Eddings, David – Tamuli – 02 – The Shining Ones

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

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