‘Just feeling a tad exposed here, Quick – behind enemy lines and all.’
‘What lines?’
Sister Belie closed her eyes. Otataral? You unsheathed Otataral? Oh, you fool . And these, her last thoughts, bubbled with a kind of dark pleasure.
The enemy broken, routed, Warleader Mathok rode up to Paran’s position near the westernmost rise, and reined in. ‘High Fist! The last have fled east, down into the valley. Shall we pursue?’
‘No,’ Paran replied, watching as Quick Ben and Kalam approached from across the killing field. ‘Mathok, begin gathering up forage for your horses. Send parties deeper into the valley if needed – but for resupply only, no chasing down. I fear we shall have to ride hard now.’
‘Where?’
‘South, Mathok. South.’
The Warleader wheeled his mount round, yelling commands at his second, T’morol, who waited a short distance back with a wing of cavalry, and then rode off in the direction of his main force. Mathok’s raiders had been eager, and they had acquitted themselves well. Watching the Warleader ride away, Paran rubbed at the back of his neck. ‘No wonder you winced at every move, Dujek,’ he said under his breath. ‘I’m a mass of knotted ropes.’ Still, the enemy broke at first contact, and what could have been a nasty scrap turned into a slaughter. A mere handful of casualties, and most of those from idiots falling on weapons in their haste to pursue . Ensorcelled voices were all very well, but if that was where all the discipline and courage came from … now, we can see the flaw in that, can’t we?
‘High Fist,’ said Quick Ben, walking up like a man who’d taken a beating. His face was drawn, his eyes skittish with something that might be pain.
Paran nodded. ‘High Mage. Was it as bad as it looks?’
‘Not really. Just out of practice. Lost touch with being subtle, I think.’
A curious thing to say, Paran reflected, and then he faced Kalam. The assassin’s weapons were sheathed, and he looked rather pleased with himself. For no reason he cared to discover, Paran found he wanted to take that smugness down a notch or two. You’ve been killing people, after all . He regarded him for a moment longer before saying, ‘Your wife wishes your attention.’
The man scowled. ‘Now?’
That was easy . ‘Since you’re covered in blood, Corporal, you might want to wash first.’