Wilson, L.A [The Silurian 05] Longhand, White-tooth and the Fox by L.A. Wilson

Author:L.A. Wilson
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: TwoRiders Productions
Published: 2014-01-18T00:00:00+00:00

22: BATTLE for the CLOAK

Two days it rained over us, misty rain coming from the coast. Lelah worked hard to care for her mother and grandfather and I sometimes helped her with the old man when we were not out patrolling the land. I was willing to help her with the old man, but not her mother. Though once I had to go into her room to help mend a loose shutter at her window when the wind came up and blew it open.

The old woman let me be and did not insult me, though she watched me with her piggy eyes, and when I left, I stopped and gave her a stare; told her, “Do you still want to whip off my balls?”

She said, “You have been helping my father. So no, I will not. I will only piss in your broth.”

She was serious and I left her to lie in her own shit and sweat.

On the third day after the rain, we went out on patrol again.

I went with Magnus, Cassius, Guldar and Dain; two others, the rest of them went on further ahead as I stopped my horse in a small open glade just beyond the trees, and here, I sensed something.

A mood of menace in the trees.

Though we dismounted and for a while, walked on foot, up and back, and saw nothing. We mounted again and rode on for half a mile and stopped, for right there before us, the Gaels stood in a band of ten men. They brought up their weapons; swords, spears, and small shields.

Though they did not attack us.

They stood and stared at us; we gathered into a group and I knew now, as I sat watching from horseback that it was me they were all staring at. Brutes, they looked, one in front was big and wore his hair in a strange twisted braid that went over the top of his head and down the other side of his face. He stared at me with a burning look.

I brought up my shield and pulled my sword when I knew it was my cloak they were staring at. The cloak I wore was a Gael cloak, the foxtail cloak that Longhand had given me as war-booty. These men before us were Gaels as any I had ever seen, and they stared at what they knew was once theirs, worn now by their enemy.

The one with the strange braid over his head said something to me. And then they attacked us, savage as wild wolves starving in the night. We first rode into them, where I heard Magnus call to Dain to ride for the rest of our men to come and reinforce us. Dain split off from the charge, leaving us six against ten, and as we came in, I took one enemy down in my run, quick and fast, my sword down across his naked skull and he went under the hooves of Cassius’ horse behind me.

Only one down; and the

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