They were spread out over the plains in a ragtag smear without any sign of order or organization. The hyenas and the larger hyenadons loped at the fringes of the mob, and the shambling figures of the trolls brought up the rear.
A multitude of weapons ranging from great bows to pole arms, long two-handed swords, battle axes, and morning stars were clearly visible.
Here and there, soft pastel bits of silk-the tattered remnants of Julia's finery-rippled from the tops of barbed pikes or swathed the necks and heads of hairy, slope-browed gnolls. Scarcely three miles separated the vile army from Mika and the others.
'Got to do something,' muttered Mika. 'Horns-buck, do you think we could fire the prairie? It worked on the kobolds, it might work here.'
'Maybe,' said Hornsbuck. 'Wind's coming from the west. It would blow in their direction. It's worth a try.'
Dismounting, Mika and Hornsbuck struck their firestones and lit a grease bush which instantly burst into flames.
'Remount!' cried Hornsbuck as he yanked another bush out of the ground. 'We'll have to do it from horseback; they're spread out too widely!'
Leaping on his bay in a single bound, Hornsbuck stabbed the point of his sword into the base of the grease bush and then lit it. It flamed instantly, and he kicked his nervous horse into a trot, passing from one bush to the next, lighting them.
Mika followed suit and soon a whole line of grease bushes sputtered and raged, throwing thick black clouds of acrid smoke into the air. They sputtered and popped as the flames devoured them, tossing fiery sparks up to fall on other bushes. The sparse dry grasses and soon the entire prairie behind them were being consumed by the ravenous flames.
'That should keep them for a while,' yelled Mika as he watched the flames being swept toward the gnolls by the intermittent west wind.
'Hah!' yelled Hornsbuck, wearing a wide grin on his bearded face. Shaking loose the flaming remains of their torches, they wheeled their mounts and raced after their fleeing comrades.
They rode as hard and as fast as they could for the remainder of that long evening, leaving the gnolls behind them hidden by a stinking curtain of black smoke. Finally, mules and horses nearly dropping with exhaustion, they were forced to stop.
The land had begun to change. Not that it was any less empty; if anything it had fewer grease bushes and little or no forage for the animals. But there were slight hills now and then, folds in the land and empty stream beds that told of water in other, happier seasons. For now, they were empty and dry and the waterskins were falling dangerously low.
Hoping to escape the sharp night vision of the gnolls, Mika led the party into one of the deepest of the arroyos.
Hornsbuck instructed the men to water the horses and mules and then feed them. Once this was done, they were hobbled and muzzled so that no careless whicker would give them away.
The men themselves sprawled against the banks, enervated by their fatigue. Few spoke. Hornsbuck gestured to Mika and led him a short distance away from the temporary camp, peering intently at the ground.
Soon, a slow smile spread over his broad bearded face, and he pointed at the ground. Mika looked down but saw nothing. Tam, however, had no such problem. Shoulder to shoulder, he and RedTail, Hornsbuck's big male wolf, pawed at the earth beneath the rocky overhang. Earth flew in all directions. Then, ceasing their activities, they crouched low and Mika heard the sound of lapping tongues. The wolves drank their fill and then moved aside and began grooming themselves.
'Water,' said Hornsbuck. Noting the puzzled look on Mika's face, he laughed. 'There's usually water in places such as this; you just have to know how to look for it. See there-footprints of mice and lizards.'
Looking more closely, Mika could see the tiny footprints in the sand, the curved sign of a dragging tail converging on the hidden water.
'It could save your life sometime,' said Horns-buck.
'I'll remember,' said Mika as he knelt to drink.
The water was warm and brackish and thick with sand, but they drank their fill and wiped their wet hands over faces that were tight and cracked from harsh exposure to sun and wind. And it spared them from drawing on their own meager supply of water. When they finished, there was naught left but a hole filled with damp sand. This, Hornsbuck filled with sand and rocks.
'No sense leaving them beasts anything if we can help it,' said Hornsbuck. 'They need water same as us. I hope they're suffering.'
But if they were suffering, it was not apparent. During the night, the army of monsters had circled around the line of fire and could now be clearly seen on the lower slopes.
Drawing strength from the brief respite, the small party mounted and began climbing the steep incline as swiftly as their tired mounts could carry them.
Chapter 13
And so began a long period of hurried flights interspersed with short periods of rest. Eru-Tovar, while only a few days distant, might as well have been on another world, for it seemed that the army of monsters never slept.
They dogged the nomads' footsteps, following whatever path they chose, whether by night or by day, and they were not deceived by false trails or the most clever of traps.
The nomads tried all of Hornsbuck's tricks-from deadfalls to sweeping the trail behind them-and they even used one of Mika's spells of illusion, creating an exceedingly realistic chasm where none had previously existed. But nothing worked.
The gnolls showed an uncanny amount of intelligence for creatures that were not known for their ability to think. It was almost as though they knew what the nomads were planning and were taking steps to anticipate their tactics.
They were well into the hills now and all were glad to see the last of the empty prairies. The hills were barren, mostly stone and hard-packed earth, but here and there were soft green patches of grass and these the mules and horses cropped greedily.
There were also small pools of water to be found, and the nomads did their best to see that these were either emptied or concealed before they moved on.
Everyone was tired. Horses and mules showed their exhaustion in the curved bend of their necks and their slow, shambling gaits. The men rode loosely, often slumbering in the saddle. Even Mika and Horns-buck felt the lack of sleep in their muscles, which were stiff and slow to respond, and in their eyes, which felt as though sand scraped beneath their swollen lids.
Only Recknass seemed untouched by the lack of sleep and food. His back remained straight and his eyes alert. His arms still held the swaddled princess in a tight embrace, and he glared forbiddingly at any who rode near.
The wolves themselves were showing signs of exhaustion-their tails dragged the ground and their tongues lolled from their mouths dispiritedly. They flung themselves on the ground and panted whenever they stopped, licking their footpads, which were sore and cracked from the rough terrain.
In spite of his promise to Hornsbuck, Mika still thought about Princess Julia. The giant was an abomination. Nothing that ugly should hold someone that beautiful.
Mika thought of Julia as he rode throughout the long endless night. Her delicate beauty filled his mind and the subtle scent of her body lingered in his nostrils. He craved her as he had never craved another woman, even Celia. And the thought of her was the cause of his every action. Just thinking of her dowry filled him with a warm glow. He was determined that he would have her yet.
A sliver of a moon, cold and white, shedding no warmth, rose above the stony hills, allowing them to continue
