Lord of Lies (57 page)

And so as my knights steadied their mounts and pointed their lances at the men bearing down upon us, the horses all along Duke Malatam's first line began whinnying wildly and digging their hooves into the ground in a frantic effort to come to a halt. The knights behind them, with Duke Malatam himself, were bunched too close to avoid colliding with them and pushing them toward us. More horses screamed, and men, too, as my knights' lances tore through arms, chests, bellies and faces. A few of the boldest of the Duke's men managed to strike their lances into my knights' shields, which knocked Sar Shagarth and Sar Galajay from their horses. A few more drove their horses through our line in brave attempt to create openings. But they were quickly met by the lances of Sar Varald and Sar Shuradar and other knights from our reserve that Baltasar sent forward to close with them. A great noise of clashing steel, ringing shields and men crying out challenges and shrieking pitifully rived the air.

With great effort, I closed myself to all this fear, agony and death. And then the tide of battle swept me under. A knight bearing a red ram's-head on his black shield tried to spear Atara, who was firing arrow after arrow point-blank through the mail of the knights massed in front of us. I urged Altaru forward to cover her, as Sajagax had commanded me. The point of my lance took the knight through the mail rings covering his chest, killing him instantly - and nearly killing me. Before I could rip my lance free, another knight's horse crashed into his, knocking both horse and knight to the ground. The force of the fall snapped my lance, which I cast down as useless. And yet another knight of Tarlan used that moment to lift high his mace and close with me. Atara shot an arrow straight through his face. And then I drew Alkaiadur. Its gelstei flared like a silver flame. Many of Duke Malatam's men cried out in dismay to see this shining sword; they covered their eyes at its brightness and tried to back their mounts away from me. But two knights, braver than the rest, pressed forward to hack at me with
their
swords. The first of these, Atara killed with an arrow through the throat. The second, I beheaded. It sickened me to behold how easily my sword cut through the mail protecting his neck even as it sent a shock of fear through the Duke's knights.

A few more of them them came at me and Atara, and my sword sheared their armor as if it were quilted cotton. The air became a red haze of spraying blood, cleaved bodies and screams all about me. Up and down the line, a hundred individual battles were being fought. My knights' long kalamas, though not quite the equal of my blade, sliced through shields and rings of steel. And Duke Malatam's knights worked their weapons against us. As the great mass of men and horses behind the front line pushed them onto our lances and swords, the Tarlaners began fighting with the fury of desperation. A mace crashed into Sar Kimball, who cried out in anguish. Steel broke against glittering diamonds. I gasped to see a lance drive into Lord Noldru's chest. His blood spread like a flower of death across his surcoat, and was as red as that of our enemy.

Where is Sajagax?
I wondered.
Where is Sajagax?
On my right, knights beset Maram from either side. He snorted and bellowed like a bull, crying out: 'Come! Come! Do you think I'm afraid of you?' He panted and puffed as he lunged with his sword then straightened, parried and lunged again. Then he swung his kalama in a quick and furious stroke that cleaved the helm of the closer knight The other knight died as one of Karimah's arrows pierced his eye.

More arrows suddenly whined through the air. Armor-piercing shafts drove through rings of mail. Ten of Duke Malatam's men cried out almost as one, and then ten more as arrows shattered their spines or transfixed their backs. I looked beyond the snarl of men and horses pressing at me. Fifty yards beyond the killing zone, Sajagax and his warriors sat on their steppe ponies in a line gleefully firing round after round of arrows into Duke Malatam's men from the rear. A panic seized the hearts of these beleaguered knights and spread through them like a shaking illness, for they knew with a sick and sudden certainty that it was
they
who were caught between a hammer and an anvil.

'Come!' Maram shouted as swung his sword. 'Come one, come all, and test your courage against Maram Marshayk of the Five Horns!'

I cut down the last of the knights blocking my way toward Duke Malatam. Altaru seemed to sense my wrath to slay this little man who had brought so much death to this field this day. My raging black stallion charged down upon him. The Duke's white surcoat was stained with sweat, but the only red upon it was that of embroidered roses. He cringed in his saddle, gripping a bloodless sword in his trembling hand. As I steeled myself to slay him and raised back my sword, he suddenly cast down his and cried out, 'Quarter! I beg quarter of you! Mercy, please!'

Hearing this, all through the mob of men and horses that his neat lines of knights had become, the Tarlaners began dropping their weapons and pleading with us: 'Quarter! Mercy! We surrender!'

'Hold!' I called out. I commanded my arm to freeze with my bright sword pointing straight up toward the sun. I looked a my knights to the right and left and called out again, 'Hold, now! Quarter has been asked, and quarter will be given!'

Nearby, Lord Raasharu held his kalama at the ready as the Duke's knights across from him threw down their swords, and thus waited Sunjay Naviru, Skyshan of Ki, Lord Harsha, Sar Shivathar and more than a hundred others. But still the arrow storm raged from the Kurmak warriors' bows, striking down the Duke's men by the dozen.

I sheathed my sword and cupped my hands around my mouth. As loud as I could, I shouted, 'Hold, Sajagax! Tell your men to hold!'

Sajagax, caught up in a killing fury, fired a last arrow through the mouth of one of the Tarlaners, who had turned his horse in an attempt to flee. Then he shook his head like a boy who has been told to cease playing a game. He lowered his great bow and shouted to his warriors: 'Hold! Hold now, but let none of the
kradak
escape!'

Upon these words, the last of the Duke's men surrendered. I commanded them to dismount their horses. This they did. To Sar Adamar, I appointed the task of organizing a detail to cast the Tarlaners' weapons and shields into a great heap. I sent Sunjay Naviru and twenty other knights to drive their mounts into a herd toward the south side of the notch. At the other side, my knights herded our defeated enemy beneath the points of lances held at ready. The Duke's men stood in their torn and bloody surcoats, with their heads bowed and their eyes cast upon the ground. All across the notch's reddened grass lay the wounded and the dead. A few men still screamed at the agony of chopped bellies and severed limbs. Many more were whimpering and moaning, but most of them would never again utter any complaint.

One of Sajagax's warriors, a thick-armed giant named Trallfax, was going about slashing his saber through the throats of the wounded Tarlaners. I urged Altaru toward him as I cried out, 'Hold your sword! There's been enough killing today!'

Trallfax shot me a savage look and then nearly chopped off a wounded knight's head. He moved quickly over to another knight, who was writhing on the grass. Seeing this, Sajagax whipped his horse forward toward Trallfax. The great Sarni chieftain leapt off his horse and grabbed Tralifax by the arm.

'Hold, nephew!' Sajagax said to him.

'But uncle,' Trallfax shouted, pointing at the Tarlaners strewn about the ground, 'these
kradak
are all wounded, and it is the law.'

'There is a new law!' Sajagax thundered. His voice fell off the rock wails around us like a bolt from the heavens. 'An old, old law that will seem as new: "Be strong and protect the weak." '

The fire in Sajagax's eyes seemed to chasten Trallfax. He bowed his head to his uncle and chieftain, and Sajagax let him go so that he could sheathe his sword.

'You came late,' I said to Sajagax as I looked at the carnage all about us.

'Better late than not at all,' he told me. 'After we had put some miles

between us, Thadrak said that we would be ill-fated to make battle on the side of the Valari, and Baldarax called for an omen. So we had to sacrifice a mare, that her entrails might be read.'

I stared at Sajagax, not quite knowing what to make of him. Who could trust these savage and superstitious Sarni?

Soon after that, Lord Raasharu came up to me with a count of those who had fallen that day. It seemed that in the span of only a few minutes, with the Kurmak's help, we had killed more than hundred and sixty of Duke Malatam's knights and wounded half as many.

'And what of the Valari? I said to Lord Raasharu. 'How many of my men were killed?'

'None, Lord Valashu. And only twelve wounded, none to the death.'

None killed
! I thought. It seemed a miracle.
None killed
!

Lord Noldru, whom I had given up as dead, walked slowly up to me. Master Juwain had removed his armor and bandaged his chest. It turned out that the lance that had pierced it had driven through armor, skin and muscle but had gone no deeper.

'Eight score of the enemy killed and none of us!' he called out to me. 'A great, great victory, Lord Valashu! Who has ever heard of such a thing?'

And then Baltasar rode his horse forward and cried out, 'Lord of Battles! Lord of Light!'

As one, all of my knights upon that killing field drew their swords and held them toward me as they shouted: 'Maitreya! Maitreya! Maitreya!'

It came time to deal with Duke Malatam. I rode over to where he stood huddled with his knights. I dismounted and stepped up to him. I looked around at the bodies of his wasted knights, and I had to command my fist, covered with its diamond-studded gauntlet, not to strike his face.

I said to him, 'You may keep all the provisions that you brought with you; we will give you extra bandages, for it seems that you have not brought enough. Two of your horses you will be allowed to keep so that you might send heralds back to Tiamar for help with your wounded. The others we shall drive off, that you cannot follow us where we must go. Your lances and swords -'

'Please, Lord Valashu,' Duke Malatam broke in, 'allow us to keep our swords! On our honor, we will-'

'You have no honor,' I told him. 'To attack wayfarers to whom you have offered your hospitality is an ignoble thing. Your armor you may keep, your shields, as well. And your lives. But your swords shall be broken.'

At this, the Duke bowed his head, and so did the knights gathered around him. Across the field could be heard the terrible sound of snapping steel as my men carried out my command.

'Your armor you may keep,' I told the Duke. 'Your shields, as well. And your lives.'

Duke Malatam looked at me, and his eyes filled with tears. 'You are merciful, Lord Valashu. I see now what I should have seen before. Forgive me, but the sight of the Lightstone - the very thought of it I drove me mad. But you have taught me compassion. They call you the Maitreya. I believe this, now, with all my heart. If you'll let me, I would take up a new sword and ride with you to Tria, as part of your guard.'

He looked at me with ail the devotion of dog. I wanted to accept his homage; I wanted to forgive him and take him into my confidence. But that much vanity and trust I did not have.

'No,' I told him, 'you shall go back to Tiamar and await your king's command. We shall go to Tria to hold conclave with him.'

I turned my back on him to walk across the field and visit with my wounded knights. A mace had broken Sar Kimball's arm, and a lance taken out the eye of Sar Gorvan. Others had other wounds. But by the One's grace, all of them would live.

None killed
! I thought, giving thanks to the wind.
None killed
!

But as I stepped around the bodies of the fallen Tarlaners, I knew in my heart that
too
many had been killed. Five-Horned Maram, my fat friend, had himself slain five of the enemy that day, more than had any of my knights. But the dead no longer looked like enemies to me: they were only dead. They were all men who should have lived to take wives and sire children and fight the true enemy, called the Red Dragon. They were all
men,
luminous beings beneath their coverings of flesh, created in the likeness of angels. And now, like all the other countless souls who had once stridden the earth in all their pride, they walked among the stars.

T
he next morning, we rode away from that blood-drenched place. The Tarlaners were too ashamed to put a name to the terrible
defeat
that: had befallen them, but it would ever after be known among the Valari and the Kurmak as the Battle of Shurkar's Notch. King Shurkar Eriades, I thought, would have been appalled that the stone taken from the quarry there had failed to protect his realm from this small force of Sarni who rode with us. I, too, was appalled by the slaughter that we had wrought together. It occurred to me that with these splendid warriors on our side, working with the Valari at a man's thumb might coordinate with his fingers, I might at last reunite the two estranged kindreds of the tribe of Elahad and forge a weapon of terrible power, efficiency and deadliness.

Our pace away from the escarpment was slow, for we were all tired, and 1 did not want to press my wounded knights. One of these was Sar Kandjun. It seemed that a Tarlan knight, while Sar Kandjun had been playing dead, had used him for target practice, sticking his lance into Sar Kandjan's thigh. Sar Marjay and Sar Jaldru had testified that Sar Kandjun had borne this insult without uttering a sound. But after the Duke's host had passed, Sar Kandjun had arisen from the grass, bound his leg with some cloth torn from his surcoat and had whis-tled for his horse. Then he led the others toward the notch. These three brave knights thus came late to the battle, but with Sajagax's warriors,

they had fallen upon the Tarlaners' rear with a vengeance that brought honor to their names.

Our flight across the Duke's lands had taken us too far west almost all the way to the Aquantir. And so, to cut the road leading to Tria, we had to journey north and slightly east, toward the hills that glowed golden-orange beneath the sun. I did not think that Duke Malatam was mad enough to try to gather his scattered horses and mount a pursuit. And doubted if his beaten men would follow him if he did. Even so, we kept a watch behind us. Sajagax sent outriders to patrol in that direction as well as ahead.