II | Sun Engine
The dispatch runner arrived almost breathless and leaned close to Valdus at the bow gunwale. “Enemy spotted—a ferryman and his charge. They’ve just passed the Stygian Flowstones.”
Valdus lifted his binoculars and peered upriver, saw a black speck just rounding the curvature of the great cavern wall. “Excellent, corporal. Lector, the sun engine...”
Lector looked up from his gauges and readouts and shook his head. “Still charging. The test burst drained more energy than we could have anticipated.”
“How long?”
“At slow charge—about an hour, at least.”
“Bloody hell ...” Valdus stood and paced the length of the machine. “And a fast charge?”
Lector and his assistant exchanged nervous glances. “As I said earlier, my lord, a fast charge could jeopardize the integrity of the
