Sean Russell - The Shadow Roads

Over the voice of the river, the tumult of battle could beheard. Tam tightened his grip on his sword. In his other hand he held a bow,though only a precious few arrows remained.

Emerging from the trees they saw chaos, riders and men onfoot locked in ferocious battle. Tam could see others retreating into thetrees, the valley was afire, and men, their clothes burning, came running outof the smoke, screaming.

Horses materialized out of the cloud, blind with fear. Someran right at them, only turning away at the last second. There in the dust andsmoke, barely lit by the still-distant dawn, stood a warrior with a flamingsword.

“You will leave Hafydd to Alaan and me,” Elise said,glancing once at Tam, though speaking to all. “Heroism would be foolish here.If we can bring Hafydd down, his army will break and run.”

“We’ll try to keep back his guards,” Cynddl said.

As they all set off across the field, Elise reached out andgrasped Tam’s arm. “I wish I could have left you safe at the boat,” she whispered.“You have risked enough in this war.”

“No more than many others,” Tam said. Their fingers foundeach other and clasped for a second, then they were running, running against atide of fleeing men, some afire. Hafydd was winning.

Alaan found Tam in the smoke, and shouted, “The men of Innesand the Renne are in flight. They are the enemies of Hafydd. The dark surcoatsare the Wills, and Hafydd’s guards.” He slapped Tam once on the shoulder andwas gone, following Elise into the smoke.

Tam sheathed his sword and drew an arrow. In the smoke andfalse dawn it was hard to tell friend from foe, but he let fly at a riderclothed in dark and watched him fall, the Fael bow proving stronger than mailat short distance.

He tried to stay close to Fynnol and Cynddl, as they all followedElise into the smoke. They were forced to skirt areas of burning grass, theflames in places reaching higher than their heads. Men appeared out of theclouds, some fighting, others looking for their enemies. Tam fired at any darksurcoats he saw, but the smoke billowed and whirled, revealing men for aninstant, then hiding them again a second later. He feared some arrows went intothe ground.

A flame appeared in the smoke, then a man wielding it.

“Hafydd!” Alaan shouted to Elise, and pointed with hissword. Heat seemed to emanate from the knight-it seared his face and stung hiseyes, forcing him back, looking about madly. Horsemen rode out of the smoke andTam would have been cut in two by one, but Alaan took the man from his saddlein one stroke. Elise had another, and Cynddl put an arrow in a third, and therest were gone, devoured by the clouds.

Hafydd saw Elise and came striding toward her, the wave ofheat driving Tam and the others back.

“Fall back to the stream!” Alaan ordered, andTam began a retreatto where he hoped the creek lay. There was no sound of water to be heard overthe din of battle, the cries of men, and the searing crackle of fire.

Alaan and Elise raised their swords and, two-handed, drovethe points into the ground. Tam was thrown onto his back as the ground beneathhim heaved, and a deep, rending sound rolled across the valley. He tried to getup but was thrown to his knees. A dark, jagged rift snaked along the ground,which then parted, tearing open like a wound. Alaan and Elise both scrambled totheir feet, separated by the opening ground.

Two dozen feet away, Hafydd tumbled into the fissure. Eliseand Alaan drove their swords into the ground again, this time to either sideof the crack. Tam braced himself and felt the earth shudder, grinding as itmoved. The crevice stuttered closed, leaving an ugly, dark scar across theground.

The tremors stopped, and Tam could see Alaan and Elise, bothleaning on the pommels of their swords, heads hanging down as they gasped forbreath. Alaan forced his head up, spotted Tam and tried to smile. The sound ofbattle had ceased, and a strange silence fell over the valley.

“He is dead!” a voice cried in the smoke. “The sorcerer isdead!”

Alaan staggered to his feet, but was thrown back as theground exploded, and a column of fire erupted out of the earth. Cynddl draggedTam up. His eyes were filled with dirt, and he wiped at them with one hand, hisbow still tightly grasped in the other. A figure emerged from the fire: Hafydd, his sword still in flame.

Tam thought Alaan and Elise looked at each other, not somuch in surprise but as though Hafydd’s return was inevitable, somehow. Tam rememberedthat Sianon had given her life to destroy Caibre, and he heard himself whisper,“ Not this day .”

Tam nocked an arrow, shouting to Cynddl. “Elise will die tokill him if we can’t help.”

Tam tried to sight Hafydd along the shaft, but he was stillhalf-blind from the explosion. He let the arrow fly, not sure if it was evenclose to the mark. Smoke and flame surrounded Hafydd, as though he himself wereafire, and he was never wholly in view. Tam rubbed at his eyes, backing away asHafydd came toward them. Even Alaan and Elise were retreating, half-blind.

Cynddl and Fynnol both let arrows fly at Hafydd.

“I swear they burn to ash before they reach him,” Fynnolcried.

Tam stepped back, almost falling into the stream. He feltthe cool water run down his boot.

“Elise!” he shouted. “The stream!”

She turned and ran toward Tam, leaving Alaan. Tam could seethe traveler stop retreating. He took a fighting stance and raised his sword.Alaan,Tam knew, was far stronger than he appeared and full of deceptions andguile, but Hafydd appeared so much more powerful than he, billowing flame ashe stalked the traveler.

“You cannot stand against us both,” Alaan cried out. “Betterto lay down your sword and go into the river than through the black gate.”

“The gate will not open for me,” Hafydd shouted. He raisedhis flaming sword and came toward Alaan, who did not recoil.

Elise stumbled down into the river, thrusting her blade intothe water. Tam could hear her mumbling rapidly. In the smoke, Tam saw Hafyddaim a great stroke at Alaan, and though the traveler looked as though he wouldstand and meet it with his own blade, he dodged aside at the last second andlet Hafydd drive his sword into the ground.

Alaan swung at him, his blade arcing into the knight’s side.Hafydd was knocked down but rolled to his feet, nimble and apparentlyunharmed, his mail having turned the stroke.

Tam soaked an arrow in the stream and let it fly, watchingit bury itself in Hafydd’s shoulder. The knight staggered a step, then threwflame at Alaan, and at Tam. The Valeman leapt aside, stumbling into the water,trying to keep his bowstring dry. He lunged up, and reached for another arrow,but they were gone-spent.

“Fynnol!” he cried. “Cynddl?” He must have more arrows, buthis companions were not in sight. Smoke seared his lungs so that a spasm ofcoughing gripped him. He could see only Alaan, locked in combat with Hafydd.The wander’s cloak caught fire, but he tore it off with one hand and threw itaside. It hardly seemed to have touched the ground before it rose, as thoughcaught by a wind, and flew at Hafydd’s face.

Alaan ducked low and cut at Hafydd’s leg, catching him justbelow the knee. Hafydd staggered but did not fall, and the cloak was thrownaside. It flared for a second, then whirled away.

“I know all your feints, Brother,” Hafydd taunted. “Have younothing new to show me?”

A broad snake of water slithered out of the river, runningankle deep through the blackened grass. It reached Hafydd in a heartbeat andsurged up his leg, smothering flame as it went. The knight looked down insurprise, as the tendril of water circled his waist, then ran up his arm andextinguished the flaming sword.

“Only the inside of a grave, Brother,” Alaan said, and wadedin with his sword, driving the limping Hafydd back. The knight had only onegood arm, from Tam’s arrow, and Alaan hewed at him two-handed, the force of hisblows almost driving the blade from Hafydd’s hands.