The Eternal Champion

CHAPTER NINETEEN THE BATTLE DECIDED

Arjavh had mentioned the halflings? I had noticed no ghouls among his men. What were they, then? What kind of creatures could not be surrounded?

The halflings were only part of my problem. Fresh tactics had to be decided upon hurriedly or the day would be soon lost. Four of my marshals were desperately trying to get our ranks closed as I came up to them. The Eldren enclosed us where we had planned to enclose them and many groups of our warriors were cut off from the main force.

Above the noise of the battle I shouted to one of my marshals: 'What's the position? Why did we fail so quickly? We outnumber them…'

'It's hard to tell what the position is, Lord Erekose,' the marshal answered, 'or how we failed. One moment we had surrounded the Eldren and the next moment half their forces were surrounding us-they vanished and reappeared behind us! Even now we cannot tell which is material Eldren and which halfling.' The man who answered me was Count Maybeda, an experienced old warrior. His voice was ragged and he was very much shaken.

'What other qualities do these halfling possess?' I asked.

'They are solid enough when fighting, Lord Erekose, and they can be slain by ordinary weapons-but they can disappear at will and be wherever they wish on the field. It is impossible to plan tactics against such a foe.'

'In that case,' I decided, 'we had best keep our men together and fight a defensive action. I think we still outnumber the Eldren and their ghostly allies. Let them come to us!'

The morale of my warriors was low. They were disconcerted and were finding it difficult to face the possibility of defeat when victory had seemed so certain.

Through the milling men I saw the basilisk banner of the Eldren approaching us. Their cavalry came in swiftly with Prince Arjavh at their head.

Our forces came together again and once more I was doing battle with the Eldren leader.

He knew the power of my sword-knew that the touch of it could slay him if it fell on a break in his armour-but that deadly mace, wielded with the dexterity with which another would wield a sword, warded off every blow I aimed.

I fought him for half-an-hour until he showed signs of dazed weariness and my own muscles ached horribly.

And again our forces had been split! Again it was impossible to see how the battle went. For most of the time I was uncaring, oblivious to the events around me as I concentrated on breaking through Arjavh's splendid guard.

Then I saw Count Maybeda ride swiftly past me, his golden armour split, his face and arms bloody. In one red hand he carried the torn banner of Humanity and his eyes stared in fear from his wounded head.

'Flee Lord Erekose!' he screamed as he galloped past. 'Flee! The day is lost!'

I could not believe it, until the ragged remnants of my warriors began to stream past me in ignominious flight.

'Rally Humanity!' I called. 'Rally!' But they paid me no heed. Again Arjavh dropped his mace to his side.

'You are defeated,' he said.

Reluctantly I lowered my sword.

'You are a worthy foe, Prince Arjavh…'

'You are a worthy foe, Erekose. I remember our battle terms. Go in peace. Necranal will need you.'

I shook my head slowly and drew a heavy breath. 'Prepare to defend yourself, Prince Arjavh,' I said.

He shrugged, swiftly brought up the mace against the blow I aimed at him and brought it down suddenly upon my metal-gauntleted wrist. My whole arm went numb. I tried to cling to the sword, but my fingers would not respond. It dropped from my hand and hung by a thong from my wrist.

With a curse, I flung myself from my saddle straight at him, my good hand grasping at him, but he turned his horse aside and I fell, face forward, in the bloody mud of the field.

I attempted once to rise, failed and lost consciousness.