To Rescue Tanelorn (6 page)

The armies of the Eldren and the forces of the Humanity met on a vast plateau surrounded by distant hills. My marshals and captains were all for rushing upon the Eldren immediately, for their numbers were smaller than ours, but I stood by the Code of War and ordered our herald to the Eldren camp, under a flag of truce. I watched him ride away and then, on an impulse, spurred after him.

He turned in his saddle, hearing the hoof-beats of my horse. “Lord Erekosë?” he said questioningly.

“Ride on, herald—and I’ll ride with you.”

So together we came to the Eldren camp.

We rode through a silent camp until we came to the simple pavilion of Prince Arjavh.

“I bring a challenge from the hosts of Humanity!” cried the herald.

I heard a movement in the tent and from it stepped a lithe figure, dressed in half-armour, a steel breastplate strapped over a loose shirt of green, leather hose beneath leg greaves, also of steel, and sandals on his feet. His long black hair was kept away from his eyes by a band of gold bearing a single great ruby.

And his face—was beautiful. I hesitate to use the word to describe a man, but it is the only one to do his fine features justice. Like Ermizhad he had the tapering skull, the slanting, orbless eyes, but his lips did not curve upwards as did hers. His mouth was grim and there were lines of weariness about it. He passed his hand across his face and looked up at us.

“I am Prince Arjavh of Mernadin,” he said in his liquid voice. “We accept your challenge.”

“Shall we decide the terms of the battle?” I asked softly.

He looked at me, puzzled, then his face cleared. “Greetings, Erekosë,” he said.

“How do you know my name?”

He smiled a smile full of melancholy irony.

“Our scientists are skilful men,” he said. “But why do you come, thus, with your herald?”

“Curiosity,” I said. “I have spoke much with your sister, Ermizhad.”

“How is she?” he asked quickly.

“Well,” I said, “she was placed under my protection.”

“I am relieved,” he said. “We come, of course, to rescue her.”

“That is what I supposed. Now, shall we discuss the terms of the battle?”

“It has been a million years since the Eldren and Humanity agreed on terms—extermination of every warrior is the usual rule, now.”

“Well that rule has been changed,” I said impatiently. “Come, are you prepared?”

“Deliverance of the wounded to their own side,” he said.

“Agreed.”

“No slaying of prisoners taken in battle—the winner releasing his captives.”

“Agreed.”

“Deliverance of Ermizhad from captivity if we shall win.”

“To that I cannot agree. The king holds her. If you win, you must go on to Necranal and lay siege to the city.”

He sighed. “Very well, Sir Champion. We shall be ready at dawn tomorrow.”

I said hurriedly: “We outnumber you, Prince Arjavh—you could go back now, in peace.”

He shook his head. “Let the battle be fought,” he said.

“Until dawn, then, Prince Arjavh.”

He moved his hand tiredly in assent and nodded. “Farewell, Lord Erekosë.”

“Farewell.” I wheeled my horse and rode back to our camp in a sorrowful mood.

As the watery dawn broke, our forces advanced towards each other. Very slowly, it seemed, but implacably.

A flight of swallows flew high above us and glided away towards the far-off hills.

I smelled the stink of sweating men and horses, heard the creak of harness and the clash of metal. Because of the necessity for speed, we had brought no cannon and neither, it appeared, had the Eldren. Perhaps, I thought, their siege machines were following behind at a slower pace.

I had planned to depend upon my cavalry spreading out on two sides to surround the Eldren while another arrow-head of cavalry pierced the centre of their ranks and pushed through to the rear so that we would surround them on all sides.

As we came close I gave the order for the archers to shoot. We had no crossbows, only longbows, which had a greater range and penetrating power. The first flight of arrows screamed overhead and thudded down into the Eldren ranks.

Our shafts were answered by the slim arrows of the Eldren. Horses and men shrieked as arrows found their marks and for a moment there was consternation in our ranks as they became ragged and then, with discipline, re-formed. I drew my sword.

“Cavalry—
charge
!”

The knights spurred their war-steeds forward and began, line upon line of them, to fan out on two sides while another division rode straight towards the centre of the Eldren host. They were bent over the necks of their fast-moving horses, lances leaning at an angle across their saddles, aimed at the Eldren.

Their multicoloured plumes streamed behind them and the dim sunlight gleamed on their armour. I was almost deafened by the thunder of hoofs as I kicked my charger into a gallop and with a band of fifty picked knights behind me, surrounding the twin standards of Humanity, rode forward, straining my eyes for Arjavh whom, at that moment, I hated with a hate akin to jealousy.

With a fearful din of shouts and clashing metal we smashed into the Eldren army and soon I was oblivious of all but the need to kill and defend my life.

I hewed about me with savage intensity, seeking sight of Arjavh. At last I saw him, a huge mace swinging from his gauntleted hand, battering at the infantrymen who sought to pull him from his saddle.

“Arjavh!”

He heard but paid no attention, intent as he was on defending himself. “Arjavh!”

“A moment, Erekosë, I have work here.”

He kicked his horse towards me, still flaying around him with the giant mace. Then the infantrymen drew back as they saw we were about to engage. I aimed a mighty blow at him but he pulled aside in time and I felt his mace glance off my back as I leaned so far forward in my saddle after the wasted blow that my sword almost touched the churned ground.

I brought the sword up in an underarm swing and the mace was there to deflect it. For several minutes we fought until, in my astonishment, I heard a voice some distance away. “Rally the standard! Rally Knights of Humanity!”

We had not succeeded in our tactics, that was obvious. Our forces were attempting to re-consolidate and attack afresh. Arjavh smiled and lowered his mace. “They sought to surround the halflings,” he said and laughed aloud.

“We’ll meet again, soon, Arjavh,” I shouted as I turned my horse back and forced my way through milling, embattled men towards the standard which swayed to my right. There was no cowardice in my leaving and Arjavh knew it. I had to be with my men when they rallied.

Arjavh had mentioned the halflings. What were they? What kind of creatures were they that they could not, as he had inferred, be surrounded?

The halflings were only part of my problem. Fresh tactics had to be decided upon hurriedly, or the day would be soon lost. Four of my marshals were desperately trying to get our ranks closed as I came up. The Eldren enclosed us and many groups of humans were cut off from our main body.

“What’s the position?” I shouted above the noise of battle.

“It’s hard to tell, Lord Erekosë. One moment we had surrounded the Eldren and the next moment half their forces were surrounding
us
—they vanished and reappeared behind us! Even now we cannot tell which is material Eldren and which halfling.” The man who answered me was Count Roldero, an experienced marshal. His voice was ragged and he was very much shaken.

“What other qualities do these halflings possess?”

“They are solid enough when fighting, Lord Erekosë, and can be slain, but they can disappear at will and be wherever they wish on the field. It is impossible to plan tactics against such a foe.”

“In that case,” I decided, “you had best keep your men together and fight a defensive action. I think we still outnumber the Eldren and their ghostly allies. Let them come to us!”

I could see that the morale of my warriors was bad; they had been disconcerted and were finding it difficult to face the idea of defeat since victory had, at first, seemed so certain.

Through the milling men I saw the basilisk banner of the Eldren approaching as their cavalry moved speedily towards us, Arjavh at their head. Our forces came, again, together and once more I was doing battle with the Eldren prince.

He knew the power of my sword, knew that the touch of it could slay him, but that deadly mace, wielded like a sword, warded off every blow I made. I fought him for half an hour until he showed signs of sweating weariness and my muscles ached horribly.

And again our forces had been split, again it was impossible to tell how the battle went for us. For most of the time I was uncaring, oblivious of the events around me as I concentrated on breaking through Arjavh’s splendid guard.

Then I saw Count Roldero ride swiftly past me, his golden armour split, his face and arms bloody. In one red hand he carried the torn banner of Humanity and his eyes stared out of his wounded head in fear. “Flee, Lord Erekosë,” he shouted as he galloped past. “Flee—the day is lost!”

I could not believe it, until the ragged remnants of my warriors began to stream past me in ignominious flight.

“Rally Humanity!” I screamed. “Rally!” But they paid me no heed. Again Arjavh dropped his mace to his side.

“You are defeated,” he said. “You are a worthy foe, Erekosë, and I will remember our battle terms—go in peace. Necranal will have need of you.”

I shook my head slowly and drew a heavy breath. “Prepare to defend yourself, Prince Arjavh,” I said.

He shrugged, swiftly brought up the mace against the blow I aimed at him and then brought it down suddenly upon my metal-gauntleted wrist. My whole arm went numb. I tried to cling to the sword, but my fingers would not respond. It dropped from my hand and hung by a thong from my wrist.

With a curse, I flung myself from my saddle straight at him, my good hand grasping, but he turned his horse aside and I fell, face forward, in the bloody mud of the field. I attempted once to rise, failed, and lost consciousness.

I shivered, aware that I was no longer clad in my armour. I looked up. Arjavh stood over me.

“I wonder why he hates me,” he said to himself before he realized that I was awake. His expression altered and he gave me a light smile. “You’re a ferocious one, Sir Champion.”

“My warriors,” I said, “what…?”

“Those that were left have fled. We released the few prisoners we had and sent them after their comrades. Those were the terms, I believe?”

I struggled up. “Then you are going to release me?”

“I suppose so. Although…”

“Although?”

“You would be a useful bargaining prisoner.”

I took his meaning and relaxed, sinking back onto the hard bed. I thought deeply and fought the idea which came to me, but it grew too large in me. At length I said, almost against my will: “Trade me for Ermizhad.”

His cool eyes showed surprise for an instant.

“You would suggest that? But Ermizhad is Humanity’s chief hostage.”

“Damn you, Eldren—I said trade me for her.”

“You’re a strange human, my friend. But with your permission granted, that is what I shall do. I thank you.”

He left the tent. I heard him instructing a messenger.

“Make sure the people know,” I shouted from the bed. “The king may not agree, but the people will force his hand.”

Arjavh instructed the messenger accordingly. He came back.

“It puzzles me,” I said at length as he sat on a bench on the other side of the tent. “It puzzles me that the Eldren have not conquered Humanity before now—with those halfling warriors I should think you’d be invincible.”

He shook his head. “We rarely make use of our allies,” he said. “But I was desperate. You can understand that I was prepared to go to almost any measures to rescue my sister.”

“I can,” I told him.

“We would never have invaded,” he continued, “had it not been for her.” It was said so simply that I believed him. Either his cunning was so great that I was completely deceived, or else he spoke the truth.

“What are the halflings?” I asked him.

Again he smiled: “Sorcerous ghouls,” he said.

“That is what King Rigenos told me—it is no explanation.”

“What if I told you they were capable of breaking up their atomic structure at will and assembling it again in another place. You would not understand me—sorcery, you would say.”

I was surprised at the scientific nature of his explanation. “I would understand you better,” I said slowly.

He raised his slanting eyebrows.

“You
are
different,” he said. “Well, the halflings, as you have seen, are related to the Eldren. Not all the dwellers on the Ghost Worlds are our kin—some are closer related to men, and there are other, baser, forms of life, too…

“The Ghost Worlds are solid enough, but exist in an alternate series of dimensions to our own. On these worlds, the halflings have no special powers—no more than we have—but here they have. We do not know why. On Earth different laws seem to apply to them. More than a million years ago we discovered a means of bridging the dimensions between Earth and these other worlds. We found a race akin to our own who will, at times, come to our aid if our need is especially great. This was one of those times. Sometimes, however, the bridge ceases to exist when the Ghost Worlds move into another phase of their weird orbit, so that any halflings on Earth cannot return and any of our people are in the same position if on the Ghost Worlds. Therefore, you will understand, it is dangerous to stay on either side overlong.”

“Is it possible,” I asked, “that the Eldren came originally from these Ghost Worlds?”

“I suppose it is possible,” he agreed. “There are no records.”

“Perhaps that is why the humans hate you as aliens,” I suggested.

“That is not the reason,” he told me, “for the Eldren occupied the Earth for ages before humankind ever came to the planet.”

“What!”