20 The Piers

I climbed from the small boat to one of the piers.

Men lifted their weapons, saluting me.

"Come with me," said a fellow.

I passed among wounded men. I saw there, Marsias, the grizzled fellow, the men who had originally stood with me on the walkway, and many others. I passed, too, among many women and children.

I was conducted into the presence of Aemilianus.

"You did well, to hold the walkway, you and others," said Aemilianus. He was sitting on a pier, propped up against some boxes. Those piers are the main harbor piers, between the inner harbor, that between them and the citadel landing, and the outer harbor, which leads to the river. the outer harbor, now, of course, was blocked, a few hundred yards out, with the chain of rafts and, behind them, five ships.

"These would be dead now," said he, gesturing about himself, "had you and those with you not done so."

I looked back to the walkway in the distance, across the inner harbor. "The standard of Cos now surmounts it," I said.

"You held it for the time that was needed," said Aemilianus, "the time required to seal off the piers."

It interested me that Cos would bother setting its standard there, at the end of that charred walk, jutting out toward the piers. Apparently we had made it mean something to them.

I looked back, too, to the citadel, and the city. The citadel was afire. Fires, too, still, after all these days, burned in the city.

"You are not Marsias," said a man to me. "Who are you?"

"Ar's Station is gone," I said to Aemilianus.

"No," he said. "Its Home Stone survives."

"It was taken from the city?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "Weeks ago it was smuggled from the city, and sent south to Ar, where, if all went well, it must now be."

"So long ago," I said, "you did not expect relief from Ar?"

"I was right," he said, bitterly.

I nodded. One does not keep secret the siege of a city such as Ar's Station. It was one of the largest of the ports on the Vosk. Too, anyone can read a calendar.

"You maintained a brave front," I said.

"And what would you have done, had you been commander in Ar's Station?" I shrugged. "Much the same, I suppose," I said.

"So," said Aemilianus, "though I did continue to hope, I would not risk the Home Stone. I sent it south."

"By tarnsmen?" I asked.

"No," he said. "Cos controls the skies. I sent it south in the wagon of a tradesmen, Septimus Entrates.

"It may have escaped notice, then," I said, "among the innumerable wagons, the carts, the strings of refugees, and such, fleeing south."

"That is my hope," he said.

It seemed to me that I might, somewhere, have heard the name, Septimus Entrates. But then one hears many names, thousands of names, here and there.

"Cos," said a man, "prepares to attack."

"From both sides?" asked Aemilianus.

"It would seem so," said a fellow. "The chain of rafts has been opened in three places. The ships of Cos now enter the harbor. Too, there are other rafts from the river. rafts, and boats, too, are now coming out from the landing." "The Cosians will spend time in barrages or fire," said Aemilianus, "from the boars, from the rafts. The sky ill be dark with their metal. Use the bodies of the slain, and the wounded, as shields." He did not tell them to tear boards from the piers themselves, to construct makeshift hurdles and barricades. Perhaps that could be done later, but now this would, interestingly, have dismantled the very platform on which we stood, so crowded they were. Indeed, it would be difficult to use weapons here, even in thrusting. "When the Cosians ascend the piers themselves," continued Aemilianus, "we will meet them, with what men we still have, and make them pay for every board they cross. Carry me now to the side facing the inner harbor."

"But you are wounded," said his aide.

"Of course, you fool," said Aemilianus, angrily. "What do you think? Do you think I would have given an order I would not be willing, under similar circumstances, to obey? My body, as it is wounded, will serve as a shield in the fighting. It is all that it is good for now."

"We need Aemilianus, our commander," said a man, "not a body for a shield." Aemilianus tried, angrily, to rise to his feet.

At the same time, from beneath the bandage bound about his body there emerged a bright, fresh stain of crimson.

Aemilianus sank back to a sitting position. "Surilius," said he. "The sword, use it now. Then there will be no more quibbling about bodies and shields." "No, Commander," said he.

"I have never known you to refuse an order," said Aemilianus, puzzled. "If there must be a body for a shield, use mine, instead," he said. He drew his own sword.

"No, old friend," begged Aemilianus.

He called Surilius stood ready to pierce his own heart with his sword.

"You," said Aemilianus, lifting his hand to me. "Strike me with your sword." "I am weary," I said.

"Draw my own sword," he begged. "Hold it, that I may throw myself upon it." "No," I said. "No?" said Aemilianus.

"I am not of Ar's Station," I said. "Do not presume to command one who has no fondness for either Ar or Ar's Station."

"But you have fought for us!" said Aemilianus.

"I saw things that did not please me," I said, "and I have fought, but so, too, might a tarn fly and a kaiila run."

Men shuddered. Warriors, it is said in the codes, have a common Home Stone. Its name is battle.

"Your word, Surilius," protested Aemilianus, turning again to the aide, his friend.

"My word is sacred to me," said Surilius, "but so, too, are the terms of my word, and they require only that I do not permit you to fall, when you yourself could not avoid it, into the hands of Cosians. Then, but then only, am I prepared to strike."

"You are a good soldier," said Aemilianus. "I beg your forgiveness, my friend." He then grimaced. Fresh blood appeared again beneath the bandage, running to his waist.

"Let him rest," I said.

A fellow lowered Aemilianus to the boards, amidst the feet about him.

Aemilianus lifted his hand to his friend.

"I will be at your side," said Surilius.

"They are coming," said a fellow. "There must be a hundred rafts and boats, from both sides."

"It will not be long now, will it, dear friend," said Aemilianus.

"No, dear friend," said Surilius. "I do not think it will be long now." "Look off there," said a fellow, pointing toward the harbor. "I did not know they had so many ships."

"What!" I said.

"There," said the man pointing, out toward the river.

I could see, out beyond the wall of chained rafts, opened now in three places, a flotilla of sails, long and low, triangular, sloping, those of lateen-rigged galleys.

"They are coming for the kill," said a man.

"Where is a glass," I cried, "a builder's glass, a glass of the builders!" Even as we watched we saw the sail of the first ship furled to its sloping yard and the yard swung, parallel to the keel, and lowered. In a moment the mast, too, had been lifted, and lowered. The other ships followed suit. The hair on the back of my neck rose. These are preparations of galleys for entering battle. They would not be under oar power along. It was hard now to even see the ships at the distance. Those were not round ships. They were long ships, ramships. They were shallow drafted, low, like knives in the water.

"Bring me a glass!" I cried.

"A glass!" called more than one man.

"One of the ships of Cos is putting about," said a man.

"I do not understand," said another.

"See them come," said another fellow.

"How many are there?" said another.

"Where could Cos find such ships?" asked another.

"The Cosians on the rafts and boats are approaching," said another. "In a moment they will open fire."