"Masquerade Cycle - 03 - Prophecy" - читать интересную книгу автора (McGough Scott)

minutes." The sergeant pulled a sack of wine from his belt
and took a shallow draft before handing it to Haddad. The
wine tasted terrible but still cut through the cold dust
coating Haddad's tongue.

Natal and the corporal disappeared from sight as he
handed back the wine. Haddad wondered what else might
be lurking ahead.

"Natal hasn't trained much with rockets, Sergeant."
Fear and concern for his friend made him talkative.

"Natal's purpose is to find the combat troops or warn us
of the enemy. If he has to fire he is most likely going to die.
With the rocket he will at least die loudly and warn the
rest of us," Atul said without looking at Haddad. "Find the
reloads," he continued, "I'll speak to the drivers myself."

Haddad turned numbly as he watched Atul speaking to
the drivers. The wind was cold, but Atul's words were
colder. Natal might die, and Atul only wanted it to be
noisyЧa few minutes' warning at best. Haddad started back
to check the wagons as Atul instructed. He wondered what
his own life was worth in the sergeant's estimation. The
column advanced once again. Haddad went quickly from

5



Prophecy

wagon to wagon, quizzing the drivers and searching the
cargo for heavy-weapon reloads. He found none.

The machines making up the strike force were the
lightest in the League arsenal. The commanders had not
loaded the ants' direct fire weapons. The League was still
largely made up of mercenaries from the city wars ended
only a few years before. Each city of the League had seen to
its own defense and conducted small, stylized wars with
other cities over resources, trade, or even honor. The wars
depended heavily on paid mercenaries who fought
according to a code of strictly limited warfare. Damaged
machines and dead men were viewed as too costly. Heavy
weapons were rarely used due to their fairly substantial
costs, the damage they did to enemies who might be future
allies, and the destruction of loot on the battlefield. Heavy
weapons such as war rockets, toxic web rounds, and
penetrating bolts were rarely used without desperation on