The Black Wing (9 page)

still, now that she was almost certain Dela was in the wagon, how was she going to free
the captive nyphid? That was the point of this whole foray as a human, after all. She
seemed to have lost sight of that goal recently, along with her qhen training. Onyx closed
her eyes for a moment and pressed her hands to her temples, as if the posture would
silence the barrage of questions. If only she could reason now as clearly as she'd done as
a dragon. Her eyes popped open. Why not? Onyx felt an overwhelming longing to assume her
dragon form. Then she could think the problem through without the distractions of human
emotions. It would calm her to feel like herself again, even for a moment. To not have to
concentrate on every gesture or word. To be herself. The more she considered it, the
better the idea sounded. But did she dare?

Onyx cast a glance over her shoulder. She was some distance from the clearing where Led
and the ogres waited. She concentrated to drown out the noise of the babbling stream.
Beyond it, she heard only chirping birds and other forest sounds. No one had followed her.

Onyx looked up the trail, then back over her shoulder again. Nothing in either direction.
Just to be safe, she prompted the mare to continue at a canter uphill for a short time,
putting a little more distance between herself and possible discovery. Tugging the mare's
head to the right just after a tall boulder, she quickly dismounted, looping the mare's
reins through the branches of a young tree.

Onyx stepped away from the horse and into the protection of the enveloping pines. She
pulled off her armor and clothing and stuffed them into the leather bag that had hung
behind the saddle. Reluctantly she untied the thong holding the swords and the maynus; if
she left it on during the transformation, the choker might well live up to its name before
she could enlarge it with sorcery. Looking closely at the maynus once more, she was
convinced anew that Toba, or at least some part of him, was trapped inside. Deciding she
could do nothing about him right now, she added the whole necklace to the bag.

Onyx was joyful at the thought of doing something so reckless; every minute as a human was
an exercise in self-containment. The woman's slanted, tawny eyes closed. When she opened
them again, she was a black dragon. Immediately she felt a stab of pain. Hunger. The
little strip of jerky may have filled her tiny human belly, but it wasn't even a mouse to
a dragon's enormous stomach. She hadn't feasted recently enough to satisfy her voracious
appetite, and it was demanding something big. Khisanth's dragon senses pricked up. Beyond
her protective hedge of pines, she heard the mare wicker softly. Slaver rose in her mouth.
Her heavy dragon body answered the call. She felt almost as if she watched herself lumber
through the trees, crushing shrubs beneath her enormous feet. Blood pounded in her head,
narrowing her field of vision until all she saw was the black mare ahead. The horse's eyes
widened with terror when it spotted the dragon crashing through the underbrush. It leaped
up and pawed at the air, straining at the reins that bound it to the tree. The mare's
wails were high-pitched and steady. Afraid of the attention the noise would surely draw,
the black dragon swung her tail around in a vicious slap aimed at the mare's head. The
strike snapped the horse's neck, silencing the beast in midscream. The creature dropped
lifeless to the ground. Khisanth's jaws opened wide. She closed her sharp teeth around the
mare and lifted it high, joyously shaking it. Khisanth abruptly spat out the mangled
corpse. Something about it tasted wrong, bitter. She espied the leather saddle and bridle.
Snatching at them with a claw, she flung the offending morsels far into the woods. Then
she returned her attention to the dripping horseflesh. Ravenous, exhilarated by the kill,
the dragon sank her pointed teeth into the corpse. Tearing with abandon, she stopped only
to gulp down whole chunks.

When the pounding in Khisanth's head began to slow, there was little left of the mare
except teeth and hooves. She'd crunched through the bones for the moist, delicately
flavored marrow. Swallowing the last knuckle joint, Khisanth fell into a sated languor,
listening to her own mind. It was thankfully clear of the emotions that had confused her
decisions as a human. She felt powerful again, in control. That was very good. But to her
surprise, she also felt unpleasantly cumbersome. She missed the spriteliness, the freedom
afforded her by her human form. Heaviest of all, now, were her eyelids. The dragon wanted
nothing so desperately as a nap. Into her drowsy brain came a vision of her last sleep,
and Led. She was instantly alert. Sighing, she pressed herself to remember the purpose for
changing back into her dragon formto think clearly about a lie to dis- guise Toba's
disappearance.

What would she tell him? Did it matter? Led was intriguing, but still merely a human. Yet
she could not deny that she felt some sort of attraction for this man, that she had begun
to appreciate aspects of her own facade of humanity because of him. Now, in her dragon
form, she found it much easier to consider him objectively.

Once Khisanth reached her decision, she willed herself back into the form of Onyx, then
located the saddlebag in the woods, retrieved her clothing, and dressed. The young woman
envisioned the campsite near the pool and narrow clearing, and called upon her sorcerous
abilities. Within the time it took to blink once, she was standing some ten feet from Led.
Startled, the mercenary drew his sword. He relaxed only slightly when he recognized Onyx.

“Where's your horse?” “She, uh, stumbled in a hole and threw me, then ran off. I couldn't
stop her.” Led looked at her closely for a moment longer. Licking the end of his thumb, he
dabbed at a crusted, brown spot in the corner of her mouth. “Found something to eat, did
you?” She pushed his hand away to wipe at the spot herself. “I couldn't find any sign of
Toba.” A muscle jerked in the hollow under Led's left cheekbone. “This just isn't like
Toba. I checked the wagon, and there's no sign that he attended to, uh, its contents yet
today.” Once again Led peered intently toward the tree line, speaking to himself. “I can't
believe Toba would just up and leave. He's been with me for three years. There's something
very odd about this.” He ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. “I can't waste
any more time searching for him. I'll tell you this, though. If he does show up again,
he'd better have a damned good story to tell or he'll never work for me again.” Led pulled
the wagon back onto the trail and checked the traces. At his signal, an ogre stepped up
onto the wagon. The vehicle's front end settled and groaned noticeably under the massive
bulk. The ogre fumbled with the reins, and Led eyed the doltish soldier dubiously.
“There's nothing to be done about it, I suppose,” he said stiffly. “Lef s get a move on.”
He blew shrilly between two fingers. Onyx took her place to the right of the wagon. The
ogres collected up their weapons and filed to their usual positions behind. Without
morning food except wine for himself, Led doled out traveling rations to the groggy,
grumbling soldiers, climbed aboard his horse, and herded his troops onward toward Needle
Pass. Led's foul mood allowed for little conversation as they wound their way up the
mountains. The rocky trail, if the narrow passage they followed through the trees could be
called that, became slippery with snow the higher they rose. By midday they came at last
to Needle Pass. The horses pulling the wagon were

showing signs of exhaustion, especially with the added weight of the ogre driver. Led
called a halt, hoping to rest and eat at a point just beyond the gap in the mountains, a
spot where the trail widened to a width of two wagons. The ogres spread out and pulled
chunks of meat and coarse, molding bread from the depths of their packs. Led again offered
Onyx a few strips of jerky. She wasn't hungry and gave her share back to him.

Except for the slurping and grunting of the ogres, the party ate in silence. Stone walls
worn smooth by the wind rose to either side of the pass; Onyx considered the high, rocky
cliffs curiously. If she were fighting as a dragon, those towering, stony ledges would be
a perfect perch from which to swoop down onto an unsuspecting enemy. Led suddenly cocked
his head to the side. “Did you hear something?”

“You mean that tinkling, like bells, from back the way we came?” Onyx asked. “I've been
hearing it for some time.” Led shot her an angry glance. “Why didn't you say something?
Can you tell what it is?” he added, before Onyx could reply to the first question.

“It sounds like a group of horsemen coming this way, and they're making no effort to be
quiet.” Led set down his food and moved back up the slope fifty or sixty yards, to where
the trail crested the pass. He stayed close to the rock walls, taking pains not to
silhouette himself against the sky. After several moments, he trotted back to where Onyx
and the ogres waited.

“If s what I thought,” he said, “a squad of Solamnic Knights in full panoply riding up the
trail. They've got banners flapping and bells ringing. It's a wonder they don't send a
herald on ahead to announce that they're coming.” He shook his head, snickering. “Thaf s
the knights for you, all pomp and honor and stupidity masked as chivalry. I wish I could
hide the wagon from them, but there isn't time. We'll have to make do.” Tapping three
ogres, Led told them, “Stay with me. The rest of you, up into the rocks. You know the
drill. Be ready for my signal, just in case. Be quick. There's one knight riding point I
don't want him to see anything unusual.” Twelve ogres clambered up tike rocky cliffs on
both sides of the trail. Onyx was surprised at how quickly and completely the bulky
creatures blended into the cover. To her further surprise, Led calmly resumed his lunch.
He patted the rock next to him. “Are you going to attack them?” Onyx asked. “If necessary.
Now sit down.” Remembering rule number two, Onyx complied wordlessly. Led had managed to
down four hearty swigs of wine and put on a mask of innocent surprise by the time the
jingling rang clear. A snapping blue banner emblazoned with a red rose appeared on the
western edge of the pass. Slowly it topped the crest, fluttering on the end of a lance,
followed by a crested helmet and finally the rest of a knight riding a horse draped in
yellow. Through his open visor, Onyx could see that he was very young, his wispy blond
mustache almost invisible against his pale upper lip. The knight spied the couple,
accompanied by three ogres, eating lunch on the rock. He rode straight toward them with no
hesitation, but stopped the length of three horses short of them. The knight sat in stony
silence and waited without looking at Onyx and Led. The jingling of bells, clanking of
weapons and armor, and clattering of hooves on frozen ground reverberated back and forth
between the rock walls. Onyx spied eight more banners snapping in the chill wind. The
knights on horseback beneath the banners topped the crest and proceeded down toward their
point rider. As the main group met up with the waiting knight, he jogged his horse
backward to move behind the man at the fore of this larger procession. There could be no
question about who led this group. The knight now in front wore a blue-and-red tunic over
his armor. The visor of his helmet was also raised, revealing a deeply weathered face and a

tremendous, drooping, snow-white mustache. With a raised arm the commander of the knights
brought them all to a halt. He sat still in his high saddle, surveying Led's party. With
frank distaste, he stared at the ogres. Led took the opportunity to lean close to Onyx and
whisper, “Thankfully, Knights of Solamnia are completely predictable. Take your lead from
me.” The commander spurred his horse several steps closer to Led. There was no welcome in
his face. “I am Sir Harald Stippling. Part of my charge is safeguarding this road. Who are
you? State your business.” Led calmly tore off a piece of jerky. “They call me Ledjust
Led. I'm a law-abiding trader carrying valuable cargo from Styx to Kernen.” He appeared to
be struck with an idea. “Say, I've heard rumors that there are bandits on the road.
Perhaps we could travel together and you could protect my shipment. Isn't that your job?”
The knighf s eyes narrowed with disbelief. “What law-abiding trader would hire such guards
as these ogres?” “Here in the wilds, I'm at the mercy of what is available for hire. Ogres
are plentiful and easily replaced.” “What are you transporting that needs such
protection?” “The wagon contains merchandise of value to me.” “We shall see,” muttered Sir
Harald. He waved his arm again. “Hugo, Tammerly, inspect the wagon.” As Stippling spoke,
two knights spurred their horses forward amid a jingling of bells and approached the
wagon. In response, Led waved his arm as well. The three ogres on the trail sprang to
their feet, interposing themselves between the knights and the wagon. Led slid off the
rock and stood, hand on sword hilt. “Whaf s in that wagon is the business of the man who
owns it, nobody else.” Heart pumping with excitement, Onyx got to her feet and called an
incantation to mind. Leaning forward angrily in his saddle, Stippling sputtered, “This may
be the frontier, but Knights of Solamnia are still the law. As the highest ranking knight
here, I demand that you open the wagon.” His expression stormy, Stippling drew his blade
and waved it in a whistling circle above his head. The remaining six knights moved to
surround the wagon, the ogres, Led, and Onyx. The two called Hugo and Tammerly drew their
swords on the ogres in an obvious challenge. The air in the narrow pass thrummed with a
strained silence as both sides considered how far they would go to win the standoff.

The cry of a hawk wheeling in tbe gray sky above cut the brittle silence. Heads tilted up,
neither knights nor Led's party moved. Even the ogres seemed to sense the strain in the
air. They stood as still as their large, hunch-shouldered bodies would allow. Stippling
broke the silence at last. “I'll warn you one last time. Open the wagon.” Led cleaned the
dirt from under a fingernail with a small blade. “Or what?” Led's indifference infuriated
the haughty knight. For an answer Stippling snapped down the visor of his helm and
clenched his fingers around the hilt of his sword. "Or

face the consequences. I would have the woman withdraw, if I were you.“ Led could feel
Onyx stiffen with indignation. ”Fortunately for my troops and my cargo, you're not me,“ he
cut in before she could fashion a fiery reply. ”She stays.“ Truth to tell. Onyx was
eagerly anticipating a battle that was, at last, not of her own making. It would give her
the opportunity to compare the full measure of a human's reflexes to a dragon's. The
muscles of this body felt more tightly strung than those of her dragon form. The blood did
not hammer deafeningly at her temples in the usual manner. There was no acid with which to
scald the flesh from a foe, no tail to deliver a killing blow. Onyx felt the blade in her
right boot, cold against her calf; it was a sorry replacement for a dragon's claws. She'd
have to rely heavily on her spellcast-ing. Onyx readied her two best enchantments.
Stippling seemed to be spoiling for a fight as well. He obviously had no idea what he
faced as he edged his horse forward. With swords and maces drawn, the knights followed his
lead. Four knights rode past the wagon to the downhill side of the road, blocking escape.
Four more, including the two Stippling had ordered to search the wagon, were still on the
uphill side, spread out slightly ahead of their commander. Sensing what was to come, their
horses pranced and tossed their heads in anticipation. Stippling leveled his sword at the
chest of the bounty hunter. Still Led had not drawn his own weapon. Does he intend to let
the knights open the wagon after all? Onyx wondered. She'd never seen him fight, but his
tactics were not what hers would have been. Then she remembered the ogres. Without moving
her head, Onyx's eyes shifted to the rocky walls where they waited. Even she could
scarcely make out the brutish heads peering around boulders above. Of course Led had no
intention of letting the knights see his prize. Calmly finishing his manicure, he put the
blade away. ”Do nothing and stay put,“ he whispered lightly to Onyx. Then, with incredible
speed, he sprang forward and to the right, darting around the front of Stippling's horse.
He snatched at the horse's bridle but missed. The horse lashed out its front hooves. One
glanced off the greave on Led's left leg. The bounty hunter spun to the ground from the
shock. He scrambled away before the rearing horse could trample him. Led's maneuver,
however little effect it had on Stippling, focused most of the knights' attention on him.
They moved forward. Only three faced off with the ogres. The remainder closed in on the
leather-armored man, still crouched defensively on his haunches near the horse's hooves.
An eerie wail broke over the scene. Hearing the strange sound from the rocks above, the
knights looked up just in time to see several large boulderspropelled by Onyx's
magichurtling toward them from the cliffs. It was too late to move. The rocks were
slightly off target and just grazed the flanks of the stunned knights. One was bowled from
his saddle. The rest raised their shields and hastily directed their shrieking mounts
backward; they weren't retreating, merely trying to figure out whether the greater danger
lay on the ground or in the cliffs. The answer came when the hidden ogres rose up from
their hiding places. They began pelting the road with skull-sized rocks. At first the
stones hit their marks, crashing into heavy plate mail with loud clatters. The knights
quickly recovered. Holding their rose- crested shields aloft, they easily deflected the
stones. ”Lay on!“ came a cry nearby. ”Take no prisoners!" The bounty hunter waved his
forces forward. The three towering ogres charged into the milling, confused knights, whose
gazes were still turned skyward. The ogres indiscriminately swung their clubs and thrust
their rough spears at horses and knights alike. But the trap had not been sprung in its
entirety. With the knights' attention turned to the action around them, the ogres above
began to

throw themselves from the cliff face like lemmings. Ogres rained down with greater force
and accuracy than the boulders. Three more knights were sent sprawling from their saddles,
and two of them were seriously hurt by the trampling hooves of their own horses. The
horses were suffering as much from spear thrusts as their riders. Many of the steeds were
down on their knees, their drapings covered in blood. Everything was going according to
Led's plan.

The knights had fallen more easily than even Led had hopedso easy, in fact, that there had
been no need for him to do anything but lean against a boulder and enjoy the spectacle.
He'd held Onyx back from the skirmish with him, telling her with a wink that she was too
valuable to sacrifice in a lopsided brawl. His tone was patronizing as he told her to be
ready with her spells, in case the tide turned. Onyx watched the ogres at their sport and
felt cheated. She was reminded of Kadagan's parable of the sword: Onyx was like a mighty
blade used only to pare apples. Soon the ogres will finish off the last knight, she
reflected jealously, and I'll have had no fun at all. Then the unthinkable happened. A
lone ogre hopped anxiously from one foot to the other on the cliff above, eager to join
the fray. This exceptionally dim-witted creature grabbed its knees and flung its
thirty-stone, olive-green body off the cliff without thought to where it was headed. The
brute landed with the force and grace of an enormous gunstone, square on the roof of the
small wagon. The monster's bulk smashed open the top and one side of the compartment. A
second side splintered as he tumbled to the ground, landing in a heap of broken boards and
splinters. “No!” wailed Led. “My fortune!” He rushed forward, then stopped, paralyzed. An
audible gasp rippled through the melee. All heads were turned toward the demolished wagon,
and the creature huddled amid the wreckage. Onyx knew the pathetic thing, shivering in a
shabby, dirty tunic, had to be Dela. But the gray, wrinkled skin, sunken eyes, and swollen
joints bore no semblance to the perfectly formed nyphid she'd seen in the maynus. Dela's
tunic seemed to hold a bundle of sticks. Her hair, now dull yellow and matted and littered
with straw, was barely recognizable. Onyx silently screamed for the nyphid to run, but,
surrounded by people, Dela was obviously too terrified or weak to move. Her mouth opened
and closed with soundless screams. There was no place to hide in the ruined wagon. The
nyphid threw her withered arms across her face and collapsed into the straw. Do something!
Onyx told herself. But what? She couldn't just grab the nyphid and run. Unless she
intended to reveal her real reason for joining Led's group, she had to think of a way to
make Dela help herself. A spell. She tried to think of one, but she'd concentrated for so
long on enchantments that might aid in a battle, no new ones penetrated the fog of her
confused thoughts. Onyx felt the burning sensation around her neck again. Dela's maynus
... The nyphid was surely too weak to use it herself. Onyx pulled the choker from under
her tunic and let it rest on her armor. Placing her hand on the round maynus to screen it
from view, she silently bade it to grant energy to Dela. The maynus grew warmer still, and
the glow that squeezed between Onyx's fingers turned from white to blue. A fine spray of
light emanated between the cracks and bathed the sun-loving nyphid with warm energy. The
light on Dela was so soft and diffuse that anyone looking at her would think her
highlighted by a lone shaft of sun cutting through the cloud cover. But instead of
invigorating Dela, the light caused the shrunken creature to whimper and draw away, as if
the ray were steaming-hot water. A thready sound rose in her throat. The more the light
sought Dela out, the more acute her pain seemed to become.

After only a few seconds, her agony was unbearable to hear. Onyx commanded the maynus to
stop, sensing that somehow, through her long deprivation, Dela had lost the ability to
absorb or draw energy from the light. The nyphid's shrill screams thankfully ended as soon
as the light disappeared. Foes stood shoulder to shoulder among the fallen bodies of
knights and horses. The battle was momentarily forgotten as the men stared, immobilized by
the wretched form twitching in the debris of the wagon. Though half-dead, shriveled to
little more than a skeleton, the nyphid still seemed able to ignite some desire to touch
her. Stippling himself, his side streaked with blood, forced his steed forward. Leaning
from his saddle, he tried to scoop her up in his arms. There was a flash of pale blue
light and two screams. Stippling flew backward, his horse staggering to stay under him.
The knight was dazed, his armor scorched, but he was still alive. Had the nyphid been
healthy, the jolt would have killed him. Dela's screams rang long and loud. The frightful
sounds pierced the men's ears so that they clapped their hands to their heads. Her tiny
body convulsed, but with almost no energy left, the defensive discharge had been too much
for Dela. The wailing stopped. Her grotesquely sunken face abruptly softened into a
faraway smile, as if the tortured nyphid alone was privy to some glorious sight. Her
golden hair took on the brief, backlit glow it had once possessed. Then, just as suddenly,
Dela's wizened body slumped forward, exposing the wings on her back. Like a drying forest
leaf, her still body withered away until nothing remained but her tattered tunic. Onyx
stood staring for several seconds in disbelief. She had seen a race die. After a time,
something caught Onyx's eye, and she blinked. She thought she spotted a tiny lightning bug
against the gray sky, fluttering above the remains of Led's wagon. A firefly in winter?
She blinked again. Now there were two, twin yellow tails dimly blinking in daylight. A
cold winter breeze rose swiftly, caught the tiny insects up, and carried them out of her
sight. “Well, there goes my fortune,” Led muttered at Onyx, dismissing the dead nyphid
from his accounts as if she were just another dice wager. Dusting off his hands, the
bounty hunter turned to consider the distance to his horses; since there was no longer
precious cargo to fight over, he might as well escape. Stippling's voice brought him up
short and settled his course of action. “As I suspected, you're the worst of scoundrels/'
the knight thundered. ”I'll see you brought to justice for this poor creature's death, in
addition to that of my fallen com- rade. ...“ Led drew his sword at last and whirled
around. ”Then I'll have to make it an even eight knights!“ he cried. ”Now's your chance,"
he told Onyx before charging into the throng. The fight resumed with greater intensity. On
foot and horseback, the seven remaining knights trampled and cut their way through the
frenzied ogres in an effort to unite in a defensive formation. The knights had a small
advantage while they kept to their horses, but Yoshiki Toba had trained the ogres well in
brawling. Toba had tirelessly drilled the warty monsters to approach horsemen from the
right side. The mounted knights found it clumsy and difficult to bring their shields
across their horses, and thus their right flanks were exposed. The ogres rushed forward
with their crude spears extended or massive clubs spinning through the air. There came a
subhuman growl and a tremendous crash. After the attack, an ogre stood over the crumpled
body of a knight. The ogres were viciously efficient, especially compared to those Onyx
had fought as a dragon. As the battle wore on, two ogres doubled up against one knight.
The soldier deftly knocked aside a club as a spear slammed into his chest. The tip
shattered against the knighf s heavy breastplate, and the force of the impact knocked him
from his saddle. A third ogre crashed its club against the forehead of the furiously
kicking and

biting horse. The animal stumbled. A second blow sent it thudding to the frozen earth. One
ogre pinned the fallen knight to the ground and another struggled to wrench the helmet
from his head. The man's left arm was useless, strapped to the heavy shield, but still he
thrashed desperately with his sword arm, cutting several of the ogres who bore down on
him. His helmet tore free. The human roared his defiancebefore a spiked club crushed his
skull.

Near the remains of the wagon, Led fought, bobbing and weaving to land a sword thrust at
the still-mounted Stippling. Onyx spied another knight rushing at the bounty- hunter's
back. Preoccupied with reaching his goal, the knight did not see her stride over a dead
knight to hold her hands, burning like rag-soaked torches, to his tunic. The knight
whirled about just short of landing a blow to Led. Onyx recognized his young facehe'd led
the procession through the pass. He gazed at her in confusion at first. Then he felt the
fire at the hem of his tunic, spreading rapidly under his armor. With a yelp, he took off
running, as if that might allow him to escape the flames that threatened to engulf him.
Led paused for an instant to watch the knight, fanning the fires of his own death by his
flight. Smiling, Led tipped his sword to Onyx, then resumed his attack on Stippling.
Suffering greatly, the ranking knight managed at last to break off from Led. He and the
three remaining knights drew up across the top of the pass, facing downhill toward where
the ogres continued clubbing and kicking the unconscious or dead bodies on the ground.
Suddenly one man charged from the group, driving the startled ogres back along the trail.
His long sword cut great whistling arcs through the air, and his horse kicked and pawed at
the oafish monsters. Several ogres dived for cover as the knight rushed headlong into
their backs. His sword chopped straight down through an ogre's shoulder, cleaving its
ribs. The body tumbled away and wrenched the sword from the knight's hand. Without pause,
he pulled up a heavy mace slung on his saddle and smashed it down on the head of a second
ogre, which crashed to the trail, lifeless, just yards beyond its comrade. Onyx summoned
her magic. Instantly, the knight's helmet was engulfed in swirling lights and colors too
thick to see through. An ogre jumped forward and poked him in the back with a broken spear
shaft. The knight slashed backward blindly, but his blade found no target. Another ogre
reached forward and grabbed the man's ankle, then gave a mighty yank. The knight toppled
from the saddle, howling over his now-broken leg, then disappeared under a tumult of
ogres. Led motioned toward the three remaining knights, who were now advancing at a trot
down the hill. Onyx could see in his eyes that Led didn't relish the thought of fighting
these warriors; riding knee to knee, they were obviously better trained than their doomed
fellows. The ogres were fearsome in a swirling melee, but they weren't equipped to face
charging war-horses directed by skilled riders. Onyx stooped to the ground and began
scraping at it with her dagger. Fortunately, the Solamnics ignored her and concentrated on
their more outwardly dangerous adversaries. The knights thundered straight through the
ogres, who scattered like pins in every direction. The knights wheeled and galloped back
again, this time shifting to the right to ride down the smaller group of ogres. As they
stormed into the brutes, Onyx stood with a handful of dust, spit into it, and rolled her
hands together to form a clay spike. She hurled the spike into the air above the knights.
Pulling a startled Led along behind her, she darted out of range, behind the boulder on
which they'd eaten lunch. The sky seemed to split open. Enormous icicles, sharp and
glistening in the sun, materialized in midair and rained down, slashing at knights and
ogres alike. Most of the Solamnics found shelter beneath their shields, but the ice
pounded the horses mercilessly. Stunned and bleeding, the animals stumbled and finally
fell. They lay on