Chapters (44)
- Cover
- OTHER BOOKS BY STEPHEN R. DONALDSON
- Dedication
- PROLOGUE
- PART ONE
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- PART TWO
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- PART THREE
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- PART FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- EPILOGUE
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- What’s next onyour reading list?
When he felt the sun’s first warmth on his face, he called a halt. He was still an hour or more ahead of the horde. The riflemen and Magisters needed that time to eat, rest, care for their mounts.
Swinging out of his saddle, Bifalt went to find Suti al-Suri. He had only one thing to say to the chief warrior.
“I trust you, Suti al-Suri. But be cautious. This battle is just the beginning. Rile has many more men. Klamath will have to face them without us. You must live long enough to tell him what happens here.”
Despite his air of youthfulness, Suti al-Suri seemed stern and sure. In one hand, he held his rifle across his chest. “Ally, yes,” he said. “Keep promise. Kill priests. Kill fanged men.” He reached out to tap the King’s breastplate. “Not die, Brother.” He almost smiled. “Ally die shame el-Algreb.”
Bifalt turned away to cover his grimace. The chief warrior’s promise did not comfort him. It only meant that more people were going to die.
Harried along by Prince Jaspid and Elgart, the riflemen were getting ready. Jeck and Malder had a cold meal waiting for the King. Jeck made no attempt to hide his concern. Malder kept his to himself.
Magister Crawl wandered aimlessly among the soldiers, working his fingers as if he were practicing arcane gestures. Magister Brighten’s mood had improved, lifted by the prospect of unleashing her Decimate. She resembled a whetted blade.
Scanning his forces, King Bifalt nodded. What he meant to do might be a mistake. That would not surprise him. He was often wrong. Nevertheless he trusted his people to make even this misjudgment look like a victory.
Like Suti al-Suri’s promise, that assurance gave him no comfort.
When one of the scouts brought word that the horde was less than a league away, Bifalt loosened his saber in its scabbard, checked the action of his rifle, slapped a full clip into place. Together, he and his bodyguards went to their horses. Trotting side by side, they joined the Prince and Elgart.
Suti al-Suri’s warriors took positions behind and to the sides of King Bifalt’s soldiers. Some of them brandished their rifles to demonstrate their eagerness. Others gentled their horses with calm faces and mild voices. Anxious and determined, Magister Crawl kept watch for flung globes.