The Gravitational Leap. Darrell Lee

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СКАЧАТЬ my son violated their law. They killed my son and my wife. I couldn’t live among them after that,” Sjund answered.

      Taavi gave a knowing frown. The door of the blacksmith’s tent flung open, cold wind and snow rushed inside, and the flames of the lanterns wavered. A Denock scout stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He pulled the hood of his parka back and removed the balaclava from his head. “We found the Asus soldier. He lay dead just this side of the riverbed. We brought his body back with us.”

      “How would they know?” asked Taavi.

      “It could just have been a random encounter. We’ve lost several men to snipers this year,” Tristan said.

      The men became uneasy. Sjund looked at the reporting scout. “Did you find his backpack with him, or his radio or knife?”

      “No, sir,” the scout replied.

      The Asus elders whispered among themselves.

      “Take three other scouts and retrieve both repeater stations from the hilltops,” Tristan commanded the scout.

      “Yes, sir,” he replied and left the tent.

      “It’s safe to assume we have lost the advantage of surprise,” Taavi said. “We are going to return to our camp to reconsider the situation before deciding to go to war upon the clan behind the wall alongside you.”

      “We should attack at once,” Sjund said, “before they have a chance to prepare and before winter makes it impossible to be outside!”

      The Asus elders whispered some more. Taavi looked at Sjund. “We will discuss it tomorrow.” He and the other Asus elders filed out the door into the predawn light, followed by their guards.

      Tristan waved at his guards to leave the tent. When they were all gone, Sjund spoke. “You should’ve let me go,” he said to Tristan.

      “And what good will you be to us if you are dead? You’re the only person who knows how to make the nitroglycerin and attach it properly to this damn cone on this wagon. More importantly, besides your father, you’re the only one who knows how to start the machine—the reactor. And I am sure your father would die before he showed us.” Tristan leaned against a wagon wheel.

      “We should attack now. The longer we wait the more they can prepare—and the worse this damn cold winter is getting,” Sjund insisted.

      “And so can we. A few more days won’t matter. It’ll be just as cold for the Tower clan as it is for us on the battlefield. Besides, the loss of surprise may be a good thing. A few less Asus soldiers we have to deal with in the future. But I am sure they’ll want a bigger share of the cattle and horses after the battle is over.”

      “You should give them whatever they want to get them to join with us. And do it quickly,” Sjund said. “It has taken us five years to get enough materials for a bomb the size needed for this wagon. Now we have the advantage in numbers, and I don’t want to spend another miserable winter in a tent. The way this winter is going we could all be dead if we don’t either get the reactor for heat and the stone dwellings for the soldiers or move south.”

      “And what of the legend of the reactor?” Tristan asked. “The history keepers told us as children that the Tower clan is waiting for a signal from the stars to start the reactor. They are keeping it for themselves, never to be used and never to be shared with outsiders. You’re sure it really exists and is as powerful as the legend says?”

      “Oh yes, it is real—I have seen it. It’s capable of supplying enough power to have electricity in every dwelling, for lights and heat for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.”

      All the Denock elders nodded and smiled, envisioning life inside a warm stone dwelling.

      “But,” Sjund said, interrupting their dreaming. All the elders stared at him. “The legend is also correct about a signal from the stars. They have been waiting for it for centuries. Should this convoluted old man think he has received one, he will start the reactor. His plan is to use all the fuel rods. If he starts the reactor, then even if we capture the Tower and kill all the village’s soldiers, we won’t be able to use it to make much electricity, and therefore no weapons or heat. The reactor will be next to useless.”

      “Why would he do this?” Tristan asked.

      Sjund looked at the other elders and then finally at Tristan. “He’s insane. He thinks he can use it to travel back in time.”

      ****

      Alyd looked at Timo nervously. At two hours before sunrise, a knock at the door couldn’t be good. Timo, shaving, nearly cut his cheek with the new knife. He wiped his face, returned the knife to its sheath, and placed it under the mattress of the bed. Their dwelling was one room, besides a small separate bathroom. There was a dining area, fireplace for warmth and cooking, and a bed tucked away in a corner. In another corner stood a large, metal cabinet. All members of the sniper unit had one of these installed in their dwelling after graduation. In this case, since the two snipers were married, they shared. It securely held all their gear and explosives. It wasn’t large enough for their rifles since they had to share. The rifles leaned against the wall to the left of the cabinet. Pistol belts hung from hooks above the rifles. The walls were stone with a single shuttered window next to the front door, a low wood-slat ceiling, and wooden floors. It was the standard village dwelling layout. Only high-ranking officials had separate rooms for bedrooms, and some even had a separate kitchen. Neither Timo nor Alyd had friends that ranked that high. Alyd, fully dressed in her uniform, sat in one of the two chairs at the only table. She had just finished lacing up her boots.

      Timo unlocked and opened the door. A man he didn’t know stood outside holding a flashlight, its beam directed at his feet; the indirect light provided enough illumination for the men to see each other clearly. Timo looked him up and down. Only military officers or special operations soldiers had flashlights. If he was one of them, Timo would have at least known his face. The man wasn’t wearing a military uniform; instead he wore a black leather jacket with white trim along the cuffs and sleeves. Only staff members of the High Council wore those.

      “Yes?” Timo said.

      “I am a messenger from the High Council. The council orders you and your wife’s appearance at an assembly in the Five-Seven-One Chamber at eleven hundred hours,” the man said.

      “But we’re supposed to report for sniper patrol in an hour.”

      “Your commanding officer has been notified, and your patrol duties have been reassigned. Bring no weapons to the meeting,” the messenger said.

      “Thank you,” Timo said and shut the door.

      “I told you—” Alyd said.

      Timo held his index finger to his lips. He walked over to the table and sat in the other chair.

      Alyd leaned over in her chair toward him. “I told you that you shouldn’t have kept that knife,” she whispered.

      “This isn’t about the knife. The High Council wouldn’t care about a knife.”

      “What is it then?” Alyd asked.

      “It must be about that scout and why we didn’t bring the body back.”

      “I still can’t believe you СКАЧАТЬ