Dragon Weather by Lawrence Watt-Evans

Author:Lawrence Watt-Evans
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Tags: Fantasy, Epic, Fiction
ISBN: 9781466840195
Publisher: Tor Fantasy
Published: 2000-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

23

Aftermath

The fight was long and bloody; the caravan guards were outnumbered, but better armed and better trained. The merchants for the most part proved to be useless as fighters; most were unable even to defend themselves.

Arlian was the exception; he fought side by side with the guards, doing his part to even the odds. In the chaos of wielding sword and swordbreaker against spears and clubs, so completely different from the one-on-one sword fights of his practice bouts, he was unsure whether he killed anyone after that first assault. He knew that he drew blood many times, but beyond that he could not be certain just whateffect his blows had.

He shouted for the merchants and their families and hirelings to come out andfight, did everything he could to urge them to join in their own defense, but to no avail. Most remained huddled in their wagons and were completely useless even there.

This was demonstrated several times by one of the bandits’ favorite tactics, which was for half a dozen men to charge into a wagon with clubs and spears and slaughter everyone aboard, then to use the wagon as a miniature fortress against the guards. The guards, outnumbered as they were, could not defend the entire long line of wagons at once and were unable to prevent these captures.

It was Black who came up with the counter—stationa man at each end of the captured wagon with orders to kill anyone who set foot outside. Two men could bottle up half a dozen bandits this way, and in fact roughly one-third of the entire raiding party was trapped in this fashion.

Another third was killed or incapacitated.

And the final third, realizing that their attack was a failure, fled up the slopes into the gathering night, dragging those of their wounded who were unable to walk.

Some of the wounded bandits who were not dragged were barely able to limp away, and could easily have been caught and killed, but Black called out to let them go. “Let them be a burden to the others!”

Three guards had been slain outright, as well, and two more seriously wounded. Black took a gash on the side, but insisted it wasn’t serious and refused to relinquish his command of the caravan’s defenders. One horse was killed by a spear, and several oxen received minor injuries.

Five merchants and their families had been butchered in their wagons.

When the fight was over the guards turned their attention to the three wagons still occupied by bandits. Black stood, holding one hand to his injured side while his sword dangled from the other, staring at the first of the wagons.

Lord Drens cameup, a lantern in his hand, looking worried. He had already set merchants and drivers to repairing broken wagons andsmashed wheels, Arlian noted with approval, and was now coming to attend to the remaining bandits. “I think we had best…” he began.

“Shut up,” Black barked at him. “This ismy business still, not yours.”

Drens stopped in his tracks, shocked; he looked at

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