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Frentis knew this was a gamble; he could only hope the Volarians’ fury would blind the why their enemies had chosen such a poor spot for a campsite However, Lekran saw scant risk in the plan “Volarians see slaves as less than men,” he said “Incapable of true reason Trust me, Redbrother They’ll shole and we’ll orse?”
Lekran nodded to where Vinten’s archers crouched ae, surrounded by bundles of tight-bound gorse Frentis began to clamber down from the boulder “I’d best take my place Remember to let a few Free Swords escape”
HeIllian overseeing preparations “I told you to make ready the main camp, sister,” he said in annoyance
“Draker has it well in hand,” she replied, n of contrition “And since I have trained these people, I aht down the urge to order her gone She was beco a certain flexibility in interpreting his orders and often ue her case It was not necessarily a bad thing, he knew There always came a point in the Order when novices stepped froer for her; she still had norance
“Stay close to th away at any time Understood?”
Her defiance softened a little and she nodded, hefting her crossbow and notching a bolt before clasping a second between her teeth in as now a recognisable pre-battle ritual
“Brother!” Dallin stood atop a rock pointing to the canyon’s west-facing opening where the Volarian cavalry had appeared
“You know the plan!” Frentis called to the others as theytheinal fighters froathered on thetheels All had tied da he hoped the Volarians would interpret as an effort to avoid recognition
“We have to hold the first charge,” Frentis went on “When their lines break, pair off and cut your way to the centre of the canyon”
The Volarians ca up There was clearly an ani place in the centre of their line, Frentis recognising the tall figure of the coesturing i uphill on horseback over broken ground, Frentisshouted down before the co it directly at him Your father really would have been ashamed, Honoured Citizen
Frentis turned to Illian as the Volarians spurred into a charge, stones scattering as they laboured up the slope “The big fellow next to the tall man, if you would sister”
The bolt flew free barely a second after she brought the crossbow to her shoulder, rising and falling in a perfectly judged arc to seant’s breastplate before the riders had covered half the distance, the burly forround Illian runting as she braced the stock against herdown on another, all in less than three seconds, a feat Frentis had never seen anyone ain as the riders caround with a bolt protruding fro a reluctant ading into his horse’s flanks as he strove to get to grips with his father’sto wipe away his shae that round had disordered his coe alone
Frentis ran towards a nearby boulder, the hate-filled Volarian now noto intercept hi hi to deliver a slash that connected with his long-bladed cavalry sword, the Order blade shattering it above the hilt The Volarian hauled his horse to a halt and tried to wheel it around, fu for a spare short sword strapped to his saddle, then arching his back as Illian’s crossbow bolt slaround with a boot to his neck and raising her dagger “Leave hi forward to sla him senseless “We’ll see what he has to tell us later”
He surveyed the fight unfolding around thee had been successfully blunted, the fighters leaping from rocks to unhorse the riders, whilst Weaver’s Varitai tripped horses with their ropes or dragged the cavalry It was done in a fewback into the depths of the canyon, every Volarian killed or captured Their own casualties had been light, four killed and ten wounded But of course the real battle was yet to begin
The Varitai cahter meted out to the Free Sword cavalry had clearly alarmed their officers from the way they spurred their horses to the rear of the colu the battalion onward The Varitai spread out to form an offensive line, four companies deep, each of four close-packed ranks, the first advancing with their unnerving, faultless rhythht
When the Varitai had covered two-thirds of the canyon’s length the archers rose froh few in number their skills were all well honed by now, the arrow storm thin but deadly as it claimed a dozen Varitai with every volley, but, as ever, the slave soldiers barely see stride, only the slightest ripple of discord in their ranks
The first bundle of flaorse arced down from the canyon wall to land directly in front of the first rank, white s, quickly followed by reat fla hailstones A pall of smoke soon covered the canyon floor fro mist
Frentis fixed the da to address the surrounding fighters, “Fight well and ed forward in a dense knot, running blindly through the smoke to slae enough to carry the in a circular dance, cutting down Varitai left and right All was soon a confusion of clashing metal and screams of pain or fury Sometimes they would find the as they stumbled over the dead, at others all opposition would disappear leaving the white sed unseen on all sides Frentis caught gli their enslaved brothers down and beating thehter, the Garisai going about their task with all the skill and fury earned in the Varikuht of Ivelda and two other Garisai being lifted by their fellows and thrown over a line of Varitai, twisting in the air like acrobats at the Summertide fair to land and assault their ene ca to confront a Free Sword officer charging out of the se He leapt forward instead, grabbing hold of the horse’s bridle and wrapping his legs around its neck The animal reared as its rider hacked at Frentis The bloas poorly ai hiround, the air forced fro s The Free Sas far ht his horse around in a swift display of excellent horse forith his sword drawn back for a decapitating swipe at Frentis’s neck
Illian’s throwing knife suard, forcing hih his horse’s flank still connected painfully with Frentis as heonce ht, searching frantically for the rider but finding the saddle now eue flurry of shadows in the s Illian confronting the now-unseated rider Despite the knife e the sister with a series of expert blows, his long cavalry sword a blur as he advanced, bloodied face snarling Illian blocked every stroke and leapt to deliver a kick to the side of his face, driving the throwing knife deeper The Volarian staggered back, blood flowing thick fro up at Illian, all fury faded as his eyes held a desperate entreaty