Three days later, the tireavs marched southwards, the new shield fighters walking in the lead. Behind them followed slingers and maccunai or war dogs which Cyoen had suggested back in that first fight with the angorym and their drwg.
Every couple of miles they passed through a nameless village that had been abandoned or worse. The first village had been littered with the pieces of bloated corpses. The sight awoke in Karux memories of dreams which had haunted him from his youth. He felt as if he were walking in a nightmare whose conclusion he had already seen.
A group of refugees stopped their southward progress by kneeling in the trail. Begging to have their lives spared, they cried out for the oracle of the north, offering their lives in service if only he would call off the beast he had summoned to ravage their villages.
Karux could never quite understand what he was supposed to have done, but he did learn Korion-Tamia lay between them and Nur, and that Amantis used the village to train his tireavs and store his weapons. After handing the refugees over into the care of the daikons, Karux consulted his tacarchs.
"We could try and go around, through the hills" Hejom suggested.
Jomel stroked his beard thoughtfully. "And add days of travel."
"In which case we would probably have to fight them anyway," Bazma said. "With all these refugees running around on the roads, I would be surprised if they don't already know we are here. We'd get pinned in narrow passes and cut to pieces."
"We should attack Korion-Tamia now." Somek repeatedly jabbed his spear into the ground. "Any delay will only give them time to prepare."
When none of the other spears had anything to add, Karux gave Macander a questioning look. Macander nodded silent agreement.
"If I had more spears, I'd leave a group behind to attack Korion-Tamia while the rest of us went to Nur. I fear we'll get bogged down here while Amantis, our real enemy, prepares to trap us. But, if we must go through Korion-Tamia to get to Nur, then so be it. We shall attack Korion-Tamia."
-=====|==
Somek's predictions turned out to be accurate. As they neared Korion-Tamia, a thousand reavers awaited them. Their line stretched from the river on the left across newly plowed fields to the hills on the right.
"Line up the men," Karux told Macander, praying the enemy wouldn't attack until the rest of his force arrived. He looked back at his own men, straggling northwards for a couple of miles, knowing once they were gathered he'd be lucky if the enemy didn't outnumber them two-to-one.
Karux led Eiraena to a large oak tree at the edge of the field and set her down. He hadn't intended to bring her, but she had simply appeared among the men the second day out of Har-Tor. "I want you to wait here. It won't be safe for you out there. Do you understand me?"
She stared back with unblinking golden-brown eyes.
"Don't wander off and don't..." how could he tell her not to play with the schemas in a way she'd understand? "...do anything," he added uselessly. With lots of hand motions indicating he wanted her to stay, to which she completely failed to respond, Karux walked back to his tacarchs.
"So. What's the plan?" Jomel asked.
"If they attack first, shield fighters stand and hold them while the slingers sling and the rest throw spears. I want the dogs loosed just before they get in spear range."
"And if they don't attack first?"
Karux held up a ram's horn. "One blast means ready weapons, two blasts mean attack."
"Same order as before?"
"No. Loose the dogs first, then slingers, then the throwing spears, each stopping to throw when they are in range. The shield fighters should run past them and smash into the enemy and try to knock them off their feet. The short spears move in behind after the shields scatter them."
Jomel smiled. "I wonder if the dwerka ever thought of using these shields as offensive weapons?"
Karux tugged at his leather robes, sensing without looking at the schemas gathering to the engraved symbols in the bronze plates sewn on. "I only wish we had time to practice."
"We'll just have to consider this practice."
"For Nur?"
"Yes."
"That reminds me," Karux shouldered the strap from which his horn hung. "Three short blasts on the horn means rally to me."
"In case the fight goes badly?"
"Yes."
"Let's hope that call is not necessary.
-=====|==
The men grew restless once the forces were arranged and no attack seemed forthcoming. Karux gestured for Jomel to accompany him and walked out across the field, stopping halfway between the two forces.
A discussion ensued among the men on the far side, then two men armed with spears walked out to shouting distance. "Who are you and why are you here?" one of them shouted.
"The oracle of the north is going to Nur to speak to the oracle of the south," Jomel bellowed. "We wish to pass through your korion."
Karux's heart pounded hopefully as the two strangers conferred. He hadn't thought of simply asking. How much better would it be if these men would simply let them walk to Nur?
"I am sure the oracle of the south would like to speak to the oracle of the north, but he must come alone to Nur."
Jomel didn't hesitate to reply. "Alas! We cannot let him go without us as we are all sworn to protect him."
The two strangers argued. Finally, while his companion still remonstrated with him, the spokesman shouted his reply. "The city of Nur is open to all men of good will. You may all come if you first lay down your weapons."
"How can we then protect him?"
"We shall protect him for you."
Jomel shook his head. "We cannot pass our responsibility to another."
"We also have responsibilities. We cannot allow armed men to pass through our korion."
Jomel hesitated as if trying to think of some means of continuing the discussion to either win them passage through or at least put off a moment longer the fighting that must surely follow. With a questioning glance at Karux, he shrugged. "That went as well as one might have expected." He started walking back to their men and Karux fell into step beside him.
"Look out!" The warning cry came from one of their own men.
Karux spun about. The man who had argued with the other speaker stood a score of yards away, his throwing arm extended. Karux looked up and saw the spear falling from the sky. Though it already seemed as large as a tree branch, it appeared to grow in size as it neared.
Karux's armor pressed against his body as his schemas pushed back. The spear veered to the right. Following its path, Karux started to call out a warning.
The spear struck Jomel next to his left shoulder blade. Jomel fell. Karux dropped to his knees, one hand on Jomel's chest near the protruding spearhead, the other hand fumbling for his stone. He slid into the world of schemas and saw how the spear had torn through Jomel's heart.
It would have taken him hours to build a new one, even if he knew what he was doing, but it would all be for nothing. Jomel was already dead. He had died before his body had hit the ground.
Karux rose. His right hand, still hot with Jomel's blood, slapped the ram's horn and brought it to his lips. He sounded a single long blast that shook the world of schemas. His rage shivered through both armies and the maccunai howled in response. Pausing only long enough to fill his lungs, Karux sounded two quick blasts.
Unleashed, the war dogs shot forward and the tireav surged after them like an angry tide of leather wood and bronze. The slingers stopped and hurled their missiles skyward. The reavers ran past and launched their spears.
The maccunai smashed into the enemies' front line which recoiled as reavers watched their fellows being savaged by massive jaws. Before they could turn their weapons on the dogs, the first volley of stones crashed down on their heads, followed closely by a forest of falling spears. Then the shield fighters slammed into them, knocking men down and trampling them as they shoved into the mass of fighters, opening passages for the short spear fighters who leaped in like crazed wolverines, cutting down anyone who stood against them.
After several minutes of fighting, the enemy force began to break up as fighters turned and ran for the town. Some of the northmen chased them while others cheered them on as they ran.
Karux, having blinked his way back to the world of light and shadows, stumped across the blood-soaked fields. Seeing his men starting to scatter in pursuit, he blew three short blasts to call them back.
As his men returned, he called out for his tacarchs.
"Where's Jomel?" Macander asked as he ran up, sending a fresh stab of pain through Karux's heart.
Karux bit his lip waiting until he could speak without sobbing. "He's dead."
Macander cast a sorrowful glance over the field of dead.
"Have the men line up again and bring the tacarchs to me. We have to discuss our next move." Karux eyed the distant town. It consisted of a double ring of stone houses with an open common area inside. The spaces between the houses were filled with vegetable gardens and wooden fences to keep animals out. The retreated force had hidden behind a nearly unbroken circle of stone and wood walls. "I'm afraid the next part is going to be the hard part."
-=====|==
Kaelis seemed to grow taller and more confident the closer they got to Nur. Pronos followed, his spear riding on his shoulder hoping their destination was close. As they followed the winding river road, a large wooden wall suddenly came into view. It stretched across the road, anchored to buildings on either side. More segments of wall linked other buildings, stretching from the hills on the right out and into the river on the left. A crowd of people milled outside as if awaiting entrance. Kaelis just shoved his way through to a narrow gate in the wall.
"No one goes in and no one goes out, by order of the oracle," the man behind the barricade said. Four men armed with spears flanked him to ensure his words were heeded.
"Does that apply to the oracle's own spears?"
"Kaelis? Is that you?" the man asked.
Kaelis stepped up to the barricades and planted his spear. "Yes."
"We thought you were dead. Who's that with you?"
Kaelis glanced ironically at the scores of refugees crowded near the barricade, pleading for entrance. "His name is Pronos. He's a personal friend of the oracle. I've just rescued him from the northmen."
Pronos slipped him a sidelong look.
"What's going on here?" Kaelis demanded.
"If you've just come from the north, then you should already know. The oracle of the north has begun his attack."
Kaelis laughed. "So he finally got a soreav together, eh? When we left, their elders would hardly listen to him. I wouldn't worry over much. It can't be a large force."
"Well, after years of the blight and then the beastmen, the koria along the border are all fleeing to Nur and the people of Nur are ready to flee further south. That's why the oracle has ordered the city closed."
"You better make an exception for us. The oracle will want to talk to Pronos here. If he hears you turned him away, it will be your head on a post."
The man behind the barricade signaled his men who pushed the barricade open. The crowd surged forward and the Faithful Sons of the Mountain, in their yellow robes, tattooed brows furrowed in righteous indignation, beat back the crowd with heavy clubs.
Kaelis and Pronos slipped between the spear points and hurried behind the barricades, followed by the faithful who struggled to push back the crowd as they closed the gate.
Kaelis strode down strangely quiet streets and turned up the hill to Amantis' house. "Is the oracle in?" he asked the reaver guarding the front door.
"He's speaking to Ctonos about the attack from the north."
"He'll want to see us then."
The guard opened the door and Kaelis and Pronos stepped inside.
"We must send all the spears to Korion-Tamia. We can't let him seize those supplies," Amantis' voice echoed down the cool marble passage. Kaelis turned and followed it to the new meeting hall.
"That would leave the city unprotected," Ctonos objected.
"If the enemy is destroyed at Korion-Tamia, they cannot threaten my city."
"But who will protect the city from itself? The people are nearly mad with fear. If the spears leave, they'll panic and tear this place down with their bare hands."
"We have the faithful; they already guard the warehouses, organize the work groups and help keep the peace."
"They are mostly old men and women. Those with any fighting ability have long ago joined the soreavs. The faithful are also unloved by the people—who will not hesitate to tear them apart given half a chance."
Both men turned as Kaelis and Pronos entered the room.
"Kaelis, back from the dead I see," Ctonos said.
Amantis stared at Pronos with a stunned expression. "Is that you, Pronos? What are you doing here?"
Pronos scanned the richly decorated room with its rare woods, fine fabrics, costly stoneware and silver and gold furnishings. "I kept hearing about this oracle in the south who can see the future. Then I heard his name was Amantis and I remembered he owes me a lot of copper."
"Forget the copper." Amantis chuckled. "Stay and help me and I'll give you your own town to rule and a soreav to command.
Pronos glanced over at Ctonos. "From what I hear, you're having some difficulty holding onto your towns."
Amantis frowned. He looked Pronos up and down, taking in his spear and his leather armor with its bronze plates. "But you've come from the north. You can tell me what they're doing and what they're planning."
"Perhaps..."
"For example, we've heard reports that the drwg and angorym are fighting for them."
"No. They are using maccunai, not drwg. Though they've had some help from the dwerka," here Pronos spread his arms, showing off the armored tunic, "but no angorym."
"No? They say some beast is terrorizing the koria along the river. They say their oracle has summoned something from beyond this world."
Kaelis chuckled. "I saw this so-called oracle arguing with his elders. He could barely summon up enough men to field a soreav."
A sly look shadowed Amantis expression. "If something were to happen, if Karux were killed, would his spears still fight?"
Kaelis gave Pronos a questioning look. Pronos shrugged. "He's the one trying to convince everyone Nur is a threat," Pronos said. He may have convinced a few small koria along the border, but I think most of his men would prefer to just go home and only fight if directly attacked. They don't share his vision."
Amantis nodded thoughtfully, staring into space as if doing complex mental calculations. "Wait here." Amantis retreated to a shadowed corner of the room and untied the pouch at his belt. He held it to his face and peered inside for several minutes before closing it with an awestruck expression.
After a moment, he noticed the others in the room. "Ctonos...," he smiled broadly. "You were one of my first recruits, my most faithful and most dependable, my own right hand. Do you trust me?"
Ctonos frowned. "Of course."
"Will you obey me—even if it should cost you your life?"
Ctonos' frown deepened. "I suppose, if it were necessary."
Amantis turned to Kaelis. "I want you to take all our remaining spears to Korion-Tamia."
"But—," Ctonos started to object, but Amantis held up a silencing finger.
"Fear not for the city. The enemy will never even come within sight of it. You will see to that."
Ctonos cocked his head to one side.
Amantis slapped a hand to his shoulder. "I'm going to pour the power of the High Lords into you and turn you into an instrument for their destruction. It will require some...sacrifice...on your part, but you will become the most powerful man to walk upon the face of the world."
Ctonos blinked in pleasant surprise. "Very well."
Call the Faithful Sons and have them assemble in the Lord's House after sunset. We will amaze them all with the true power of the High Lords and this stone.