Kavin's World Read Online Free PDF

to the refugees you brought, we can use these ships well. We may find fighting men here, who’ll sail with us, for promises or friendship—we of Dorada have done favors enough for some. We need some force, or we’re only casting ourselves into a pit.”
    “There is no time,” the high priestess said. “The city will fall, very soon.”
    “Have you read that in an oracle?” I demanded. She nodded.
    “Then why return?” I asked indignantly. “It is certain?  Certain that the city falls, that we are all slain? Lady, I serve the Goddess, but I’m not a fool.”
    “You serve Luck,” she said. “Have you no faith in her?”
    I looked at her, trying to understand. But it was of no use. I was without choices.
    During the next hours I did not rest, nor did I let any of the men from the ships rest. My first move was to discover how much gold we had, and I was pleased at the total. The trading had been good; some of the money was still unpaid, but it could be collected. There was enough to buy weapons, but not to buy men; but then a messenger came, from the Count of the Meryon Shore, offering a few score men at arms of his own levies. Word began to spread through the port, and idle soldiers, armed vagabonds, and the like began to flock down to the waterside. I set some of my better men to look them over, and offer them fair payment for service. I myself went into the town, to a man of whom I had heard , Grand Master of the Ironsmith’s Guild and a famous merchant, named Perrin.
    He had what I required, or could have it brought; and his price was no higher than usually charged to a buyer in haste. A fat and jolly man was this Perrin, but he had the courtesy to keep a look of decent seriousness about him while I did my marketwork with him. We walked through his principal warehouse, and he talked.
    “A   great   misfortune,  Lord   Prince.   Truly… and    worse, since the High King himself is much with priests these days… Christians, I hear. He may not be disposed to aid… those of other faiths.”
    “I have not met many of the Christian belief,” I said. “But I haven’t heard that their god defends them in his own person, or that they’re made of some special kind of flesh that doesn’t bleed. These riders may be here some day.”
    “It’s possible,” Perrin agreed. “I desire they should be held back, of course… that’s why I set such low prices for all this. The casks of gunpowder are in the house on the dock…” He chuckled. “We have had accidents, so we try to keep such things away from the center of the city. When I was a boy, there was no such stuff… well, well. Now, there’s a deal of body armor, helmets and the like… styled our own way, of course. Arrows, of course, and pikes. I’ll have men bringing this down within the hour.”
    “Cannon,” I said. “You spoke of several. I’ve only four small pieces aboard the Luck, and none on the merchant ships.”
    “Ah.” Perrin looked a little troubled. “I’ll do this, though I’ve no permission to sell them… well, the Court favors your cause, I hear. He may have my head later, but here we are. These will suit your ship: nine light cannon, mounted for decks. Now, here… a score of these will fit your merchants. And these, to mount on a ship rail, culverins.”
    “Good, good.” I was in haste, a bad state to bargain in. “Can you see about ship’s stores, and as much more food and wine as we can load tonight?”
    By the time I got back, my weariness was such that I didn’t dare to sit down, for fear I’d sleep at once. But my work was done, every maddening detail of it. We could sail with the early tide, if nothing went wrong.
    I went aboard and entered my cabin; and there Isa waited.
    I looked at her, and my weariness lifted a little. But there’d be no time for sport now. I gave her a smile, and she came to me; seeing my exhausted state, she drew off my boots, brought wine, and did all she could to aid me. I