Part 73 (2/2)
”To place them on blade edge? That would help,' Hanfor said, following her unspoken logic.
”Do we have enough arrows?” Anna asked.
”How much is enough?” asked Hanfor. ”What have you in mind?”
”At least one for every enemy armsman,” said the regent and sorceress. ”I think we let them attack,”
Anna said, ”but I'd like to be able to prod them if necessary.”
With more destruction? She held in the wince at her own self-question, forcing a bland smile that had to appear cold and cruel.
105.
PAMR, DEFALK.
I don't see what you're doing, Fa.r.s.enn.” The drummer in the stained and sleeveless brown tunic rubs his forehead. ”Your spells...they make a fellow's head ache. My eyes cross, and you don't spell that long.”
”Mine do, too.” Fa.r.s.enn smiles. ”Darksong isn't like Clear-song. It's more like poison. Use a little here ...
a little there.” A laugh follows. ”You'll see.”
”The sorceress...she's still high and mighty.” The drummer turns and gestures at the rough clay figure that is perhaps three-quarters human size on the crude wooden pedestal. ”Not like that. No matter what you make them see, it's still just clay.” He ma.s.sages his forehead again, blinking rapidly.
”For now, Giersan, my brother, for now. Darksong must be used slowly; bit by bit...but the time will come when every man not on the estates of that b.i.t.c.h Lady Gatrune will rise, and we will hold Pamr.”
”And then the sorceress will come and destroy us.” The drummer's words are flat.
”No. She will come, and I will destroy her.”
”How?”
”Never before has an entire town risen, with every man bearing arms. The sorceress has but a few score armsmen, and she cannot use levies against the people within Befalk. And while she struggles with the people, I will strike her with Darksong, pierce her soul.”
”She will use her fires from the heaven.”
”Against who? Every soul in Pamr?”
”She might.”
”When she rests upon the support of the people themselves?” Fa.r.s.enn smiles cruelly. ”We will be Lord of Pamr, and she will he dead, and that little boy she has propped up as heir will treat with us. He will.”
106.
Rickel and Fhurgen, s.h.i.+elds resting on the lanceholders, rode before Anna as the Defalkan forces ad- vanced to the crest of the low rise. Beyond the lush gra.s.s of the hill spread out a series of fields, bordered by hedge-rows not even as tall as Farinelli's ears. Farther to the west and north and south of the fields, the meadows resumed, merging into the low hills.
The road traveled due west, vanis.h.i.+ng into a gap between two of the larger hills.
”This is the highest point on this side of the valley.” Jecks rode on Anna's right.
”It is hard to believe that the river is only a dozen deks beyond the hills,” added Liende from Anna's left.
Anna's eyes ranged over the flat fields ahead, and then studied the hills. The entire area was empty of people or animals-just fields filled with green plants of differing shades, narrow lanes splitting fields, the hedgerows, and gra.s.s. The low wind blew out of the west, into Anna's face, bearing the faint scent of damp earth and gra.s.s.
”I'd like to stop here, Hanfor,” Anna called to the arms commander. ”I need to see where the Dumarans are.”
The arms commander nodded. ”That might be best.”
The sorceress dismounted, giving Farinelli a pat on the shoulder. ”You're a good fellow.” She blotted her forehead, damp as much from the more humid climate as from the late-morning sunlight.
Rickel took Farinelli's reins, and Anna unstrapped the scrying mirror. Jecks, who had dismounted quickly, took it from her.
Then Anna unstrapped the lutar and took it from its case, beginning a vocalise even before she had begun to tune the lutar.
One of the guards behind Fhurgen held the reins to Jecks' mount, and those of Liende's. Hanfor held his own, standing where he could see the mirror, but still surveying the valley while he waited.
Anna's chest felt heavy-asthma again, or too much sleeping on a cot in strange places with barely adequate food? Then, how long had it been since she'd slept in a bed that was considered hers? Almost two seasons? And some ancient kings of earth had enjoyed military campaigns?
She coughed some mucus clear and started the second vocalise.
The valley remained ominously silent, except for the sounds of her voice, the low murmurings of the Defalkan armsmen, and the tuning notes of the lutar.
Finally, the sorceress cleared her throat a last time and glanced around the group of those who waited.
Hanfor took a last look at the valley and then turned his eyes to the mirror as Anna began to sing.
”Mirror, minor on the ground, show me where Dumar' s forces can be found...”
Again, the silver mists swirled around the gla.s.s briefly, then cleared to show an aerial view of the valley.
The Dumarans. crimson-uniformed dots against the green of the gra.s.s and vegetation, remained grouped generally the way they had been the afternoon before. There were two battle groups behind each of the five hills-a smaller. group higher on the back side of each gra.s.sy hill, and a larger group lower and more s.h.i.+elded from arrows... or sorcery. From what Anna could see from the small images in the silvered gla.s.s, none of the Dumarans were mounted, and their mounts remained on tielines.
”The nearest group is about two deks there.” Jecks pointed to the northeast. ”The most distant more than three deks.”
After a moment, Anna sang the couplet to release the image. She didn't want to hold it any longer than she had to, not with the spells she knew she'd have to sing shortly and the small drain from the newest enchanted s.h.i.+eld. She swallowed, then licked her lips.
”They are not in ready battle order,” observed Hanfor.
”They do not expect us to attack immediately,” sald Jecks.
”Even if we attacked,” said Hanfor, ”they could withdraw quickly.”
”How long will it take them to mount and organize for an attack?” asked the sorceress.
Hanfor shrugged, squinting at the mirror. ”Almost a gla.s.s.”
”And how long would it take for us to form up if you gave everyone a break?” asked Anna.
<script>