Valour

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

EVNIS

Evnis yelled wordlessly as the first ranks of Rhin’s warband loomed closer. Everywhere he could see faces twisted with battle-cries, weapons glinting, hear feet pounding, the drumming of his own horse’s hooves, the riders behind him. He risked a glance over his shoulder, saw a large gap growing between his men and Owain’s charging warriors. Owain is cunning, thinking to remove me and slay a fair number of Rhin’s warband along the way. Except that Rhin could give lessons in cunning to a fox. Time for her first surprise.

He sheathed his sword, reached down to his saddle and drew out a rolled banner. Rhin’s sigil of black and gold unfurled above him, snapping in the wake of his gallop. He yanked on his reins, saw the warriors before him parting as his shieldmen slowed behind him, drawing into a double column, and like that they cantered through the ranks of Rhin’s warband, shouting greetings to Rhin’s warriors as they passed them.

Unluckily for Owain, Rhin and I have ways of communicating that he would not dream of. She had foreseen him attempting something like this, and they had plotted against every conceivable eventuality.

His warriors filtered through Rhin’s warband, moving to the eastern edges. They regrouped around him. For an instant he focused on Rafe, the son of Helfach, his dead huntsman, and his thoughts drifted to Vonn, who had been a friend to Rafe. Where is my son? Is he still in Ardan? Then Rhin and Owain’s charging warriors met, the sound like a concussive crack of thunder.

The warbands poured into one another, and almost instantly battle-cries were joined by death cries. The battle fell into a thousand individual duels, no strategy, no tactics, just kill the man in front, then move on to the next one.

Evnis surveyed the battleground, saw Owain still mounted with his shieldmen about him; further up the slope Nathair and his warriors were spread near the ridge. For a moment he thought he glimpsed Conall. Could have done with his sword beside me. Too late to change his mind now, though. He had judged that Cywen was important to Nathair and did not want to be excluded from any developments there, so Conall was her guardian.

I’ll see them both when this is done, anyway.

He dropped Rhin’s banner and drew his sword. ‘This is it,’ he called out above the din of battle. ‘The future of Ardan will be decided this day. Ride with me now, fight with me now, and your place in it will be assured.’ A cheer went up from the men as they drew their swords, hefted spears and shields. ‘And a hundred gold pieces to whoever brings me Owain’s head.’ There was a louder cheer at that.

Then he was spurring his horse on, picking up speed as he looped out from the fringe of the battleground. There was an explosion of bodies; his horse reared as he slashed from side to side, his sword hacking, cutting, breaking bones, denting helms, great fountains of blood spraying in his wake. His warriors crashed into the battle behind him, spreading like the cutting edges of an arrowhead. He burst clear into the open. The battle was raging. The marshes to the west stopped the combatants spreading that way, and Evnis was on the east side, a wide stretch of open valley. Owain’s warriors were using their great numbers here to curve around the edges of Rhin’s warband, flanking them. Evnis had seen Owain use the same tactic at Dun Carreg. If Owain’s men were allowed to continue with this strategy again the battle would soon be over.

‘With me,’ Evnis yelled and kicked his horse on. This time he and his warriors raked the edges of Owain’s men, striking fast, killing and then veering away before they could be ensnared in the crush of bodies. They did this time and time again, defending Rhin’s flank.

Then there was a thundering in his ears, overwhelming the din of battle. Riders were pouring down the slope, charging straight at him and his shieldmen. He recognized the man at their fore.

Owain.

Desperately he dragged on his horse’s reins, ordering his men to pull clear or Owain and his warriors would catch them in the flank. Snarling, Evnis realized he was not going to pull free in time. He hefted his shield and screamed his frustration. Then Owain’s horsemen were crashing into his shieldmen.

Horses neighed and screamed, warriors yelled, swords clanged, a multitude of impacts set Evnis’ ears ringing. He felt fear churning in his gut, slithering like a restless snake, slowing his limbs, as if he were moving through water.

I will not die here, not now. See it through, see it through, see it through.

Something whispered, in his ear or in his mind, he could not tell. You are mine, and I have work for you to do. Kill Owain. He felt the fear drain away, his limbs loosen, and he gritted his teeth, raised his sword and spurred his mount at Owain.

Many of his shieldmen were down, horses spitted on spears, caught by Owain’s charge. But others were rallying, Rafe’s face appearing amongst them, following Evnis as he struck at Owain’s men. He crushed a skull with an overhand blow, backhanded another across the face, stabbed another in the armpit, turned a blade on his shield, punched the wielder with the hilt of his sword, teeth spraying. Then he could see Owain, sitting tall in his saddle, hacking at one of Evnis’ shieldmen.

Owain’s sword chopped into the warrior, almost severing the man’s head. Evnis watched as Owain pulled his sword free, looked about, eyes searching. Then they saw him and narrowed to slits. ‘Traitor!’ Owain yelled and kicked his horse on.

There was a great noise from the hill behind them, a frantic blowing of horns from the ridge. Men were milling at the hill’s crest, turning to stare at something hidden by a dip in the land. A cloud of dust hovered in the distance.

Evnis smiled. Rhin’s second surprise.