No room to swing the sword, without cutting one of their own, she thought, and lunged, plunging the point into the unprotected back of the hobgoblin’s knee. It bellowed in rage and pain, dropped M’Baddah, and swungaround to face her, but M’Whan and Blorys attacked now, cutting it badly. It wasswaying as it turned from her to face this new threat, and it went down. Eddis brought her sword down hard across the back of its neck, again and again until it no longer moved.
She fell back, winded. Two more hobgoblins had fallen since she had sprung to the attack, but more men littered the road, and she could still hear the high-pitched, shrill cry of a terrified horse, back in the camp.
M’Whan knelt to help his father, and Eddis came around tosteady the man as the youth got him on his feet.
“How bad?” she asked. Her lieutenant’s face was ashen.
“My arm-above the wrist. I think it is broken.” He grippedM’Whan’s shoulder tightly. “Thanks to you three, it is only that.”
“Gods,” Eddis whispered and shook her head to clear it.“M’Whan, get him out of the middle of this. Blor-?”
But Blorys had already moved off to help his brother and two spearmen take down another of the attackers. Eddis ran to aid three of the Keep men who’d ridden out that day. They were backing nervously away from a massivebrute who bled from a dozen or more shallow cuts, their spears trailing in the dirt.
“Don’t run!” she shouted. “You’ll give him a better chance tocut you down. Stay there, keep those spears at the ready!”
The creature turned to face her as she ran in, yelling wildly, her sword swinging. Two more cuts-a deep one across the back of itssword hand, another down the side of its face, and the hobgoblin backed away and bounded forward and took a vicious swipe at her head. Eddis’ heels caught onone of the fallen men, and she went down. The brute loomed over her, teeth bared in a horrid grin, sword raised to pin her to the ground. She rolled, coming up onto her knees, staggering to her feet. Furtive movement caught her eye. Kadymus, a thick-bladed dagger in each hand, was sneaking up on the creature, and Flerys came flying out of the dark, spear ready to thrust. The brief distraction cost Eddis, but a quick jump back kept the hobgoblin’s sword frommore than scratching her arm.
With a yell of fury, Flerys jabbed her spear at the creature’s back but lost her balance as the point bounced off armor. The littlethief brought one dagger down, the other up, burying one blade in the hobgoblin’s sword-arm, the other in its neck.
It bellowed and turned to strike. Eddis’ sword bit deepacross the backs of its legs, felling it, and Kadymus leaped to slam two more daggers deep in its neck. It shuddered and went limp. Flerys edged around it and came running, dinging fiercely as the swordswoman stroked her hair. Eddis’ eyesmoved, taking in their surroundings. No fighting close by, and the monsters stillstanding were surrounded.
“Are you all right?” she asked the girl finally.
A sharp nod.
“Sure?”
The thin body trembled against hers. Afraid, Eddis thought, but a moment later, Flerys burst into tears.
“Thought it killed Eddis,” she whispered tearfully. “Don’twant filthy monsters killing Eddis.”
The fighting was over as suddenly as it had begun. The last hobgoblin tried to flee, but Hebold ran after it and cut it down with the double-bladed axe he’d picked up in the dungeons.
Eddis surveyed the damage. Four dead hobgoblins-five now, asspearmen dispatched the last of the wounded. Men seemed to be everywhere, fallen, bloody, moaning. Some weren’t moving.
“What damage?” Eddis asked generally.
Mead looked up from the armsman he was tending. “At least tenwounded. Two horses dead, that I know for certain. Four men dead.”
“And all those filthy hobgoblins,” Hebold announced. He wasbloody, filthy, and grinning hugely.
“Good,” Eddis told him. “Why don’t you get a couple of themen to help you drag them away from camp, so the horses can start settling down.”
To her surprise, he did what she asked without comment. M’Baddah-over there, with M’Whan; Blorys moving along the far side of the road.No sign of Jerdren, and she couldn’t recall the last time she’d seen him. Hardto tell who was where, with only two flickering lanterns out here.
“Jers, where are you?” she called out. “Someone get a couplemore lanterns out here, and any of you who aren’t hurt, set a guard here, on thecamp and on the horses, so we don’t get caught like that again!”
“Here he is!” Blorys called. “I think he’s-no, he’sbreathing, and that’s not his blood.”
Eddis made her way past fallen and shocked-looking men, and knelt to feel Jerdren’s throat for pulse. The man groaned faintly.
“Got the wind knocked out of him,” Eddis said.
Another groan, and Jerdren fought his way to sitting, gingerly cradling his head in his hands.
“Gods, what a headache,” he mumbled. “Brute got the spearaway from one of the men and cracked me across the skull with it.”
Blorys gripped his shoulder and fetched a quiet sigh of relief.
“What’s the damage?” the older man asked after a moment.Eddis told him. “That’s not so good, is it?”
“It could have been a lot worse,” she assured him. “All thoseinexperienced Keep men, all those horses, and a surprise attack. Except after last night, we should have been expecting it.”
Jerdren shrugged, then winced and clutched his brow. “Knowwhat, Eddis? I owe you an apology. Think you’re right-they know where we are,all right. Tells me that we take on this final cave, one last battle, and ride away.”
Blorys stared at him. “You’re giving up? That must have beensome crack to the head, Brother.”
Jerdren managed a faint grin. “Didn’t say that. Just doesn’tseem sense to sit here and wait for ’em to finish us off a few at a time.There’s no reason why we couldn’t come back later-next spring, say-and finishthe job.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Eddis said and got back to herfeet.
Someone needs to keep an eye on things here, she thought. With M’Baddah and Jerdren both down, that meant her. “One last battle,” shewhispered. Jerdren’s words sounded like an ill omen, all at once.
Cleanup took hours, and it was nearly dawn when Eddis settled down close to the fire and dosed her eyes. Sleep evaded her. Four dead horses, two badly injured, another two simply gone. Most of the dead men were those who’d ridden out from the Keep to bring them supplies. Panev had healed theworst injuries, Mead using potions to close cuts and a spell to soothe and quietthe horses.
Too much blood, she thought wearily. The sight and smell of it sickened her, all at once, and Jerdren’s words still rang in her mind. Onelast battle. They’d lost so many men already. If this temple was as dire asPanev thought, how many of them would survive?
17
Morning came with a chill wind, and a ruddy glare filled whatcould be seen of the eastern sky. Eddis woke to the jingle of harnesses and the thud of restless horses stamping their feet. The party returning to the Keep was ready to ride out. Anxious, she thought, and who could blame them? All around her, the armsmen were quietly stowing their belongings and readying their weapons. Blorys, seeing her sit up, brought her a steaming mug and a bowl of porridge, and someone else doused the fire. Eddis managed a smile as she took the food and drink. Blorys looked distracted and worried, but he said nothing while she ate.
“What’s happening? Is Jerdren all right?” she asked finally.
He shrugged “We buried the dead men a little while ago. Meadgave Jers something for the headache last night, and he was fine after that He’sjust… well, you know Jers.” He shook himself and smiled warmth kindling hiseyes. “Take care today, Eddis.”
“I will.” She hesitated, then took both his hands in hers.“If you swear to do the same.”
“As best I can. Jers may-”
