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as well. Did that mean that she had a talent similar to his? Surely, she
should have known that. He shook his head. She might, and she might not. That
could wait. With more and more alectors around Hyalt, he needed to concentrate
on the task at hand.
First, he concentrated on sensing the dagger, what it was, and what it was
not. It felt like steel, in a fashion, and yet it felt partly alive, and the
sense of green issued from whatever about it generated the feeling of life.
That realization, too, was more of a feeling that anything he could have
described.
Next, he closed his eyes and focused his sense of feel-ing on himself, and
what he was.
There was a greater amplitude, far greater, of the green, and no sense of the
metallic, confirming his under-standing that the green was tied to life. Had
the soarers imbued the knife with the force of life itself?
From that, questions cascaded though this mind, and he pushed them aside for
the moment, bringing his con-centration back to the dagger and to himself. How
could one damp out the very force of life itself?
One couldn t, not without damping out life itself. That meant either changing
the color he emanated from green to the colors that radiated from most others
or finding some way to block or shield the energy. Would changing his color
limit his talent? If so, he cer-tainly didn t wish that. He was having enough
trouble surviving with his abilities. Trying to do so without them was
something he wanted to try only as a very last resort.
But how could he create a shield?
What about something that turned back the glow? He tried to visualize such a
barrier and then looked down.
The greenish light that he sensed but did not see remained.
Could he combine the green with a darkness, a black-ness, that resembled the
aura of most men? This time, he attempted to weave together the black and
green. He looked down, men chuckled softly. Why was he looking down? He wasn t
really  seeing the glow, but sensing it. Yet his mind was interpreting the
sensation as if he were, and what he sensed was more like a sieve of blackness
dirough which streamed rays of green.
What about using the blackness to turn the green back?
That didn t work, either.
For a time he stood in the darkness, once more think-ing. The green was far
stronger than anytfiing black, and that meant it was the key. What about
making the black a framework, but twisting the green back inward and weav-ing
it together?
As he concentrated once more, he tried not to dwell on the manifestly
illogical impossibility of what he was do-ing. After all, it was impossible
for men to radiate a greenish glow that only alectors and a few men could
sense.
His forehead beaded with pinpoints of sweat, and he felt warm all over, but
the greenish glow was gone. He could sense it, but it was contained within
himself, not ra-diating beyond him. He could also tell that it took a cer-tain
effort to maintain that shield.
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He released the shield with a slow deep breath.
After several deep breaths and a time of resting, he re-built it. Doing so was
easier the second time, and easier still the third time he did so. On the
other hand, he was beginning to feel light-headed. He let go of the shield and
sat down on the bedroll, his back against the rough and stained plaster of the
wall.
He d need practice much more practice before he felt comfortable with the
shield. Still... he had figured out a way to keep himself from being noticed
for a short period of time at least from a distance. He had his
doubts as to whether his shield would bear scrutiny if an alector were in the
same chamber with him.
He felt tired, and sleepy. He had barely stretched out on the bedroll before
his eyes closed. His last thought was that he hoped he didn t have to rely on
the glow-shield any time soon.
58
Despite his exhaustion from his efforts with the glow-shield, Mykel had slept
uneasily and con-cealed a yawn as he rode beside Rhystan, out toward die new
compound. Rhystan and Sixteenth Company would be working for a glass or so
with die Hyalt companies in me area to the north of die compound before
Rhystan took the Second Hyalt on patrol to me east later in me morning. Mykel
would take die First Hyalt on patrol norm on the high road. He wasn t about to
take mem any-where to the west. Seventeenth Company was on quarry duty, while
Thirteenth Company was on patrol duty at me new compound. Fifteenth Company
was patrolling me high road to me soutii and east of Hyalt. Fourteenm Com-pany
had light duty at the old garrison.  Been quiet lately, observed Rhystan.
 I d like it to stay that way.
 You re looking too worried for that, sir.
 I probably am, admitted Mykel, wondering once more if he really should be a
battalion commander.  There are too many mings mat no one can explain.
 Suoryt said you sent off two dispatches last week, at the same time, and you
gave one of mem to me alector on the sandox personally.
 Can t keep secrets among Cadmians. Mykel smiled wryly.  I sent a copy of my
report about the missing
holders to the Submarshal of Myrmidons. There were some things at that stead
mat bothered me.
Rhystan waited.
 Some of the burn marks were the same as the ones  hen the submarshal took out
Vaclyn. Mykel kept his voice low.  Those lightcutter sidearms are only issued
to colonels and above, I ve heard.
 Could they have been pteridon skylances?
 The angles were wrong.
 I was afraid you d say something like mat, sir. You think the creatures have
weapons? Or that we have rogue Myrmidons loose?
 I don t think it s either, Mykel replied.  That s why I wanted the
submarshal to know.
 And why we have four guards on duty in a town that doesn t have a lamp lit
much after two glasses past sunset.
 Something killed the last garrison, and I d prefer not to give whoever or
whatever it is another chance. I ll be happier once we have the walls and
gates finished in the new compound and the piping from the spring.
 How long do you think that will be?
 The water system is done, and so are the walls, except for the capstones. The
gates can t go up until the paving stones are in place, and we re waiting for
more stone from the quarry for that.
 The mounts will tear up the courtyard if it s not paved.
 Poeldyn says they can pave it by sections, and we won t move in until one
section is done. We ll set up tielines and temporary corrals on a paved
section.
 That should work. Wouldn t be any worse than what we ve got in the old
garrison.
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 We ll also have more space, Mykel replied. The compound would still be
crowded, because it was only designed for four companies twice the permanent
complement but that was an improvement over an an-cient garrison built for two
companies.
As he and Rhystan rode up the packed dirt trail that
might someday be the road to the compound, if Poeldyn s quarrymen ever cut
enough stone, Mykel surveyed the south walls and die gate area. The heavy iron
hinges for the gates had been set in place, and then reinforced and mortared, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]