for this part, of course.’
‘We could always swim,’ Tynian suggested.
‘No, that’s all right, Tynian,’ Ulath replied. “I don’t mind
poling all that much.’
When they reached the tip of the reef, the flotilla of rafts split
up into two separate fleets. Queen Betuana and Engessa took
the Atans and made their way along the outer edge of the halfsubmerged
forest toward the pier that thrust out from shore,
while Sparhawk and his friends took the Peloi and the knights
for whom there had not been room aboard Sorgi’s ships along
the cliff-face with Khalad and Berit scouting ahead in the skiff.
Since even Sorgi’s hundred ships and the large number of rafts
were not enough to carry all their forces, they had been obliged
to leave a sizeable portion of their army on the south beach
along with Sephrenia, Talen, Flute and Xanetia.
“It’s shoaling,’ Ulath said after about another half-hour. “I
think we’re getting closer to shore.’
‘More of the trees are sticking up out of the water as well,’
Kalten added. ‘I’ll definitely be glad to get off this raft. It’s a
nice enough raft, I suppose, but pushing it through the water
with a twenty-foot pole is sort of like trying to tip over a house.’
The skiff came ghosting back out of the fog. ‘You’d better start
keeping your voices down, my Lords,’ Khalad said in a hoarse
whisper. ‘We’re getting closer.’ He reached out with one hand
to steady the skiff. ‘We’re in luck, though. There used to be a
road running along parallel to the beach – at least I think it was
a road. Anyway, the road or whatever it was gives us an open
channel through the trees, and the trees between us and the
beach will keep the workmen from seeing us.’
‘And probably keep us from getting ashore as well,’ Tynian
added.
‘No, Sir Tynian,’ Berit replied. ‘There was a meadow out there
a mile or so from where the cliff is now, and that’s where the
pier is. All we have to do is follow that road and it’ll bring us
out almost on top of the work-gangs.’
‘Could you hear them at all?’ Vanion asked.
‘Oh, yes,’ Khalad replied, ‘almost as if they were standing
about ten feet away – and you’ll start hearing their axes in just
a few minutes.’ He and Berit climbed aboard the raft.
‘Could you make out their accents? Were they more of those
Edomishmen we came up against on the south pier?’
‘No, my Lord. The men up here are Astels. We couldn’t see
the beach, but I’d guess that the people giving the orders came
from Ayachin’s army instead of Incetes’ people.’
‘Let’s push on, then,’ Kalten said, hefting his pole. ‘Figuratively
speaking, of course,’ he added.
‘Are we all ready?’ Sparhawk asked, looking up and down the
line of rafts strung out to either side.
‘What is there to get ready for, Sparhawk?’ Kalten asked. ‘if
anything, Astellian serfs are going to be even more timid than
those Edomish peasants were. Ulath could probably chase them
all back into the trees by just standing out here in what’s left of
the fog blowing on his Ogre-horn.’
‘All right, then,’ Sparhawk said. – Aphrael – he threw the
thought out – are you listening? Well,
of course I’m listening, Sparhawk. He
decided to try a different approach. He cast his request in
formal Styric this time – An it please thee, Divine Aphrael, I do
Beseech thine aid
Aren’t you feeling well? _ her tone was susPicious.
I- but sought to demonstrate mine unutterable regard and respect
for thee, Divine One.
– Are you making fun of me? No,
of course not. I Just realized that I haven’t been all that~ respectful
lately. We’re in position now. We’re going to start moving the rafts
slowly ~toward shore. As soon aS We can make out the people on the beach,
Ulath’s going to give the signal for the general attack. I’d appreciate a
nice strong gust of wind at that point, if it’s not too much trouble
Well, I’ll think about it
Will you be able to hear Ulath’s horn.? Or would you rather have
me tell you when we need the wind’nd?
Sparhawk, I can hear a spider walking across the ceiling of a house
ten miles away. I’ll blow as soon as Ulath does
That’s a novel way to put it
Get moving, Sparhawk, or you’ll run out%
Yes, ma’am –
He looked around at the others. ‘Let’s get
started,’ he told them. ‘The Divine One’s drawing in deep
breaths. I think she plans to blow the fog all the way to the
pole.’
The rafts inched forward, concentrating on staying in a
straight line so that none of them emerged from the fog before
the others.
They could clearly hear the voices speaking in Elenic from the
shore now, and the faint lapping of wavelets sloshing over the
protruding roots of the trees off to the left.
‘Six feet,’ Kalten reported in a loud whisper as he lifted his
pole out of the water. ‘We can make a mounted charge when it
shoals down to four.’
‘if the fog holds out that long,’ Bevier amended.
They crept on with the water shoaling under their rafts inch
by inch as they eased closer to shore.
They heard the sound of a heavy blow and curses spat out in
archaic Elenic.
‘That’s one of Ayachin’s men,’ Khalad whispered.
‘Ayachin himself wouldn’t be here, would he?’ Berit asked.
‘Incetes was, so I wouldn’t discount the possibility.’
‘if Ayachin is here, I want you two to go looking for Elron,’
Sparhawk instructed. ‘We lost Amador, but Xanetia should be
able to get the same kind of information out of Elron. Don’t let
him get away – or get himself killed.’
‘Three feet!’ Kalten announced in a triumphant whisper. ‘We
can charge just as soon as we catch sight of them now.’
The rafts inched closer, and the voices ahead were much
louder now.
‘There’s something moving,’ Khalad said pointing at a dim
shape ahead.
‘How far?’ Sparhawk asked, Peering into the white blankness
ahead.
‘Maybe thirty paces.’
Then Sparhawk saw more of the dark outlines in the fog and
heard the sound of men slogging through shallow water. ‘Mount
up!’ he commanded in a low voice. ‘And signal the other rafts.’
They pulled themselves slowly into their saddles, being careful
not to make any noise.
‘All right, Ulath,’ Sparhawk said aloud, ‘let everybody know
that we’re starting.’
Ulath grinned and lifted the curled Ogre-horn to his lips.
CHAPTER 30
It was more like a gale than a breeze, and it came howling out
of nowhere, bending the evergreens and tearing the last of the
leaves from birch and aspen. The fog streamed away in the
leaf-speckled blast.
The crests of the shallow waves were suddenly whipped to
froth, and the water ran against a shoreline that was not sand,
nor gravel nor rock, but grass and half-submerged bushes. There
were thousands of men on shore, roughly dressed serfs laboring
in a field of tree stumps.
‘Heretic knights!’ a man at the edge of the water screamed.
He wore crude bits and pieces of ancient armor, and he stood
gaping at the huge force of mounted men which had appeared
quite suddenly out of nowhere as the gale tore the fog away.
Ulath’s horn continued its barbaric call, and Tikume’s Peloi
and the knights plunged off the rafts, their mounts sending great
sheets of water out to either side, almost like icy wings.
‘What must we do, noble Ayachin?’ the crudely armored man
shrieked to a lean fellow astride a white horse. The mounted
man was more completely armored, although his armor was an
archaic blend of steel plate and bronze chain-mail.
‘Fight!’ he roared. ‘Destroy the heretic invaders! Fight – for
Astel and our holy faith!’
Sparhawk sawed Faran’s reins round and charged directly at
the resurrected Astellian hero, his sword aloft and his shield in
front of his body.
Ayachin’s helmet had no visor as such, but rather a steel noseguard
protruding down over half his face. There was a quick
intelligence in that face and a burning zeal. The eyes
were the eyes of a fanatic. He set himself, raised his
sword, and spurred his white mount forward to meet
Sparhawk’s charge.
The two horses crashed together, and the white mount reared
back. Faran was the bigger horse, and he was skilled at fighting.
He slammed his shoulder into Ayachin’s mount and tore
chunks from the white animal’s neck with his teeth. Sparhawk
caught the ancient hero’s sword-stroke with his shield and
countered with a heavy overhand stroke of his own, clashing his
blade down on the hastily raised and bulky shield.
‘Heretic!’ Ayachin snarled. ‘Spawn of hell! Foul sorcerer.”
‘Give it up!’ Sparhawk snapped. ‘You’re out of your class.” Sparhawk
found that he had no real wish to kill this man who was fighting