Читать книгу The Serpentwar Saga - Raymond E. Feist - Страница 34

Erik ducked.

A shower of darts flew through the air and bounced off his shield as he tried to keep low to the ground. Since leaving the cavern and moving down through the hills to the grasslands, Nakor and Sho Pi had both claimed they were being observed.

When they had finally reached an area of broken rocks, islands of limestone, shale, and granite that broke up pools of tall grass, a sudden attack of the Gilani had greeted them. Six men died in the first assault, which was barely driven back by the heroic efforts of those in the forefront.

Greylock had quickly organized the defense, and the struggle had gone on for nearly a half day. Two more men had died as they retreated up the hillside, looking for this defensive position. Praji and Vaja had moved to the front, and were in council with Greylock as Erik approached.

‘I’ve got everyone situated as best I could, Owen. We’re taking a beating.’

‘I know,’ came the calm reply. He looked at Praji and said, ‘Any idea why they hit us?’

Praji shrugged. ‘We’re here and they’re Gilani. They don’t like anyone who isn’t Gilani, and we’re about to enter the grasslands. That’s their range and they’re trying to tell us to keep off.’

‘How’d the damn grass get so tall this time of year?’ asked Greylock.

Vaja said, ‘There are some that grow in the winter and others in the summer, and they are all mixed in down there, is my guess.’

Putting aside his frustration, Greylock asked, ‘Is there another way out of these mountains?’

Praji shrugged. ‘Your guess is as good as mine. Even if I knew exactly where we were, I’ve never traveled this way. Few men from the Eastlands have.’ He looked around. ‘I’m guessing if we could get over the ridge’ – he pointed upward at the highest peaks of the mountains – ‘we might be able to make our way down to the Satpura River. Maybe make some rafts and get down to the coast near Chatisthan. Or we could move back up into the foothills, staying high enough so the Gilani don’t come after us, and could head south, see if we can find a way to the river Dee and follow that down to Ispar, but I don’t recommend that course.’

‘Why not?’

‘That would take us through the Great South Forest. Not a lot of people get through there alive. Rumor has it that’s where your Pantathians hole up, and it’s where tigers that talk like men live …’ When Greylock looked at him with disbelief written on his face, he quickly added. But that’s only rumor.’

A whizzing sound in the air warned them a scant second before another rain of darts pelted them. Erik tried to get his bulk below his shield. A shout and curse told him someone hadn’t covered up quickly enough as darts rained off shields and the surrounding rocks.

‘How bad are the wounded?’ asked Greylock.

‘The wounded aren’t too bad,’ answered Erik. ‘One of the men has a dart in the leg, but it’s down in the fleshy part of the calf – he can walk with help. A couple of broken arms, and Gregory of Tiburn dislocated his shoulder.’

Greylock said. ‘Well, we can’t outwait them here and find out how many of those damn darts they’re carrying.’ In frustration he added, ‘Hell, we don’t even know how many Gilani there are.’ The little men had swarmed over the front of the column, then vanished back into the grass when Calis’s company had turned out to be willing to stand and make a fight of it. Since then they had been launching random flights of darts.

Looking around, Greylock said, ‘Erik, try to get back to the rear and start the men heading back up toward the cavern. We’ll see if we can find another way down that won’t bring us back into this hornets’ nest.’

Erik crouched as he moved along and twice had to flatten himself against the rocks to avoid missiles. The darts were rude things, but cleverly fashioned. Long reeds, little more than heavy grass stalks, were tied together in tight bundles until they were as rigid as arrows, and fitted with tips of sharpened glass or stone. The tied reeds were surprisingly strong, and they rained down with enough impact that they could punch through any unarmored part of the body. Praji had mentioned that the Gilani used a throwing stick, called an atlatl, to propel them in a high arc over their victims’ heads, causing them to fall with great force. Erik would attest to their effectiveness.

He reached the end of the line and started the men moving back up once more. In less than ten minutes, Greylock, Praji, and Vaja came into view, the last of the forward element climbing upward.

Erik looked after and saw no sign of pursuit. ‘They don’t seem anxious to come up here after us,’ he said.

Vaja said, ‘They’re not stupid. They’re little fellows. In an open fight we’d chew them up in less time than it takes to tell of it – but coming after us from tall grass, well, there’s no one who can fight out there better than the Gilani.’

Erik wouldn’t argue that. ‘What has made them so hostile?’

Praji looked back. ‘Usually, they simply don’t like strangers; they could be coming after us for the pure hell of it. Or maybe the Saaur are pushing them south and they’re just mad.’

Erik said, ‘But the Saaur who came after us couldn’t have mounted enough of a force to clear out these grass-dwellers. They’d need an army as big as the one mustering on the Vedra to do that.’

Vaja tapped Erik on the shoulder and pointed up the hill. Calis and de Loungville were hurrying downward to meet them.

When the Captain reached the men, Erik could see by more than one face in the company that many were relieved to see the Eagle of Krondor back among them. He retrieved his longbow from the man who held it for him and said, ‘Why are you climbing back up?’

Greylock quickly explained, and Calis said, ‘We can’t get over the mountains. There’s nothing like a pass up there I could see on the way down, and we can’t risk going back into the cavern to see if there is a way through.’ He thought it best not to tell anyone of what he had seen until he compared notes with Nakor.

Turning to de Loungville, he said, ‘Send Sho Pi and Jadow ahead. Tell them to find us a trail heading south. If we can move along the face of these mountains, then down behind these Gilani so we can then cut across to Maharta, we still may get through this without too much more damage.’

De Loungville nodded and went up the line to give the order to the men who would scout for them. ‘How’s our water?’ asked Calis.

‘We’re fine if we can find a source every day or two,’ answered Greylock. ‘We’ve got eight fewer men who need to drink than we did a couple of hours ago.’

Calis nodded. ‘Praji, what’s water like out there?’

‘Might as well be a desert,’ came the answer. ‘The Plain of Djams has some streams and water holes, but if you don’t know where they are you can wander by one, never see it through the grass, and die of thirst.’

‘Any birds you can follow?’

‘A few, but damn me if I know what they look like,’ admitted the old mercenary. ‘If we get far enough to the south, the foothills along the coast are kinder. Lots of springs, lakes, and creeks, from what I’ve been told.’

‘South it is,’ said Calis.

Ignoring his own fatigue, he hurried past the men in line so he could take over his position at the head of the column.

Erik trudged upward, trying to be equally stoic as his legs burned with fatigue. Each step up the slope took its toll, and he was more than grateful when Calis at last ordered a rest.

Erik waited with anticipation as the waterskin was passed his way, and drank deeply. They had passed a pool on the way down, so there was no reason to stint right now.

As he handed the skin back he looked out at the distant plain and something caught his eyes. ‘What’s that rippling movement in the distance?’ he asked no one in particular.

Praji heard him and came down to where he stood. Squinting, he said, ‘My eyes aren’t what they used to be.’ Turning to face up the slope, he called out, ‘Captain! You should take a look out there!’ He pointed at the horizon.

Calis stared for long minutes, then said, ‘Gods above! It’s the Saaur.’

‘But that’s impossible,’ said de Loungville. ‘For that many to be marching, this far south …’

‘There had to be a second army,’ finished Praji.

‘No wonder those bastards were so determined to keep us away from that entrance to the mountains,’ said Vaja.

Calis said, ‘They must have been using the lower portions of the cavern as a staging area. So that’s why our short friends in the grass are so out of sorts – they just got through having an army ride through their homes.’

De Loungville said, ‘They mean to hit Lanada from the rear!’

After another minute, in which most of the men commented or swore, Calis said, ‘No, they move southeast. They’re heading for Maharta.’

Praji said, ‘If the Raj has sent his war elephants to fight with the Priest-King’s army at Lanada, Maharta will be defended by the palace guards and mercenaries.’

De Loungville swore. ‘The bastards weren’t keen on having us serving them! They were just anxious to keep us from joining the other side.’ He almost spit.

Calis said, ‘How long before they reach the city?’

Praji said, ‘I only have a rough idea where the hell we are.’ He thought and said, ‘Maybe a week, ten days at the outside. If they don’t waste their horses, two weeks.’

‘Can we get there before them?’

‘No,’ came the flat answer. ‘If we had wings, certainly, or if we hacked our way through those Gilani and had fresh horses waiting for us on the other side, maybe, but if we keep going south, there’s no way we can reach the city within a week of those lizard men.’

‘Can the city hold out for a week?’

‘Maybe,’ answered Praji frankly. ‘It depends on how much chaos is going on due to the host that’s got to be fleeing southward. With so many people trying to get in, they may already be under siege.’

Erik said, ‘Can we get around them?’

Vaja said, ‘If we can get to Chatisthan, we might be able to find a ship that could take us up to the City of the Serpent River.’

Calis said, ‘Too many maybes. We’re going to strike for the coast, then we’ll try for the City of the Serpent River.’ He called out to Hatonis, ‘Do you want to try for Chatisthan, or head overland to home?’

Hatonis shrugged, and grinned, looking youthful despite his grey hair. ‘One fight is pretty much the same as another, and if we don’t fight the snakes at Maharta we’re certainly going to have to fight them at our own door.’

Calis nodded. ‘Let’s go.’

Erik saw the others get into line, and he slapped Roo on the shoulder as his boyhood friend walked past. Roo gave him a crooked smile that showed there was nothing to smile about, and Erik nodded in agreement. Erik waited until the last man had passed, then picked up the rear guard position. Suddenly he realized he had taken Foster’s place in line without being told. He looked ahead to see if de Loungville was signaling or if another was coming to take his place, but when no word came down to give up the corporal’s place, he continued along, returning his mind to the business at hand: staying alive.

Providence smiled upon them, as they found a southern trail. It looked to be a miners’ trail, for it was wider than any goat herder. would have needed, and at several places along the way areas of bare rock proclaimed those workers who had hacked their way through the soil and stone to make it easy to get carts up and down the road.

For Calis’s company it was as if at last they were running into some good luck. The men moved along swiftly, at a trot for a time, then a walk, the pace designed to cover the maximum distance by the end of each day.

The wounded were able to keep up, though the man with the injured leg was almost unconscious with pain and loss of blood by the end of the day. Nakor dressed his wound and told Calis that with him and Sho Pi working on it all night, the man would be slightly better each day.

They found water and were clearly able to increase their speed, as they moved quickly to a rising crest. A rumbling warned them as they climbed the rise; then as they topped the crest, in the distance they saw the falls.

De Loungville swore. They faced a gorge cut through the mountains; below them by a hundred feet a great fall of water cascaded into a small lake another two hundred feet below that. From there the river meandered southeast toward the ocean.

Ancient rocks marked where once a rope-and-wood suspension bridge had crossed the gap. Another pair of rock anchors rose up on the opposite side of the gorge.

‘The Satpura River,’ said Praji. ‘Now I know exactly where we are.’

‘Where are we?’ asked Calis.

‘Dead east across the Plain of Djams lies Maharta,’ said Praji. Turning to Calis he said, ‘I don’t know what sort of magic was in that tunnel, but we’re one hell of a lot farther away from where we entered the grasslands than I thought.’

‘What do you mean?’ said de Loungville. ‘We were fifty, sixty miles away from where we entered when we got to that big grotto.’

‘More like three hundred,’ answered Vaja. ‘It would take you a month on a good horse to get back to that mound out in the grass,’ he observed, ‘if you could get past the Gilani.’

Nakor said, ‘It was a very good trick, then, for I felt nothing of it.’ He smiled as if this was a major feat. Then he grinned. ‘Bet it was as soon as we moved from the barrow. Bet you there is no tunnel there. It must be an illusion.’ He shook his head. ‘Now I really want to go back and look.’

Calis said, ‘Some other time. How far to Maharta?’

Praji shrugged. ‘By caravan from Palamds to Port Grief, a month. No one goes from there to Maharta overland – they take a ship. But there is that old coast road, if you don’t mind the bandits and other low-lifes that haunt it.’

‘Where’s our best course?’ asked Calis.

Praji rubbed his chin a moment. ‘I think we send Sho Pi and Jadow that way,’ he said, pointing down the slope near the gorge, ‘to see if there’s a trail down nearby. If so, we take it. If we follow the river, we should be less than a week from Palamds. We can find a caravan or buy horses, and then we ride to Port Grief. From there a ship, and we’re on our way to wherever you need to go.’

‘I need to get back to Krondor,’ said Calis, and several of the men nearby cheered when they heard that.

Nakor said, ‘No, first we must go to Maharta, then to Krondor.’

‘Why?’ asked Calis.

‘We haven’t stopped to ask why the Emerald Queen is taking the river cities.’

Vaja said, ‘Good question.’

‘Hatonis, Praji, you have any ideas?’ asked Calis.

Hatonis said, ‘Conquest for its own purposes is not unknown in this land – for booty, to enlarge one’s domain, for honor – but this simple taking of everything …’ He shrugged.

Praji said, ‘If there was something I wanted in Maharta, and I couldn’t trust to have those other cities at my back …’

Erik said, ‘Maybe it has to do with getting every sword under one banner?’

Calis looked at him for a long minute, then nodded. ‘They plan on bringing the biggest army in history against the Kingdom.’

Then Roo said, ‘How are they planning on getting there?’

Nakor slowly grinned as Calis said, ‘What!’

Roo looked embarrassed as he repeated, ‘How are they planning on getting there? You needed two ships to get us here, with stores and all. They’ve got, what? A hundred thousand, two hundred thousand soldiers? And a lot of horses and equipment. Where are they going to get the ships?’

Hatonis said, ‘The shipbuilders at Maharta are the finest in Novindus. Only the shipwrights in the Pa’j-kamaka Islands are their equal. Our clan has long purchased our ships in Maharta. It is the only shipyard that could possibly produce enough transports in a short time, perhaps in two years or so.’

Calis said, ‘Then we must make a stop there.’

Nakor said, ‘Yes. We must burn the shipyards.’

Hatonis’s eyes widened. ‘Burn … But the city will be under siege. They will have put hulks into the harbor mouth to keep the Emerald Queen’s ships from sailing in, and it will be impossible to get within twenty miles of the city for the patrols on both sides.’

‘How long will it take to rebuild those yards if they’re destroyed?’ asked Calis.

Hatonis shrugged. ‘The yards are massive, and have been built up slowly over the last few centuries. It would take years to restore them. Lumber must be harvested up here and in the Sothu and Sumanu mountains and shipped downriver or carried in wagons. The great keels take a year or more to be cut and brought down, at great expense.’

Nakor almost danced, he was so excited. ‘If we burn the yards, we get five, six, maybe as many as ten years before ships can be built here. Many, many things can happen in that time. This Emerald Queen, can she keep her host together that long? This I think unlikely.’

Calis’s eyes seem to light with the prospect. Then he fought back his enthusiasm and said, ‘Don’t sell her short, Nakor.’

Nakor nodded. The two had spoken at great length about what they had seen, and knew they were dealing with the most dangerous foe since the Tsurani invasion of the Riftwar. ‘I know, but men are men, and unless the Pantathian magic is so powerful as to make their hearts change, many of these soldiers of hers will forsake her banner without payment.’

‘Still,’ said Hatonis, ‘denying her the shipyards would be a major victory. My father ran the most successful trading consortium in the City of the Serpent River. We can send men to the Pa’jkamaka Islands and ensure they do not sell her ships. I will personally guarantee no shipwright in the City of the Serpent River will work on her behalf.’

Calis said, ‘You know that after Maharta she will march on you? It’s logical.’

‘I know we shall have to fight her. If we must, we can abandon the city and live again in the wild. We men of the clans were not always city men.’ Hatonis smiled a dark smile. ‘But many of her greenskins will die before that day comes.’

Calis said, ‘Well, first things first. Jadow, Sho Pi, see if you can find us a way down from here.’

The two men nodded and trotted back along the trail, looking for another way down.

‘As long as we wait,’ said Nakor, opening his bag, ‘anyone want an orange?’ He grinned as he pulled out a large one and stuck his thumb in, squirting juice on Praji and de Loungville.

They found a trail down, a narrow rocky pathway as treacherous as the first one had been kind. Three men fell to their deaths when a ledge of stone, seemingly solid, had collapsed under their feet. Now the remaining sixty men huddled in a narrow defile, huddled around two campfires, vainly trying to withstand the cold as a sudden change in weather sent the temperature below freezing.

Calis and another three men had gone hunting, for the remaining rations were gone, but could only come back reporting no game was near. The company was too large, said Calis, and game was staying clear. He said he’d leave before first light and try to get as far down the trail as possible, to see if he could find a deer or other large game.

Praji said there were bison roaming the plains and many of them lived in the woodlands of the foothills. Calis said he’d keep that in mind.

Erik and Roo sat shoulder to shoulder, holding out their hands to the fire, while others huddled miserably as close together for warmth as they could.

The only exception was Calis, who stood a short distance away, unmindful of the chill.

Roo said, ‘Captain?’

Calis said, ‘Yes?’

‘Why don’t you tell us what’s going on?’

De Loungville, from near the next fire, said, ‘Keep your mouth shut, Avery!’

Roo spoke through chattering teeth. ‘Hang me now and get it over with, why don’t you? I’m too cold to mind.’ To the Captain he said, ‘You and Nakor have been thick as fleas on a beggar since you came back, sir, and, well, if we’re going to be getting killed, I’d like to know what for before I close my eyes.’

A few other men said, ‘Yes,’ and ‘That’s right,’ before de Loungville’s bellow silenced them.

‘Next man opens his gob will find my boot in it! Understood?’

Calis said, ‘No, there’s some justice in what he said.’ He looked at the men nearest him and said, ‘Many of you will not get home. You knew that when you were given reprieve from your sentence. Others of you are here because you’re loyal to the Lion Clan or because you’re old friends of Praji’s. And some of you are just in the wrong place.’ He glanced at Greylock, who smiled a little at the last.

Calis knelt and went on, ‘I’ve told you some of what we face, and I’ve warned you that should this Emerald Queen prevail, this world as we know it ends.’

The clansmen and Praji’s mercenaries hadn’t heard that, and several muttered disbelief. Hatonis silenced his own men, and Praji shouted, ‘He’s telling the truth. Shut up and listen.’

Calis said, ‘Long ago the Dragon Lords ruled this world. You may have heard legends of them, but they were not legends. They were real.

‘When the men of the Kingdom fought the Tsurani a half century ago, a door was opened, a door between the worlds. The Dragon Lords, who had left this world ages ago, tried to use that door to return. Some very brave and resourceful men stopped them.

‘But they’re still out there.’ He pointed into the night sky, and several men looked up at the distant stars. ‘And they’re still trying to get back.’

Nakor suddenly spoke. ‘This woman, the Emerald Queen, she was once someone I knew, a long time ago. She is what you would call a sorceress, a magician. She made a pact with the serpent men and they promised her eternal youth. What she didn’t know was that she would lose her soul, her spirit, and become something else.’

Nakor continued, ‘There is very bad magic under that mountain.’

Calis said, ‘You don’t believe in magic.’

Nakor smiled, but there was little humor in his expression. ‘Call it tricks, then, or spirit force or anything you like, but those serpent men, they use their powers in a very twisted way. They do evil things that no sane man would think to do, because they are not sane.

‘These are not the creatures that mothers tell children of, to make them mind. These are very bad creatures who think that one of the Dragon Lords, named Alma-Lodaka, is a goddess. More, they think she is the mother of all creation, the Green Mother, the Emerald Lady of Serpents. She created them as servants, living decoration, nothing more, but they think they are her “favorites,” like children she loves, and once they open a door for her return, she will elevate them to the status of demigods. They will never believe that if they do this terrible thing, this Alma-Lodaka will sweep them away along with everything else.’

Nakor fell silent a moment, then said, ‘Calis makes no stories. If this woman, this Emerald Queen, is behaving as I think she is, then things are very bad. Calis, tell them of your father.’

Calis nodded. ‘My father is called Tomas. He was a human boy as all here were. He came to own some artifacts of power, ancient armor and a golden sword once the property of a Valheru, by name Ashen-Shugar. My father wore that armor and carried that sword through the Riftwar, against the Tsurani, and over the years he changed.

‘My father is no longer human. He is something unique on this world, a human body changed by the spirit of the long-dead Dragon Lord who owned that armor and sword.’

‘Unique until now,’ said Nakor. ‘For this Emerald Queen may be another such as he.’

The men muttered, and Calis said, ‘For reasons I only half understand, my father’s nature is that of the human boy –’

Nakor interrupted again. ‘That is for another time. I know why, and these men don’t need to.’ To the men he said, ‘It’s simply true. Tomas is a man, with a human heart, despite his power. But this woman, this one who called herself Lady Clovis a long time ago –’

Hatonis said, ‘The Emerald Queen is Lady Clovis! It’s been nearly twenty-five years since she fled the city with Valgasha and Dahakon.’

Nakor shrugged. ‘It’s her body.’

‘The point,’ continued Calis, ‘is that if the Pantathians are using their magic to do with this woman what others did with my father …’

Calis spoke briefly of how his father, a boy from the Far Coast, had come to wear ancient armor that magically gave him the memories and powers of one of the ancient Dragon Lords. ‘Nakor is convinced,’ he finished, ‘that this Emerald Queen is a mortal woman he once knew, with magic ability, but still much like you, who is undergoing a transformation much as my father did more than fifty years ago.’

‘Then another Dragon Lord may soon be among us,’ finished Nakor.

Biggo said, ‘Why can’t your father settle her for once and for all – then we can all go home?’

Calis said, ‘There’s more to this than two Dragon Lords facing off. More than I’m willing to tell.’ He glanced at Nakor, who nodded.

Nakor said, ‘She’s not a Valheru yet.’ He nodded with certainty. ‘If she was, she’d come flying across the ocean on a dragon. She wouldn’t need an army.’

Calis said, ‘If you’re completely through?’

Nakor grinned, but without any self-consciousness. ‘Probably not.’

‘In any event, someone must return to Krondor and tell Prince Nicholas what occurs here.’

‘What if only one of us gets back?’ asked Luis. ‘What do we say?’

Calis was silent a moment, then told them, ‘You must say this: the Pantathians bring a host to take by force what they could not take before by guile. Leading them is one in the mantle of a Dragon Lord who may be able to seize the prize. Tomas and Pug must be warned.’

He looked at the faces of the men, orange and yellow from the flicker of the firelight, all discomfort from the cold forgotten. ‘Just those three things. That will be ample warning.

‘Now repeat them: the Pantathians bring a host to take by force what they could not take before by guile …’ The men repeated the sentence as if learning a lesson in school.

‘Leading them is one in the mantle of a Dragon Lord who may be able to seize the prize.’ The men repeated that.

‘Tomas and Pug must be warned.’ The company repeated that, too. ‘You may be asked a lot of other questions; answer truly and do not embellish or color your account. Truth is our only ally in this. But whatever else, you must remember these three things.’

Nakor said, ‘Now, I will help you understand what each of those three things means, so even if you’re too stupid to remember more than those three sentences, you might at least answer a question correctly.’

A few of the men laughed, but most remained quiet.

Calis turned away and started down the hillside on his hunt, and he wondered silently if he could truly make any of them understand.

Dawn saw shivering men making their way down the trail, frost crunching beneath their boot heels. More than one man had a fever, and all were weak from hunger. Calis had been ahead of them for two days now, and no sign of game had been seen.

Thankfully, water wasn’t a problem, but if they didn’t find food soon, men would begin to die. Nakor’s seemingly inexhaustible supply of oranges helped, but they would not be enough to keep the men alive in this climate. It was cold during the day, and colder at night, plunging below freezing. Without much body fat, through training and the rigors of travel, the men needed more substantial food. Already some were plagued by the stomach flux from eating too many oranges and nothing else.

Erik had never seen Roo look so pale, and he knew he must look the same. They were moving through fairly thick woodlands, devoid of color as the leaves of fall blanketed the ground.

De Loungville turned to signal a halt, when suddenly a shriek cut through the air and arrows came flying. ‘Defensive square!’ shouted de Loungville.

Erik snapped his shield to the front, kneeling to cover as much of his body as possible while the other men in his squad did the same, forming a large square, roughly fifteen men to a side, ready to take the attack.

The brush and nearby piles of leaves exploded with the forms of the men who had been hiding there, and others came running from nearby hiding places. Erik saw the green armbands and shouted, ‘It’s the snakes’ men!’

Steel clashed and swords answered and Erik was suddenly swinging with all his might at a man wearing a full helm. He cleaved through the man’s shield, his sword cutting deep into the left arm, then he was dodging a counterthrust as the man fell forward. Roo stepped behind him and took the attacker under the sword arm, killing him before he hit the ground.

Erik spun to his left and struck at another, while Roo turned to face one running at him full force. The second man leaped forward, smashing shield against shield, knocking the smaller Roo backwards.

In the hollow of the square, de Loungville, Greylock, and three other men formed a flying company, ready to plug any breech. De Loungville stepped forward and quickly killed the man on top of Roo, yanking him off and shouting, ‘Get back in line, Avery! You trying to avoid work?’

Roo rolled to his feet and shook off his dizziness, then half ran, half jumped back into place beside Erik. The battle hung close, with neither side taking the advantage, and Erik wondered how long he could keep this up, as weak from hunger as he was.

Then a shout, quickly followed by another, and men at the rear of the forward portion of the square saw attackers falling, struck from behind by arrows. Calis stood down the trail, quickly taking bead and letting fly, and before they knew someone was behind them, four attackers had fallen.

With the small pause on that one front, de Loungville shouted, ‘Charge them!’ and led his five companions toward the strongest section of the attack.

The attackers were expecting anything but a counterattack, which threw them off balance. Seconds later, they were running for their lives.

Erik chased two men down a narrow pathway, overtaking one and striking him down from behind. The other swung to face him, raising his sword high, and Erik sought to take him with a quick thrust.

The man anticipated this, and Erik’s head rang with the shock of a shield bash to the face. Red lights exploded in his vision and he staggered back, raising his shield in reflex.

Hours of training saved his life as an instant later a sword blow rang on the shield. Erik swung blindly, and felt his own sword strike his opponent’s shield. His vision cleared in time to avoid another strike and the two men backed away a step, acknowledging that, in the other, each faced a dangerous opponent.

From somewhere behind, Erik heard de Loungville’s voice cut through the woods: ‘I want a prisoner!’

Erik tried to shout, and found his mouth didn’t work. He spat and felt a tooth wiggle. He tasted blood and felt his right eye burning as it began to blur with the blood running into it.

Gathering his wits, he shouted, ‘Over here!’

The man facing him, a large weatherbeaten figure of middle years, stood hesitating for a moment, then took another step backwards. ‘Over here!’ Erik shouted again as he attacked the man, rushing him. The man stood to take the attack, but rather than strike an overhand blow, Erik ducked, threw his shoulder behind his shield, and bashed the man, hoping to knock him down.

The man staggered backwards, and Erik drew back his blade, then danced backwards as the other swordsman lashed out. Erik again yelled, ‘Over here,’ and circled to his right, attempting to cut off any avenue of escape.

The man tensed and Erik made ready to counter a blow, when suddenly the man let his sword fall from his hand. He quickly tossed down his shield and took off his helm, which he also threw to the ground.

Erik glanced behind and saw Calis drawing a bead on the man. Erik breathed hard. ‘Took you long enough.’

Calis looked at Erik and smiled slightly. ‘It just seemed like a long time.’

Once the man had surrendered, he was affable enough. His name was Dawar, and he was originally from the city of Hamsa, but for the last seven years a member of a company called Nahoot’s Grand Company.

Calis, de Loungville, and Greylock interviewed the man while Nakor and Sho Pi tended the wounded. Erik’s wounds were superficial: a small cut to the forehead, a cut lip, some loose teeth, and lots of bruises. Sho Pi gave him some herbs to take and told him to sit with his hands over his face doing reiki for at least a half hour, and he might keep those teeth.

He sat on a rock with his hands over his face, elbows on knees, while others around him groaned in pain, those able to do reiki on their own wounds or being cared for by others.

Seventeen men had died in the battle; of the enemy, twenty-four. When Calis had struck from their rear, they had assumed another company was coming and it had broken them, otherwise it would have been worse.

Dawar said that a hundred men had lain in wait. Having spotted Calis passing the day before, a scout of Nahoot’s had backtracked, seen the company coming down the trail above, and had returned in time for their captain to organize the ambush.

‘Nothing personal,’ said Dawar. ‘It was orders. We got this trail and we was told to kill anyone comes this way. It’s that simple.’

‘Who gave you the orders?’ Erik heard Calis ask.

‘Someone high up in the Queen’s command. Maybe Fadawah himself. I don’t know. Nahoot’s not about to go around explaining everything, you see. He just tells us what to do and we do it.’

Calis said, ‘So they’re keeping their flanks covered.’

‘I guess. Things are pretty crazy and everyone’s running around like chickens in a thunderstorm. We don’t even know who’s coming to relieve us.’

‘When are they due to relieve you?’ said de Loungville.

Erik felt the heat from his hands healing him, otherwise he would loved to have removed them to see what was happening.

‘Don’t really know,’ said Dawar. ‘A couple more days, maybe a week. We’ve been out here almost a month, and it’s just about got the captain chewing his saddle.’

Calis said, ‘Take him over there.’

Erik heard Dawar say, ‘Captain, I’m wondering. Are you giving me a day, or are you going to offer me service?’

‘Why?’ asked Calis.

‘Well, we’re a hell of a long way from anywhere, that’s all. My horse is down at the end of this trail, along with all my personals, and it’s cold, as you may have noticed. I’d just as soon not be running from your men come sundown tomorrow.’

Calis said, ‘Can we trust this one?’

It was Praji’s voice Erik heard next. ‘As much as you can trust any of these mother-lovers. I know Nahoot by reputation. He’s not one of the worst, but he’s certainly far from one of the best.’

‘You’d fight against your own companions?’

‘Much as any of you would. Rules of war. I’ve been given no bonus to die for lost causes.’ His voice dropped to a near mutter. ‘Hell, Captain, none of us have been paid in more than a month, and we’re far from looting anything, unless it’s nuts from squirrels.’

There was a moment of silence before Calis said, ‘Guide us to where your former company is, and we’ll give you your horse and turn you loose. No one will follow you as long as you head for Palamds.’

‘Sounds more than fair. Captain.’

Erik heard the man being led away, then he heard de Loungville’s voice, low but carrying. ‘Are you mad? There’s still something like seventy or so swords down there.’

‘But they won’t know we’re coming at them,’ said Calis.

‘Advantage of surprise?’ said de Loungville, his tone one of disbelief.

‘It’s the only advantage we’ve got, Bobby,’ replied Calis. ‘We’re out on our feet. We need rest and food. There’s food down there, and horses. If we can take that company, we might even be able to get back to Maharta without interference.’

‘What are you thinking?’ asked Greylock.

Calis said, ‘If things are as confused on this flank as he says, whoever comes to replace this Nahoot might not have any idea what he looks like. If we’re waiting for them, in the agreed-upon place, wearing those green armbands …’

De Loungville groaned, and Erik was glad his hands covered his face, to hide the grimace he made.

Erik waited. Ahead, Calis, Sho Pi, Luis, and Jadow crept along, looking for the sentries they knew must be there. Calis held up his hand, motioned to his right, then handed his bow to Jadow. He tapped Sho Pi on the shoulder and pulled his dagger from his belt. Sho Pi laid his sword and shield on the ground, pulling his own knife. Luis had his out and Calis motioned for him to circle to the left. Calis pointed to Jadow, indicating he was to wait.

The three men, Calis and Sho Pi to the right, Luis to the left, circled out of sight into the evening gloom.

Three moons were out, the middle moon high in the sky, and the large and small moons rising. Erik knew it was only going to get brighter as the night progressed, so that the time right now offered their best cover.

A sudden sound of movement, then a low grunt cut through the night, and then silence. Erik waited for any sound of alarm, but none was forthcoming.

Then Calis was back, retrieving his bow and gesturing to the others to follow. Erik motioned to the line of men behind him and moved as silently as possible down the trail.

A few yards beyond where Calis and the others had stopped he found the dead guard, eyes staring vacantly skyward. He gave the man a quick glance, then got his mind back to the matters at hand.

His nose still hurt, but it was only a dull throb, and his lips were now puffy. His teeth wiggled when he touched them with his tongue, so he tried not to, but found himself constantly probing the loosened teeth. They had rested less than an hour, then Calis had abandoned the dead and left the wounded behind, and had ordered Dawar to show him where his former company’s camp lay. Two of the walking wounded now guarded him back up the trail until after the coming fight.

Ahead they saw lights, and Erik wondered how many men there were to be so confident just hours after fleeing a battle. Then he could see movement and realized that they were anxious down there, for at least ten men stood watch around the camp.

But what astonished Erik the most was that no defenses had been erected. There were twenty four-man tents haphazardly scattered around the area, with a large bonfire in the center. The sound of horses carried through the night, and Erik judged a large picket line was situated somewhere on the other side of the camp.

Erik watched Calis, who signaled for him to approach. Erik moved to Calis’s side, and the Captain whispered, ‘I want you to lead the first ten men behind you through the trees over there.’ He pointed to his right. ‘Circle around and get ready to hit them from the side.

‘They’re wary now, but after a few hours of nothing happening, they’re going to relax. They may think we’re running the other way or not coming down until morning.’ He glanced at the sky. ‘It’s about four hours until midnight. Once you’re in place, be alert but relax. I’m not going to hit them until most of them are asleep.’

De Loungville said, ‘When you hear anything, come running hard. Hit them as fast as you can and numbers won’t mean much. They’ll be so confused they won’t know what’s out here in the dark, but only if you act at once.’

Erik nodded, and moved back in line. He tapped the next ten men on the shoulder, starting with Roo, and motioned for them to follow him. Natombi, the former Keshian Legionary, grinned as they moved into the woods.

Erik was as quiet as he could be, but he was certain at any minute the alarm would sound. When he was approximately one-third of the way around the camp, he halted the men. A couple of sentries stood opposite their position, barely visible through the trees, but obviously more interested in talking to each other than in maintaining vigilance. Erik hoped Calis was right.

He motioned for the men to sit, indicating they should rest. He signaled Roo to take the first watch. Erik sat down and put his hands back over his face. He felt the warmth return to his hands and was glad he had been taught this healing. He decided he would hate to lose those teeth.

At the appointed time, Calis shouted and launched his attack. The camp was slow to come around, as most of the men were asleep.

As they moved to repel the assault from one front, Erik and his ten men raced into their flank.

Erik was on a man coming from a tent before he had his pants on. The man died before he could pull a sword. Another was down before he could turn, then suddenly one faced him, astonishment on his face. He shouted, ‘They’re behind us!’

Erik bashed as hard as he could with his sword and the man went down screaming. Natombi shouted some Keshian war cry, and Biggo let out a bellow to freeze the blood.

Men were scrambling from their low tents and Erik knocked several unconscious with the flat of his blade before they could gather their wits.

Then before he knew it, men were throwing helms, shields, and swords to the ground. De Loungville hurried along, commanding the prisoners be taken to the fire. Half-dressed, dazed, and dispirited, several of them swore openly when they saw how few attackers had routed them.

Erik glanced around, still suspecting treachery, but found only defeated men looking around in amazement. Of Calis’s forty-three men, only thirty-seven had been fit for this fight, and they had almost bloodlessly captured nearly two times their own number.

Suddenly Erik felt like laughing. He tried to fight it, but couldn’t. He let out a chuckle at first, then started laughing aloud. Then others in his company joined in, and soon there were cheers as Calis’s Crimson Eagles had their first victory in a long time.

Calis moved through and said, ‘Get Nahoot over here.’

A man among the captives said, ‘He’s dead. You killed him up the trail yesterday.’

‘Why didn’t Dawar tell us?’ asked de Loungville.

‘He didn’t know, the bleeder. We carried Nahoot down here, and he died at supper. Gut wound. Messy.’

‘Who’s leading?’

‘I guess I am,’ said a man, stepping forward. ‘Name’s Kelka.’

‘You the sergeant?’ asked de Loungville.

‘No, the corporal. Sergeant got his head split, too.’

De Loungville said, ‘Well, that partially explains why there was nothing like a defense.’

‘Beggin’ your pardon, Captain,’ said Kelka. ‘Are you going to offer us service?’

‘Why?’ asked Calis.

‘Well, we haven’t been paid in a while, and as we’ve got no captain and no sergeant … Hell, Captain, you kicked hell out of us with only half our number. I figure you’ve got to be better than anyone else we’re likely to run into if you give us the day’s grace.’

‘I’ll think about it.’

‘Captain, if you don’t mind, you going to take our tents?’

Calis shook his head. ‘Get back over there. I’ll tell you what I’m going to do once I decide.’

Calis motioned for de Loungville and said, ‘Get some food into the men, and send someone up the trail to lead the wounded and Dawar down here. I want everyone here by noon tomorrow.’ He motioned to the captives. ‘We’ll figure out what to do with them in the morning.’

Erik sat down, feeling his legs shake. It had been a very long day and he was exhausted, as he knew everyone else in the company was.

Then de Loungville’s voice cut through the air. ‘What! Who told anyone to rest? We’ve got a camp to make ready!’

Men began to groan as de Loungville ordered, ‘I want a trench and breastwork dug, and I want stakes sharpened. Bring in the horses and stake them nearby. I want a full inventory of stores, and I want to know who’s injured. Then, after we’ve got this camp in shape, maybe I’ll think about letting you get some sleep.’

Erik forced himself to stand, and as he moved, he wondered aloud, ‘Where are we going to find shovels?’

De Loungville shouted back, ‘Use your hands if you have to, von Darkmoor!’