kicked his horse towards me, still flaying around him with the giant mace. Then the infantrymen drew back as they saw we were about to engage. I aimed a mighty blow at him but he pulled aside in time and I felt his mace glance off my back as I leaned so far forward in my saddle after the wasted blow that my sword almost touched the churned ground.
I brought the sword up in an underarm swing and the mace was there to deflect it. For several minutes we fought until, in my astonishment, I heard a voice some distance away. “Rally the standard! Rally Knights of Humanity!”
We had not succeeded in our tactics, that was obvious. Our forces were attempting to re-consolidate and attack afresh. Arjavh smiled and lowered his mace. “They sought to surround the halflings,” he said and laughed aloud.
“We’ll meet again, soon, Arjavh,” I shouted as I turned my horse back and forced my way through milling, embattled men towards the standard which swayed to my right. There was no cowardice in my leaving and Arjavh knew it. I had to be with my men when they rallied.
C HAPTER F IVE
Arjavh had mentioned the halflings. What were they? What kind of creatures were they that they could not, as he had inferred, be surrounded?
The halflings were only part of my problem. Fresh tactics had to be decided upon hurriedly, or the day would be soon lost. Four of my marshals were desperately trying to get our ranks closed as I came up. The Eldren enclosed us and many groups of humans were cut off from our main body.
“What’s the position?” I shouted above the noise of battle.
“It’s hard to tell, Lord Erekosë. One moment we had surrounded the Eldren and the next moment half their forces were surrounding
us
—they vanished and reappeared behind us! Even now we cannot tell which is material Eldren and which halfling.” The man who answered me was Count Roldero, an experienced marshal. His voice was ragged and he was very much shaken.
“What other qualities do these halflings possess?”
“They are solid enough when fighting, Lord Erekosë, and can be slain, but they can disappear at will and be wherever they wish on the field. It is impossible to plan tactics against such a foe.”
“In that case,” I decided, “you had best keep your men together and fight a defensive action. I think we still outnumber the Eldren and their ghostly allies. Let them come to us!”
I could see that the morale of my warriors was bad; they had been disconcerted and were finding it difficult to face the idea of defeat since victory had, at first, seemed so certain.
Through the milling men I saw the basilisk banner of the Eldren approaching as their cavalry moved speedily towards us, Arjavh at their head. Our forces came, again, together and once more I was doing battle with the Eldren prince.
He knew the power of my sword, knew that the touch of it could slay him, but that deadly mace, wielded like a sword, warded off every blow I made. I fought him for half an hour until he showed signs of sweating weariness and my muscles ached horribly.
And again our forces had been split, again it was impossible to tell how the battle went for us. For most of the time I was uncaring, oblivious of the events around me as I concentrated on breaking through Arjavh’s splendid guard.
Then I saw Count Roldero ride swiftly past me, his golden armour split, his face and arms bloody. In one red hand he carried the torn banner of Humanity and his eyes stared out of his wounded head in fear. “Flee, Lord Erekosë,” he shouted as he galloped past. “Flee—the day is lost!”
I could not believe it, until the ragged remnants of my warriors began to stream past me in ignominious flight.
“Rally Humanity!” I screamed. “Rally!” But they paid me no heed. Again Arjavh dropped his mace to his side.
“You are defeated,” he said. “You are a worthy foe, Erekosë, and I will remember our battle terms—go in peace. Necranal will have
I brought the sword up in an underarm swing and the mace was there to deflect it. For several minutes we fought until, in my astonishment, I heard a voice some distance away. “Rally the standard! Rally Knights of Humanity!”
We had not succeeded in our tactics, that was obvious. Our forces were attempting to re-consolidate and attack afresh. Arjavh smiled and lowered his mace. “They sought to surround the halflings,” he said and laughed aloud.
“We’ll meet again, soon, Arjavh,” I shouted as I turned my horse back and forced my way through milling, embattled men towards the standard which swayed to my right. There was no cowardice in my leaving and Arjavh knew it. I had to be with my men when they rallied.
C HAPTER F IVE
Arjavh had mentioned the halflings. What were they? What kind of creatures were they that they could not, as he had inferred, be surrounded?
The halflings were only part of my problem. Fresh tactics had to be decided upon hurriedly, or the day would be soon lost. Four of my marshals were desperately trying to get our ranks closed as I came up. The Eldren enclosed us and many groups of humans were cut off from our main body.
“What’s the position?” I shouted above the noise of battle.
“It’s hard to tell, Lord Erekosë. One moment we had surrounded the Eldren and the next moment half their forces were surrounding
us
—they vanished and reappeared behind us! Even now we cannot tell which is material Eldren and which halfling.” The man who answered me was Count Roldero, an experienced marshal. His voice was ragged and he was very much shaken.
“What other qualities do these halflings possess?”
“They are solid enough when fighting, Lord Erekosë, and can be slain, but they can disappear at will and be wherever they wish on the field. It is impossible to plan tactics against such a foe.”
“In that case,” I decided, “you had best keep your men together and fight a defensive action. I think we still outnumber the Eldren and their ghostly allies. Let them come to us!”
I could see that the morale of my warriors was bad; they had been disconcerted and were finding it difficult to face the idea of defeat since victory had, at first, seemed so certain.
Through the milling men I saw the basilisk banner of the Eldren approaching as their cavalry moved speedily towards us, Arjavh at their head. Our forces came, again, together and once more I was doing battle with the Eldren prince.
He knew the power of my sword, knew that the touch of it could slay him, but that deadly mace, wielded like a sword, warded off every blow I made. I fought him for half an hour until he showed signs of sweating weariness and my muscles ached horribly.
And again our forces had been split, again it was impossible to tell how the battle went for us. For most of the time I was uncaring, oblivious of the events around me as I concentrated on breaking through Arjavh’s splendid guard.
Then I saw Count Roldero ride swiftly past me, his golden armour split, his face and arms bloody. In one red hand he carried the torn banner of Humanity and his eyes stared out of his wounded head in fear. “Flee, Lord Erekosë,” he shouted as he galloped past. “Flee—the day is lost!”
I could not believe it, until the ragged remnants of my warriors began to stream past me in ignominious flight.
“Rally Humanity!” I screamed. “Rally!” But they paid me no heed. Again Arjavh dropped his mace to his side.
“You are defeated,” he said. “You are a worthy foe, Erekosë, and I will remember our battle terms—go in peace. Necranal will have
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