OCR Text |
Show some spice to the battle." "Aye," said Dr'Igor reasonably, "'tis true. "But we must needs be full careful," said Erica firmly. "We must needs be careful, of a surety." There was a shout then from a tower in the end of a small fortresslike building to the south of them. "Ready!" called a young woman dressed in leggings and a short leather jerkin. The jerkin was decorated with the archer's symbol-a bow and quiver, crossed. She was running toward them with a portable transceiver in her hand. "Midoctor," she said to Erica, panting and handing the woman the transceiver. "They be trapped full fair in Round Valley. " Erica took the transceiver and switched it on. "Aye?" she said to the lookout in the other valley. She listened for a moment and said, "Good." Then, "Aye, let them out in lots of one hundred." She looked at Dr'Igor, then continued. "In. . . s a y . . .fifteen minutes." She switched off and handed the unit back to the young archer. "They have the Four Kingdoms' army bottled up entire in Round Valley," she said to the small party around her. "Approximately two thousand warriors, attendants, and camp followers." She stopped and let that sink in. Pym whistled and pulled off his scarlet helmet, exposing his short golden curls. "Outnumbered," he said, grinning, "two-to-one." "That will be interesting," murmured Dr'Igor, untroubled. The others said nothing, and Janni turned away abruptly, heading for the equipment shed. Erica took up an augment attached to her belt. "Alert. . .alert," she 258 |