Sword & Flame by Jonathan Moeller

Author:Jonathan Moeller [Moeller, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Azure Flame Media, LLC
Published: 2020-02-28T22:00:00+00:00

Later, Mazael walked among his men, listening to Sir Hagen and Molly.

They had lost far, far fewer men than he would have expected, though it was always more than he would have wished. Yet the fight had been a decisive victory, even an overwhelming one. Two-thirds of the annubaki had been slain. The undead had been annihilated. This time the annubaki hadn’t fought to the death but had fled back to the east. Mazael had been tempted to pursue them, but he held back. They were right on the edge of the foothills of the Great Mountains, and the rocky foothills were no place for horsemen. The annubaki would find dozens of places suitable for ambushes, or simply rain arrows from above.

“We’ll have to decide what to do with the dead,” said Hagen.

“Bury them here,” said Mazael. “If their families wish it, we can send men to retrieve the bones later. Leave the annubaki to rot.”

“Romaria said that the annubaki prefer to eat their dead,” said Molly.

“Do they? Gods,” said Mazael. “Well, there’s nothing to be done for it. We can’t burn them, and we can’t stay here long enough to bury a hundred and forty dead annubaki.”

He came to where the Tervingi thains tended to their wounded and found Alanovil and Guthinga standing with Riothamus. Both Alanovil and Guthinga looked pleased, while Riothamus stared to the east, a distant expression on his face.

“Hrould,” said Alanovil. “A great victory. The men of Rathburh will return home with many spoils.”

“Aye,” said Mazael. The armor and weapons of the slain annubaki were worth something, and some of the creatures had carried silver and gold coins of strange design. Mazael had commanded Alanovil and Sir Hagen to make sure the spoils were distributed fairly among the men. “But you know as well as I do that this is just the beginning.”

“It is,” said Alanovil. “But we shall reach Castle Highgate tomorrow if the gods and the ancestors favor us. My daughter shall go to her wedding attended by thains victorious in battle.”

“The tales of the loresingers,” said Guthinga, “say how many of the heroic companions of mighty Tervingar won great battles in the morning, wed their brides in the afternoon, and planted a child of victory in their wombs that night.”

If Guthinga expected Lord Robert to have the vigor and stamina of some ancient Tervingi hero, Mazael thought, she was in for a grave disappointment. But he suspected that Guthinga and her father were more interested in Robert’s lands than anything else.

“Then let us hope your wedding is as felicitous,” said Mazael. He turned to Riothamus. “Anything?”

“The Trichirabi Lord did not show himself in the fighting,” said Riothamus. “But he was there. He was keeping back, watching the battle.”

“Perhaps he was too cowardly to join the battle himself,” said Alanovil.

“Perhaps,” said Riothamus. “But I think it more likely he wishes to observe. He wanted to see how we would respond to an attack. This was a testing of our defenses.”

“Then Vel-Anzakh had best take care,” said Mazael.

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