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the machine and put the rock in the scoop. He looked up at Lattens with a
fierce, mischievous grin, which faltered only momentarily when he saw the look
on the child's face. He rubbed his hands and wagged one finger at the boy.
'Now we see who's boss, my young pretender-general!'
He adjusted the catapult slightly and then pulled the lanyard. The catapult
juddered and the great rock whooshed up into the sky. DeWar leapt back on to
the stone railing again.
The giant stone was a sailing black shape against the sky and clouds for a
long moment, then it rushed back to earth and dropped with a titanic splash
into the sea.
The water threw itself up into the air in a great explosive tower of white
foam, then slumped back down and rushed out in all directions in a mighty
circular wave.
'What?' DeWar screeched from the balustrade, putting his hands to the sides of
his head and grabbing two handfuls of hair. 'No! No! Nooooo!'
'Ha ha
!' Lattens yelled, pulled his general's hat off his head and threw it in the
air. 'Ha ha ha!'
The rock had fallen not into the lobe of the sea which was rimmed mostly by
Lattens'
towns and cities but that which held almost all DeWar's intact settlements.
The great wave rushed out from where it had landed, a good couple of strides
or so from the straits separating the two lobes of the sea. One by one it
swamped the cities and towns by the water, flooding one or two of Lattens' but
destroying a great deal more of DeWar's.
'Hurrah!' RuLeuin yelled, and threw his own hat into the air. Perrund smiled
broadly at
DeWar from behind the veil. UrLeyn nodded and grinned and clapped. Lattens
gave a deep bow and made a rude, tongue-wagging gesture at DeWar, who had
rolled off the stone railing and was curled up on the tiles by the side of the
balustrade, thumping one clenched fist weakly off the tiled surface.
'No more!' he moaned. 'I give in! He's too good for me! Providence defends the
Protector and all his generals! I am an unworthy wretch ever to have set
myself against them! Take pity on me and let me surrender like the abject cur
that I am!'
'I win!' Lattens said, and with a grin at his nurse he twirled on the platform
and let himself fall backwards into the woman's arms. She grunted with the
impact, but caught the boy and held him.
'Here, lad! Here!' His father stood and went to the front of the platform,
holding out his arms. 'Bring that brave young warrior to me!'
The nurse duly delivered Lattens into his father's embrace while the others
gathered round, applauding and laughing and clapping backs and offering
congratulations.
'A fine campaign, young man!'
'Quite splendid!'
'Providence in your pocket!'
'Well, well done!'
' and then we could play the game at night, Father, when it's a dark night
and make flame-balls and light them and set the cities on fire! Couldn't we?'
DeWar stood and brushed himself down. Perrund looked at him over her veil and
he grinned and even blushed a little.
15. THE DOCTOR
Page 117
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'Well?' the King asked.
The Doctor leaned closer and peered at the wound. Duke Walen's body lay on a
long table in the withdrawing room where he had been murdered. The small feast
that had occupied the table when we had brought the body in had been set on
the floor to one side.
The table cloth had been wrapped over the Duke's body so that his legs and
belly and his head had been covered, leaving only his chest exposed. He had
been pronounced dead by the Doctor, though not until after she had done the
most extraordinary thing.
The Doctor had seemed to kiss the old man while he lay bleeding and shaking on
the balcony. She had knelt by his side and blown her own breath into him,
puffing out first her cheeks and then his, so that his chest rose and fell.
She was at the same time attempting to staunch the flow of blood that had
issued from the wound in his chest, using a piece of material torn from her
own dress. This then became my duty, using a clean kerchief while she
concentrated on blowing into Duke Walen's mouth.
After a while, when she had been unable to feel any pulse for some long time,
she had shaken her head and sat back, exhausted, on the floor.
A ring of servants, all with swords or long knives, had been established round
the scene.
When the Doctor and I looked up it was to see Duke Quettil, the two Guard
Commanders, Adlain and Polchiek, and the King looking down at us. Behind us,
in the darkened room, a girl was weeping quietly.
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