it, but he
hadn t expected the demon tongue to show up here. What was that idiot saying?
Where were you, anyway? asked Ryba. Where you put me& on the other side.
Ayrlyn gave a slight shiver. I didn t get it all, and some of the words
didn t make any sense, but the general idea was that we had to surrender
because we were trespassing on his lands-
His lands?
His lands.
Darkness help us, said Ryba. We would knock off the local ruler. That
can t be good.
It might be very good, mused Nylan. Anyone else might decide to wait a
while before taking us on.
Either that, or they ll all be up here on some sort of holy war against
their version of the demons. That s what we probably look like to them.
Nylan laughed.
What s so funny?
We got here because we were fighting the demons, and as soon as we land,
we re fighting more demons.
You think this place was a Rationalist colony? Ryba s eyebrows knit
together.
How could it be? It s not even in our universe, snapped Gerlich.
Maybe they got here like we did, suggested Saryn.
We don t even know how we got here, not for sure, pointed out Nylan. Or
where here even is.
You obviously have some ideas, O Bright One, snapped Gerlich. So how do
you think we got here?
We were at the focus of a lot of energy, more than enough to blow the
boards and the Winterlance right out of existence. We re still around, even if
it s someplace strange-
Are you sure we re just not dead, or imagining things? asked Ayrlyn.
The physical sensations seem rather intense for being merely spiritual and
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mental& and I explained the limitations of a net&
So you did.
Nylan turned to look fully at the taller man. So& listen. I ll listen to
your knowledge. If we don t listen and save every bit of knowledge we have to
share, we ll be dead-or our descendants will suffer more than they have to:-or
both.
That assumes we ll live that long, snapped Gerlich.
Ryba s blade flickered again, and the cold steel touched Gerlich s neck.
I m getting very tired of having to use force to keep you in line, but it
seems like that s all you respect.
Without that blade&
Ryba handed the blade to Istril, the small marine. Hold this.
Gerlich looked puzzled.
Some people never learn. Ryba s foot lashed out across the bigger man s
thigh.
Missed, bitch. Gerlich charged.
Ryba danced aside, and her hands blurred. Gerlich slammed facefirst into
dirt and clover, then scrambled up and took a position, feet wide, hands in
guard position.
Ryba feinted with her shoulder, once, twice.
Gerlich did not move.
The captain seemed to duck, then with a sweep kick knocked Gerlich off his
feet, although the brown-haired man scrambled and slashed at her arm. Ryba
took the arm, and Gerlich went flying into the meadow.
He rose slowly, holding his arm.
It s only dislocated, snapped Ryba. I could have broken your worthless
neck. So could most of the marines.
Why didn t you?
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