Rajiv Menon -- ThunderGod by Rajiv G rtf txt html Menon

standing shoulder to shoulder with spear and shield, charged at the horses. Nehat felt his horse collapse under him with a spear thrust in its chest. He fell to the ground, his leg pinned under his dead horse.
    From the overhanging rocks, a stream of arrows poured into the rear of the Elamite cavalry. Nehat watched in stunned silence as his men dropped like flies all around him. With a superhuman effort, he freed his leg and crawled into a corner from where he had an uninterrupted view of the mayhem that was being unleashed.
    Daeyus had given specific instructions to kill the horses, knowing as he did so just how difficult it would be for his men to carry out his order. There was nothing a Deva soldier loved more in the world than a good horse. They prized it above even a beautiful wife. Now, perched precariously on ledges, his archers strived to carry out his bidding.
    As the men and horses at the rear of the column fell, the Elamites were trapped with no room to manoeuvre their steeds. Now Daeyus led twenty of his men who had been waiting in reserve through the line into the confused throng, screaming encouragement and swinging his battle-axe. When the bloodlust waned, Daeyus looked around him; the three hundred-strong Elamite cavalry had been butchered down to the last man and horse.
    Covered in blood and gore, Daeyus and his men looked around at the carnage with grim satisfaction. There had been no fatalities in their ranks; five men were wounded, but still able to wield their arms. But the Devas did not exult in their victory--they all knew that this was only the beginning.
    One of the men found Nehat hiding inside the slashed underbelly of one of the horses. He had scooped out its innards with his bare hands and crawled into the cavity. There he had spent the last couple of hours crouched in terror, watching the men in his command being systematically hacked to pieces. He could not speak; he stood there and stared at the raja with a blank expression on his face. Daeyus was a great believer in the impact of psychological warfare. He looked into the man's crazed eyes and realised that this soldier would be far more useful to him alive than dead.
    It was the latter part of the day by the time Shalla and his men reached the pass. The eerie silence and the circling vultures that greeted them did nothing to lift the sagging morale of the Elamites as they lined up and awaited orders.
    Suddenly, a scream was heard from within the pass, and an Elamite soldier emerged. He ran towards them, shrieking about being attacked by demons from hell that ate both men and horses. It was Captain Nehat. Druma knew of the captain by reputation, he was a brave man. Something terrible must have happened within the confines of that pass to scare the living daylights out of the young soldier.
    Druma acted quickly. He walked over to the captain, struck him on the head with the hilt of his sword and knocked him out. As he ordered for him to be taken away, he hoped the officer's delirious rants had not affected the morale of his troops. He sent a rider out to the commander of a nearby garrison, asking for a division of infantry and archers. He was not going to take any more chances against these men.
    A furious Shalla ordered another attack. This time the Elamite cavalry's approach was more gingerly. As they entered the pass, slipping and sliding over the blood and entrails of their own people, even the seasoned war-horses were spooked by the stench of death. The Devas made short work of repelling this attack. Through the day and well into the night the Elamites launched four more unsuccessful forays into the pass.
    Inside the pass, as night fell, Daeyus instructed his men to pile up the dead horses at the entrance. They then poured clarified butter over the corpses and set them ablaze. The reeking smell of death inside the pass was unbearable, but the Deva soldiers did not seem to be bothered by it. They were in a zone, their senses completely tuned