Airar felt himself grow warm, then chill as though the perspiration froze in the dark. "I have no love," he said in a strangled voice. ". . . And in Dalarna we care not overmuch for coronets, but hold that men should meet together and follow a leader of their choice for each enterprise."
She laughed like a fox's bark. "A good rule if all were peasants. And you, you're like the general, no purpose but live till tomorrow." The nightshine was not so faint that he could fail to see her head turn from him a trifle. "There might be those who could help you find a higher goal."
Her knee touched his; a thrill ran up his spine at the contact and the low husky voice, yet not so much of a thrill but he could think that if he knew more of courts and places* he would know whether he might take her in his arms, and the same time that he was a fool if he did not; yet dared not for fear of her anger and that somehow his sword was sold to Carrhoene for an aina if he did.—A whirl of thoughts unclear and paralyzing, so that a sigh came from his lips.
Evadne of Carrhoene turned toward him and laughed again. "Now it is easy to see, Master Airar, that you know less of people than of pigs." The half-formed thought of lost opportunity swept through him and he lunged to grasp her, but moment and mood had passed, she slipped him easily and stood up, leaving him ridiculously asprawl across the tree-root. "We'll talk on this another time, my—
The word cut off short as the big cat dropped. From the tail of her eye the girl had caught just enough of the motion of that dark avalanche as half to avoid it; only a hind paw caught her shoulder, driving her to the ground, rolling over and over. She screamed. Airar whipped to his feet all one motion with the dag of Naaros in his hand, but before he could reach where the animal ramped round on its haunches against her, out from the shadows leaped a shadow with head low and spear level, that took it through the guts, visible even in the shaking light. The cat's fierce squall mingled with Evadne's second scream; it ran right up the spear, slashing in agony with armed claws, but now Airar leaped, slipped once on smooth fur and metal muscle, then got a grip and drove his dag home at the throat. Warm blood hit his knife-hand; he rolled clear, into a tree, and now it was shouts and men bearing brands from the camp.
Airar stood up. Alsander was of the group, crying, "Brother, brother, are you hurt?" in a voice of real fear, astounding for that cold captain, and Evadne with her hand on brow, saying no, it was but a blood-scratch. It was surprise to see the man who drove the spear: Erb the Lank, his face all puckered, blowing his nose between two fingers to keep from tears.
"You have saved only my life," said Evadne, and offered her hand to Erb as the beast was borne away with shouts to be skinned for a trophy. But to Airar never a word, so that he felt the countrified larrikin that ever was as he took his station by the fire and began composing his blankets for the sleep that he felt would be late coming to his eyes.
Meliboe the enchanter had the next place, and was already lapped in, nor had stirred for the disturbance. He cocked an eye from his place. "Did you lie with her before you brought her back?" he asked, and Airar would willingly have fed him six inches of the bloody dag, but the warlock turned his back and fell to snoring, real or feigned.
Morning come, they were on the road again and a hard road, with pents and shoulders. A croft was met by noon, high in a vale with goats grazing round. It had a thatched roof and a vacuous-faced master, who stared at all these armed soldiers in company, and would say few words to them, nor answer when there was chanted:
Geme, plange, moesto mori—
but looked honest, and his hair was blond. They camped there thus early on Evimenes' advice (for the Hestinga guide knew his way no farther), throwing out scouting groups of Rogai's men in exploration, since these best knew such country.
There was talk of this and that, the adventure with the cat, and Meliboe drew Airar aside a moment. "Hark," said he, "must I forever school you? Your luck lies with the damsel; I have taken the divination. Yet you have somehow faulted the chance I made for you, and I cannot continue so forever without your coincident aid. 'Tis the easiest of magics to make a woman's eye fall on a man, but once he prove cold, the hardest to make her forgive."
"I do not want her," cried Airar, his mind leaping to the tale told aboard the iulia long ago of proud Queen Kry and the unhappy king.
"Bah. Bed her, not wed her, she's a Carrhoene. A little of your time to make the usual protests of love undying, a pleasant diversion, and you have the services of those captains and all their crew. They'll deny you nothing on their sister's instance."
How explain to this cynic philosophical doctor that he would be self-betrayed thus to betray, so that though he might win the Carrhoene swords, they would gain his soul? Meliboe would daunt such objection down with his metaphysic, as Astli the adviser had talked down the ancient king. Another reason, then. Said Airar after a moment: "Not I to deny the divination, in which you have such skill; but it might be that an alliance so lightly made could be as easily broken."
"What then? Seek another. You reach the heights only by springing up stairs that shift and break beneath thefeet. If it's security you ask, go drink at the Well—or serve Leonce Fabrizius with your father." The enchanter turned to go on some other concern, but Airar could not forbear plucking at a furred arm to say: "Well, then. But one thing I will have, and that's a truce to all this magic, magic, spells, spells, to make me a mightier man than I am. What? am I to be but the sport of the Seven Powers and do nothing for myself?"
"Do all," flung Meliboe over his shoulder. "I can but offer you occasion." And now the scouts were coming back and there was a call for the leaders to hear their say.
People lived for the most part quietly and after the old fashion among those Whiteriverdales next to the Dragon's Spine, there being little to tempt Vulking cupidity save in the north part of the province, where the silver mines were. The scouting parties' tidings were somewhat scant. That to southwest had followed the track on which they stood to a hill overlooking a small market town, and brought no news save that of watching from a screen of trees how people went about their wonted business. Evimenes praised the spies for not pushing on and announcing the presence of the band—"there would sure be Vulking allies there, and we can do without a pursuit, ignorant of our way, so far from the coast and safety." The party westward had come on nothing but a scramble over rough ridges, rocks, and screes; the direction was right, but the way clearly not to be taken save in an emergency, because of the horses. North the slopes ran high; the three who had taken that direction brought only a brace of game they had shot.
The scouts northwest were last in, and they had a man with them, a Whiteriverdalesman clearly by his costume, bearded and burly, who looked round, suspicious as Rogai at seeing the Carrhoenes in their strange armor. He had the iron ring on his thumb; Tholkeil of Mariola, who was of the scouts, said the man had addressed them first with the password of the song, yet the song was not all he had. When a little reassured by the tale of what had brought them there, Salmonessa and Airar's battle at the Stone Pass, he gave them in exchange the news of the Dales.
They knew something marched strangely in the south (he said), but little, for tidings come to those shut-in valleys chiefly by way of the Naaros and Stavorna merchants for the wool markets, of which that in the fall had been normal or nearly so, and the spring market not yet due for another week. But the Vulkings had forbid the usual winter folkmeeting at the northward turning of the sun; brought Micton laborers down to build new castellas in the chain along the great highway that cuts across the eastern dales from Briella before swinging south to pick up the Naar on its journey through Vastmanstad. Latterly also a thing never heard before: all persons of Dalecarle blood had been taxed out or bought out of one of the dales, Godmansdale, and in their place had come colonists—veteran terciary soldiers some of them, but others accompanied by women, smallish of stature and dark or sandy of coloring, with skins always looking unwashed. These had disgusting table-manners, lying down to eat, and spo
ke with an accent that turned everything to a-wa-wa-wa, like mewing cats.
Glances ran round the circle. "Salmonessans." And Meliboe said that when he was last at the Vulk's court, the council had talked on this new policy, to keep all conquered lands secure by settling in them people from the rest, who must be faithful to the Vulking rule for their lives. "Why else, when all in this realm runs to Vulking benefit, do they promote Dalecarle argosies to the Twelve Cities, with factories set up there under his protection? The day comes when he'd have them fight for him inside Carrhoene—aye, and Permandos, Berbixana, Poliolis, and the rest."
"They were as well not try it," said Alsander, dryly, and then thinking deeper, flashed out to know more of this design, but the rest hushed him to hear all the Dalesman's narration.
He was told (he said) that the band here was either for Stavorna or for the coasts of Shalland, and on his word they would take the former way, for, though it might be difficult to swing so large a group round Stavorna city and castle with its Vulking garrison with only one road splitting the Korsor heights, the High Hills of Froy, through which they must journey, were wild indeed, and the Iron Ring was not strong in Shalland, where Vulk gave some security against the sea-pirates who vexed those shores from heathenry and Os Erigu.
"But it is precisely Os Erigu—" began Pleiander, and was stilled by a grip from his sister. But the adviser had not noticed amid the babble around and evening fires lit, and rushed on, having a thought to ride:
"How much of proviant you have I do not know, nor how long you can maintain yourselves among the Dales without discovery, seeing you be so many. Indeed, you are likely seen already, for we be woodsmen in these parts, who could count every man's shoebuckles in this band without being detected; and among those that would have seen you there are like to be Vulking Allies. If I were you, I'd fear, for just beyond that wooded shoulder" (he waved a hand) "a thousand paces or more runs the main highway with its castellas, and a word has reached us of the Iron Ring that there's a Vulking deese afoot on the road, due to pass here tomorrow day. Nothing so likely that they would come hunting Dalecarle rebels if they knew."
Rogai gave a long whistle. "What manner deese?" snapped Pleiander.
"A full one, newly out of Briella. Five-and-forty armed terciary men-at-arms, with due complement of Allies."
"And we have not over twenty. Pest! It is many." Pleiander frowned. "Too many," said Rogai. "Let us rather melt into these slopes and forests, back to Hestinga side if need be. My men are the more part mountaineers and will price their heads that no harm comes where they guide."
"What of our horsebacked sergeants with their heavy mail?" asked Alsander.
"Lighten it off; a life is worth more than an iron shirt, or a horse either."
Pleiander's hatchet face darkened. He burst out: "Nay, here's too much from any Mariolan dog-smeller! Always the same in this Dalarna, brothers—some new way to make us weak. After the old warlock's saying here, I begin to see a pattern. What have the arkons of Phyladea promised you for the bodies of the captains of Carrhoene?"
Rogai rolled over and flashed to his feet, hand on dag, but before he could make the quarrelsome retort that bubbled behind his lips, Airar jerked him off balance by a cloak-tail, and Alsander: "Brother, there's no treachery in this companion, only a fool's reasoning by what he knows. We had better stand our ground here, hoping they pass without action, or somehow tempt them to an ambush. But hold." He swung to Meliboe. "Cannot you, sir enchanter, lay some blindness or weakness of spirit on these people so they will pass us by?"
The magician shook his head gloomily. "If terciary soldiers, they'll have a full protection. I taught Bordvin Wildfang the manner myself, and aught attempted against his men would recoil only the sender."
"Would we had Alcides!"
Evadne swept back with a hand her hair so little longer than her brothers'. "Here's one who most thoroughly ambushed some of these Vulkish men at the Stone Pass. I'd listen to our long-legged frog here, who leads the largest band of all, but has said never a word."
"Because in these matters I'm a child to all present," Airar replied. "What can I say? . . . Yet will say two words, of which one is that all talk goes merely round and round till the decision's made—if to fight or to run."
"Run," said Rogai. "No disgrace before these so numerous and better-armed."
"I would also say to keep from this shock, masters," said the Dalesman, but blinked and they could all see he was unwilling to have fighting brought down among those peaceful dales, with the vengeances that would come after.
Alsander, slowly: "You have right on the first point, Master Airar. What's the other?"
"There's need for lean Erb here, the best planner of any."
Carrhoene faces looked dark and Pleiander under his breath said something of peasants, but Evadne cried aye, and when Erb was summoned, drew him down by a hand to a place beside her, with a remark about his strength that made his face work like a boy's.
Alsander was fingering his sharp chin thoughtfully. "It is the wrong thing to run. We have run and run from these, with no profit, d'ye see? Wars are not won that way. Nay, more— Here's as it were a test set to us. Be sure that the noise of this transaction will run though all this Whiteriverdale country. If we run now we mark ourselves forever too low in spirit to meet these Vulkings save with advantage on our side. Most men still follow the strong, and however little you Dalecarles like the rule of Briella's Mountain, they will make themselves a way to live under it and be faithful to it till their children have no other memory, if we fail here for lack of trying. For us, the four, it does not matter; we are Carrhoenes and only follow the drum till we come to our own sweet land again. But for you Dalecarles I say the test is not of your arms but of your souls."
Airar heard Meliboe snort from where he sat, chin buried in cloak. Said Evimenes: "Now it is seen that as always when there is long planning to be done, you are the best of us, brother. There is only one small question —how to set forth a battle against these very mighty men."
"How would this do?" spoke Pleiander. "Let certain of these Dalecarles set themselves in the path of this deese, bearing signs of peace, but with weapons concealed. They shall make semblant of wishing to join the allied bands of the Vulkings. When they have broke formation and clustered round, let all on a given signal whip out and stab the nearest enemy. We shall have a watch at some convenient place among the trees; when the commotion is sighted, we of Carrhoene will out and fall on them with the lance before they have time to form again."
Meliboe raised his head and seemed about to speak, but "Well thought on!" cried Rogai. "Truly, you are less of a dolt than I had conceived."
The plan stuck in Airar's craw, though he could not quickly say why, but, seeing the Dalesman frown and Erb clear his throat, motioned the latter to speak.
Said the lean man: "We be just free-fishers and have not all they fancy manners like Dalecarles from the mainland, but I do say that if plan like that was put up in the isles of Gentebbi, we'd have none. Because it's just treachery, that is, and sets against who tries it all they bishops and Sons of the Well."
"True—" began the Dalesman, but was devanced by Pleiander's snarl: "What! You peasants are too hoity-toity dainty for wars, where nothing's held back. Would you perfume piss before using it to put out a fire?"
Airar held up a hand, thinking fast. "Yet there is another objection. The scheme's too fine-cut. What if the signal to strike is missed by some, or by others seen before really given, the which is almost sure to happen? There are we Dalecarles without armor and only dags as weapons among men fully plated, having swords. I do not see that however fast your lancers ride, they can be our aid before most are cut down. I'd seek a plan that gave a better chance of life."
"Offer one, then," flung Pleiander, mouth atwist.
"I will," said Airar, and stopped. Evadne laughed, but Alsander said: "From the principle upward. Our strength lies in the mounted men and their speed to move"; and
that supplied the clue he lacked. He swung to the Dalesman: "Is there not some point farther up the road where another wooded shoulder or cliff overhangs it?"
The other combed his beard with fingers and said there might be; at a place called Crow's Tower, some eight or nine thousand paces distant. "The road runs an S around two such juttings, and on the opposite one, but a good distance farther, stands a Vulking castella."
"The castella is certainly a difficulty, and the distance is somewhat great, but I think not to harm. I say let Rogai take such of his Mariolans as are mountaineers and move at once, tonight, to the Crow's Tower, where they shall lie in covert. They are all bowmen; when the deese appears, let drive at with arrows, but most specially against the accompanying Allies, not caring whether few or many be hit. They'll not bear it meekly, and that is the design—to send these light-armed furiously on your pursuit, so their band remaining on the road will be all terciaries. Therefore let them pursue, but if they design to turn again, rally and give them another shaft or two. You run small danger. I vow there be few among those Allies who are hillmen, whether they be Salmonessans, iMictons, or traitor Dalecarles—but you'll need guides."
"The Iron Ring will furnish those; we can gather them on the way," said the Dalesman. Airar's strong confident air had washed away his scruples and he was snapping his fingers for excitement.
"Done, then. Here at this shoulder we'll take our stand, the free-fishers with their spears for throwing, and when these terciaries come, nag them again. It is in my mind to have heard that when attacked so by missile-weapon men, their custom is to spread out in pairs, one covering both with his shield, advancing and using javelins till the attack's broken. Now then the knights and sergeants of Carrhoene will issue round the shoulder when they are thus opened; or if they close up again, the better target for us."
Well of the Unicorn Page 16
