Part 17 (1/2)
”I'h tired, the sha an arroould be worth it, just to see the eneo with you,” Knucklebones added
”No, you won't!” Mightylaugh roared When the crowd hushed, he barged on ”If we parade to beg a crust of bread and sip of water, they'll think us weak! We'll have lost the war! I say-”
”Who are you to contradict a council?” Sunbright snapped
”This is no council!” Mightylaugh spat The big man had earned his name for his jolly manner, but that had evaporated under the recent strain The whole tribe rought up ”The council rules in peace This is war, and the war chief decides! Magichunger is hurt, so as second, I becoues are tired frohter, and slay every pointy-eared bastard in the forest!”
The tribes' battle cry shook the starry night Screa ran up and down the line of cae would alert every elf from the Barren to the Purple Mountains And the roused to Knucklebones, ”Ravens and foxes and ots will rejoice at this choice”
”We don't expect you to join us, Sunbright!” sneered Mightylaugh ”You or your pointy-eared friend”
”We'll fight,” the sha else, I can fetch wounded That'll keep ainst the small fire and dark horizon, he reached over his shoulder, and hauled out Harvester of Blood with a low ht ”The next time someone mentions the ears of the woman I love, or doubts her loyalty, I'll cut off his ears and feed theht Knucklebonesto his elbow Her spirit sang at Sunbright's public proclamation of love Yet she sorrowed, too For deep in her heart, she doubted her own loyalty
As the sun rose blood-red on the eastern horizon, the Rengarth Barbarians roared a challenge and charged the forested slopes, their shadows running ahead
Straight into disaster
Slion-flies, and every one of the their bronze and iron swords, fell before they reached the woods More arrohistled froh, then they were barging under the canopy of hosts flitted a barbarians and faded like ic, arrows sped amidst the barbarians and slammed backs, buttocks, bellies, and biceps The woods were a bedla back fro the tribe, but were reluctant to runtheir holers, past wounded and dead, until they reached the trees and green dawn light
”What now?” the thief panted ”Which way?”
Human screams and the elven shrills resounded like thunder before rain Sunbright shook Harvester in rage ”I don't know! We shouldn't even be here!”
”Then why-”
Froround, a shower of leaves exploded upward Dark forreenery and berry juice stabbed with sliht: Noe kno they disappear so quickly Then he fought for his life
He lunged backward fro for his face, and batted wildly He trod on Knucklebones's foot and lurched The elf's blade kissed his neck, then flicked back to skewer his heart
The shaman knocked the steel aside just in time, lashed to kick the elf away, but the slim female warrior was too quick Amidst berry stains and hair black as Green's, her black eyes raged
With a deft snap of her wrist, she sliced Sunbright's thigh, parting his long, faded shi+rt, then skin and ht snatched it back, it treed at the elf-woed easily He stumbled and twisted, too late, felt steel pink his kidney He cannoned into a tree to avoid the blade Behind, Knucklebones gasped and cursed, but before Sunbright could swing Harvester into play, steel slashed his forearht as well fight the wind
The shaman wrenched Harvester up as an aard shi+eld, but his heart despaired Barring a miracle, they'd both be dead in seconds
The wild-eyed, wild-haired elf stepped back, and braced her foot for a killing blow Sunbright swung his huge blade- -and a warhammer flew from the trees behind
The ha A cleaver flung from a different direction, and s Knucklebones
Sunbright gaped The warhammer on the turf was battered, nicked, the handle sweat-stained And familiar He'd carried it for years
He turned to see who'd thrown it, and finally found his breath
”Drigor!”
Chapter 15
Not wasting words, the old dwarf dropped a hand like a vise on Sunbright's forearm The shaman was towed as if chained to oxen More dwarves swarht couldn't pass The elf attacking Knucklebones was clubbed doith axe and mattock handles The thief was hoisted bodily over two heads, and toted down the slope like a reindeer carcass in a gaht tried to quell his aor looked the same: face wrinkled as a winter apple, bushy white beard with six silver rings braided into his oat hide kilt, and rusty, pitchy boots The das hung like a peddler with satchels, rope, blanket, axe, warhammer, backpack, pouches, and tools Seven h the woods in heavy boots Knucklebones squawked to be set down, but no one listened
They burst free of the trees and down the slope The dwarves neither panted nor sweated, but jogged like clockwork engines Sunbright felt like a child in the iron grip of Drigor, son of Yasur, father of Dorlas, of the Sons of Baltar of the Iron Mountains
The barbarian attack had been broken Survivors limped down the slope for the prairie Some sported black arrows, and several helped wounded co his oounds, the shaman sheathed Harvester, and tended the wounded on the slopes
The dead he let lie: over a dozen in sight Wives and husbands strea when they found relatives Sunbright hoisted Peacefinger, a sor's help, shouldered Darknaor's direction, dwarves carried others Before long, all the Rengarth Barbarians, living, dead, and in between, retreated froor He lugged Hammerlove across his backpack The man's white head lolled, neck broken ”Who ordered such a foolish attack?”
”A fool,” Sunbright answered ”We've a tradition of fool-hardiness going back centuries” His bitter irony was lost on the dwarf Sunbright needed breath to carry, but needed answers or, or a dream? I left you half a world away On the other side of the empire”
”We are real,” stated the literal dwarf ”We needed to find you To warn youto settle our debt”
Debt? the sha Dorlas's warhaht sucked wind as they swished through prairie grass, waist-deep on the dwarves
”WarnI've ever seen Tall, thin as a sword, with a hide like ice-worn granite And rie”
Sunbright almost dropped two carcasses ”A what? A us!” he swore ”Why?”