第2节

Plainfolk's name for the Northern Appalachians.

As point man, Izo Wantanabe was nearest the action.

Up to now, the probing advances of the warriors from the Deserts of the

South appeared to have stopped at the west bank of the wide, meandering

river the outlanders called the Miz-Hippy. The river had its source in

a cluster of lakes to the north-west of Du-ruta. Wantanabe had only

been on the ground for less than four months so much remained to be

discovered, but according to his initial contacts, the iron snakes had

never attempted to cross this waterway. Whether they could not, or did

not wish to do so, remained to be seen.

The Plainfolk had said the iron snakes preferred to follow the lines of

the ancient hardways - most of which, outside Ne-Issan, had long since

crumbled into dust.

From a captured Federation map acquired in exchange for six knives it

was clear the iron snakes (which their owners called wagon-trains)

would have to cross a number of smaller rivers to reach the

Miz-Hippy.

Izo Wantanabe had not yet seen one of these much-feared killing

machines for himself but perhaps because of their huge size or the

manner of their construction they could not float across a river like a

loaded cart drawn by oxen and supported on air-filled bags made from

animal skins. So much the better. It meant that, until a bridge was

built or suitable ferry craft were put in place, the iron snakes would

be held at bay perhaps indefinitely. Gangs of construction workers

were a soft target and even if bridges and ferries were completed, they

could still be attacked and burned by determined bands of men.

The Miz-Hippy was like the wide moats that surrounded the

palace-castles of the domain-lords of Ne-Issan. It formed an almost

endless defensive line which - as far as he knew - could only be turned

by journeying northwards around the Western Sea.

Densely-forested hills pitted with lakes formed the first line of

defence. If this was penetrated the iron snakes would be halted by the

San-Oransa, the wide river that protected Ne-Issan's border domains.

But not the skies above them. These marauding serpents carried winged

chariots that could travel through the cloud world of the kami.

Rivers and mountains were no barrier to them.

The grass-monkeys called these chariots 'arrowheads', and the soldiers

who rode in them were known as 'cloud-warriors'.

Up to this moment, all the stories about 'arrowheads' dropping

fire-blossoms from the sky and killing people with long sharp iron were

nothing more than hearsay.

EXaggerated rumours. None of his informants had ever seen an

'arrowhead'. Neither had Izo Wantanabe until today - when he had seen

two! Only these sky-chariots were not like the crafts his informants

had described.

Their wings were not triangular. They were stretched out on either

side of their bodies like those of a gliding seabird. And they had a

tail - not fan-shaped like that of a bird, but a tail nevertheless

attached by two beams to the wings on either side of the plump body.

Their shape, in one sense, was immaterial. Izo Wantanabe was in no

doubt that the sky-chariots were a product of the Federation. Merely

to look upon them sent a chill down the spine. They were dark alien

things whose form could not have been conceived in the soul of a noble

samurai. But what were they doing in a sky filled with snow?

Lord Yama-Shita's trade captain had told him that the iron snakes

retreated south to their underground lairs during the winter months and

his own tame grass-monkeys had confirmed this was so. But . . . if

there were sky-chariots aloft, it meant that somewhere away to the

south-west, an iron snake was lurking. Hiding perhaps in a forest,

awaiting their return.

Yes ... News of its presence and its exact whereabouts would soon - if

it was not already - become common knowledge among the locally-based

Mute clans. And someone would bring the news to him in the hope of a

reward. Izo had several trunkfuls of small gifts, some useful, some