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largely upon their ally to supply them during the winter. But the Perkunishans had been very tight-fisted
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with the supplies. They gave the excuse that they were having enough trouble providing for their own
troops. The Shofet of New Crete had seen the real reason behind his ally's action. Although Perkunisha
had pledged Ireland as a prize of war, it wanted the island for itself. If the New Cretans were defeated
and Perkunisha had to take over, Perkunisha could claim Ireland by right of conquest.
The Shofet had accused his ally of betrayal. The arrogant Perkunishans reacted violently and
swiftly. Even now their Mediterranean fleet and troops in south Rasna were fighting their former allies.
"They think they can take on the whole world," Kwasind said. "Now, they go too far -- I hope.
That's not all, you know. Perkunisha has demanded that Ikhwan hand back the African colonies it's
occupied. And it's also told Ikhwan to stay out of western Dravidia. If Ikhwan doesn't obey, Perkunisha
will declare war on them."
"What's the Blodlandish government doing about this? Ikhwan has a powerful navy, probably the
most powerful, now that the Perkunisha had lost so many ships. If the Ikhwan would become allied to us.
. ."
"They won't. Obviously, they plan to let Europe tear itself apart. Then they'll move in. You
watch."
"It's Fimbulwinter," Two Hawks said. "Gotterdammerung. The Twilight of the Gods."
But the winter passed without the end of the world. The snows melted; mud had its fun with the
armies that tried to slog through it. The Blodlandish were well entrenched in strategic positions, their
cannons in place. The Perkunishans had to haul their big artillery wherever they were needed. Since the
few paved roads on the island had been blown up by the retreating Blodlandish, the invaders had to build
new ones. This took time, and their armies bogged down.
The Blodlandish Air Force had its first big engagement with the enemy planes, 20 miles south of
Bammu. Although out-numbered by ten craft, the Blodlandish fought fiercely. They lost six planes and
sent twelve enemy down in flames. Two Hawks was flying that day because he believed his men needed
an experienced combat man with them.
The fliers, based on the northern side of the capital city, flew ten sorties that day. Two Hawks
went up a second time, leading fifty planes in an attack on the enemy field closest to the front lines. The
twenty planes on the ground, all hangars, a bomb dump, and four anti-aircraft posts were destroyed. For
two weeks, the Blodlandish flew from dusk to dawn. They lost heavily in the many dogfights over
Bammu, since the Per-kunishans were intent on destroying the islanders' air effective-ness. Fortunately,
the full weight of their enemy's air arm was not brought to bear against them. Espionage said that Raske
had wanted to use every plane he had in the campaign, but the High Command had vetoed this. Half
went to fight against the New Cretans; only a fourth were being used on the island.
Raske was in Berlin, probably afraid to leave it because of politics. He had many enemies among
the nobility, who would take advantage of his absence to dislodge him if they could. The commander of
the Perkunishan Air Force in Blodland was an ex-dirigible man who had not even learned to fly
heavier-than-air craft. He did not understand the effective use of his craft. The officers who led their men
into aerial combat were as inexperienced as those they led. Since the flight leader's planes were always
marked with a scarlet plumed helmet, they got a concentrated attack from the Blodlandish. Two Hawks
had given the orders that the flight commanders should be dealt with first, if possible. It became almost
certain death for a commander to engage in combat, yet, if he did not, he would have been regarded as a
coward by the men under him. The rate of promotion in the invading air force became rapid.
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This was very satisfying to Two Hawks, but his successes seemed to have little effect upon the
battling on the ground. The enemy took one fort after another, one town after another, losing
three-to-one in the process but seemingly not caring. Suddenly, the capital was invaded. A fleet
bombarded the forts at the mouth of the Tems river for a week, then landed troops. The Perkunishan air
force provided a cover that day. Two Hawks led his complete force against them, and in one day the
Perkunishan fliers were almost wiped out.
It made no difference to the men on the ground. In seven days, the invaders were hammering at
the gates of Bammu.
Two days later, fifty of Raske's new twin-engined bombers landed on a Perkunishan field. They
refueled and took off to bomb Bammu, escorted by a hundred new fighter planes. Only half the bombers
returned and 60 fighters. Two Hawks shot down ten enemy that day, bringing his score up to fifty-one.
He returned with only thirty Blodlandish, all that remained of his pilots.
15
Despite the staggering losses, the bombing raid was a success. Four bombs struck the
Witenayemot while the lords were in final session, before evacuating to the north. Old Lord Raedaesh
was killed. Two Hawks thought that this was the best thing that could happen for the Blodlandish. But the
bomb had also killed the Shofet, his two younger brothers, the queen, and the Shofet's children. The
entire royal family was wiped out, except for the Shofet's uncle, who had been in a madhouse for twenty
years. In the confusion that followed the announcement of the disaster, a young Kreion (General) named
Erik Leonitha, a bastard son of the mad uncle, declared himself the protector of Blodland. He ordered
the army out of Bammu to take a position to the north. He freed the slaves in a proclamation that
declared that slavery was at an end forever in Blodland. This was not done out of democratic principle
but to keep the slaves from revolting. The Perkunishan agents had been spreading disaffection among
them since before the war.
Erik Leonitha also promised that after the enemy had been driven out, more rights would be
given the common people and they would have a chance to advance themselves in the military and in the
big businesses. The nobility were strongly opposed to him, so he needed as much support as he could get
from the masses.
Two Hawks, acting on his own, had given orders to dismantle the aircraft factory and move the
machinery to the north. He stayed in Bammu until the last piece of equipment had been loaded on a
freight train. He and Kwasind boarded the final train out of the city. Even as he stepped onto his car,
shells burst not more than a quarter-mile away. He went through several cars crowded with officers and
high-born refugees. While going through an aisle, he heard his name called. He turned to look down into
the blue eyes of Ilmika Thorrsstein.
"It's been a long time, Milady," he said. "I heard about your mother and brothers. I sent a letter of
condolence. Did you get it?"
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"No," she said. "The mails are so bad now. But I thank you for your sympathy."
He tried to continue the conversation without much success. She seemed withdrawn. Perhaps, he
thought, she was just too tired. Her face was pale, and she had large dark circles under her eyes. He
excused himself, saying he hoped to be able to talk with her again before they reached their destination.
After passing through two more jammed aisles, he found his compart-ment. It was a tiny room, but he [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]