WORRLGENHALL (26 page)

Relieved no man lost his life, and only a few suffered wounds, Baric raised his sword high.

“Blow the horn four!” he shouted.

Still breathing heavy from battle, with no will of his own, althoug
h he tried to keep an eye on him, when the fighting became fierce, he couldn’t and now keenly searching for his face among the men, he felt anxious when he did not see him.

“
The guild Ovfren,” Ogorec said, fighting to control any sign of worry in his voice, “Where is he?”

The man shrugged his shoulders.

Quickly, Ogorec turned his head so he wouldn’t notice he looked worried. 

“
The guild Ovfren,” he asked another, “Where?”

Again, another shrugged shoulder.

Resolved to find him, Ogorec raised his head and looked into the faces of all riding horses, now truly worried

“
The guild Ovfren,” he said, his voice strained to show no sign he was troubled, “Where?”

“
There.” He pointed.

When Ogorec turned and saw Ovfren sitting on his horse on the far side of him; the
view of him blocked by a tree, he no longer worried, but a realization came to him that he did in fact worry, and knew he would from that moment on.

**

Laad heard the horn blown four times, but the footmen still fighting, as Loth ran to join them, he stopped him.

“
Wait,” he said, and took the bow and arrow off one of the slain Celgon men.

“
They are mingled.” Loth doubted certain Laad could not hit them while they moved about.

Laad said nothing, just quickly nocked and released the arrow, and as it did
its lethal damage into man’s back, no sooner than he fell over dead, Laad brought down yet another.

Now after the third fell, the other three looked up and saw Laad with an arrow pointed; then as he turned to flee, the footmen ran them through.

“Search the trading huts for Wurden or Glen,” Laad ordered, as he looked at those they had killed; before he walked through the valley and search too; then after they checked all the trading huts, the other footmen meet with Laad.

“
We have not found them,” he said.

Anguished over his friend, Laad looked up.

“Where ?” he questioned.

Just as Laad spoke, Baric and Ogorec, along with the other guilds, rode back around and now into the valley.

“Any word?” Baric questioned.

“
No word, my lord,” Laad said.

“
What do you reason was their fate?

“
I know not my lord,” Laad said, now resolved, “But we cannot ride away without knowing.”

Baric nodded.

As Laad and the others gathered back in front of the valley to speak of what to do about Wurden and Glen’s disappearance, they heard a shout from inside the valley and noticed five men on horses ride from between a fissure.  

In front of them, two men staggering as they walked with ropes around their necks, Laad looked closer and noticed who they were.
 

“
It is Wurden and Glen!” he said alarmed.

“
And I see four Celgon men?” Baric said, as he looked, “Who is on the fifth horse?”

“
Okev,” Laad said as his stomach became like a boiling cauldron of filled anger for disloyalty.

At once, Laad rode towards them, dutifully followed by Loth who
remained a length behind; then when he was close, he looked at Wurden noticing his face was badly beaten and that he was barely alive.

“
Release them!” he ordered.

“
We want to ride out of the valley without a horde of men behind us,” one man said, “Your men blocked the path out of the valley with huge rocks and we cannot leave how we came. You will not hear from us and we will tell no one.”

“
Do not put faith in this filth!” Wurden groaned, “They beat me, but I told them nothing.”

As Wurden spoke, one man ki
cked him in the back and when Wurden fell to his knees, Laad moved closer.

“
If you let them go,” Wurden warned, “They will get word to others of our numbers.

“
Silence!” the man shouted, and pulled the rope around Wurden’s neck tighter choking him.

“
Stop torturing him,” Laad ordered, trying to show no sign of angst, “We can reason a truce, but if you want to speak to me, I will have to come closer so we can stop straining our voices.”

Slightly turning his head, Laad looked to Loth only for a moment before he
rode closer to them, which instinctively made Loth ride in closer; then when he was only about a horse’s length away, he stopped and again spoke.

“
Look,” Baric observantly said, “Laad is about to kill them.”

“
How do you know?” Ogorec, who was beside him asked.

“
Would you not do the same?”

“
When you ride out, where will you go?” Laad, now closer, asked calmly; his eyes scanning all five from his horse.

The men looked at each other.

“To the Plains for Kurn,” one volunteered.

“
I see,” Laad’s reply to their lie, the plains of Kurn still knee deep in mud from the spring rains, the horses wouldn’t be able to ride through it.

Before the man could speak another lie, Laad made it his last, as he swiftly drew his sword with his right hand and brought it upward acro
ss his throat.

Laad
’s slash precise and deadly, his face showed shock as he grabbed it, and while his blood quickly drenched his hands, after gargled a few times, he fell to the ground.

Surprised by the sudden attack, another began to draw his sword, but
just as swiftly as he had slain the first; Laad moved towards him and in the same method, brought it down deep into the man’s collarbone and into his neck.

As Laad
’s sword cut deep into it severing the bone, quick silence followed his brief yelp, as his head slumped to the left, and if not for the clinging flesh that held it, would have fallen to the ground.

“
I dare say Ogorec,” Baric mentioned to Ogorec as they watched, “Reason yourself graced you did not challenge him.”

“
We all knew he was gifted, even if we did not see him train,” Ogorec said, as he watched intently.

“
He was a messenger,” Baric said, “Would you not reason journeying alone far and wide that one would need to know how to defend oneself well?”

“
There must be more,” he argued, “He did not come from the womb with a blade in his hand.”

“
His father was a guard to the king and in his youth he taught Laad well how to fight,” Baric said, as he watched entertained by the quick work Laad made of the men, “As well as Irek when he joined the King’s United Men.”

“
Now I see,” Ogorec said, “I do regret my words of challenge and hold no ill will against Laad. My mood was harsh for other reasons.”

“
Make your peace with Laad,” he urged, “Since no one else heard you speak against him, ask him to forgive your words.”

“
Will he see me as weak and believe I did it from fear?” Ogorec questioned.

“
Laad’s nature has never been one of bitterness and spite.” Baric knew without doubt, “But you did challenge him, and he is over you. He does have the nature to ensure that you know who is in command.”

Ogorec nodded.
“I will ask forgiveness and bear my punishment.”

As Baric and Ogorec talked, their conversation halted when they heard a shout.
 

“
Laad!” Wurden shouted, when he noticed the man riding towards Laad and grabbed the rope around his neck still tethered to him, before pulling him off his horse.

Glen tried to do the same, but the man grabbed his sword and severed their bond by cutting the rope, then ran Glen through with his sword.

When Glen fell to the ground dead, he rushed to help the other one who was now struggling with Wurden.

Laad, erred and impulsively jumped off his horse to run to Wurden, then noticing Loth closer, called out to him instead.
“Deal with one, and I will the other!”

His sword high, Loth qu
ickly rode over to Wurden who, although receiving hard blows to his already injured head, now fought with what strength he had to keep the man from freeing himself from the ropes.

As he tried to hold the man back, once Loth reached them, he thrust his swor
d down into his skull ending him quickly.

“
The man from the valley is fleeing! Loth now noticed.

“
Deal with him harshly,” he ordered, “Just as you would anyone friendly to an enemy.”

Without another word, Loth rode hard to catch him.

“Die a traitor’s death!” his avid cry, as he sliced into him twice, once in his arm almost severing it from his body and the other in his side killing him.

At the same time, the other Celgon man on his horse and Laad afoot, Laad kept his sword in front of him to keep him from
charging and striking him, each time rolling away, but now becoming tired, although it pained him to do it in this way, he knew he had to put him afoot too.

With one fierce swipe of his sword when he charged him again, Laad cut off the front legs of the ho
rse, and as it and the man plummeted to the ground, Laad rushed over to him and opened his stomach.

As the man
’s horse laid breathing hard though its nostril whinnying and neighing, Laad walked it ending its pain by plunging his sword into it killing it instantly; then he scowled at the man who lay in agony moaning wanting him to die, before he rushed over to Wurden.

“
Old friend,” Laad said anguished, “Are you wounded badly?”

“
I fear yes,” Wurden groaned, “That vermin pierced me as we fought and it is deep.”

“
Can you ride?”

“
There is no need. I am at my end.”

Laad fell to both knees beside him and took his hand, surprised that badly wounded strength was in his grip.

“Speak what you will have me do?” he asked, as he struggled to keep what both knew, which was that he was dying from his tone.

“
Laad,” Wurden coughed his words. His lungs filling with blood slowly choking him, “Get word to my wife and children that it was them that as I closed my eyes I saw.”

“
Yes, is there anything else?”

“
Bury me with ceremony,” his other request, “As a high guild.”

After he spoke his last words, sounding as if choking, he went limp.

Now joining them, Loth jumped from his horse.

“
Has he left us?” he asked careful to show compassion in his tone as thinking nothing of it, he stuck his sword into the whimpering man still on the ground alive, and wiped it clean.

Laad didn
’t answer at first, as deep sorrow came over him. “Twice before one dear to me has left me,” his voice low and grief-stricken, “And now there is another. My sorrow is great to lose my friend.”

**

As soon as the men left the Valley of Tul, they journeyed swiftly to the Lake of Hebor, and the great lake undisturbed by those from Celgon, camped there for a time to send Wurden and Glen on their way with grand ceremony.

As all the guilds lined Wurden and Glen
’s body, and beat their shields with their swords, one by one they pierced their hand and let their blood drip onto them, before they set them ablaze.

The moment somber as Ogorec thought of his life and future wi
th Belon, as he sat on his horse and watched the men slowly pass him, when Ovfren passed; Ogorec gazed at him, and even at such a somber moment, a want for him swept through him.

Avoiding his gaze, at first Ovfren did not look back at Ogorec, yet he knew h
e watched him, and after he pierced his hand, while he squeezed his fist tight and his blood dripped, he looked to Ogorec and such was his beguiling look, Ogorec’s heart pounded rapidly.   

Later that night after the ceremony of Wurden and Glen, just as B
aric urged, Ogorec went to Laad to ask for forgiveness for his insolence and get his punishment, but Laad in no mood for reasoning out what punishment to give him, forgave him.  

“
We are brothers who must fight together as one,” Laad did however scold him, “Do not let your mood siege you in such a way as to try me once more.”

Ogorec nodded humbly, and left him.

While they camped, although Ogorec’s mind was still vexed over his and Belon’s harsh words to the other before they parted, now another vexed him in a different way and affected his mood far greater than any felt with Belon.