Dragons and Destiny (31 page)

Hilla

Essay written
by Juvenis Hilla Talansdochter as part of her Officer Training:

‘
Question:

“
Why should
the Larg be considered a threat to Argyll?”

Answer:

“
The Larg
live in the southern continent, Argyll is in the northern so the
Larg are not an obvious threat to the security of our
country.

History (both
ours and that of the Lind) tells us however that the Larg have
attempted to invade the northern continent on numerous occasions
and not just since AL1. The Lind were defending themselves against
the Larg for centuries before this.

The traditional
route north for the Larg is the bridge of islands that connects the
northern and southern continents. This bridge is located at
Settlement in south-western Argyll.

Only on three
other occasions have the Larg attempted ingress via another route.
In AL10 with the help of the leaders of the Kingdom of Murdoch they
attempted a seaborne invasion of Vadath. In AL167 and AL406 they
used the island bridge in the far west although in the latter
attempt very few managed to cross.

The coastline
at Settlement abutting the traditional island route is one of the
most heavily defended areas in the world. It has been estimated
that the Larg would lose one half of their warriors storming the
ramparts. The western bridge had been rendered impassable with the
widening and deepening of the water channel in AL547. So at first
sight it appears that the Larg are now of little danger to Argyll.
Indeed, the country most at risk must be the one that shares the
southern continent with them, the Kingdom of Murdoch.

If the Kingdom
of Murdoch fell to the Larg then the position of those of us who
inhabit the northern continent would become more difficult but not
necessarily more dangerous. The Larg would still have to attack
using the island bridge and they would be unlikely to attempt to do
so.

Argyll’s main
difficulty would be economic with the disappearance of the Kingdom
of Murdoch, a threat to our way of life but not to our existence.
There is much movement of trade goods between Argyll and Murdoch;
this would be lost to us, the produce from their plantations and
glassmaking sand from the desert to name but two. These goods would
no longer arrive in Argyll if the Larg destroyed the Kingdom of
Murdoch.

However, Argyll
would adjust to this situation.

If however, the
Larg did manage to gain a foothold on the northern continent there
would be a very real threat to our survival.

On Rybak, only
once during the last six centuries have there been more Lind than
Larg in existence when in AL10 a pestilence spread through the
Lands of the Larg. A hundred and fifty years later however, Larg
numbers had once more reached pre-pestilence levels and so the
numbers have remained to this day.

There is a
double reason for this.

Larg females
give birth to larger litters than do the Lind, ten to twelve is not
unusual although their survival rate into adulthood is not as
great. The Lind normally give birth to a lin of from four to
six.

Whereas the
Lind will have an average of three lin during the female’s
lifetime, the Larg dam will drop a litter during every second hot
season for as long as she is of breeding age.

It is estimated
therefore that there are at least six times as many Larg on Rybak
as there are Lind and possibly many more.

There are 42
packs (rtaths) of Lind at the present time. The numbers within the
packs were counted by the Lind a decade ago. Although the numbers
were not reported in full, it is known that the smallest pack held
around 2,200 Lind and the largest around 5,600.

If we
extrapolate on this basis, using the averaging principle of
mathematics, this gives an average of 3,900 Lind per pack and if
there are 42 packs we can calculate the Lind population at 163,800.
From this we can calculate an estimated number of Larg, 982,800, a
worrying number.

The Lind become
of an age to fight at 14 summers and both sexes fight in the
Lindars.

If we assume
that a third of each pack are either too old or too young to fight,
that would mean that the Lind could arrive on a battlefield 109,200
strong. We know that Larg females do not fight nor do the old and
the young.

According to
the tactician Major Dafid Douglas the Larg can bring around 327,000
warriors on to a battlefield and he said that this was a
conservative estimate and that 400,000 was nearer the mark. This
would give the Larg an almost 4 to 1 advantage over the Lind.

Of course, the
Lind would not be fighting the Larg on their own. The 2,500 Vada
can also be added to the northern army as can 10,000 Garda and
perhaps 50,000 Militia.

This means that
the northern army would be approximately 171,700 strong, it brings
down the detrimental ratio but the north would still be outnumbered
by almost 3 to 1.

To conclude, it
is unlikely that there will be a direct attack by the Larg on
Argyll. This would require getting their kohorts over the island
chain and past the coastal defences with losses low enough to keep
their numerical superiority which would be impossible for them to
accomplish. As long as the northern armies meet the Larg with
comparable numbers, on their own land, the Larg are very unlikely
to prevail.

The main threat
of the Larg must be economic and the Kingdom of Murdoch is strong
and well-prepared. The Larg are unlikely to attack it.

The threat of
the Larg to Argyll exists but is neither likely nor immediate.

Bibliography:

Tales of Rybak,
Volume 3: Tara Sullivan-Crawford

Histories of
the Lind, Volume 2: Tara Sullivan-Crawford

History of
Murdoch: Count Charles Cocteau

The Impact of
Man: Mary Franklin-Antwerp’

* * * * *

Niaill

Niaill and
Taraya were exploring Taraya’s rtathlians where the domta of her
pack was situated, having at last managed to escape her numerous
relations, the majority of whom still resided within the rtath. Of
all Dalnya and Falei’s ltsctas, only Taraya had gone east to seek
out a human to share her life with. At the edge of one of the
undulating hills that rose up and out of the plains Niaill and
Taraya decided that rather than climb over the hill and down the
other side they would travel through the woods and set up their
night camp or dom underneath the huge trees.

It was as dusk
was falling that Taraya saw what she later described as a spark of
blue deep within the undergrowth. They decided to investigate.

As they drew
close they heard strange noises although the blue light Taraya had
described had disappeared.

Niaill pulled
away the fronds. What emerged was a metal pole the length of a
sword. At its tip was a dull blue orb the size of a man’s fist.

“It’s the round
thing at the end that’s making the noise,” observed Niaill, leaning
closer to get a better look. “What is it? It’s like a blue glass
ornament and why is it
here
?”

“I do not
know,” answered an apprehensive Taraya, “but I feel that I
should.”

The orb stopped
buzzing and began to vibrate. Niaill stepped back. The orb began to
glow and to sound out an irregular pattern of bleeps. Niaill
counted them; five sharp, a few moments silence than another five.
The blue orb glowed on and off in time to the bleeps.

Niaill began to
look around for a stick with which to prod at the object. He sensed
a great deal of disquiet from Taraya.

: Do not
touch :
she warned.

The words came
with incisiveness and with such force that Niaill staggered.

: Sorry
:
Taraya didn’t sound at all apologetic
: This is dangerous
Niaill, we must leave :

“Dangerous? How
can it be dangerous? It’s just a long stick. A bit peculiar with
that glow and all though.”

“I am not
certain, I just know that it is.”

Taraya sounded
confused. “I think …” She shook her head to clear it. “It is as if
I have always known.” She sounded even more confused and added, “we
must warn them; we must warn the Gtrathlin.”

Niaill stared
at her and as he did, a memory began to resurface, an old memory
from his childhood. Unbidden a rhyme swam through his mind.

‘
If danger
dire dost thrive.

And north and
south fight to survive,

Look ye to the
west,

Where at our
behest,

As Mariya was
solemnly bidden,

Gtrathlin
evermore keep hidden,

Deep inside the
ground,

Answers may be
found.’

Now why am I
remembering that after all this time? Must be the word
Gtrathlin.

“We must go
warn them,” Taraya repeated with insistence, stamping her paw in
agitation.

“Warn who? The
Gtrathlin?”

“Yes. What we
have found here fills me with dread.”

A tight knot of
apprehension formed in Niaill’s stomach and he shivered. He
realised that he had never forgotten the riddle, not deep down. He
had always known, even as a child that it was important and
Taraya’s reaction had confirmed it.

“Okay then,
we’ll go. It’ll take us about three days to run.”

“Two,” Taraya
corrected him, “we will run fast.”

“Are you going
to let me at least sleep through the night? We’ll need some rest if
we’re going to run it in two.”

“Half the
night,” Taraya insisted, “no longer. It might also be wise to cover
the thing up as much as you can. I would not want the unwary to
find it.”

“We’re out of
the way here,” Niaill demurred having no great wish to get close to
the orb again. For some reason it now too filled him with
repugnance.

“All the same
my Niaill, it would be safer.”

Niaill did as
she requested and stepped back. A passer-by would not now see the
orb glowing although it continued to bleep out its pattern of
fives.

“Let me get
some rest and something to eat,” he said, “then we’ll be off. You
sure you can find this place or should I mark it with
something.”

“Absolutely
not,” Taraya cried out in alarm.

“Okay, okay,
keep your whiskers on,” Niaill answered easily, he knew his
Taraya.

It was dark by
the time they threaded their way out of the woods and Taraya began
her run north to the domta of the Gtrathlin in the easy lope that
ate up the miles.

* * * * *

AL607 - Fourth
Month of Winter (Santhed)

Niaill

“Why are you
here, Niaill and Taraya of the Vada?”

“Need is the
answer, Vanlya, Gtrathlin of the Lind,” answered Niaill while
Taraya stood quiet beside him, quite overcome at meeting the
pre-eminent Lind of all together with a company of some dozen white
Elda.

“How is this
so?”

“Taraya and I
have found an object in the lian to the south-west.”

“A dangerous
object? It can harm?”

“No Gtrathlin
Vanlya, not dangerous in itself, at least I think not but in what
it is. Taraya feels that it is what it portends that is the
danger.”

“Portends?”
Vanlya queried, “I am unfamiliar with the word.”

“Omen?
Catalyst?”

Vanlya shook
her head and turned to Taraya.

“Show me,” she
commanded.

Niaill felt the
tingling sensation which heralded the ‘feeling’ that his mind was
totally at one with hers. She was always there, a warm presence and
had been since they had become vadeln-paired but this meant that he
would see, hear and feel exactly what she was seeing, hearing and
feeling.

He blinked at
Vanlya who lowered her head in acknowledgement of his presence in
the mind-link that had formed between her and Taraya. As the two
Lind were physically so close to each other the energy required
would be minimal and only the Elda accompanying her would be able
to overhear; if Vanlya included them. Niaill rather thought she
would. His suspicions were confirmed when she opened the network to
bring them in.

: Show me
all that you have seen :
commanded Vanlya.
: from the
beginning :

Taraya told the
story of how they had arrived at the woods and of the light and
buzzing they had seen, heard and investigated.

: It is tall
and thin :
she continued
: with a blue light that flashes at
the top :

: Show me
closer :
Vanlya demanded.

Vanlya stepped
back in horror, a shock and dismay shared, Taraya and Niaill
realised by the other Elda.

Vanlya lowered
her head and stared at the ground at her paws. Niaill had heard of
people paling under their tans when something frightened them, he
had even seen a few but he had never seen a Lind go pale under the
fur like this.

Why does she
react like this?

Vanlya raised
her white head and looked at Niaill and Taraya.

: I know what
you have seen. I know what it means. You must both come with us
:

Taraya and
Niaill accompanied Vanlya as she turned and made her way deep
inside the domta until they came to a cave mouth, high but narrow.
Vanlya squeezed herself inside and Taraya and Niaill followed. It
was dim but light was coming from somewhere. Try as he might he
couldn’t discern from where exactly.

Vanlya pointed
with her paw to one side of the cave wall and to Niaill’s utter
amazement, he saw another long pole, dusty, rusty, but undeniably
the same.

“Look close,”
ordered Vanlya. “Is this what you and Taraya found?”

“Yes, yes it
is,” answered Niaill after a careful look. He didn’t like to touch
it, it looked so old and what was it that the technicians called
such things? Unstable, yes, that was it.