They sat down in the shade, and Cheeky crawled into Blade's lap. «What do we do now?» asked Crystal. She obviously had at least one suggestion.

«We wait.»

«Is that all?»

«You spend nine days out of ten in war waiting. You spend the other day being scared out of your wits. «

«You are without fear, Blade.»

«No. I'm not that big an idiot. I just don't listen to what fear tells me.»

The warning system was simple. The Rutari would be met today only if they came through one of the two passes around the Mountain of the Ice Cave. A handful of archers were hiding on top of a cliff that gave a good view of the entrance to both valleys. Stretching back from the cliff to Winter Owl's command post were other archers, placed at two-hundred yard intervals. Each had a red arrow and a green arrow. A red arrow meant the east valley, a green one the west valley. When the outpost sent word, each archer would shoot the appropriate arrow to the next man down the line. The message would get to Winter Owl and Blade within minutes.

This was Winter Owl's idea, and Blade was sincere in praising the chief for it. The Uchendi were clearly people ready to think for themselves if given a little push. Blade and recent events had been pushing rather hard.

It was a hot day and neither Blade nor Crystal had got much sleep the night before. Both had more important things to do, knowing it might be the last time they'd be together. Crystal was asleep and Blade was getting drowsy when they saw Winter Owl hurrying down the hill.

In his hand he held a red arrow.

«So it's the east valley,» he said. That was the wider of the two, and the whole floor of the valley would not be within bowshot. The archers might have to move into the open to kill all the shpugas, and if they did that many of them would surely be ridden down or speared. They would think it was a small price to pay for the life of their people.

«Very well,» said Blade, shaking Crystal awake. «Call in the outposts and messengers, and let's be on our way.»

The valley to the east of the mountains was so broad that Teindo stopped the advance for an hour to move the Rutari into a new form of marching. When they moved on, the Great Hunters and their leaders moved in one line close to the left side of the valley. The ezinti riders moved in a second line down the middle of the valley. A hundred paces separated the two lines.

«Do you fear an attack after all?» said Ellspa, reining in so close to Teindo that her bare leg pressed against his.

«Hardly. There are hiding places for no more than a score of men within spear-cast. If such a handful did come against us, we would suffer more from our own beasts than from them. Nothing can frighten a Great Hunter.» He felt like adding, «They are too stupid,» but that was not a lawful thought. «Ezintis, however, will take fright if surprised. The Great Hunters will do better work if they do not have frightened ezintis running about among them.»

«This is so,» said Ellspa. Teindo was relieved that she seemed to be not only in a good mood but willing to follow his lead in matters of war. Doubtless this mood would not last, but if it lasted long enough to get the Rutari through the valley and in among the Uchendi villages, that would be more than Teindo had ever won from her before. Perhaps his risking the anger of his wives by bedding Ellspa was going to be worth it after all.

Chapter 26

«They could not have done better for us if we had asked them ourselves,» murmured Crystal. The Rutari army was tramping along the valley toward the hillside, which was full of scrubby trees and little ravines that were biding the archers. The column of shpugas would be passing within easy bowshot even for the enthusiastic amateur bowmen of the Uchendi.

«One shot by each archer and all the shpugas will be doomed,» she said, grinning in savage triumph. «How could Teindo be so stupid?»

«Keep your voice down,» said Blade sharply. «Sound carries a long way around here.» Crystal looked sulky for a moment but was silent.

«As for Teindo,» Blade went on in a whisper, «I don't think he's being stupid at all. He's done what would be a good job of arranging his men and shpugas if we didn't have the bows.»

«That means he doesn't know about them.»

«True. But it doesn't mean that he won't put up a good fight when the battle starts.»

Crystal kissed him. «Well, so be it. I would rather be with you in my body, but if we are to be Spirits-«

Blade put a finger to his lips for complete silence. The first of the shpugas were passing below now. If the archers could resist the temptation to start shooting at their ancient foes at once, and wait until they could shower the whole line with their arrows…

Blade looked down the valley. A clump of small trees was his mark. When the lead shpuga passed that one, most of the line would be in range. With better archers he could have hit all the shpugas at once, but he had to do the best he could with what he had. It was likely enough that the shpuga-handlers would be too surprised to know what to do with the unhurt ones until it was too late.

A hundred yards to go. Seventy, fifty, forty, thirty-

One of the leading shpugas lifted its head and growled. Then it started looking from side to side, obviously suspicious of what it smelled but not sure what the smell meant.

Blade cursed under his breath. Either one of the shpugas was exceptionally keen-scented and alert, or some of the ambush party had crept too close to the valley floor. It didn't matter. If the attack was to be a surprise, it had to be launched now.

So Blade rose to his feet, nocking an arrow as he did. By the time he was on his feet, the bow was drawn. A moment later, his poisoned arrow was whistling downhill toward the shpuga that offered the best target.

Teindo saw the lead Great Hunter stop and appear to scent prey. Whatever was causing this, Teindo knew he had to find out for himself. The guides of the Great Hunters knew their beasts well-they had to or die-but not enough about other things of war.

He was riding toward the side of the valley when another Great Hunter howled, then a second, then two more. Teindo stared at them. Each one had a thin spear no longer than a man's arm sticking into its hide.

At least that was what his eyes told him. Everything else he knew about war told him that his eyes were lying. Such a small spear could never fly straight enough to hit anything at such a range, let alone drive through the hide of a Great Hunter.

He was looking around wildly when he saw the Uchendi warriors rising from behind bushes and stones on the side of the valley. They were far beyond spear-cast, but each of them held something that looked like a large spear. A moment later small spears showered down about the Great Hunters, hitting several more.

Teindo gathered his wits and reined in his mount. Now he could see that the «spears» the Uchendi warriors were holding were actually curved, and that these curved things hurled the small spears at the Great Hunters.

New spear-throwers. New magic-or perhaps English war craft?

In either case, Blade.

Teindo knew that Blade was behind this, but did not waste time looking for him. The Great Hunters were all howling and screaming now, the hurt ones making the unhurt ones uneasy. All the Great Hunters' cries were making the ezintis jittery.

Teindo tried to control his mount, watch the battlefield, and shout orders all at once. «Bring the Great Hunters back, back into the valley!» he bellowed. «Now! Quickly! Riders, gather to me!» The Great Hunters seemed more angry than hurt, but if the Uchendi charged now they might actually be able to kill some of the beasts with regular spears. No men on foot could charge against ezinti riders in good order, though, and-