Shadow of a Dark Queen (51 page)

Calis looked through the four documents. “This might do it. It's a vaguely worded order commanding
all units to let the bearer pass. It doesn't say if the bearer will have a full company of more than a hundred men with him, but I think if we can keep our wits about us, it might work.”

Praji stood. “Well, the day's half done, and if we're going to be convincing about a local patrol, we'd better be on our way now. Or did you want to wait until tomorrow morning?”

Calis glanced at Nakor, who shook his head slightly in the negative. “We leave now,” said Calis.

Order was passed from man to man to act as if there was little urgency, but to get ready quickly to ride. If anyone in the other campsites took notice, Erik couldn't see. The surrounding companies seemed intent upon their own business. The coming and going of another troop of men seemed of little interest.

In less than an hour, Foster had the men in file, and Calis motioned for Erik's squad, the first in line, to fall in behind his own vanguard, Nakor, Praji, Vaja, Hatonis, and de Loungville. Foster would fall back and take command of the rear guard, the most experienced squad in the company. As Jadow Shati and Jerome Handy moved out of line, back to where Foster waited, Erik made a good-luck sign which Jadow returned, along with his broadest grin.

They rode northward, along the path to the road, where they paralleled the river until they came in sight of the bridge. “That's finishing up quickly,” observed Praji.

“They have many men working on it,” said Nakor. “I worked on it for a couple of days so I could get across.”

Vaja said, “There're are ample fords nearby. Why all the bother?”

Nakor said, “The Queen doesn't want to get her feet wet.”

Calis glanced at the little man, as did Erik. Nakor wasn't smiling.

They reached the guardpost and a stout sergeant came forward. “What's all this, then?”

Calis said, “Hello again, Sergeant.”

Recognizing Calis from the night before, the sergeant said, “Going out again?”

“The generals weren't happy with my report. They think I didn't head far enough south. I'm going out until noon tomorrow, then I'll be back by morning the day after.”

“No one said anything to me about your company crossing the river, Captain,” said the sergeant, looking suspicious, “or anyone being out for more than a day.”

Calis calmly held out the pass. “The General made up his mind just a short time ago. He gave me this rather than relying on a messenger getting to you before we were ready to leave.”

The sergeant said, “Damn officers! We've got our orders, and then some captain of some company thinks he can get his drinking buddy to change the way we do things. Which of those strutting peacocks thinks he can just sign his name . . .” His voice trailed off and his eyes widened as he saw the name and seal at the bottom of the pass.

“If you want to send a messenger to General Fadawah to tell him that he's not observing procedures, and you want confirmation, we'll wait,” said de Loungville. “I'd just as soon not have to go looking for the Gilani. Hell, I don't think the general will mind, Sergeant.”

The sergeant quickly rolled up the pass and handed
it back to Calis. “You may cross,” he said, waving them past. He turned to the soldiers at the bank and shouted, “They're crossing to the other side!”

They waved back and resumed their bored poses while Calis walked his horse down to where they stood and into the water, taking it slowly and carefully.

Erik felt the back of his neck itch, as if someone behind would start shouting they were trying to escape, or someone else would be warning the sergeant that a pass had been stolen from the General's tent.

But they moved across the shallow ford in the river until the last company, with Corporal Foster the last man, had safely crossed. Then Calis motioned for them to pick up speed, and they all started moving south at a trot. Erik found himself fighting an unusually strong urge to dig his heels in and get his horse galloping. He wondered how many of the others felt the same way.

When they had moved some distance downriver, Calis ordered them to a canter and they rode at a good rate for another mile before he signaled for them to return to a trot. Nakor shouted, “You want me to tell you now?”

Calis said, “Yes, before you fall off and break your neck.”

Nakor grinned. “It's bad. You remember our old friend the Lady Clovis?”

Calis nodded. Erik had no idea who she might be, but the darkening expression on Calis's face said he knew her. What surprised him was that de Loungville registered no recognition. But Praji said, “That bitch who was using Dahakon and the Overlord Valgash down at the City of the Serpent River way back when we first met?”

“That's her,” said Nakor.

“She's the Emerald Queen?” asked Calis.

Nakor shook his head. “I wish it were so. Jorna, that's her real name, at least back when we were married—”

“What?” gaped Calis, and for the first time Erik saw him totally lose his composure.

“It's a long story. I'll tell you some other time. But when she was a girl she was vain, and when we were together she was always seeking ways to stay young forever.”

“I think if we get out of this you're going to tell me every detail,” said de Loungville, obviously as astonished as Calis.

“Anyway,” said Nakor, motioning for him not to interrupt, “the girl had talent for tricks, what you call magic, and she left me when I wouldn't tell her secrets I didn't have, about staying young forever. She was using a different body when she was the Lady Clovis.”

“A different body?” said Praji, now obviously confused. “How did you recognize her.”

“When you know someone well, bodies don't matter,” said Nakor.

“I guess,” said Vaja, obviously amused by the entire conversation.

“Shut up,” said Nakor. “This is serious. This woman made a bargain with the Pantathians to keep her young forever while she helped them. What she didn't know was they were using her. I warned her. I told her, ‘They want more than you can ever give them,' and I was right. They've taken her.”

“What do you mean?” asked Calis.

Nakor's expression turned grim. “What happened to your father, with the Armor of White and Gold.”

“Yes?” said Calis, color draining from his face.

“It's happening again. Jorna, or Clovis, is wearing an emerald crown and it's changing her. She is becoming like your father.”

Calis looked shaken and said nothing for a moment; then he turned to de Loungville. “Tell Foster I want a rear guard to follow by fifteen minutes. I want to know if anyone tries to overtake us. If they encounter anyone, their fastest rider is to come find us, while the others are to lead whoever's coming away. We'll wait for a short time at the cave we found two days ago, then we'll strike straight for Lanada.”

De Loungville said, “And if those who come after don't take the bait?”

“Make them take the bait,” said Calis.

De Loungville nodded once, turned his horse, and rode to the end of the column. Erik looked back and saw Foster and six other men slow and then stop after de Loungville gave the order. They would wait a quarter hour, then start riding after Calis's company, hoping they would get the chance to catch up in a day or two.

It was midmorning the next day when someone at the rear of the column shouted, “Rider!”

Erik looked over his shoulder and saw Jadow Shari riding the life out of his horse. The animal was completely lathered, and from the huge extension of her nostrils, Erik could tell she couldn't catch her breath. She was blown out and ruined, he was certain. Jadow was familiar enough with horses to realize he was killing the marc, so Erik knew it could only mean trouble. He untied the cord that held his
sword in its scabbard, as he did not need to be told that they were about to fight.

For in the distance, less than a mile behind Jadow, came a dust cloud. Erik saw the figures on the horizon, and before Jadow could get close enough to speak, Erik shouted, “It's the Saaur!”

De Loungville asked, “How can you tell?”

“The horses look too big for the distance behind Jadow.”

Just then Jadow came within shouting range and cried out, “Captain! It's the lizard men! They are following.”

Calis turned to de Loungville and said, “We stay in the saddle. Skirmish in two lines!”

De Loungville shouted, “You heard the Captain! I want the first fifty men dressed left on me!” That meant that the first fifty men in the column would line up on de Loungville's left arm, in a straight line. Erik was the man closest to de Loungville when he moved his horse around.

Jadow came reining in, his mount staggering as he leaped off. Calis shouted, “Where's Foster?”

Jadow shook his head. “They bought none of it. As soon as I took off, they followed me and ignored the corporal. The corporal turned around and hit them from the flank, buying me a head start, Captain, but . . .” He didn't have to say any more.

Erik thought of the big man, Jerome Handy, who had become something of a friend after being embarrassed by Sho Pi aboard the ship. He glanced to his right and saw Sho Pi, and nodded. Sho Pi nodded back, as if he understood what Erik was thinking.

Luis said, “Then we bleed lizards,” under his breath, but loud enough for those near him to hear.

Erik drew his sword and put his reins between his teeth. He unlimbered his shield and made ready. He'd control his mount with his legs, but he kept the reins in his jaws in case he needed to yank them.

The Saaur's animals must be as incredibly strong as their riders, thought Erik, for if Jadow's mount was near death, the Saaur's looked merely tired. Yet the green-skinned warriors didn't pause once they saw the line of soldiers facing them.

“We don't scare them much,” observed Nakor from behind Erik, who wouldn't take his eyes off the approaching riders.

Calis said, “When I give the order, I want bowfire; then the first rank will charge. The second rank will hold until I give the order.”

The bowmen, all in the center of the second line, drew back their weapons, and de Loungville half muttered, “Wait for it!”

The Saaur bore down relentlessly, and as they approached, Erik started noticing details. Some wore feathers on their helms, while others had strange animals and birds on their shields. The horses were bay and chestnut, with some that were almost black, but while a few were near-white, he saw no buckskins or mottled colors. Erik wondered why he was fascinated by the fact of their being no pintos or buckskins. He fought down an unexpected urge to laugh.

Then Calis shouted, “Shoot!” and the forty archers in the second line let loose. The rain of shafts caused a half-dozen riders to fall, and several of the alien horses screamed. Then Calis shouted, “Charge!”

Erik dug his heels into his horse's flanks and with a shout and a powerful squeeze of his legs
told the horse to gallop. He didn't look to see how the others were doing, but kept his focus on a Saaur with a metal crest topped with a horsehair fall atop his helm. The horsehair had been bleached and dyed a bright crimson, so it was an easy target for Erik.

Erik sensed more than saw when his own horse crashed into the larger animal. He was too intent on avoiding the blow aimed at his neck. The Saaur warrior used a large single-bladed ax, which meant he could bludgeon with it on the backswing, but cut only with a forward blow. Erik almost fell into the gap between the two animals after his own mount staggered away from the larger horse. Erik ducked under the looping blow, but recovered in time to deliver a punishing blow with his sword to the thigh of the Saaur.

He didn't see if the creature fell from the saddle or rode past, because he was too busy engaging another warrior who had just unhorsed one of Hatonis's clansmen. Erik charged him and got his sword point under the creature's shield before it could turn and face him, and the Saaur fell backwards, flipping completely over the rear of his horse.

Erik swore and reined his own horse away as the riderless alien horse lashed out with a foreleg. “ 'Ware the mounts!” he cried. “They're trained to attack, too.”

Erik moved to help Roo, who was attempting to work in tandem with Luis against one Saaur. He came up on the lizard man's blind side and delivered a killing blow to the back of the creature's helm. The Saaur fell over and the helm fell off, revealing an alien face, green and scaled, but covered in scarlet blood.

“Well, their blood's not green,” shouted Biggo, riding by. “They're also dying right enough.”

“So are we,” said Roo, pointing. Biggo and Erik turned to see that while most of the Saaur had been unhorsed, for each one killed, one of their own was down as well.

Pushing back his helm, Biggo said, “We face them three to one, and still they take us out in equal numbers.”

“Shoot,” cried Calis, and the ten archers who remained to him started peppering the five remaining Saaur with arrows.

Jadow said, “Look!” and pointed into the distance.

“That's why they're so fearless,” shouted de Loungville. “These are just the trail-breakers!”

Afar, a large column of dust rose into the sky, and even at this distance the rumble of hooves was thunderous. Erik didn't wait but set heels to the flanks of his horse and charged after the remaining Saaur, who were attempting to keep the humans engaged as long as possible until their companions could overtake them.

Biggo let out a whoop and charged after him. They rode full into the same Saaur, striking at him from both sides. Erik caught him on the sword arm, shattering bone and cutting deep into flesh, while Biggo hammered relentlessly at the creature's shield.

Soon it was quiet.

Calis said, “Ride for the cave! We'll stand there!”