"Okay. Let's go."
Chapter Four
The explosions from the direction of Stronghold had faded away into the forest chatterings when Paul called them all back into the aircar for a council of war.
It was, Jody remembered distantly as she closed her door, her parents' favorite term over the years to describe formal family discussions. Never in her life had she imagined that she would ever take part in real council of actual war.
If the expressions on Geoff's and Freylan's faces were any indication, they were thinking the same thing.
"First things first," Paul said when the last door had been sealed. "What we've just heard is real. It wasn't a mistake, a joke, or a misinterpretation. Caelian has been invaded."
"But why?" Geoff asked, his voice barely above a moan. "It doesn't make sense."
"Well, it obviously makes sense to the Troft demesnes involved," Paul pointed out. "Otherwise, they wouldn't have done it. But that's not something we're going to figure out now. Nor should we waste a lot of time on it. Our first task is to consider what we're going to do with the situation we've been handed."
"We have to get out of here," Geoff said tightly. "We have to--well, we have to get out , that's all."
"And go where?" Paul asked. "Running away from something is useless in and of itself, Geoff. You have to run to something."
"There's Aerie," Freylan suggested hesitantly. "It's only fifty kilometers away. Or we could try Essbend. That's one-thirty."
Geoff snorted. "And what, you think the Trofts might have missed them?"
"It's possible," Freylan countered. "At less than five hundred people each, they're certainly small enough. Anyway, what would it hurt to try?"
"Well, for starters, it'll burn a bunch of fuel," Geoff growled. "Not to mention time."
"Actually, I think Freylan's right," Paul said. "Though it's probably more a matter of the Trofts not bothering with the other towns than it is of them having missed seeing them. Unfortunately, wherever we go, it can't be by aircar. As of right now, all travel is strictly on foot."
Geoff stared at him in disbelief. Freylan's face actually paled. "What are you talking about?" Geoff demanded. "I was kidding about the fuel--we've got practically a full tank."
"And any invasion force worth its pay will be watching closely for enemy aircraft," Paul told him. " All enemy aircraft, military or civilian. We get above treetop level, and chances are they'll be right on top of us."
"So we don't go that high," Freylan suggested. "There must be ways to maneuver through the forest instead of going over it."
Geoff hissed contemptuously. "Have you looked out there lately?"
"Unfortunately, Geoff's right," Paul said. "Unless we can fly this thing sideways, we're not getting through any of that."
"Well, we're sure not taking a fifty-kilometer walk," Jody said firmly. "Not through a Caelian forest."
"Agreed," Paul said. "And since those explosions were likely the comm towers being destroyed, we're not going to be calling anyone for help, either."
"Wait a second," Geoff said. "How do you know those were the comm towers?"
"I don't," Paul said. "But it's a fair enough assumption. Trofts don't go in for wholesale slaughter, and there was barely enough time for the town to even notice them, let alone launch some kind of attack that the Trofts might have been reacting to. Given the timing, the first explosion was almost certainly the primary tower, from which it follows that the others were probably the secondary ones."
"The timing?" Geoff asked, sounding bewildered.
"There was a fifteen-second gap between the cutoff of Uy's transmission and the sound of the first explosion," Freylan murmured. "Three seconds per kilometer for the sound to get here. Didn't you ever count seconds after a lightning flash?"
"Right," Paul said. "Which is also why I said earlier that you were probably right about Aerie and Essbend and the other towns not being attacked. The only reason I can think of to destroy the comm
Chapter Four
The explosions from the direction of Stronghold had faded away into the forest chatterings when Paul called them all back into the aircar for a council of war.
It was, Jody remembered distantly as she closed her door, her parents' favorite term over the years to describe formal family discussions. Never in her life had she imagined that she would ever take part in real council of actual war.
If the expressions on Geoff's and Freylan's faces were any indication, they were thinking the same thing.
"First things first," Paul said when the last door had been sealed. "What we've just heard is real. It wasn't a mistake, a joke, or a misinterpretation. Caelian has been invaded."
"But why?" Geoff asked, his voice barely above a moan. "It doesn't make sense."
"Well, it obviously makes sense to the Troft demesnes involved," Paul pointed out. "Otherwise, they wouldn't have done it. But that's not something we're going to figure out now. Nor should we waste a lot of time on it. Our first task is to consider what we're going to do with the situation we've been handed."
"We have to get out of here," Geoff said tightly. "We have to--well, we have to get out , that's all."
"And go where?" Paul asked. "Running away from something is useless in and of itself, Geoff. You have to run to something."
"There's Aerie," Freylan suggested hesitantly. "It's only fifty kilometers away. Or we could try Essbend. That's one-thirty."
Geoff snorted. "And what, you think the Trofts might have missed them?"
"It's possible," Freylan countered. "At less than five hundred people each, they're certainly small enough. Anyway, what would it hurt to try?"
"Well, for starters, it'll burn a bunch of fuel," Geoff growled. "Not to mention time."
"Actually, I think Freylan's right," Paul said. "Though it's probably more a matter of the Trofts not bothering with the other towns than it is of them having missed seeing them. Unfortunately, wherever we go, it can't be by aircar. As of right now, all travel is strictly on foot."
Geoff stared at him in disbelief. Freylan's face actually paled. "What are you talking about?" Geoff demanded. "I was kidding about the fuel--we've got practically a full tank."
"And any invasion force worth its pay will be watching closely for enemy aircraft," Paul told him. " All enemy aircraft, military or civilian. We get above treetop level, and chances are they'll be right on top of us."
"So we don't go that high," Freylan suggested. "There must be ways to maneuver through the forest instead of going over it."
Geoff hissed contemptuously. "Have you looked out there lately?"
"Unfortunately, Geoff's right," Paul said. "Unless we can fly this thing sideways, we're not getting through any of that."
"Well, we're sure not taking a fifty-kilometer walk," Jody said firmly. "Not through a Caelian forest."
"Agreed," Paul said. "And since those explosions were likely the comm towers being destroyed, we're not going to be calling anyone for help, either."
"Wait a second," Geoff said. "How do you know those were the comm towers?"
"I don't," Paul said. "But it's a fair enough assumption. Trofts don't go in for wholesale slaughter, and there was barely enough time for the town to even notice them, let alone launch some kind of attack that the Trofts might have been reacting to. Given the timing, the first explosion was almost certainly the primary tower, from which it follows that the others were probably the secondary ones."
"The timing?" Geoff asked, sounding bewildered.
"There was a fifteen-second gap between the cutoff of Uy's transmission and the sound of the first explosion," Freylan murmured. "Three seconds per kilometer for the sound to get here. Didn't you ever count seconds after a lightning flash?"
"Right," Paul said. "Which is also why I said earlier that you were probably right about Aerie and Essbend and the other towns not being attacked. The only reason I can think of to destroy the comm
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