I see that you have one sorcerer unhorsed. That will not do. The King Stallion neighed and another stallion left the ring of Hunnuli. The new horse came to stand in front of Sayyed. He stretched out his muzzle to gravely sniff the Turic.
This is Afer. He will be your mount for this confrontation, the King Stallion told Sayyed.
For once the young Turic was nonplussed. He was torn between delight and awe as he ran his hand down the big Hunnuli’s nose. Gingerly he mounted the stallion and settled down on the broad back.
Gabria nodded her thanks to the King Stallion before she turned to the two men. “Remember, Eurus and Afer are immune to magic,” she said rapidly. “Stay on them at all times. If you need protection, form a shield between you and the gorthling.” After a pause, she added, “Please try to use spells as little as possible. I will attack the gorthling, but I’ll need you two, distract him. We will try to wear him down until he is too weak to use his power.”
“What about the prisoners?” Sayyed asked.
“If we can cut the gorthling off from them and keep him occupied, maybe they’ll escape on their own. Perhaps the Hunnuli will help them.”
“Have you tried the mask yet?” Athlone wanted to know.
Gabria shook her head. “I still don’t know what to do with it.”
“Sorceress!” the gorthling suddenly yelled. “I see you brought some help,” He laughed maliciously, “These useless beasts will avail you not. Come. I grow tired of waiting. You or these mortals must die!”
Gabria curled her lip in a feral grimace. “We will find a way to destroy him.” She turned and called, “Lord Sha Umar, the Hunnuli will try to protect the people from any destructive magic, but please keep the warriors and priests away from the island. Will you also watch over Tam?”
“With pleasure, Lady Gabria,” the Jehanan answered, coming forward to stand beside the little girl. “The gods go with you.”
Gabria turned away so quickly she did not see the stricken look pass over Tam’s face. The sorceress signaled to Athlone and Sayyed, and the three magic-wielders rode down into the river. The gorthling laughed with glee as they came.
19
While the King Stallion rejoined his herd, Gabria, Athlone, and Sayyed separated and spread out so they could approach the island from different angles. Their mounts passed through the ting of Hunnuli horses and carefully waded toward the island. The five Hunnuli on shore held their positions and waited.
The gorthling, wary but confident, watched the riders come. There were three humans now. That was an interesting development. There was only supposed to be one magic-wielder in the clans. Curious, he formed an opening in his defense field and fired a blue bolt at the nearest man. He was amazed when the clansman formed a shield and deflected the energy harmlessly into the air. For just a second, the gorthling felt a twinge of fear. Then it passed, and he snarled. What was another magic-wielder or two? He would simply have to strike fast and kill them before they could wear down his strength with their greater numbers.
He glanced at the Hunnuli, too. They were another problem. He knew the five on the island were only waiting to break through his shield and chase him out into the open. No magic would stop them. What he needed was a spell to frighten the humans and a weapon untouched by magic to drive off the horses.
His eye lit on the tall, upright monoliths of the temple, and a cunning grin curled his mouth. He spoke the words of his spell, and once again his body glowed red and began to grow. Soon he towered over the temple and could straddle his hostages. His defense shield dissipated. With a great laugh, he tore a stone from the sacred ring and swung it like a club at the nearest horse. The animal barely dodged in time.
The King Stallion neighed to call his horses back. Magic was a weapon they could avoid, but the horses had no riders to defend them against stone clubs. The five Hunnuli reluctantly withdrew, leaving the magic-wielders and their mounts to their duty.
Before the three sorcerers reached the island shore, the battle was joined. The gorthling fired at Gabria and the two men with a rapid-fire assault of the Trymian Force and other destructive bolts of power. Fortunately for all three, the gorthling was using so much strength to maintain his tremendous size, his bolts of magic were not as powerful as before. The greatest danger lay in the gorthling’s stone club, which he swung at the riders whenever they got too close.
The riders quickly discovered another danger. The land around the temple was uneven and rough underfoot. Rocks, boulders, tough shrubs, vines, and small saplings covered the island and made movement on horseback difficult. The gorthling made full use of the uneven ground, forcing the Hunnuli to constantly maneuver over the stony island.
The gorthling himself did not try to move, for the little group of hostages was clinging together in a terrified huddle between his huge legs. They did not dare run, and neither the Hunnuli nor the magic-wielders could reach them as long as the beast stood over them.
It was not long before the gorthling noticed that only the sorceress was offering any real counterattack. She fired her own spells at him while the men only tried to distract him with awkward feints whenever possible. They were rank beginners, he realized gleefully. That noted, he began to concentrate his attack on Athlone and Sayyed, forcing Gabria to expend more and more of her energy to defend her companions.
As time went on, the battle grew more desperate. Gabria silently thanked the gods for the Hunnuli herd. She knew she and the two men would not have lasted so long against the gorthling if they’d had to defend the crowds. The horses stopped several bolts of magic, and their presence kept the gorthling penned on the island.
But even with the help of the Hunnuli, the struggle was telling upon the three humans. Athlone’s and Sayyed’s inexperience was beginning to show. Their shields were weakening, and several times the gorthling nearly knocked them from their horses. Gabria’s fear for them intensified.
Gabria, too, was tiring. She had faced the brunt of the gorthling’s attack, and she knew her strength would not last much longer. She pressed the gorthling harder with the Trymian Force, with fireballs, smoke, and flights of arrows. She tried everything she could think of, yet her magic had no effect. The gorthling’s size and greater strength helped him ward off her blows with ease. Gabria was running out of ideas.
Then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed.
Sayyed’s Hunnuli, Afer, was near the sacred ring when he abruptly slipped on a mossy stone and his front hoof slid down between a cluster of rocks. The stallion lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground. The snap of his foreleg was heard all over the island.
Sayyed was thrown over the stallion’s head into the rocks. The Turic lay dazed while his Hunnuli tried frantically to free his broken leg and defend his rider. The other Hunnuli neighed in strident, ringing calls, and Eurus and Nara sprang forward to help the fallen horse and rider.
The gorthling moved faster, grabbing the dazed Turic with one huge hand. Sayyed was bleeding heavily from a cut on his head and was too stunned to try to escape. Nara and Eurus started toward the giant in the stone circle.
The gorthling laughed, and his eyes glowed red. “Now,” he bellowed, brandishing his stone club with one hand and Sayyed’s struggling form in his other, “watch one of your own die.
To the watchers’ horror, Branth hoisted the young Turic over his head. Sayyed fought back weakly, his face working with fear when he saw the ground far below.
Across the river, Tam stood by the Hunnuli colt and Lord Sha Umar, watching the battle. She had not moved from the riverbank since Gabria had left, and she had ignored Sha Umar’s offer for food or drink. Her hand stayed on the colt’s neck and her eyes remained on the island.