Warriors Of Latan

Chapter 27

Blade awoke with the worst headache he'd had since they stopped using the old booth with the electrodes for the transition into Dimension X. He felt as if several gorillas had been pounding on his skull with sledgehammers.

Headache or no headache, he had to know how the battle was going; or at least if he and Cheeky were in danger themselves. He opened his eyes, which was a mistake, then tried to sit up, which was an even bigger one. With some difficulty, he managed not to groan.

However, his movements attracted attention. He heard a familiar yeeeep, and something small and feathery hopped onto his lap. Then his pain-blurred vision made out Eye of Crystal standing over him. It even made out the agony of fear on her face. She had to be reassured.

«I'm alive and-ouch-I think I'll be all right in a bit.»

«Don't try too hard, Blade. The Rutari are beaten, so there is no need for you to do anything. Lie down again and I will bring you water.»

Blade drank half the waterskin Crystal gave him in a few gulps, and that took care of most of the pain in his head. By the time the waterskin was empty, he could sit up and look around without wincing.

Crystal was right. The Rutari were scattered all up and down the valley. They seemed to be more concerned with keeping clear of their own shpugas or getting away entirely than with fighting anybody. A few of the Uchendi cavalry were already on hand, discouraging the few bold spirits from trying to make any sort of a stand. Sometimes they had to rein in while archers took care of a shpuga or two, but that never took long.

Whatever happened to the warriors of the Rutari, this was the last stand for the shpugas. The hairy monsters would never decide a battle in this Dimension again.

Downhill from Blade and Crystal, the bodies of both men and shpugas seemed to be lying more thickly than elsewhere. Blade looked harder, saw blood around many of them, then looked at Crystal. She looked down at the Idol, blushing and unable to meet his eyes.

«All right, Crystal. I heard the Idol speak. What did you do?»

«I pointed it at the Wise-at Ellspa-like you taught me. She was trying to keep me from using any weapons to save you. She did not think of the Idol as a weapon, so I could use it. The Idol spoke, but it did not silence Ellspa at first. You were going to her, to the shpugas.»

(«Yes,» said Cheeky. «Master Blade, you were not the way you should be. So I made you fall. The Mistress Crystal hit you with the Idol so you did not get up.»)

Blade felt his head. Yes, there was a lump there now, about the right size to have been made by the butt of the UZI. «And then what happened?» he said dryly.

«The Idol would not speak,» said Crystal. «So I put my mind into it, and it did not fight me. I made move the things that were supposed to move, and it spoke again. When it stopped speaking this time, Ellspa was dead. The other Rutari who saw what happened to her were running away.»

No wonder, Blade realized. With the Idol itself passing a judgment on their shaman, the Rutari must have thought they were fighting against the gods themselves. And what Crystal had done with her mind… The Idol must have malfunctioned, and Crystal made the parts work again.

«You say you made the parts of the Idol move again? Just like you made that last ball move, in the Great Game of nor?»

Crystal blushed even harder and could only nod. Blade grinned.

«I've suspected it was you for some time. I suppose you know you did me a good turn there. Without Winter Owl on our side-«

(«Master, the Master Winter Owl is coming. If you do not want him to know this, do not talk about it anymore.»)

(«Thank you, Cheeky.»)

The warning was just in time. Winter Owl came leaping up the hill, covered with blood and dust but smiling and as cheerful as a boy. «I have a message from Friend of Lions,» he said. «He brings the riders up the valley to finish the work. He says Blade and the archers should not have all the day's glory.»

«We won't fight him over his share,» said Blade. He stood up and found that his head behaved itself now. Telepathic duels apparently did no permanent injury. But why had he been so weak against Ellspa's attack when he'd fought off the much stronger Guardian successfully? Was Ellspa stronger than the Guardian? Or maybe his memories of Zoe would always leave him vulnerable.

That was something to think about, but later. Right now, he had a battle to finish, as long as Teindo might still be alive. He whistled Cheeky up onto one shoulder, slung his bow on the other, and led the way downhill.

The battle faded away rapidly after the mounted Uchendi arrived. The mounted Rutari were no match for the plainsmen, and Blade wasn't surprised at this after he found Teindo's body.

Somehow, with three bullets from the UZI in her body, Ellspa had been able to keep on her feet for a while. Dying, she'd reached Teindo before her strength finally failed her. He would not leave her, even when a dying shpuga attacked. He died where he stood, and now man, woman, and beast lay almost on top of each other. Their blood made a wide pool around them, and flies were already beginning to gather. Blade noticed that even Winter Owl did not care to look at the sight very long.

Good. Maybe the Uchendi won't try to exterminate the Rutari after all. And when I take the Idol with me, maybe these people will stop worshiping weapons-magic. Perhaps the idea that there's such a thing as too much killing is about to take root in Latan.

In the face of the Uchendi riders the Rutari either ran or died. Most of them did both. By nightfall the Uchendi were back in Red Stones village. Only a few huts were still habitable, but Blade and Crystal were given one of them.

They lit a fire on the hearth and sat down, too tired to even take off their Guardian regalia. In one corner they piled Ellspa's equipment, which they'd found in the saddlebags of her straying ezinti. Shpuga-repellant, staff, aphrodisiacs, enough kerush seed to put a whole tribe into kerush-magor-Ellspa had come well-equipped.

It hadn't done her any good.

Blade leaned back against the wall, realizing how much of the day he'd spent running on sheer willpower. Having that vulnerable spot called «Zoe» reached had taken something out of him that a normal battle didn't. The mere fact of that vulnerability didn't bother him. Indeed, it taught him more about himself and telepathy. That did no harm.

The only problem was-what else might be lurking inside him, ready or at least able to be reached telepathically? «Know yourself» was always a good idea; if you were working with telepathy, it might be a life-or-death matter.

Well, tonight was no time for life-or-death matters. Rather, it was time for living-and for one particular kind of living. Blade reached out an arm for Crystal, and she snuggled into its curve.

She felt so warm and comfortable against Blade that it was a moment before he noticed his head throbbing. Then he sat up, pushing her violently aside.

«Blade, what-?» She sounded concerned rather than angry or frightened.

«Another attack-English magic kind of attack,» he said. The pain was mounting and the words came out only with difficulty. He shifted to telepathy.

(«Cheeky. We go Home. Get some kerush seeds and come to me. «)

(«Home?» came Cheeky's questioning reply.) But he was already digging in Ellspa's gear. He radiated joy as he found a pouch of seeds, then leaped toward Blade. Blade caught him in his arms and then grabbed the Idol.

(«Blade?» cried Crystal. «I don't think this is an attack. You aren't afraid. You're going back to England, with Cheeky?»)

Blade couldn't manage a word now even in his mind, but he tried to give her an affirmative. Then the pain ebbed just enough to let him give a clearer message.

(«Yes. It is a friend doing the magic, not an enemy as I thought. Stay away from me, Crystal. You might be caught in the magic. Stay here, be happy.»)

(«I will, I will.») She wanted to cry but was fighting it back.

(«Good girl. «)

She will do damned well as the first female Guardian of the Uchendi, was Blade's last thought in the Dimension of the warriors of Latan.