157

Holona is in turmoil. The approach roads and outlying fields are littered with scores of broken wagons, dead horses, and the ruined impediments of war. Palmyrion soldiers sit dejectedly on the frost-hardened earth, their glazed eyes and bandaged limbs bearing grim testimony to the bitter fighting that is taking place just a few miles to the north. Battle-weary officers ride among these exhausted men, cursing and coaxing them in a half-hearted attempt to rally them to arms. Few heed their call.

Inside the city walls the situation is tense. Every available dwelling is packed to overflowing with wounded soldiers, and the civilian populace, displaced from their homes by the army’s needs, wander the streets and alleyways in a state of shocked confusion, greatly adding to the chaos.

Captain Cearmaine orders his driver to the Canatarium, the largest of Holona’s municipal halls, where General Foucharl, the Palmyrion commander, has established his headquarters. On entering this crowded building, a young lieutenant rushes up to Cearmaine and informs him that his son has been wounded in the battle now raging at the Reloni Bridge.

‘I must go to him, Grand Master,’ he says, his voice choked with emotion. ‘I’m told that he has not long to live.’

If you wish to go with Captain Cearmaine to see his wounded son, turn to 289.

If you choose not to accompany him, turn to 307.