Chapter 18

Darkness was all around the boat as it crept across water like black marble. The darkness hid all but one of the thirty-five boats that followed in the wake of Blade's.

Eight hundred warriors of the Kargoi were approaching the far shore of the water. In another few minutes they should be landing safely, if their luck held. So far it had held for more than three hours. No sign of the Menel, no sign of an alert and waiting enemy, no sign of anything alive in the darkness and the water except themselves. Surely that luck could hold for at least a few more minutes.

Blade carefully shifted in the cramped bow of the boat and looked aft. The paddles rose and fell steadily, with only a gentle pluk as they dipped and the faint plank of falling drops as they rose. He could see the boat immediately astern, and if he looked hard enough, the faintest hint of the one behind that.

When the warriors landed, they would make camp until dawn. Then four columns of a hundred men each would go out to explore the countryside, capture or kill any small bands of enemies, and report any large ones. The rest of the landing party would start chopping down trees and digging ditches to make a large fortified enclosure. One boat would return across the water, bringing word to the waiting Kargoi. As soon as the enclosure was finished, the wagons and the rafts would start their crossing. Another week would see the Kargoi united once again.

In the silence and the darkness the sudden splash of a paddle off to the left sounded like an explosion. Blade twisted again, peering in the direction of the sound. The splash came again, closer, and a third time, still closer.

Before Blade could even draw his sword a long low canoe with four men in it seemed to leap at him out of the darkness.

Blade crouched, bracing himself with one hand while he snatched up a spear with the other. One of the men in the canoe whirled, dropping his paddle and raising a long fishing trident. Both Blade and the fisherman made their throws at the same moment. Blade ducked and the trident passed over his head, without spoiling his own aim. His spear took the man in the shoulder. He fell back on the man behind him, his face twisted in pain but not crying out.

In the next moment Blade's boat rode up over the low-lying canoe, driving it down into the water. The tough wood of the canoe pressed upward against the hide of the boat. Blade heard seams parting and felt water rushing in around his feet. He drew his sword and vaulted over the bow into the half-submerged canoe. One of the fishermen lunged at him with a short knife, missed, then grappled with him and tried to bear him over the side. The man fought in total silence and with astonishing strength. At last Blade was able to bring his knee up into the man's groin. With a gasp the fisherman jerked back, giving Blade just enough room to bring his sword into play. The fisherman made no sound even when he died.

Meanwhile the other two men in the canoe were battling against two Kargoi warriors. One of them threw a net over one of his attackers while the other fell on the entangled man, stabbing at his throat with a knife. The steel bit home, and suddenly the battle wasn't silent any more. The stabbed warrior let out a bubbling scream of agony. His attacker fell on top of him with a faint thud, cut down by the second warrior. The last fisherman had no weapon but his net, yet he tried to pull it back for another throw as the Kargoi came at him. The net leaped out, the sword slashed down, and both men went over the side.

Splashes sounded behind Blade as the warriors in his boat jumped overboard. Blade was relieved to see that the water was no more than waist-deep. The men began pushing toward shore, holding their greased and blackened weapons over their heads.

On either side of the wading men other boats pushed forward, the men at the paddles no longer trying to be silent. Blade sprang overboard from the sinking canoe and splashed toward one of the passing boats. As he did, he heard the long, deep blasts of a horn sounding from the darkness ahead. A second horn answered it, then two more almost together.

Before Blade could climb into the boat, he saw lights appearing ahead. The alarm was up, and now the Kargoi were going to have to fight their way ashore. Blade scrambled into the boat and shouted, «Light up your torches and put your backs into it! Archers, hold your fire until I give the order!»

Torches flared as the boats shot ahead. Blade's boat joined the rush toward shore. They passed the wading men, splashing furiously toward a shore now less than a spear's throw away. Blade saw one man vanish as he stepped into a deep hole. Two of his comrades hauled him to the surface, spluttering and gasping for breath.

On the land several of the lights now formed a cluster. Blade could make out a number of dark-skinned figures standing in the light, holding bows and spears. A flurry of movement, and several more ran out from the trees. One held a long red staff. A closer look, and Blade realized that the staff bearer was a woman.

Then the boats were sliding up onto the mud and crunching over submerged roots. Blade dropped into knee-deep water, drew his longsword, and splashed toward dry land. As fast as the other boats grounded, their warriors followed him.

An arrow whistled past Blade and splashed into the water. Another struck him in the stomach but glanced off his reptile-hide armor. As the water grew shallower and the footing-more solid, he broke into a run.

Not all the arrows coming at the Kargoi were badly aimed or futile. Blade saw one man suddenly stagger and clutch a bloody thigh-then keep on going, stumbling, his face twisted in pain, but still on his feet. As the Kargoi started reaching the land, several of the fishermen began to form a circle around the woman. She didn't seem willing to be protected. Blade saw her whirl her long staff, jabbing at the stomach of one man, the knee of another. They fell back. Before they could recover, Blade charged them at a dead run.

As he ran he shouted «Prisoners! Prisoners!» He doubted that many of his warriors would hear or obey, but hopefully enough would to leave at least a few of the enemy alive. He particularly wanted the woman-she looked like the highest-ranking person among the enemy here tonight. She would be a valuable hostage, perhaps a valuable source of information.

Two of the fishermen stepped toward Blade as he approached the woman. One of them shot an arrow that whistled past his ear, then gripped his bow like a club and swung wildly at the oncoming Blade. Blade threw up one arm, taking the blow on his wrist brace, then chopped downward with his shortsword to hack the bow in two. The man dropped the broken halves, but instead of stepping back, he dropped on all fours and hurled himself at Blade.

Blade sprang clear of the man's lunge, but had to check his slash at the other man, who was coming at him with a spear. The spear point drove into the armor of Blade's thigh and almost into his flesh. Before the man could pull back Blade swung his longsword a second time. This time the edge cut cleanly through the spear shaft and one of the arms holding it. The man bared his teeth with a hiss of pain and drew back.

Now the woman came in, gripping her staff with obvious skill, feinting at Blade with one end, then swinging with all her strength at his head. As she swung, the archer grabbed Blade around the waist, clawing at his armor, heaving with all his strength. Blade went over backward, and the woman's staff whistled down where his head had been to thud into the ground.

The woman raised the staff again, but hesitated for a moment, obviously afraid of hitting the archer as he struggled with Blade. Two Kargoi rushed in against the woman and she had to back away, her staff flickering like lightning, thudding against the Kargoi armor, doing no damage but keeping the warriors out of striking range.