It became clear to
me that Sleepy wanted control of the South Gate itself. She was
flinging people and material around everywhere and using up those
of us able to fly, but when you did the numbers over half of our
efforts were taking place within a half mile of the barbican. And
the barbican itself had suffered immensely from above. Parts looked
like slag pierced by ten thousand holes.
I had better information than Mogaba did. But I knew that the
Great General would catch on soon enough. He possessed a well-honed
instinct for things warlike.
How flexible was the Captain’s planning? Could she shift
her point of attack fast once Mogaba did catch on? I did not know.
Whatever level of planning had gone into this, I had not been
invited to participate. Only Suvrin had a real grasp of the whole
picture. And I was not that sure about him. This Sleepy was as
close as I used to be when it came to sharing her thoughts.
That seemed to go with the job. My predecessors had been the
same way. Someday it would hurt us.
It was just past noon. Striking suddenly from all directions and
enjoying maximum support from above and from Tobo, our troops
pushed into the barbican complex. The defense seemed doomed once
the assault teams got inside and got the outer gates open.
Mogaba did not respond. The streets near the gate complex did
empty as civilians decided this seemed like a good time not to be
visible. Bands of Taglian wounded retreated deeper into the city.
Still no one came forward to reinforce or relieve the defenders of
the barbican. Soldiers from
Mogaba’s own Second Territorial began saying unkind things
about their boss.
Something was not right here. Mogaba was way too passive. The
man had to know that he had to do something before the night
returned and the Company waxed far more powerful by grace of the
Unknown Shadows.
Somehow, we had to be doing what Mogaba wanted us to do if he
was doing nothing to prevent us from doing it.
Yeah. You can drive yourself crazy trying to work your way
around all the angles of that kind of stuff.
Sleepy sent everybody but Tobo off to intensify the attack on
the upriver waterfront defenses. Evidently we had gained a good
foothold there, cheaply, so the Captain wanted to expand it.
I had begun to suspect that Sleepy really did have no fixed
plan. Other than to seize whatever Mogaba was willing to let
go.
An hour later, when loyalist troops did respond to the threat on
the waterfront, the South Gate again became the focus of our
attack.
I hoped she decided soon. I was worn out. And we still had hours
of daylight left.
I was right in the first place. She chose the gate.
Back when the men on the walls finally broke into the gate
houses a signal had gone up, to alert the Captain and Lieutenant.
There were two gate houses and both had to be cleared. One had
proven much more stubborn than the other. In the interim every man
not engaged elsewhere gathered outside, ready to attack.
Now Sleepy signalled the advance. The officers all had orders to
push through the barbican and drive straight on to the heart of the
city. They had guides to show them the way. The Captain wanted the
Palace captured swiftly. She believed we would face little
resistance in the rest of Taglios once its symbolic heart had
fallen. Word was out already that the Prahbrindrah Drah was on his
way, to reclaim his family’s dominion.
Me, I would have had the Prince in my hip pocket first, ready to
flash in front of the mob right now. I would have him lead the
charge. But nobody asked me how I would handle things anymore.
It became clear to
me that Sleepy wanted control of the South Gate itself. She was
flinging people and material around everywhere and using up those
of us able to fly, but when you did the numbers over half of our
efforts were taking place within a half mile of the barbican. And
the barbican itself had suffered immensely from above. Parts looked
like slag pierced by ten thousand holes.
I had better information than Mogaba did. But I knew that the
Great General would catch on soon enough. He possessed a well-honed
instinct for things warlike.
How flexible was the Captain’s planning? Could she shift
her point of attack fast once Mogaba did catch on? I did not know.
Whatever level of planning had gone into this, I had not been
invited to participate. Only Suvrin had a real grasp of the whole
picture. And I was not that sure about him. This Sleepy was as
close as I used to be when it came to sharing her thoughts.
That seemed to go with the job. My predecessors had been the
same way. Someday it would hurt us.
It was just past noon. Striking suddenly from all directions and
enjoying maximum support from above and from Tobo, our troops
pushed into the barbican complex. The defense seemed doomed once
the assault teams got inside and got the outer gates open.
Mogaba did not respond. The streets near the gate complex did
empty as civilians decided this seemed like a good time not to be
visible. Bands of Taglian wounded retreated deeper into the city.
Still no one came forward to reinforce or relieve the defenders of
the barbican. Soldiers from
Mogaba’s own Second Territorial began saying unkind things
about their boss.
Something was not right here. Mogaba was way too passive. The
man had to know that he had to do something before the night
returned and the Company waxed far more powerful by grace of the
Unknown Shadows.
Somehow, we had to be doing what Mogaba wanted us to do if he
was doing nothing to prevent us from doing it.
Yeah. You can drive yourself crazy trying to work your way
around all the angles of that kind of stuff.
Sleepy sent everybody but Tobo off to intensify the attack on
the upriver waterfront defenses. Evidently we had gained a good
foothold there, cheaply, so the Captain wanted to expand it.
I had begun to suspect that Sleepy really did have no fixed
plan. Other than to seize whatever Mogaba was willing to let
go.
An hour later, when loyalist troops did respond to the threat on
the waterfront, the South Gate again became the focus of our
attack.
I hoped she decided soon. I was worn out. And we still had hours
of daylight left.
I was right in the first place. She chose the gate.
Back when the men on the walls finally broke into the gate
houses a signal had gone up, to alert the Captain and Lieutenant.
There were two gate houses and both had to be cleared. One had
proven much more stubborn than the other. In the interim every man
not engaged elsewhere gathered outside, ready to attack.
Now Sleepy signalled the advance. The officers all had orders to
push through the barbican and drive straight on to the heart of the
city. They had guides to show them the way. The Captain wanted the
Palace captured swiftly. She believed we would face little
resistance in the rest of Taglios once its symbolic heart had
fallen. Word was out already that the Prahbrindrah Drah was on his
way, to reclaim his family’s dominion.
Me, I would have had the Prince in my hip pocket first, ready to
flash in front of the mob right now. I would have him lead the
charge. But nobody asked me how I would handle things anymore.