'I could check it out with the Sisters of Rebirth,' Tom ventured.
'No you could not.' Thunder's nerves snapped. 'Keep away from the sisters. One false move and they'll send you to a place from which you'll never return. You have no idea how much trouble you're causing.'
'That's because he's got the Good God within him,' the cobbler chuckled.
'No one asked you to speak!'
Thunder rounded on the man then resigned himself to the inevitable. 'Cut the body into pieces and get them down to Dunavon as quickly as possible ... that's where she's going to be needed.'
***
The two warships had moved forward during the night. Thunder looked at the tide marks on the wharf and consulted the Port Master who said the king tide would occur towards evening. The huge vessels would then be able to move to a position where they could rain down fire on Dunavon. A decisive engagement was imminent. He heard Tom's booming voice and saw him approaching.
'I've got something to show you.'
Tom grabbed Thunder's arm.
'You know about that fire water I'm making?'
'I told you to throw it into the river.'
'You don't understand its value.'
Tom propelled him along the causeway towards the island at the far end.
'I've been selling it to Morgon's men. Barrels of the stuff. I've bought an entire artillery unit ... ballista, fireballs, crew ... the lot. Didn't you know there's a civil war going on in the Empire?'
'I have heard that there are differences of opinion.'
'Differences.' Tom threw out his arms. 'You people haven't begun to understand what's going on. You should've let me set up an intelligence network. You've got to know what's happening in your enemy's camp.'
'I deeply regret the omission.'
'It didn't take me long to come to grips with the situation.' Tom slowed his pace. 'My fellows ... the ones who have brought their artillery pieces over to us ... they're from Ibero, which is in the west. Morgon comes from Mordino, which is in the middle. My boys hate Morgon almost as much as they love my firewater.' He glanced at Thunder who was examining the munitions stacked on the causeway. 'You've got to exploit the differences in the Empire. You've got to play one lot off against the other.'
Thunder looked up from a pile of stone balls.
'I can't understand why we've not thought of that.'
A gate at the end of the causeway was manned by a contingent of recruits from Gorm. The tribesmen had huge clubs and shouted enthusiastically when Tom drew his mace and thumped it on the palm of his hand. They returned the salute and pulled back the gate to let him pass through onto the island. In the gaps between the buildings a formidable array of ballistic machines had been assembled, each flanked by a body of soldiers.