Энтони Райан - Queen of Fire

Their horses collided with bone-shattering force, Frentisʼs sword rebounding from Darnelʼs blade as the Fief Lord slashed at him before the animals reeled back. Frentisʼs horse staggered, snorting foam and blood, sinking to its knees as he leapt clear, crouching as Darnel leaned low in the saddle to try for a decapitating blow with his long sword. Frentis let it whisper past then dived to catch hold of Darnelʼs armoured forearm, hooking both arms around the steel-clad limb and hauling him from the saddle. He landed with a crash of rending metal but recovered quickly, lunging to butt his helmeted head into Frentisʼs side, sending him sprawling, then bringing his long sword up in a two-handed grip. Frentis could see his eyes behind the visor, wide and full of unreasoning hate.

He rolled as the blade came down, cleaving into the earth, springing to his feet and slashing at Darnelʼs visor. The Fief Lord dodged the blow and brought his sword around in a great arc, Frentis grunting with the effort as he parried the blow, Darnelʼs steel biting deep into his Order blade. He reached out to catch Darnelʼs gauntleted wrist before he could draw the blade back, stepping in close, angling his sword to thrust up through the visor. Darnel jerked his head back as the blade sank home, the tip emerging bloodied, the Fief Lord roaring in fury and pain.

Frentis spun, bringing the blade round to slash into Darnelʼs legs, not piercing the armour but with enough force to send him to the ground. The Fief Lord howled and hacked at him again but Frentis blocked the blow and delivered a kick to his sword hand, the blade flying free. He smashed his sword guard into Darnelʼs visor, stunning him before planting a boot on his neck, laying the tip of his blade on the opening, meeting the eyes behind it, smiling fiercely at the fear he saw.

“BROTHER!”

It was Arendil, charging towards them, men locked in combat on either side, his sword pointed at something over Frentisʼs shoulder. He didnʼt waste time with a glance, diving to the left as a Volarian cavalry sword left a shallow cut on his cheek. The Volarian dragged his horse around for another blow then tumbled from the saddle as Arendilʼs sword lanced through his shoulder.

Frentis turned, finding himself faced with four more Volarians charging at full gallop. He heard the thunder of hooves behind him and threw himself flat, feeling hot breath wash over his neck as a horse leapt him. He looked up to see Master Rensial deliver a precise upward stroke to one of the onrushing Volarians, the manʼs breastplate parting with the force of the blow. Rensial ducked under a wild slash of the Volarian to his right and replied with a backward stroke as he rode past, the cavalryman arching his back as the blade cut him to the spine.

The remaining two Volarians came for Frentis, close together and blades levelled, then tumbling to the ground as a cloud of arrows arched down from the hilltop to claim both riders and horses.

Frentis whirled, searching for Darnel amidst the raging chaos. Bandersʼs knights had shattered the Fief Lordʼs command but were now fully engaged with the Volarians, men and horses wheeling in a mass of steel and rending flesh. Frentis caught a flash of blue armour through the heaving confusion to the right, a hunched figure on a horse being led away by two Volarians. Horns sounded and the cavalry began to withdraw, riders delivering a final slash before turning about and galloping back to the river.

Frentis saw a riderless horse a dozen feet away and vaulted onto its back, spurring in the direction of Darnelʼs flight, hacking at any unfortunate Volarians in his way. He spied Master Rensial nearby, cutting down an unhorsed Volarian, and yelled to get his attention. The masterʼs eyes found him quickly, as ever in battle, focused, calm, and seemingly free of madness. Frentis pointed at the blue-armoured figure now nearing the river and the master spurred his horse in pursuit, Frentis riding hard on his heels.

Darnel was already labouring through the water when Rensial and Frentis caught up with his escort. Both men turning at the waterʼs edge to face them, manoeuvring their mounts with uncanny precision, Frentis grunting in annoyance at the sight of the twin swords on their backs. Kuritai.

Rensial attempted to skirt them, hanging half-out of his saddle to avoid a Kuritaiʼs blade, but the slave-elite leapt from his horse, landing nimbly on Rensialʼs saddle and stabbing down with his twin blades. Rensial unhooked his foot from the stirrup and swung himself around his horseʼs head, delivering a double kick to the Kuritaiʼs chest as they ploughed into the river, the slave flying free of the horse and the master regaining the saddle.

Frentis tried to dispatch the second Kuritai with a throwing knife, waiting until he was near level with the slave before sending it into his eye. The man barely seemed to notice the injury, hacking at Frentis as he rode by, the blade missing by inches, turning his horse to follow but falling dead as Davokaʼs spear erupted from his chest. She hauled it free of the corpse and spurred her own horse onward, following Frentis into the river.

He could see Darnel ahead, flogging his horse bloody as it laboured onto the far bank, galloping east as an escort of Volarians closed around him and a rear-guard stood firm at the waterʼs edge. Rensial charged straight into them, his sword a blur as men fell around him, spurring after the fast-retreating Darnel then rearing as a Volarian blade cleaved into his horseʼs neck. Another Volarian rushed towards the master, sword poised to strike at his back. Frentisʼs horse ploughed into the Volarianʼs mount before he could strike, his head transfixed by the Order blade a second later.

Davoka screamed in frustration as she fought her way through the remaining Volarians, spear whirling, blood trailing from the blade, leaving only two remaining cavalrymen, who vainly attempted to follow their comradesʼ retreat, falling dead to arrows launched from behind. Frentis turned to see Sollis and Ivern fording the river at speed, bows in hand. Behind them the western bank was calm in the aftermath of battle, knights and free fighters wandering among the dead.

Frentis cast his gaze back at the dust cloud rising in Darnelʼs wake, knowing they wouldnʼt catch him now. Davoka uttered a Lonak curse and threw her spear into the ground. Nearby, Rensial knelt at his horseʼs side, smoothing a hand along its neck and whispering softly as it breathed its last.

“That was reckless, brother.” Sollisʼs pale eyes regarded him with stern disapproval, deepening further as Frentis laughed, long and loud.

“Yes, brother,” he replied as the mirth faded, knowing the expression on Sollisʼs face to be a mirror of his own when he looked at Rensial. “Very reckless. My most profound apologies.”

“We had him!” Ermund fumed, hands on his sword hilt, stabbing the scabbard into the earth. “I was less than two yards away in the melee. We had him and still he lives. Heʼs laughing at us, I can hear it.”

“His knights lie dead or captured and he runs for Varinshold like a whipped dog,” Banders replied. “I doubt heʼll be laughing.”

“Though he does now have full knowledge of our number and whereabouts,” Sollis pointed out.

“But not the strength to do much about it,” the baron returned.

They were atop the rocky hill overlooking the spur. Below, Frentisʼs fighters were moving amongst the dead, looting weapons or valuables. Near the riverbank a small cluster of Darnelʼs knights waited under guard. They made a curiously pathetic sight when shorn of armour, just tired defeated men, eyes wide with fear and nerves frayed by the instant death meted out to those Volarians who had attempted to surrender.