Part 20 (2/2)

”Good. See if you can identify him.”

Darius was loath to follow the man back among the bodies, but he forced himself to it. It took about ten minutes before Attemill shoved a body with his foot.

”This 'un.”

”Excellent,” Darius said. ”I'm obliged to you.” He turned to Mena.s.sah, who had rejoined them. ”Have this one taken over to where the others are. Then I want their heads cut off.”

”General?” The Adjutant's voice rose in inquiry.

”Make sure the blades are sharp,” Darius said dis- pa.s.sionately. ”I want a neat job done. I've a use for those heads.”

”Yes, General.” Mena.s.sah had recovered his profes- sional composure. ”Should we bury the bodies, sir?”

”No, I think not.” Darius' voice was cold. ”Ground's baked too hard at this time of year. It would take too long. We need to get back.” He looked up at the sky.

”This area's uninhabited,” he added, ”and the kites are waiting. We'll take the heads back with us. Have their horses rounded up and see that their swords are col-

110 t JOHN LEE

lected. No sense wasting them. Report to me when we're ready to ride.”

He turned on his heel and strode off up the hill, leav- ing the two men staring after him.

”Well if that don't beat all,” Attemill said.

Once the party was back at base, the word of the victory spread quickly. Spirits were lifted and men who had been slouching around in boredom two days before walked with a spring to their step. There was one grue- some piece of work, however, that gave all who saw it pause. The General ordered a dozen stout saplings cut down and then firmly planted in a line across the ene- my's route. Each sapling was crowned with a head. The following morning the archers and some of the foot sol- diers were mounted on the captured horses and posi- tioned among the trees along the hilltops to await the enemy.

By midafternoon, the van of the column was in view.

The spygla.s.s revealed a disciplined company of pike- men in the lead. More of the Duke of Abercorn's men, Darius thought. The rest of the force trailed back in an unwieldy straggle. There was no way of estimating numbers accurately in the cloud of dust that billowed around them. Darius lowered the gla.s.s and went to make his final arrangements.

An hour later, the pikeman reached the line of heads and pulled up in obvious consternation. They peered up at the hills, but Darius' men were silent and hidden.

Those at the back of the lead company came up to see what was amiss, and the well-controlled ranks broke down into knots of arguing men. The rest of the column began to catch up and the area of pandemonium spread.

The level of noise rose steadily until it was cut off by a blast of trumpets. As the men on the plain turned to look uphill, Darius rode out from the trees under a green flag of truce, a group of officers around him. As III.

he moved down the slope, the hors.e.m.e.n came into view behind him, forming a solid line along the hilltops.

There was no resistance. Men without leaders do not fight for a cause that is not tneirs. A good number of the rebels threw down their weapons and fled. The rest surrendered. Darius took their weapons and turned them loose. He had no stomach for further slaughter.

The captured weapons were loaded onto the baggage train and sent north. The heads were collected again, put in a sack and flown to Spa.r.s.edale by cloudsteed with a letter to Otorin suggesting that they be dropped into the manor's inner court.

A fortnight later, Darius was in sight of Castle Spa.r.s.edale. His spygla.s.s had already shown him that the royal standard was flying over it so that, when a small party of hors.e.m.e.n appeared riding toward him, he spurred forward without hesitation.

”Welcome back, General,” Otorin of Lissen said as he reined in. ”I understand that you are to be congrat- ulated on yet another great victory.”

”I see that Spa.r.s.edale is yours,” Darius replied. ”I trust you haven't drunk all the good wine in celebra- tion. I could do with a flagon of that rascal Elfreg's best. Then I want a hot bath and a sennight's sleep.”

Otorin smiled. ”Not only have I made certain that there is a sufficiency of more than pa.s.sable a.s.sara-I took the precaution of sampling it to be sure-but I have, ah, persuaded our ever-genial host to donate it as a thank offering for the restoration of peace.”

”He'll be the only one sorry to see us go,” Darius remarked as Otorin turned his horse's head and they moved off in the direction of Upper Waltham.

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