"I 01 - The Legend of Huma - Richard A Knaak (c)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dragonlance - Heroes (2))

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claimed his place in the Order of the Crown. Rennard, though, had many years of practical experience and therefore was a commander in his own right. His visor hid all but the two piercing, ice-blue eyes and only hinted at the face. Rennard had few friends even among the Order of the Crown.
Rennard returned Huma's stare, then looked at the section as a whole. "Gaynor. Huma. Trilane. . . ." He barked eight names in all. "Break from the column for patrol duty."
The words betrayed no emotion. Rennard was methodical, a strategist of high caliber. One could not ask for a better leader in time of combat. Nevertheless, his presence always seemed to chill some part of Huma's soul.
"Lord Oswal wants the dead woods to the south searched over. Possibly goblins, maybe the ogres. We have to return to the column before sunset." Briefly, Rennard looked up at the perpetually overcast sky. Always, it seemed about to rain, but it never did. "Before total darkness. We do not want to be in the woods at night. Not this close to the western border. Understood?" When the knights assented, he turned his horse, a tall, pale animal much like its rider, and signaled the others to follow.
In minutes, thankfully, they were far away from Seridan. The ground was hard and easier for the mounts to trod upon. That was not surprisingЧthe fire, which had killed much of the forest they rode toward, had baked the nearest fields. No food would grow here for years to come.
It was all so useless sometimes, Huma thought. Where was Paladine? Huma wondered that the god could allow this to happen, and he glanced at the ashy stubs of trees as the patrol rode along. Krynn might as well be in the claws of Takhisis already, the way things were going.
He clamped his mouth tight. That he dared call himself a knight after thoughts such as thatl
As they reached the first patch of gnarled, twisted trees, the knights lowered their visors. From a distance, they might have looked like demons, for the horns or wings that decorated the sides of each knight's helmet were now more evident. The more elaborate, the higher the rank, save in Rennard's case. Typical of his ways, he had only a crest that
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rode from the front all the way down the back.
The woods were but one more sorry victim of the seemingly endless war that had razed the continent of Ansalon. Huma wondered what this land had looked like before the Dragonqueen's creatures had ravaged it. The dead trees gave the woods an evil look. The patrol was unusually tense. Eyes darted here and there, as each knight sought a foe behind the blackened trunks.
Huma clutched at the hilt of his sword. For a brief moment, a motion seemed to catch his eye. A wolf? In this barren land? As the knights moved on, he noted no new movement. Nerves. There was no life in these woods. There was nothing but sorrow.
Rennard called for a halt with the raising of one hand. Even he did not seem to wish to speak, as if the sound would release an unwanted presence.
"Spread out. You four to my right," he said, gesturing at Huma and three others. "The rest to my left." He drew his sword.
The others followed suit and moved into position, with one man between Huma and the patrol leader. Rennard gave the signal to advance. The knights kept a slow but steady pace.
The woods curved over a hill, one of the few in this area. If goblins or ogres lurked anywhere nearby, they would be here. Rennard pointed at the knight to Huma's left and sent the man forward. The rest of the patrol stopped and waited. The scout climbed off his horse and made his way to the top of the rise. The others watched anxiously as he peered over the top, and as quietly and quickly as he could, returned to the knights and horses. Huma, who had taken the reins of the other's horse, handed them back.
"Well?" Rennard asked quietly.
"Goblins. The ugly creatures are eating. A marauder patrol, I think. Must be at least twenty. No more than several dozen, I think."
Rennard nodded in satisfaction. "Nothing we cannot handle." Huma thanked Paladine that his visor hid his own worried face. Rennard pointed at the scout, Huma, and the two knights to Huma's right. "Ride around the right side. We'll
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take the left. When you hear an owl, ride in. Huma, you will take charge of your group."
Some of the other knights shifted uneasily, but no one would argue. Huma gazed at the visors of his three companions and had no trouble reading the eyes of each man. He almost asked that someone replace him as leader, but Ren-nard was already turning his band away.
Huma chose to say nothing, and he turned his own mount. Whatever their personal feelings, the three were Knights of Solamnia. They had been given an order, and they would obey. To his relief, they followed him without murmur.
The ride was not long, but it was slow and cautious. The goblins were sloppy in every aspect of their lives, including military procedure, but there might be an enterprising leader among them who might have thought to post guards. Goblins in general were of little strategic use in the plans of the Dragonqueen's warlordЧsave as marauders. Knowing this and knowing that most goblins fought with little, if any, true skill, did not ease Huma's mind, however.
Huma could see no guards, and he dared to climb from his horse and survey the goblin camp from a small rise. That the creatures were ugly was an understatement. Their skins were a sickly green, teeth protruded from every inch of their mouths, and their eyes reminded the knight of frogs' eyes. The goblins were squat and misshapen, but they were also very strong. Many carried axes, and a couple even hefted crude bows. Their armor appeared to be compilations of everything they could rummage from the battlefields.
As Huma watched, a goblin came rushing over to the apparent leader, who was twice as big and ugly as any of his subordinates. The smaller goblin whispered something to the patrol leader, who stiffened and barked out orders.
Huma knew what had happened. Either the newcomer had been a guard or he had wandered away from the camp for some reason. Whatever the case, the goblins apparently realized that Rennard and the others were approaching from the other direction, and they were now preparing for a fight. Within seconds, the normally disorganized goblins had formed themselves into an attack formation that, with
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the element of surprise, meant that Rennard and his companions would almost certainly be struck down. There was no time to send someone to warn them.
"Get ready!" Huma whispered as he climbed back onto his horse. Sword in hand, he turned back to the others. "We go now!"
"Now?" one of the others asked. The trio looked from one another and back to Huma.
Huma had no time for their hesitation. Sword and shield ready, he kicked his mount in the sides. The horse charged, and Huma, waving his blade above his head, shouted the charge.
"Paladine!"
His courage shocked him, but no more than it shocked the goblins. As one, the creatures turned to face this unexpected menace. The horse charged into the midst of the camp, the knight's sword already coming down on the nearest goblin. The goblin raised his rusty broadsword in some semblance of defense, but Huma's swing shattered the weapon and then the owner himself.
Huma's only desire was to cut down as many of the enemy as possible and give Rennard and his men the chance they needed. Another goblin fell to his sword, and then the rest rushed toward the lone attacker, readying bows and raising pikes. The goblins would not be content to take him prisoner, he knew.
Then Huma heard the shouts behind him and knew that the other three had joined the fray. He fought with greater enthusiasm now, knowing that a chance for life still existed. Some of the goblins broke away from the four horsemen. The others tried to regroup under the hurried commands of the patrol leader.
More battle cries filled the air and Huma glanced up to see Rennard and the others coming from the goblins' rear. Those of the enemy patrol who had tried to flee fell under the powerful hooves of the warhorses. Rennard methodically cut down two who tried to stand against him, then he urged his mount onward. His movements hinted of a near-eagerness.
One of the knights in Huma's group was dragged from his
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horse and a heavy ax finished him before Huma could react. Seconds later, Huma rode down the goblin standing over its kill. The ugly creature had only time to look up before the warhorse's front hooves caught it in the head, cracking the skull open.
The goblins, knowing they were lost, fought with a rare determination. Only three horsemen blocked their path to freedom. Huma barely blocked a savage swing. An arrow flew past his head.
Suddenly, a howl shivered through the air.
Something leaped at Huma's steed. The knight caught a brief vision of something akin to a wolf in formЧbut the resemblance ended with the thing's corpse-white pallor, as though it had been skinned. The yellow, dripping fangs seemed as long as his fingers and as sharp as needles. Then Huma's warhorse screamed and turned, despite the knight's protests. Straining every muscle, the animal raced from the skirmish, mindless of the frantic rider clinging to it. Somewhere close behind, the thing howled again. Huma could only clutch the reins and hang on for the wild ride. The sounds of fighting faded as the maddened horse rushed deeper and deeper into the charred forest.
What could so terrorize a trained warhorse? Certainly no earthly beast.
Then, even that thought vanished from Huma's mind as his mount broke through the blackened limbs of a knot of trees and found the earth was suddenly far, far below.
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