The Last Ring-bearer - Kirill Yeskov [158]
Kumai met the commandant immediately upon his arrival at the fortress (the Superintendant's people got him there in stages along the Dol Guldur highway – they turned out to have a regular route there, moving convoys almost every other day). Grizzly interrogated him for several hours, going through Kumai's entire life history; about the only thing he did not ask him about were his first girlfriend's sexual tastes. Childhood, school, military service; names, dates, specifications of flying machines, the habits of his university friends, descriptions of supervisors in his father's mines, and the sequence of traditional toasts at Trollish feasts… "You say that on the day of your first flight, May 3 3014, the sky was overcast. Are you sure?.. What's the name of the bartender at Achigidel Bar, across from the University? Oh yes, right, that bar is a block away down the boulevard… Engineer First Class Shagrat from your regiment – is he tall, hunched over, with a limp? Oh, stocky and no limp…" Any fool could see that this was a verification procedure, but why so thorough? When Kumai mentioned a detail of his escape from Mindolluin, Grizzly made a face: "Didn't they tell you that this is a forbidden topic?"
"But…" the engineer was surprised, "I didn't think that this ban applies to you, too…"
"Were you told of any exceptions?"
"No… Sorry."
"Get used to it. Very well, you've passed this test. Have some tea." With those words the commandant moved a large round teapot with a chipped spout and a Khandian tea bowl of finest beige porcelain and unimaginable provenance towards Kumai and got busy studying the list of necessary supplies the mechanic had put together (bamboo, balsa wood, Umbarian sailcloth – a panoply of stuff, no doubt to be augmented later). "By the way, your former colleagues, like Master Mhamsuren… would it appreciably help your work to have them here?"
"Of course!.. But is such a thing possible?"
"There's nothing impossible for our Service, but you need to remember everything you can about these people – their looks, distinctive features, friends, relatives, habits. Every little thing helps, so please work your memory."
Another half an hour later the commandant lightly slapped a stack of fresh handwritten sheets and summarized: "If they're alive, we'll find them," and Kumai felt with certainty – these guys will.
"Please change, Engineer Second Class." Grizzly glanced towards a brand-new Mordorian uniform without any insignia (everyone here was dressed that way – Jageddin's scientists, service staff, and the silent Secret Service guards). "I'll show you our physical plant."
The 'physical plant' turned out to be large and diverse. For example, Kumai saw an excellent glider of a type he had never seen before: the ten-yard wings, straight and narrow like an Elvish blade, seemed to stretch over almost nothing – some improbable material, lighter than balsa and stronger than stone chestnut. The 'soft' catapult used to launch the glider was a proper match – say what you want, guys, but there are no such materials in nature! Only then did the mechanic realize that this was the famed Dragon of the Nazgúl, whose range was limited only by how long the pilot could stay aloft without a break. Kumai mastered the art of flying the Dragon easily – the better a machine is, the easier it is to control.
Four Isengard 'blasting fire' experts arrived at Dol Guldur at about the same time; that was the powder-like incendiary mix resembling that long used in Mordor for festive fireworks. A short wiry man with slightly bowed legs, named Wolverine and resembling a Dungar mountain man, was the Isengardians'