THE KING BEYOND THE GATE by David A. Gemmell

With one shaft left, Lucas rose from his knees. A lancer broke the line and Lucas loosed the shaft without aiming. It bounced from the horse’s skull, causing the beast to rear in pain, but the rider clung on. Lucas dropped his bow and ran forward, dragging his hunting knife into his hand. He leapt to the beast’s back and struck the rider in the chest, but the man threw himself to the right and the combined weight of the two warriors toppled the horse. Lucas landed atop the rider, the fall combining with his weight to bury the blade to the hilt. The man groaned and died; Lucas strained to drag the knife clear, but it was buried too deep. Drawing his sword, he ran at a second lancer.

Tenaka ducked under a stabbing thrust and then leapt at the rider, dragging him from the saddle. A backhand cut to the throat left the man choking on his own blood.

Tenaka clambered into the saddle. The archers had dropped back from the mouth of the pass and were peppering the Legion as they breasted the rise. Men and horses jammed the mouth of the valley. All was chaos. Here and there riders had forced their way through and Skoda warriors armed with swords and axes hacked and hammered at them from the ground.

‘Galand!’ shouted Tenaka. The black-bearded warrior, fighting alongside his brother, despatched his opponent and turned to the call. Tenaka pointed forward at the mass and Galand waved his sword in acknowledgement.

‘To me, Skoda!’ he bellowed. ‘To me!’ With his brother and about twenty warriors, he charged the milling men. The riders dropped their lances, scrabbling for swords as the fighting wedge struck them. Tenaka heeled his horse and charged in to fight alongside them.

For several bloody minutes the battle continued, then a bugle sounded from the plain and the Legion wheeled their mounts and rode from the carnage.

Galand, scalp bleeding from a shallow cut, ran to Tenaka. “They will turn immediately for another charge,’ he said. ‘We’ll not hold them.’ Tenaka sheathed his sword. He had lost almost half his force.

Lucas ran alongside. ‘Let us get the wounded back,’ he pleaded.

‘No time!’ said Tenaka. ‘Take positions – but be ready to run when I give the word.’ Kicking his horse forward, he rode to the rise. The Legion had turned at the foot of the slope and were re-forming into lines fifty abreast.

Behind him the Skoda archers were desperately gathering shafts, pulling them clear of bodies. Tenaka lifted his arm, calling them forward, and they obeyed without hesitation.

The bugle sounded once more and the black-cloaked riders surged forward. No lances this time, bright swords shone in their hands. Once more the thunder of charging hooves echoed in the mountains.

At thirty paces Tenaka lifted his arm. ‘Now!’ he yelled. Hundreds of shafts thudded home. ‘Away!’ he screamed.

The Skoda warriors turned and ran, sprinting for the transient security of the wooded hills.

Tenaka estimated the Legion had lost nearly three hundred men in the battle, and more horses. He turned his mount and galloped towards the hills. Galand and Parsal were ahead of him, helping Rayvan’s injured son. Lucas had been dragging an arrow from the body of a rider, but the man was not dead and had struck out, lashing a cut to Lucas’ left leg.

‘Leave him to me!’ shouted Tenaka as he rode alongside. Leaning over, he pulled Lucas across his saddle horn and glanced back. The Legion had breasted the rise and set off in pursuit of the fleeing warriors. Galand and Parsal sprinted off to the north.

Tenaka angled his run to the north-west and the Legion riders spurred their mounts after him.

Ahead was the first hill, beyond which Ananais waited with the full force. Tenaka urged his horse onward, but with double weight upon him the creature was labouring hard. Atop the hill Tenaka was no more than fifteen lengths clear of his pursuers, but ahead lay Ananais and four hundred men. Tenaka’s tired mount galloped on. Ananais moved forward, waving Tenaka to the left. He dragged on the reins, steering the beast through the hazards he himself had organised throughout the long night.