Valley of Shields

by Duncan Lay

  The others took heart from this but the words stopped Gaibun. This was exactly the reaction the Forlish wanted, if Rhiannon was right, and from what he had seen of the Forlish, he had the nasty feeling she was. Daichi’s desire for revenge would lead him right into a trap.

  Asami searched the bird’s mind desperately. She had seen the aftermath of the little battle, the bodies in the forest, but she could not tell if any were Gaibun. Sadly, she had been able to see what the Forlish had done with the elven dead: heads had been taken and were now being carried on long spears as the Forlish army pushed through the forest, heading north.

  She feared for Gaibun. A few moons ago she would have been sad to hear of his death but also a little relieved. Now things were more complicated.

  She sighed and sent another dozen birds south to try to find Gaibun, as well as any other survivors, all with a message they should make for a central oak tree, where she could bring them home instantly. After that, she sent one west, to Rhiannon. Then she set out for Daichi’s villa. She did not want to, but she had to tell him what had happened.

  Wulf inspected the dead carefully. All knowledge was vital in war and Edmund wanted to know the way the elves had fought. To Wulf’s eyes, they had been skilled and brave yet foolish. Exactly what he had hoped. This was vital information and Edmund would need all of it. Their leader should have pulled back, used his bows and the thick woodland instead of moving into one of the few open spaces where Wulf could send in horsemen. The elves used a strange sword style, dangerous and effective when one-on-one but they had struggled to break through the shield wall and were vulnerable to cavalry. That was the way to fight them.

  He ordered heads taken and mounted on spears. In a few days their stink would make them more trouble than they were worth but they had a purpose. He had stung the elves and needed to draw them out, have them chase him away from the city to open the way for Edmund.

  ‘Sergeant Caelin! Get scouts out! The elves are going to be looking for us and we don’t want to be near when their real army arrives,’ Wulf ordered.

  He had lost nearly fifty men in that scrappy little fight but had killed far more elves. That was almost more than he could hope for. It was almost a shame he had killed that elven leader. He was the sort of officer Wulf wanted to see leading the elven pursuit.

  The horses were all lined up ready at the camp, waiting for owners who would never come back. Gaibun had picked up more stragglers along the way, so he now had a dozen, although two were badly wounded and another three had taken cuts.

  ‘Stay strong. Once back in Dokuzen, you’ll be healed in a moment,’ he told them, helping lash them into their saddles. One of them, he suspected, would not make it. They had bound his wound as best they could, used the little magic they had, but it looked like a sword had hit something vital. The bleeding was down to a trickle and the warrior’s pale face said that was not because they had stopped it.

  ‘How could that happen? How could the gaijin do that to us?’ one of the wounded elves asked softly. ‘My ancestors will scorn me if I go to them, killed by a gaijin.’

  ‘You were wounded by a warrior,’ Gaibun corrected. ‘Those Forlish have been fighting wars for twenty years and many of them have been training as long as you.’

  The wounded elf smiled a little. ‘I hope they believe me when I tell them,’ he said.

  Behind them, horns were sounding, chilling in their tone.

  ‘Time to move! Back to Dokuzen!’ Gaibun ordered.

  Rhiannon hurried to Huw’s home, where a pair of grinning dragons stood guard.

  ‘I need to see Huw,’ she told them simply.

  ‘Rhiannon, the High Councillor is bathing and asked not to be disturbed,’ the taller of the pair said formally.

  Rhiannon glared at him, racking her brain for his name. ‘Arval,’ she said. ‘I remember when you joined us from Brynmawr, a snivelling lad barely able to wipe his own arse. Now, unless you let me in, I shall turn you into a little child once more.’

  The dragons’ smiles faltered.

  ‘But Huw ordered us —’ Arval began.

  ‘This is important. Move!’

  ‘This is not the way it is supposed to work,’ Arval grumbled but the pair of them edged aside and let her push open the door.

  ‘Huw, I have heard the latest news from Dokuzen and seen the progress of the other Forlish army …’ she began as soon as she was inside, then stopped in her tracks.

  Huw was sitting in a wooden tub, lying back with eyes closed.

  ‘Where did you get that?’ she asked.

  Huw’s eyes flew open and he sank down into the water as far as he could go.

  ‘What are you doing in here? I gave orders not to be disturbed!’

  ‘But you’ve got a bath! What are you doing with it?’

  ‘Bathing?’ Huw ventured.

  ‘Very funny, Huw ap Earwen! That is not what I meant and you know it.’

  Huw shrugged. ‘After we got back from Dokuzen, I found myself remembering how good a hot bath felt. I had Kelyn’s boys make one up for me.’

  ‘And you intended on keeping it to yourself?’ she asked.

  ‘Well, this is only the second time I have used it,’ he said defensively.

  ‘And you didn’t think of me? I have not had a bath either — and you were the one who always said he thought bathing was against nature!’

  ‘I always think of you,’ Huw said.

  His words caught Rhiannon by surprise and she found herself locking eyes with him. He did not look like much, sitting in a crude wooden tub, skinny shoulders above the water, his upper arms not rippling with muscle the way those of Sendatsu, Gaibun or even most of the dragons did.

  Yet there was something about him that set him apart. The strength was all inside him. She felt like sitting down with him; she felt like forgiving him.

  To cover her confusion she quickly asked, ‘So I can have it after you have finished?’

  ‘Of course.’ He smiled.

  ‘Good.’ She pulled up a chair and forced herself back to the reason she had come. ‘You’re going to have to get out soon. I have news from Dokuzen. The Forlish have indeed found a way past the barrier. Their cavalry broke through in the south and have smashed an elven patrol near the border. Gaibun was with them —’

  ‘Is he safe?’ Huw interrupted.

  ‘Nobody knows. Most were killed, the others are making their way back to Dokuzen. Asami will let us know as soon as she finds out. I didn’t know you had grown so close to him.’

  ‘I had not,’ Huw admitted. ‘But many of the dragons will be devastated if he is dead and, worse, will also lose confidence. Having an elf teach them how to fight gave them hope but, if their trainer can be so easily killed by Forlish, that will leach away.’

  ‘I’m sure he is fine,’ Rhiannon said, knowing no such thing.

  ‘And the Forlish approaching us?’

  ‘They have slowed down a little. They have burned anything they came across but they do not stray from the path of their march. Cadel and Bowen are shadowing them but staying hidden. They have seen people from Rheged fleeing into the trees but the Forlish are not pursuing.’

  ‘Sounds like they have bigger fish to catch,’ Huw mused. ‘If they can break through the magic barrier around the elves so easily in the south, then they can do the same in the west. Yet all the elven attention will be on the south — as you predicted.’

  ‘Asami will be talking to Daichi, telling him that,’ Rhiannon assured him.

  ‘But will he listen? I need to talk to Sendatsu.’ Huw prepared to stand and then stopped. ‘Do you want to pass me that woollen blanket or do you plan to scrub my back for me?’ He smiled and she was not sure if he was really joking.

  ‘I’ll go,’ she told him. ‘But I’ll be back to get the bath later.’

  She turned, hiding a slight smile. She thought he would turn away from her but he had been nothing but friendly, thoughtful and kind. Perhaps he had learned something. She fel
t her anger and hurt shrinking around him. She pushed the door open, nearly hitting Arval on the other side.

  ‘Are your ears big enough, Arval? Would you like them bigger — perhaps the size of a donkey’s?’ she asked him.

  The young dragon clamped his hands over his ears.

  ‘Fine as they are,’ he assured her.

  ‘Good. See that I don’t learn of any reason to change them.’

  24

  Finally the Elfarans took our language as well, tearing the heart out of each and every human country. We became the same, holding on to little of our history, keeping only our names as something special.

  Huw’s song

  Asami was shown into Daichi’s office almost immediately, although this time only Lord Moshin accompanied the Elder Elf. And Daichi took the lead in the questioning.

  ‘What has happened down south?’ Daichi demanded. He was obviously concerned, which made her words loaded with danger for not just herself but for the whole of Dokuzen.

  ‘The Forlish managed to breach the barrier,’ she said. ‘They used fire to burn a hole through the trees that made up our protection. The barrier is thin enough now that they can do that. They are pouring through and have thrown back the patrol led by Lord Konetsu.’

  ‘What?’ Moshin was unable to contain himself.

  ‘Lord Konetsu was massively outnumbered,’ Asami said. ‘The remainder of the patrol is making its way back to Dokuzen and will be here soon, with a full report.’

  ‘Lord Konetsu would never run from gaijin,’ Moshin declared.

  Asami steeled herself. ‘Lord Konetsu was killed by the humans.’

  ‘What?’ Daichi started up from his chair, while Moshin staggered back and sat down.

  ‘He was outnumbered twenty to one,’ Asami said. ‘I shall find out far more soon. I have told the survivors to make for a particular oak tree and I shall bring them back into Dokuzen as soon as night falls.’

  ‘Why not sooner?’

  ‘Because they will not reach the tree before nightfall,’ Asami replied.

  ‘Isn’t there a better use for your time? We need to know what happened but, even more, we need the barrier rebuilt. You must throw a new barrier across the front of the human advance —’

  ‘Lord Daichi, such a thing is impossible. The barrier was created by a score of the finest Magic-weavers Dokuzen has seen, back in the days when all had magic. None of the apprentices I have would be able to help. By the time I create a new barrier, the Forlish would be in Dokuzen. And they would simply ride around anything else I tried to place in their path.’

  ‘We shall summon the clans. Every one. Not one of these humans shall live to return south. No — I shall let one go back, so he can spread the tale of the terrible revenge we wreaked on these impudent creatures. None shall dare come near us for another three hundred years!’

  ‘Lord Daichi, what if that is what they want? There is a second army to the west of us —’

  ‘What are they doing?’ Daichi asked immediately.

  ‘They are advancing through Vales, burning villages as they go. But they could easily turn east.’

  Moshin snorted. ‘You give the humans too much credit. You would make out they are almost like us!’

  ‘Agreed.’ Daichi nodded. ‘Asami, we shall accompany you when you bring the survivors home. We need to speak to them and see what happened with the humans, how Lord Konetsu was defeated, before we make any decisions.’

  Asami knew she could not hope for more and merely bowed her head.

  ‘Keep going!’ Gaibun urged. ‘We shall be home within the turn of an hourglass, with food and healers waiting for us.’

  The oak tree in Asami’s note was well known to all Border Patrol, being one that many used to begin their journey south. Alone, on the top of a small hill, it was easy to find. Whether Gaibun could get everyone there alive was another matter.

  The Forlish had given them a head start but now three-man patrols were riding in all directions. Gaibun had no doubt they could take out one of those — but that would only bring others in and they would gather, like wolves around a wounded stag.

  Normally outpacing even mounted scouts would be easy but Gaibun had found four other survivors, all on foot, as he rode north and now he did not have enough horses for everyone; although the badly wounded warrior had died, Gaibun could not leave his body to the gaijin. He was lashed across a saddle and the five wounded rode but the others had to take turns walking, and that slowed everyone down. He would have been happy to run alongside the horses but several of the younger elves looked exhausted just maintaining a fast walk. Once or twice Gaibun had been tempted to scream at them, the way he had at the young Velsh recruits he had worked with. But he could see it would do no good. They were on the verge of giving up. Instead he had to encourage them, do whatever he could to keep them moving.

  It was strange. Training with the humans had left him in peak condition, although he always prided himself on his fitness. But many of the Border Patrol were in no shape for this. They were strong enough, having worked on their bows and swordplay. But the hard work to build up fitness had been neglected. Gaibun watched a pair of them puffing, holding desperately to a stirrup as they reeled along beside a wounded comrade and realised he would have rather had a dozen Velsh dragons with him. They lacked the full range of skills but they never wasted their breath on useless complaints or whined about the time they were spending in the saddle.

  He forced himself to pat one of the warriors on the back.

  ‘Nearly there! You can sleep once we are home,’ he said.

  The prospect of being saved, rather than inspire them, seemed to take the legs away from them.

  ‘Can’t they come and get us here?’ someone grumbled.

  Gaibun turned to see it was a plump elf called Tokosai. He had been a constant source of complaints. More disturbingly, he had been found the furthest north, suggesting he had been the first to run from the gaijin.

  ‘We’re not the only ones to get away! They had to pick a place where all could meet,’ Gaibun told them. ‘Would you rather leave our brothers out here, so their heads can be placed on spears?’

  ‘Damned gaijin! They will pay for that. We shall scour these woods clear of them!’ One of the wounded elves, his left arm hanging limply by his side, a crude tourniquet just below his shoulder, roused himself from where he was slumped over a saddle.

  ‘That’s the spirit!’

  Gaibun cajoled and encouraged them up to the oak, where the complainers flung themselves to the ground and lay, groaning. Another pair of elves emerged from the surrounding bushes and they greeted each other.

  ‘Is this all there is?’ Gaibun looked around. ‘Surely more got away than this?’

  But nobody had seen any more. Gaibun was tempted to grab a couple of horses and go looking for them. But would the Forlish have reached this spot by the time he returned? He decided he needed to talk to Asami first, then come back.

  ‘The staff!’ someone yelled and he turned from where he had been watching out across the woodland, to where an oaken staff protruded from the tree.

  ‘Form a line and get through. Help the wounded,’ he ordered.

  He nearly drew his sword as several of the complainers, led by Tokosai, suddenly discovered a burst of energy to get to the front of the queue. Only the fact they were in no danger stayed his hand.

  There were few enough of them and they filed through quickly, no more than a few heartbeats between each one. Gaibun had one last look around, making sure nobody else was coming, before pulling himself through.

  He stepped through into the garden of Daichi, where several priests were tending to the wounded and family members were embracing returned warriors, or crying with fear and despair when their son, husband or brother did not return.

  Asami rushed over and embraced him. ‘Gaibun! Thank Aroaril you are safe!’

  He kissed her and was thrilled that she did not pull away.

  ‘No th
anks to that fool Konetsu. He got many of us killed,’ he whispered, stroking her face.

  ‘I have been imagining the worst,’ she confessed. ‘How did you get away?’

  ‘Because of you. I knew I had to get back to you. No human was going to stop that from happening.’

  Asami held him tight and he enjoyed the feeling.

  ‘I must return. There are brothers out there I need to find. The Forlish will hunt them like dogs otherwise.’ He kissed her forehead and moved away a little.

  ‘Do you have to go? We need to talk to Daichi and persuade him not to commit everyone to this small group of Forlish, to leave enough here in case the main body comes at us as well.’

  ‘There is nobody else who can do it.’ Gaibun sighed. ‘But how will I get back? How will we communicate?’

  Asami took off the silver necklace she wore, handing it to him.

  ‘Birds will find this. We can communicate that way.’

  ‘I shall keep this safe,’ Gaibun promised, tying it around his own neck.

  ‘Keep yourself safe.’

  ‘I shall think of you and that will keep me warm,’ he told her, then leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. ‘Thoughts of you will keep me alive. As they have always done. Now, you must send me back.’

  Asami reached out with her staff and her mind into the magic, forcing herself to think about creating a gateway for him with a head suddenly awhirl. What was Gaibun doing? What was she doing? She was a little surprised at how happy and relieved she had been to see him again.

  ‘I shall be back, for you,’ Gaibun said, then stepped through the tree once more.

  She reached out a hand to him but he was gone. She felt three knocks on the staff, the signal he was clear at the other end, and withdrew it, closing the gateway. She leaned on the staff, the exertions of the magic leaving her exhausted as usual. Her tired mind tried to work out what had just happened, and whether she wanted to be kissed by Gaibun again. His touch had lacked the passion of Sendatsu but had seemed gentler, warmer somehow. She very much wanted to talk to Rhiannon.