It was part of that pattern of destiny fixed by Meliadus when, on leaving Castle Brass in disgrace, he had called upon the Runestaff.

Yet none could say how finally that pattern would resolve itself and who would be the ultimate victor Huon, Meliadus or Hawkmoon.

Chapter Eight

Taragorm’s Invention

BY MID MORNING the barracks had been completely wiped out and the survivors were fighting in the streets near the centre of the city. They had been reinforced with several thousand Mantis warriors. It was probable that Huon still had no idea of what was really happening. Perhaps he thought the attack was by Asiacommunistans disguised as Granbretanians. Meliadus smiled as he disembarked with Flana Mikosevaar and made his way to the Palace of Time on foot, flanked by a dozen Vultures and Wolves. The surprise had been complete. His men had remained in the few open streets and had not ventured into the maze of corridors linking most of the towers. As the warriors had emerged, Meliadus’s men had picked them off. Now they were bottling them in, for there were few windows from which Huon’s soldiers could fight. Windows were not a feature of Londra’s architecture, for the Granbretanians had little liking for fresh air or daylight. What windows there were tended to be placed so high as to be useless to snipers. Even the ornithopters, unequipped for fighting in a city such as Londra, were proving to be a smaller threat than Meliadus had anticipated. He was well pleased as he entered the Palace of Time and discovered Taragorm in a small chamber.

“Brother! Our plans go wellbetter than I had expected.”

“Aye,” answered Taragorm with a nod to Flana to whom, like Meliadus, he had been married for a short time. “My Ferrets have hardly needed to do anything as yet. But doubtless they’ll be useful in flushing out those who stay in the tunnels: I plan to use them to come up on the enemy from behind as soon as we have properly located the main pockets.”

Meliadus nodded his approval. “But you sent a message for me to meet you here. Why is that?”

“I believe I have discovered the means of bringing your friends of Castle Brass back to their natural environment,” Taragorm murmured, his voice full of quiet satisfaction.

Meliadus gave a deep groan and it was a moment before Flana realised he was voicing his extreme pleasure. “Oh, Taragorm! At last the rabbits are mine!”

Taragorm laughed. “I am not entirely certain that my machine will work, but I feel it might since it is based on an old formula I discovered in the same book as the one which mentioned the crystal machine of Soryandum. Would you care to see it?”

“Aye! Lead me to it, brother, I beg you!”

“This way.”