Burning Tower

C HAPTER O NE D EVIL W IND The hot wind was rising. Kinless called it a Devil Wind. Lord Regapisk had his doubts about devils, but any devil might have invented that wind. It was hot and dry and gusty and it was whipping fire into a frenzy. A dozen houses had already burned. They were only Bull Pizzle houses, not in the territory Regapisk was guarding, so they weren't his business. Five houses on the other side of the Darkman's Cup gorge were part of Serpent's Walk, but there was no way to save them. Regapisk's Firemen had tried, but no one would blame him for losing those houses. They'd been able to loot the occupied houses before the fire got them.Gather, Regapisk thought, grinning. His Lordkin Firemen would call that "gathering." And if the Lords' Council asked him, Regapisk would say "salvage," but it was looting all the same. Lord Regapisk coughed. The smoke was blowing across the canyon, thicker now, and the wind grew hotter. The fire was coming. A chariot clattered up the road along the edge of the canyon. Regapisk turned with what he hoped was well disguised contempt. It wasn't that he didn't like his second cousin. Sandry was a likable boy. But he was younger than Regapisk, so recently a Younglord that he still answered to the lesser title, and yet he was put in charge here, while Lord Regapisk, fully a Lord for three years now, was assisting his young cousin. He got lucky, Regapisk thought.I was busy at the Harbor when the Congregation of Lords Witness decided to organize these Lordkin as Firemen. Cousin Sandry was available and I had other work. One day it would be different; the Council would put Lord Regapisk in charge of all the fire brigades. Until then, Lord Regapisk nominally worked for his younger cousin -- "Hail, Cousin." "Hail, Lord Regapisk," Sandry said formally. His cousin always did that, used formal titles, when their Lordkin Firemen were around. Sometimes it drove Regapisk to distraction. What was the need for all that? But you had to admit, Sandry made a handsome figure, standing tall in his chariot, the reins held so loosely that it looked as if Sandry could guide the big horses by talking to them. Whatever else you thought about Lord Sandry, he knew horses. Loved them more than he did people. The chariot was one of the larger war chariots, with room for two spearmen and the driver. It held only Sandry and a small kinless boy. "Hail, Firemen," Sandry said. He waved to the four Lordkin who worked with Regapisk. The Firemen got to their feet and acknowledged Sandry's greeting with waves and a few muttered words. Sandry was popular with the Lordkin Firemen of Serpent's Walk, and this was wild enthusiasm compared with the way Lordkin usually acted around someone they worked for. With, Lord Regapisk reminded himself. Lordkin workedwithyou. Even though both you and they knew that they were working for you. Lord Regapisk could understand that. "I see we lost the houses on the other side of the Cup," Sandry said. "Too bad the wind came up like that." "Yeah, we tried, but there just wasn't any way," Regapisk said. Sandry nodded. "No use crying about it. But we have to stop the fire here," he said. "At this gorge, before the wind whips up and drives it across this road. We need a firebreak just here, and I can't spare you any more men." Sandry dismounted and looked across the canyon to the wall of flames. The wind was blowing it toward them, along with smoke and hot ashes. The fire hadn't gone down into the canyon yet, but that was a matter of minutes. Lord Regapisk kNiven, Larry is the author of 'Burning Tower', published 2006 under ISBN 9780743416924 and ISBN 0743416929.