His clear baritone rang out in a merry laugh, followed by the chiding comment, “A bad cast, Ehrik! You missed the mark by at least a handsbreadth. Sun and Wind, man, have we then grown so old and decrepit, you and I? Why, I’ve seen you bring down a stooping hawk with that sling!”
The vicious humming had recommenced. Again it ceased, and Vaskos gritted his teeth, for his father was now closer and, with the westering sun to his back, would provide an unmissable target. But no stone came.
“Ha . . . Hari . . . ? My lord? Be it really you?” rumbled the hidden basso.
“Aye, Ehrik. Half-deafened by the last loud note of your slingsong, but it’s me. But man, you know my financial state! How in hell am I going to pay the thoheeks bloodprice on those three Freefighters of his you just slew?” the komees said.
There was a deep whoop of joy from the underbrush, and a black-bearded man of about Vaskos’ age arose from his hiding place, a gap-toothed grin splitting a battered face capped by a handful of blood-caked, dirty bandages. Looking into the brush about him, he crowed, “You see! You see! I told you all that that woman-stealing, child-stealing, ewe-raping dog of a Danos lied in his mossy teeth! He swore Komees Hari lay slain, yet there he sits, you gullible fools. There sits our dear lord! Why bjde we here?”
Then they were all about him. The empty-appearing brush poured forth men, women, children, dogs and even a few goats. And Ehrik’s thick arms were lifting up the youngest child of his dead first wife that he might see that this rider was truly the old lord, always the protector of his people. And the others clustered as close as possible, laughing, weeping, chattering, reaching forth dirty, broken-nailed hands to touch a dusty boot or a bit of armor, their tears of happiness almost laying the dust raised by their bare feet.
Watching, Vaskos felt both awe and fierce pride. Awe of a man so uncompromisingly good that he could command such love and devotion from his people, pride that he was the son-even the bastard son-of so just and loyal a man.
As it developed, only one of the Freefighters was dead, the stone having taken him in the eye and smashed a splintering path into the brain. The second had a dented helm and a lump the size of a turkey egg on the side of his head. The last had suffered a broken collarbone-but was conscious and jokingly asserting to have suffered worse injuries from hungry mosquitoes.
While villagers and hidden archers guarded a farflung perimeter, Gaib’s troopers lined up to water their horses at the small spring, then hunkered down to share their rations with the ravenous villagers.
Pain and anger in his swollen eyes, Ehrik took another long pull at Hari’s commodious brandy flask, wincing as the strong spirit bit into the raw sockets of knocked-out teeth. Then he went on, “So, when I recovered sommats from that beatin’ they give me an* got my wits ’bout me agin, I got ever’body together an’ led ’em inta the woods. I flggered was the bastards to come in here a-horse, they’d make us damn good targets what couldn’ move fast in the brush. An* I “uz jest hopin’ to Wind the boy-buggers ‘ud come in a-foot!
“But we didn’t light no fires, cause it ‘uz men with Danes hadn’ none of us seed afore, an’ I couldn’ be sure jest how many men he did have … an’ I didn’ wanta lead a whole pack of ’em to us, an’ us with nothin* but slings an’ knives an’ a few homemade spears.”
Hari nodded gravely. “You did very well, Ehrik. Your father would be proud of you. It takes real guts to stand off armored men-and Wind alone knew how many of them-with nought save slings.”
Then his face clouded. “But you and your folk must be equally as brave when I tell you what now I must, Ehrik. Do you recall my valet, Kristohfohros? Well, he was one of that pack of cutthroats who attacked the young thoheeks, that night at the Forest Bridge. Komees Djeen’s men captured him and bore him to Morguhn Hall, where the komees and the Undying High Lord and others put the pig to the torture. What he revealed to them has since been detailed to me and my son, and it bodes ill for your missing children.”