Джеффри Лорд - Warriors Of Latan

«Once we have them, I will listen to that idea again. For now, let us march.» She stood up.

Teindo thought of sending a handful of the best riders down each valley to make sure there were no Uchendi in them. However, that would seem cautious. Even worse, by the time the riders came back it would be too late to get the whole of the Rutari through the valleys before nightfall. Then a few Uchendi could do much harm, and surely accidents would take their toll of the beasts.

Also, riders who might give warning of Uchendi could also give warning to Uchendi. Haste could give the Rutari the advantage of the element of surprise. Against a man like Blade they would surely need it.

By the time Blade and Crystal reached Winter Owl; the last of the rear guard from Red Stones village was also coming up.

«It's all of them we expected and more,» said the warrior in command. «A hundred shpugas. Five hundred warriors. Remounts, the young Wise One, girls for fun at night, everything you'd expect.»

«Good, — «said Crystal briskly. «When they are all dead, the Rutari will not even think of war until the time of our sons' sons.»

Blade would personally have said «if» rather than «when,» but otherwise she was right. The Rutari were making an all-out effort to take back the Idol. Smash them now, and the ancient war between the two tribes would probably be decided for all time in favor of the Uchendi.

«Best you keep down,» said Winter Owl, looking at Blade and Crystal. «I think there are no Rutari following the men from the village, but if there are they might learn too much by seeing you.» He led Blade and Crystal into the cover of some scruffy trees at the bottom of a little gulley.

As much as Blade wanted to be out where he could see, he had to admit that Winter Owl was right. Both he and Crystal were eye-catching. Since each wanted the other to wear the Guardian's full war costume, they'd compromised on both doing so-beads, leather leggings, embroidered headbands, shell-set loinguard, copper bracelets, and all. Blade wore his feather bonnet and had made another for Crystal.

Both were also armed to the teeth-two knives and a spear apiece. Blade carried his plastic bow and a quiver of carefully picked arrows, half poisoned and half plain. Crystal carried the Idol.

Much to Blade's surprise, both the UZI and its ammunition were still useable. He'd fired off half a magazine, then let Crystal dry-fire it.

Blade didn't expect Crystal to find the UZI a very useable weapon. He had her carry it mostly because he hoped that fear of having the Idol recaptured would make her stay clear of the fighting. He wasn't terribly optimistic-Crystal was too fond of a good fight-but it was his only hope.

They sat down in the shade, and Cheeky crawled into Blade's lap. «What do we do now?» asked Crystal. She obviously had at least one suggestion.

«We wait.»

«Is that all?»

«You spend nine days out of ten in war waiting. You spend the other day being scared out of your wits. «

«You are without fear, Blade.»

«No. I'm not that big an idiot. I just don't listen to what fear tells me.»

The warning system was simple. The Rutari would be met today only if they came through one of the two passes around the Mountain of the Ice Cave. A handful of archers were hiding on top of a cliff that gave a good view of the entrance to both valleys. Stretching back from the cliff to Winter Owl's command post were other archers, placed at two-hundred yard intervals. Each had a red arrow and a green arrow. A red arrow meant the east valley, a green one the west valley. When the outpost sent word, each archer would shoot the appropriate arrow to the next man down the line. The message would get to Winter Owl and Blade within minutes.

This was Winter Owl's idea, and Blade was sincere in praising the chief for it. The Uchendi were clearly people ready to think for themselves if given a little push. Blade and recent events had been pushing rather hard.

It was a hot day and neither Blade nor Crystal had got much sleep the night before. Both had more important things to do, knowing it might be the last time they'd be together. Crystal was asleep and Blade was getting drowsy when they saw Winter Owl hurrying down the hill.

In his hand he held a red arrow.

«So it's the east valley,» he said. That was the wider of the two, and the whole floor of the valley would not be within bowshot. The archers might have to move into the open to kill all the shpugas, and if they did that many of them would surely be ridden down or speared. They would think it was a small price to pay for the life of their people.

«Very well,» said Blade, shaking Crystal awake. «Call in the outposts and messengers, and let's be on our way.»

The valley to the east of the mountains was so broad that Teindo stopped the advance for an hour to move the Rutari into a new form of marching. When they moved on, the Great Hunters and their leaders moved in one line close to the left side of the valley. The ezinti riders moved in a second line down the middle of the valley. A hundred paces separated the two lines.

«Do you fear an attack after all?» said Ellspa, reining in so close to Teindo that her bare leg pressed against his.

«Hardly. There are hiding places for no more than a score of men within spear-cast. If such a handful did come against us, we would suffer more from our own beasts than from them. Nothing can frighten a Great Hunter.» He felt like adding, «They are too stupid,» but that was not a lawful thought. «Ezintis, however, will take fright if surprised. The Great Hunters will do better work if they do not have frightened ezintis running about among them.»

«This is so,» said Ellspa. Teindo was relieved that she seemed to be not only in a good mood but willing to follow his lead in matters of war. Doubtless this mood would not last, but if it lasted long enough to get the Rutari through the valley and in among the Uchendi villages, that would be more than Teindo had ever won from her before. Perhaps his risking the anger of his wives by bedding Ellspa was going to be worth it after all.

«They could not have done better for us if we had asked them ourselves,» murmured Crystal. The Rutari army was tramping along the valley toward the hillside, which was full of scrubby trees and little ravines that were biding the archers. The column of shpugas would be passing within easy bowshot even for the enthusiastic amateur bowmen of the Uchendi.

«One shot by each archer and all the shpugas will be doomed,» she said, grinning in savage triumph. «How could Teindo be so stupid?»

«Keep your voice down,» said Blade sharply. «Sound carries a long way around here.» Crystal looked sulky for a moment but was silent.

«As for Teindo,» Blade went on in a whisper, «I don't think he's being stupid at all. He's done what would be a good job of arranging his men and shpugas if we didn't have the bows.»

«That means he doesn't know about them.»

«True. But it doesn't mean that he won't put up a good fight when the battle starts.»

Crystal kissed him. «Well, so be it. I would rather be with you in my body, but if we are to be Spirits-«

Blade put a finger to his lips for complete silence. The first of the shpugas were passing below now. If the archers could resist the temptation to start shooting at their ancient foes at once, and wait until they could shower the whole line with their arrows…

Blade looked down the valley. A clump of small trees was his mark. When the lead shpuga passed that one, most of the line would be in range. With better archers he could have hit all the shpugas at once, but he had to do the best he could with what he had. It was likely enough that the shpuga-handlers would be too surprised to know what to do with the unhurt ones until it was too late.