"Frankowski, Leo - Stargard 5 - Lord Conrad's Lady" - читать интересную книгу автора (Frankowski Leo)

It was well past noon when we got to East Gate. The Riverboat Assembly Building was gone, reduced to a few blackened stumps sticking up from rain-soaked foundations. The Enterprise was at the docks, next to four hulks burned to the waterline, and the city was guarded by my own troops. A sentry waved us through, but I stopped to talk to him. УWhatТs going on here, warrior?Ф I asked.

УWe got here at dawn by riverboat, sir. Everybody was dead. Ф

УDead? How many Mongols were involved? Which way did they go?Ф

УI donТt much know anything else, sir. IТve been standing guard ever since we got here, and nobodyТs told me nothing. Maybe youТd best talk to Baron Tadaos. HeТs back on the boat, I think.Ф

I told the men in my relief column to pull into the railroad yard and rest, and once there most of the men pulling just lay down in the cold spring rain and fell asleep. Those on the carts were already sleeping.

Captain Wladyclaw was near at hand. I told him to get fresh scouts out on Big People and to find out what he could.

Baron Tadaos was in his cabin, debriefing a young corpsman who was crying and shaking in his chair. The manТs clothes were badly burned, his hair was mostly gone, and there were blisters on his hands and face.

УCome in, sir, and sit down. ThereТs some terrible things happened here,Ф Tadaos said.

I sat, grateful to sit on something that wasnТt a saddle. УMaybe youТd best tell me the story from the beginning, Baron.Ф

УYes, sir. I got here yesterday around noon and saw the boat house was burning. IТd put off my company of troops with you almost a week before, so I was down to the boat crew and the signal group under Baron Piotr. Mongols was all over the place, but we docked between two of the other boats that was here. See, half my boats was in port for lack of repairs, fuel, and ammunition. We only had a dozen rounds for each of the guns, but I figured that weТd see what help we could be, anyway.Ф

He was interrupted as an armored boatman came in with a big tray heavily laden with food and drink. УWe found a storeroom in the castle that hadnТt been broken into, sir. You havenТt eaten since yesterday, and I promised your wives that IТd take care of you, sir. Ф

He set the tray on the desk and left without another word.

УI can only pray that the girls are still alive somewheres. I guess we all need to eat. Dig in, gentlemen,Ф Tadaos said.

УBut like I was saying,Ф he said with food in his mouth, Уwe left three gunners on the bow to do what they could, and the rest us went out with swords and pikes. I was even out of arrows, so I left my bow behind. Never did see it again.Ф

УWe joined up with what was left of the boat repairmen, the crews of the other boats, and the medics that was taking care of the wounded in the hospital here. A lot of the walking wounded was with us, too, but we was still way outnumbered. Them Mongols being on horseback didnТt help none, neither. We lost us a lot of men, and they pushed us back to the boats.Ф

УOnly by then most of the boats was on fire, except for this one on the end, the Enterprise. The engineman on the boat had brains enough to have a head of steam up, and we had no choice but to push off and look for help.Ф

УI didnТt feel right doing that, since all five of my wives was in the castle, or so I thought, and it felt like I was murdering them and the kids, too. But it was run for help or die right there for no good reason, so we ran.

УThose damn radios of yours havenТt worked for a week, but when we got to Cracow, we saw that it was burning, too. ThatТs when I ran into you. Doing what you said, we collected up four companies of troops, all of which I could get aboard, seeing as how they didnТt have no war carts, and we ripped down the docks and a dozen sheds nearby to fuel our trip back here. It damn nearly wasnТt enough. IТd already given the order to start tearing down the boat when the lookout spotted East Gate, and we made it on our head of steam with the boat still intact. Just as well, since this just might be the last boat we got left!Ф

УThe place was empty when we got here first thing in the morning. Empty of living people, anyhow. You could see where thereТd been a fight in front of the boat house, and our boys sold their lives pretty damn dearly, let me tell you. But there wasnТt no fight around the castle. There was just a massacre, I think the worst massacre the world has ever seen! I just come back from there, and what I saw would make the worst sinner in the Christian world fall down and cry!Ф


УThere must be twenty or thirty thousand people dead in there, sir, and every one of them women or children or a few old gaffers. AinТt a one of them could have done the Mongols a bit of harm, but the filthy bastards murdered them all, anyway. Shit, sir, I ainТt got words bad enough for themЕ themЕ whatevers.Ф




Chapter Seven


The baron was crying, and I let him have a few moments to get a hold of himself. After a while he continued.