The Voroshk were
not sneaks. They came out of the northwest in an angry swarm, eager
to get at us. There were at least twenty-five in the first
wave.
My people were all on the uphill side of the shadowgate but many
of the Unknown Shadows had not made it back. I had left snail
shells scattered around the woods so they would have somewhere to
hide. I would get them out later, once the excitement was over.
The swarm streaked in, vast flutters of black cloth billowing.
Even though they could see that we were beyond the shadowgate and
our main body was already on the plain they dropped down and
streaked over our empty camp, shedding a rain of small objects
which turned little patches of ground into puddles of lava and
caused vegetation to combust almost explosively. None of our
shelters or corrals survived. But nothing touched the injured girl
or the forvalaka’s funeral pyre.
“Glad I don’t have to run between those
raindrops,” I said. A couple of the Voroshk had tried to
award me that experience but the barrier between Khatovar and the
plain repelled their missiles easily. And ate their magic right up.
They did not activate, even when they dribbled to the ground.
Lady said, “They’re all kids, too.”
The members of the swarm all seemed to do whatever they wanted,
going their own ways, yet none of them collided. Once their assault
failed to produce results most of them settled to earth around the
injured girl.
On my side of the shadowgate we leaned on bamboo poles and
watched.
A trio of latecomers formed the second wave. They appeared
several minutes after the first flood. “These will be the
leaders,” Lady said. “Being a little more cautious than
the youngsters.” Even more black fabric billowed around these
three.
“The highest ranking members of the Family making the
journey,” I conceded. “There sure are a lot of these
people. Considering the size of the army they brought.” Not
counting the Voroshk themselves, my spies numbered the approaching
force at about eight hundred. The light cavalry hurrying ahead
numbered fewer than fifty men. There was a good chance we could
have beat them up if they had not had all those post riders in the
sky looking out for them.
When they grounded, the Voroshk flyers did stand their
conveyances on end, like fenceposts that would not tip over without
a push from a human hand.
The elders circled a few times before they set down. Then they
took time to examine the unconscious child before paying any more
attention to us.
I gave a small hand signal as soon as we were on. Men on the
slope who had been hanging around gawking resumed moving. The
Voroshk chieftains were allowed to see the other girl being led
away and what looked like four men lugging a captured flying
fencepost. While the heart of my heart and I posed just behind the
gate in our best killer costumes. I know there was a huge smirk
hanging around inside my helmet.
Out there among the Voroshk, so far ignored but not unnoticed,
the headless corpse of our ancient enemy crackled and popped inside
a roaring fire. I wished we still had the Lance of Passion to show
those guys, too. My ravens had not been able to tell if the Voroshk
were aware of who we really were.
I said, “The past always comes back.” I waved. Then
I told Lady, “I think it might be a real good idea if we got
going now. Their good feelings about us having taken care of that
kid just aren’t going to last.”
“You’ve probably stretched it too long already,
showing off.” She started up the slope. She did not look at
all bad in that armor. She set a brisk pace for such an old gal,
too.
Soon all the flying sorcerers were staring uphill, pointing and
jabbering at one another. They seemed to be much more excited about
us carrying off their flying log than they were about us taking the
girl. Maybe she was not anyone important. Or maybe they figured she
was old enough to look out for herself.
One of the elders stepped away from that fluttering black crowd.
He had a small book in his hand. He turned a couple of pages, found
the one he wanted, ran a finger along a few lines as he read. A
second elder nodded and apparently repeated what he had to say,
with gestured accompaniment. After a moment the third elder took it
up, his gestures similar but not in step with those of the other
two.
“It’s a round,” I told Lady. We had overtaken
the slowest of our people. “Row row row.” I made some
gestures myself. “You do anything you’re going to be
sorry.”
The Voroshk all spun, presenting their backs to us.
The flash was so bright it blinded me for a moment. When my
sight returned another of those hundred-legged starfish of
brownish-grey smoke had materialized. This one was not upstairs.
This one was right where the shadowgate had been. Centered right
where I had hidden the captured flying post under some
“abandoned” tenting.
“Warned you,” I murmured.
“How did you know?” Lady asked.
“I’m not sure. A hunch, I guess. Uninhibited
intuition.”
“They’ve just killed themselves.” There was
almost a hint of compassion in her voice. “They’ll
never stop the shadows from flooding through that.”
Some of the Voroshk already recognized the magnitude of the
disaster still unfolding. Black fluttering shapes scattered like
roaches suddenly exposed to the light. Flying posts took to the
air, streaked northward so violently that bits of black cloth
ripped off and fluttered down like dark autumn leaves.
The three elders held their positions. They stared our way. I
wondered what was happening inside their heads. Almost certainly
not any recognition of the fact that the disaster was a direct
result of the magnitude of Voroshk arrogance. I have never met one
of their kind who would admit any fallibility whatsoever.
I was sure there would be some grand squabbles over where to fix
the blame during the time they had left. Human nature at work.
“What are you thinking?” Lady asked.
I realized that I was no longer moving, that I was just watching
the Voroshk watch me. “Just looking around inside me, trying
to figure out why this doesn’t bother me the way it would
have years ago. Why I recognize the pain more easily now but am not
touched by it nearly so much.”
“You know what One-Eye used to say about you? You think
too much. He was right. You don’t have any more obligation to
him. Let’s go back to our own world, see about spanking our
little girl and getting my baby sister straightened up.” Her
voice changed severely as her thoughts turned. “One thing I
demand. Still. Narayan Singh. I want him. He’s
mine.”
I winced inside my helmet. Poor Narayan. I said, “I still
have one thing to do here.”
“What?” she snapped.
“After those three leave. I have to get Tobo’s
friends back.”
She grunted and resumed walking. She had to make sure the road
across the plain could be closed behind us, so that we would not
become victims of the explosion, too.
The Voroshk were
not sneaks. They came out of the northwest in an angry swarm, eager
to get at us. There were at least twenty-five in the first
wave.
My people were all on the uphill side of the shadowgate but many
of the Unknown Shadows had not made it back. I had left snail
shells scattered around the woods so they would have somewhere to
hide. I would get them out later, once the excitement was over.
The swarm streaked in, vast flutters of black cloth billowing.
Even though they could see that we were beyond the shadowgate and
our main body was already on the plain they dropped down and
streaked over our empty camp, shedding a rain of small objects
which turned little patches of ground into puddles of lava and
caused vegetation to combust almost explosively. None of our
shelters or corrals survived. But nothing touched the injured girl
or the forvalaka’s funeral pyre.
“Glad I don’t have to run between those
raindrops,” I said. A couple of the Voroshk had tried to
award me that experience but the barrier between Khatovar and the
plain repelled their missiles easily. And ate their magic right up.
They did not activate, even when they dribbled to the ground.
Lady said, “They’re all kids, too.”
The members of the swarm all seemed to do whatever they wanted,
going their own ways, yet none of them collided. Once their assault
failed to produce results most of them settled to earth around the
injured girl.
On my side of the shadowgate we leaned on bamboo poles and
watched.
A trio of latecomers formed the second wave. They appeared
several minutes after the first flood. “These will be the
leaders,” Lady said. “Being a little more cautious than
the youngsters.” Even more black fabric billowed around these
three.
“The highest ranking members of the Family making the
journey,” I conceded. “There sure are a lot of these
people. Considering the size of the army they brought.” Not
counting the Voroshk themselves, my spies numbered the approaching
force at about eight hundred. The light cavalry hurrying ahead
numbered fewer than fifty men. There was a good chance we could
have beat them up if they had not had all those post riders in the
sky looking out for them.
When they grounded, the Voroshk flyers did stand their
conveyances on end, like fenceposts that would not tip over without
a push from a human hand.
The elders circled a few times before they set down. Then they
took time to examine the unconscious child before paying any more
attention to us.
I gave a small hand signal as soon as we were on. Men on the
slope who had been hanging around gawking resumed moving. The
Voroshk chieftains were allowed to see the other girl being led
away and what looked like four men lugging a captured flying
fencepost. While the heart of my heart and I posed just behind the
gate in our best killer costumes. I know there was a huge smirk
hanging around inside my helmet.
Out there among the Voroshk, so far ignored but not unnoticed,
the headless corpse of our ancient enemy crackled and popped inside
a roaring fire. I wished we still had the Lance of Passion to show
those guys, too. My ravens had not been able to tell if the Voroshk
were aware of who we really were.
I said, “The past always comes back.” I waved. Then
I told Lady, “I think it might be a real good idea if we got
going now. Their good feelings about us having taken care of that
kid just aren’t going to last.”
“You’ve probably stretched it too long already,
showing off.” She started up the slope. She did not look at
all bad in that armor. She set a brisk pace for such an old gal,
too.
Soon all the flying sorcerers were staring uphill, pointing and
jabbering at one another. They seemed to be much more excited about
us carrying off their flying log than they were about us taking the
girl. Maybe she was not anyone important. Or maybe they figured she
was old enough to look out for herself.
One of the elders stepped away from that fluttering black crowd.
He had a small book in his hand. He turned a couple of pages, found
the one he wanted, ran a finger along a few lines as he read. A
second elder nodded and apparently repeated what he had to say,
with gestured accompaniment. After a moment the third elder took it
up, his gestures similar but not in step with those of the other
two.
“It’s a round,” I told Lady. We had overtaken
the slowest of our people. “Row row row.” I made some
gestures myself. “You do anything you’re going to be
sorry.”
The Voroshk all spun, presenting their backs to us.
The flash was so bright it blinded me for a moment. When my
sight returned another of those hundred-legged starfish of
brownish-grey smoke had materialized. This one was not upstairs.
This one was right where the shadowgate had been. Centered right
where I had hidden the captured flying post under some
“abandoned” tenting.
“Warned you,” I murmured.
“How did you know?” Lady asked.
“I’m not sure. A hunch, I guess. Uninhibited
intuition.”
“They’ve just killed themselves.” There was
almost a hint of compassion in her voice. “They’ll
never stop the shadows from flooding through that.”
Some of the Voroshk already recognized the magnitude of the
disaster still unfolding. Black fluttering shapes scattered like
roaches suddenly exposed to the light. Flying posts took to the
air, streaked northward so violently that bits of black cloth
ripped off and fluttered down like dark autumn leaves.
The three elders held their positions. They stared our way. I
wondered what was happening inside their heads. Almost certainly
not any recognition of the fact that the disaster was a direct
result of the magnitude of Voroshk arrogance. I have never met one
of their kind who would admit any fallibility whatsoever.
I was sure there would be some grand squabbles over where to fix
the blame during the time they had left. Human nature at work.
“What are you thinking?” Lady asked.
I realized that I was no longer moving, that I was just watching
the Voroshk watch me. “Just looking around inside me, trying
to figure out why this doesn’t bother me the way it would
have years ago. Why I recognize the pain more easily now but am not
touched by it nearly so much.”
“You know what One-Eye used to say about you? You think
too much. He was right. You don’t have any more obligation to
him. Let’s go back to our own world, see about spanking our
little girl and getting my baby sister straightened up.” Her
voice changed severely as her thoughts turned. “One thing I
demand. Still. Narayan Singh. I want him. He’s
mine.”
I winced inside my helmet. Poor Narayan. I said, “I still
have one thing to do here.”
“What?” she snapped.
“After those three leave. I have to get Tobo’s
friends back.”
She grunted and resumed walking. She had to make sure the road
across the plain could be closed behind us, so that we would not
become victims of the explosion, too.