The Kingless Land by Ed Greenwood

Author:Ed Greenwood
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Fantasty fiction, Fantasy Fiction, General, Fiction, Fantasy, Imaginary wars and battles, Epic
ISBN: 9780812580143
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2001-02-01T05:00:00+00:00

10

In the Glittering City

The arrow busily burying itself in the tree had been no warning shot.

Others followed, hissing forth from the trees in a deadly cloud as the Four cursed and sprinted away along the ridge-all except for Embra, who was still on her knees, retching.

Not an arrow found its mark, and there was cursing in the trees. "Out and at them!" someone roared. "They must have food!"

"Not the woman-leave her!" someone else insisted. "She'll be our body slave!"

"How by all the holy Three could all of you miss?" a third someone snarled.

"Same way you did," came a laconic reply, as men in motley armor, with swords and clubs raised and ready in their hands, trotted out onto the ridge and leered down at Embra.

"A pretty lass!"

"Hoa-they're coming back! Snatch her!"

Eager hands reached out, only to break fingers on something unseen that barred their way like a shield-the hasty conjuring that had driven the arrows wide and was now weakening Embra with each passing moment.

As the outlaws snarled astonished curses, she swayed on her hands and knees, face white to the lips… and started the slow sag into unconsciousness.

Craer had seen the failed grabs and led Hawkril in a wide arc around the fallen sorceress, while Sarasper felt his way carefully toward her from behind.

"For Blackgult!" Hawkril thundered, swinging his blade, and one of the outlaws looked startled.

"Wha-why, that's…"

A blade laid open the man's neck. He staggered and fell, managing to gasp, "… us!" before he died.

Craer bounded over him, into the trees. "Attack us, would you?" he cried, stabbing and then racing around a tree to stab at someone else. "Ruin our stealthy approach to the Glittering City, hey? Well, pay the price, fools!" He stabbed a third time, and someone gurgled in reply.

"And dead men," Hawkril added gravely, hacking through a raised hand to slice open the throat behind it. On all sides there were crashings and cursing as the agile procurer swung around trees, kicked faces here and knees there, and danced among blades that never seemed quite swift enough to catch up with him.

"Who sent you?" he asked one man, as he drove his sword through the outlaw into a tree beyond.

The man coughed forth blood, sagged forward as Craer dragged his blade free, and moaned, "No one! Back from the wars… starving…"

"Well, so are we," the procurer snarled. "Go dine on Silvertree's soldiers, dogs!"

"You seem unusually agitated, friend," Hawkril observed, as he chopped aside branches to engage three outlaws. "Questions, orders-you sound like a sword-master!"

"I feel like a swordmaster," Craer snarled, "surrounded by idiots! Can't these thickskulls go attack someone else?"

"Are we leaving any to mount such attacks?"

Hawkril inquired mildly, sending one opponent crashing back through a dead tree and in the same movement bringing his blade around to take out the throat of another.

It was at that moment they heard Embra's scream.

"Wo," Craer answered savagely, as he spun around and raced back through the trees. "Not a one!"

Sarasper put a hand on Embra's cheek from behind.

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