Clarion

CLARION 177

intersection of the broader roadway that led from the temple. From the building's roof they had verified that this was the most likely route the other car would take.

Paul gripped the arms of his seat as the car bucked and roared. Frakes was positioning it in a way that would allow him to turn quickly if he had to and head down the other roadway on a parallel course with the river. He was hoping to get the first strike and disable the other car before they were spotted, but if that didn't work they might need a fast way out.

After the roar of the fans had died down to an idle, Frakes looked over at the weapons board and said, "Got it figured out?"

"I think so." Paul had taken a few minutes to sort out the panel as well as he could. His early Guard training was enough to give him some idea of how the car's weapons system had been designed. The primary armament consisted of a heavy, swivelmounted cannon to fire forward over the hatchway, and similar guns, also swivel-mounted, on each side to cover the flanks and rear. The antipersonnel nozzles were lower down near the skirts. The controls for the weapons seemed straightforward enough, although Paul wouldn't be sure he'd gotten them clear in his mind until the time came to use them.

"Now that we're here," Frakes said, "maybe you can give me an idea of who we're up against."

"Deacpns," Paul answered. "And Sons of God." Frakes hunched down into a more comfortable position in the driver's seat. "They're part of the Holy Order?"

Paul hesitated, then decided Frakes had earned a right to know whom he was fighting. He kept his sentences brief and to the point, and got through his explanation in a few minutes.

When he finished, Frakes jerked a thumb toward William Greenleaf

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the building on the riverbank. "That thing I saw was a Tal Tahir?"

"We haven't been able to find out for sure. Communicating with her is a little difficult—" Then Paul's attention went to the forward

vidscreen, where he could see a cloud of dust rising out along the roadway. Frakes saw it, too, and fell silent. A few minutes later Paul heard a distant roar, and the combat car came swaying down the narrow road. It passed over the small stream, fans blasting its surface into a fine mist.

"Get the big one ready," Frakes said. The cannon had no automatic aiming mechanism. Paul sighted the other car in the cross hairs, then pressed the orange bar. The car bucked, and a missile exploded in front of the other car, throwing up rocks and dirt.

"Damn!" Frakes muttered.

The combat car came to an abrupt halt, and the cannon swiveled around. The muzzle blossomed orange light. The building beside Paul and Frakes exploded into pink fragments. Paul used the double handgrips to steady the gun while he watched the targeting cross hairs. He hit the orange bar again. Dust and reddish-brown stone erupted a few meters behind the other car.

"I take it you didn't get too many ribbons on the gunnery range," Frakes observed.

The other car wallowed as if the driver were trying to decide what to do. Then it came straight on down the road. Paul adjusted the range and pressed the bar again. A tone sounded from the weapons board. A telltale glowed red.

"Any idea what that means?" he yelled.

"No, but I don't like it—"

The car shuddered from a glancing blow. The vidscreens blanked, then came back on. Paul lined up the cannon and pressed the bar again, but nothing happened. It was clear now that the cannon