Robert Adams - The Death of a Legend

“With me lifting and waving the banner while his incredibly clear tenor voice rose even above the stupefying din of the battle, we rallied a good two thirds of the squadron around me and were just set to compound the damage to the shaggies with another full charge, when the bowmasters came riding down out of a steep gap to our left, shortly followed by Rahksahnah and her Moon Maidens and these two brave Ahrmehnee here at the head of some scores of their warriors. “That second charge broke the shaggies, thoroughly routed the stinking bastards, and we pursued them all the way to the far-western edge of that plateau. It was while we were all coming back from the pursuit that the earthquake struck. Just before that happened, I had an exceedingly strong presentiment of terrible danger, though I knew not of what kind the danger was. But when I saw a vast assortment of wild beasts—large and small, predators and prey, all together— racing to get off that plateau as fast as they could run, hop or scuttle, I began to understand, and when the first tremor struck, I knew that were we to survive, we had better follow the game off the plateau.

“I never again want to undertake another such ride, putting terrified horses down a steep track hardly wide enough for a small deer, but most of us made it safely down before the entire plateau rippled like roiled water and poured down upon itself. And then, huge rocks started to pour down out of the skies, each of them so hot that they set fires almost everywhere they struck; it was in attempts to evade those fires that my force became split and separated. I can only hope, and pray Sun, Wind and Steel that those now missing—my two brothers, Count Hari, Sir Geros, and the rest—are safely to the east, in Ahrmehnee lands.” The prince leaned forward to look down the board at the two Ahrmehnee men. “Your Ahrmehnee are good warriors and not easily cozened, so how did you allow yourselves to be trapped by so large a body of the outlaws?” Then he glanced, smiling, at Rahksahnah. “And how was it that my lady and her Moon Maidens came to be fighting alongside males?”

As Vahrtahn Panosyuhn began to speak, Bili listened attentively. He, too, had wondered just how the situation on the plateau had come about, but in the press of so many events and wearing the weighty mantle of overall leadership, he had simply had no time to inquire into the matter.

“When the terrible tidings were brought up to the village of the nahkhahrah that not only were the lands and villages of the five northern tribes being put to fire and sword but the portions of the stahn owned by the six southern and western tribes seemed destined to endure like savageries, armed we did, and all our men, and rode for home.

“But when still we were in Kehrkohryuhn lands, crossed we did the track of ten hundred or more of Muhkohee, so we our force did split—half riding southeast to oppose and slow the lowlanders, half on the track of the Muhkohee setting out. And not hard was that sorry track to follow, Der Byruhn, for the smoke of burning farms and villages marked it well for us—from Kehrkohryuhn, through the full width of Panosyuhn and into Soormehlyuhn it led.

“By the time we near the western verge of Soormehlyuhn were got, however, the satanic raiders had learned that on their bloody trail we were and, rightly fearing us in our righteous rage, increased they their progress, not bothering to fire the last three or four villages where they butchered or even to steal much except fresh ponies and weapons and food.

“Just before onto the Tongue of Soormehlyuhn—that which Dook Bili a ‘plateau’ calls—we found a place where those we pursued joined had with another force almost as large, so most glad we all were to shortly overtaken be by the brahbehrnuh and her Maidens, for not ten hundreds we were without them.

“When to the very last village we came, close to the dirty Muhkohee we knew we were, for steam still from their porues’ dung did rise up and from the pitiful bodies of the women and old folk and little children the barbaric pigs had slain and mutilated, blood still ran. “The honored Vahk of a secret way spoke he then, a steep but shorter pass and also a cave that might place our fighters where the Muhkohee stand and fight us must on our own grounds. To trap them, we sought, you see. Der Byruhn. But trapped were we!

“Those of us who led through the caverns by the honored Vahk were had to dismount and our horses and ponies lead, for the way was low-ceilinged, so they who through the pass-went earlier reached the plain before the cliff where was the cave mouth. Those few of that force surviving said that, as the Muhkohee seemed to be fleeing down the Tongue, assuredly bound for their own lands, decided did they all to attack at once, not waiting for us coming through the cave, as had been planned and agreed, earlier.

“But no sooner had they charged out of hiding in the pass and engaged the raiders than did near twice as many more of the Muhkohee, led by the huge one on the Northorse, come from the little forest and from folds of ground and rock that had hidden them. That battle still raging was when we from out the cave’s mouth did come.

“Although there tens of hundreds appeared to be, allow them to butcher those of our ancient race we could not, not without our own swords adding to the balance. Into that fight would every Ahrmehnee have ridden as soon as he saw it and his pony could mount upon, but the brahbehrnuh insisted that we not go piecemeal but rather wait until all together were and so spur out as one body. And this we did.

“But just too many of the thrice-damned Muhkohee there were, Der Byruhn. Mighty and matchless warriors are our men of the Ahrmehnee Stahn, fearsome are the Maidens of the Silver Lady, and scores of Mahkohee did we all slay, but seemed it that for every savage we hacked down, three rose up to take his place, and human flesh and bone can but so much endure.

“Surrounded we all were, but to keep us all together did this serve, and together did we hew our way out of the press of our enemies and back to the cave mouth withdraw, fighting every step of the way. Then, for one whole day and the part of another did we defend that cave mouth, attack after attack by the savages beating off. Three messengers to alert the stahn sent we out—not for aid sent we them, for we knew that our last battle were we all fighting, help from the nahkhahrah never in time to save our lives could have reached us there. One, my nephew, Moorahd, was a brave lad. I know not if any of them even off the Tongue of Soormehlyuhn safely rode.”

“One of them, at least, was a Moon Maiden,” said Bili; it was statement, not question.

“Yes,” answered Rahksahnah, “Zehlahna was our best rider and on our fastest, strongest mare. But how knew you, Bili?”

“She reached the vanguard of my column when still I was some distance from the plateau, my dear. The horse was full spent, the best it could manage was a stumbling walk, but the woman was making the best time that she could, for all that she was herself near death from a terrible wound in her throat She had great difficulty in speaking, so I entered her mind and received your message just before she breathed her last. Then we backtracked her to the plateau.” Vahrtahn again took up his tale. “And so we all fought on. Fortunately, two springs there were in the cave, so lack for water we did not; and, as the Soormehlyuhns had considered it to be a place of final refuge and an emergency citadel, weapons and food and horse fodder stored there were. But by the third attack of the second day, all our darts and arrows gone were and reduced to throwing chunks of rock and spare axes we all were.

“The next attack was delayed while the Muhkohee vainly for the upper entrance to the cave did search. That time we used to add to the low wall we had built across the mouth of the cave… and to slay all of the seriously wounded of us, that the fiendish Muhkohee might not them alive take.” A tic began to jerk in the Ahrmehnee’s cheek, and his two hands were clenched so tightly together that the big knuckles stood out as white as virgin snow.