"Naddo! Look out!" A scream, not a...
"Naddo! Look out!"
A scream, not a shoutWheeling, Devin saw why
Halfway to the other hill, Naddo had just beaten back an Ygrathen, and was continuing a fighting withdrawal toward a clump of bushes where Arkin and two others wereWhat he didn't see was the man who had flanked wide to the east and was now rushing toward him from behind
What the running Ygrathen didn't see was the arrow that hit him, fired from the summit of the ridge by Baerd di Tigana with all the strength of his arm and the skill of a lifelong disciplineFar away, unbelievably far, the Ygrathen grunted and fell, an arrow in his thighNaddo whirled at the sound, saw the man, and dispatched him with a quick sword
He looked up at the ridge, saw Baerd, and quickly waved his thanksHe was still waving, hand aloft louis vuitton multicolor speedy in salute to the friend he had left as a boy, when an Ygrathen arrow took him in the chest
"No!" Devin cried out, a fist of grief clenching about his throatHe looked toward Baerd, whose eyes had gone wide with shockJust as Devin took a step towards him he heard a quick scrabbling sound and a grunt, and behind him Alais screamed, "Look out!"
He turned back just in time to see the first of half a dozen Ygrathens surging up the slopeHe had no idea how they'd got here so fastHe howled a second warning for the others and rushed forward to engage the first man before he gained the summit of the ridgeThe Ygrathen was up and balanced, with a shield in his left handCharging at him, trying to drive the man backward down the slope, Devin swung his sword as hard as he couldIt clanged chanel mens watches j12 on the metal shield sending shock waves all along his armThe Ygrathen thrust straight ahead with his own bladeDevin saw it coming and twisted desperately to one sideHe felt a sudden tearing pain as the sword ripped him above the waist
He let himself drop, ignoring the wound, and as he fell forward he chopped viciously for the unprotected back of the Ygrathen's kneeHe felt his sword bite deep into fleshThe man cried out and pitched helplessly forward, trying, even as he tumbled, to bring his own blade down on Devin againDevin rolled frantically away, dizzy with painHe clawed to his feet, clutching his ripped side
In time to see the prone Ygrathen killed by Alais bren Rovigo with a clean sword thrust in the back of his neck
It seemed to Devin that he knew a moment of almost omega speedmaster watches hallucinatory stillness then in the midst of carnageHe looked at Alais, at her clear, mild, blue eyesTheir gazes locked for a secondIt was hard for Devin to absorb, to understand this image of her with a reddened sword in her hand
He looked past her, and instantly the stillness was gone, shatteredFifteen, perhaps twenty of the Ygrathens were up on the summitAnd some of them did have bowsHe saw an arrow fly, to be embedded in one of the shields around the wizardsThere was a sound of quick footsteps ascending the slope to his leftNo time to speak, even if he could haveThey were here to die if they had to, it had always been possibleThere was a reason why they had comeThere was a dream, a prayer, a tune his father had taught him as a childHe held his left hand tightly to his wound imitation chanel handbag and turned from Alais, stumbling forward, gripping his sword, to meet the next man scrambling up the ridge
A mild day, the sun in and out of the clouds pushed swiftly along by the breezeIn the morning they had walked in the meadows north of the castle gathering flowers, armfuls of themIrises, anemones, bluebellsThe sejoia trees were just coming into flower now this far south; they left the white blossoms for later in the season
They were back in Castle Borso drinking mahgoti tea just past midday when Elena abruptly made a small, frightened soundShe stood up rigidly straight, her hands clutching at her headHer tea spilled unregarded, staining the Quileian carpet
Alienor quickly laid her own cup down"It has come?" she said"The summons? Elena, what can I do?"
Elena shook her dior women h