Hardly had he given the order when the attack came. First the blood-curdling war cries ringing in the crisp morning air, yeeeeee-ahhhhh yeeeeee-ahhhhhhhh-and then they came swarming from concealment. For a moment Blade felt panic and thought he had been ambushed, then saw how few they were. Less than a hundred. Most of them old, some crippled, a motley guard left as a matter of routine. Bloodax had expected no attack here. He had not guessed at the sunken pontoon.
So Blade first saw the mettle of his enemy. They came on and on, yelling and hurling spears and stones-he did not see an archer-and as they were cut down and the corpses piled up, the Hitts behind climbed the piles and still came to death with defiant screams. Blade and Thane stood aside and let the troop of cavalry handle it. Pity and admiration stirred in Blade. He had never seen the like of these men. He gazed at Thane in wonderment. «They do not know the meaning of fear.»
Thane laughed deep in his throat. «I had not told you, Blade, but the word is unknown to them. This I mean in a literal sense-there is no word for fear in Hitt. Nor any for coward. That is because they are stupid barbarians and-«
«Another time.» Blade pulled his horse around. «Now we must hurry. You remain and see the troops safely ashore. I will take the second and third groups of cavalry and ride back into the hills. March after me as soon as you have formed the men. Make haste, Thane, for it is my thought that Ogier is having a hot time of it. He will be watching for our signals with impatience.»
Thane rode back to the pontoon head. Already a thousand foot were ashore and forming on the sands. Blade rode out through a narrow ravine and into a lush meadow that sloped gently upward. Behind him came his second and third cavalry units. He found the first group deployed as pickets near the upper meadow. Blade put his charger to the gallop and sought out the Captain of horse.
«What sign of Hitts, man?»
The Captain of horse, a young fellow wearing the blue and yellow of his service, did not salute. Such was Blade's order, for he did not want his officers marked by the enemy.
«No sign, Prince.» So was Blade called by the lower ranks. «We have made a fool of Bloodax,» the officer went on. «But for those few back there, now slain, there is no smell of a Hitt. My men are anxious to ride, sir. Have I the order?»
«When I give it you will have it,» Blade said sternly. «And be careful that Bloodax does not make a fool of you. Now, when the second and third cavalry have formed with you we will ride. In echelon, so.»
Blade dismounted and scratched a pattern on the ground with his sword point. «You will ride the point,» he instructed, «and I will come along in command of third group. Second group will be to your left and a quarter-mile behind as I will be on your right. Mind you grasp this well. I have no mind to ride into an ambush.»
The young officer was somewhat chastened. «Aye, sir. The Hitts are very good at ambush.» Then he cocked an ear and grinned at Blade. «But by the battle sounds Bloodax will have no men to spare for ambush.»
«I will worry about Bloodax when I come to him,» said Blade. «Now go. Ride off. You will go a mile deep, no more, and seek for trees to screen us. When you make your turn to the west, signal with a flag. Keep always screened by forest if you can-for our purpose is to come in behind the main body of the Hitts on the cliff meadows. If you encounter Hitts, any Hitts, they must be taken prisoner or killed. None must be allowed to escape and warn Bloodax that we are behind him. This is understood?»
«What of women and children, Prince?»
«Take them prisoner if you can-if not, they must be killed.» That decision came hard, but there was no alternative.
When the first cavalry group had ridden off, Blade gave like orders to the leaders of second and third horse. Blade placed himself at the head of third group and they moved out. Still no sign of Hitts.
A courier found Blade when they had gone half a mile inland.
«The Captain Thane says that all foot soldiers are ashore, sir, and are formed and beginning the march. I am ordered to remain with you to carry messages if need be.»
Blade looked to the rear. The van of the foot had just come into sight, a glittering column of spears glinting in the first rays of the sun. Even at the distance Blade could make out the bronze mirror of Thane's horned helmet.
The courier was little more than a boy. Blade eyed him. «How are you called, son?»
«Marko, sir.»
Blade smiled and patted his arm. «Then ride with me, Marko. And let us hope I find no use for you-for that would mean plans gone astray and trouble.»
Thane knew what to do. He and Blade had fought and mapped the campaign a dozen times this last week.
For half an hour they rode inland. The battle din faded as they found heavy stands of trees and disappeared into them. Blade was watching the sun anxiously now for he dare not let Ogier bear the brunt too long. That Captain was wasting men, lavishing blood on a beach that could hardly be taken as Bloodax fed reserves down the defiles from the cliff meadows above. That was the essence of Blade's plan-that Ogier engage Bloodax hot and heavy, keep him pinned down, make him feed a constant flow of fresh troops to the beach whilst Blade moved in behind. So far it was working, but time and fatigue were factors. Ogier had second and third-rate troops. and how long they would fight was a guess.
Marko broke into Blade's thoughts. «There is a signal, sir.»
Blade rose in his stirrups and peered ahead. A scarlet banner was waving far ahead, hardly more than a dot of color at that distance. Then a heliograph began to flash, catching the sun and glittering. Blade swore beneath his breath. If Bloodax had scouts this far back they would see those flashes.
«Read me that,» he commanded Marko.
Marko stood on his saddle and deciphered the mirror flashes.
«The first horse unit turns west now, sire. No Hitts have been seen. They have found a village, deserted even of fowl and cattle. The officer deems that two miles will put him squarely behind the Hitt line of battle. He awaits orders or response.»
«Send him this-you have a mirror?»
Marko drew a small mirror from his blouse.
«He is to make his turn south after two miles west. He will remain out of sight, using trees and hills for screening. When his forward scouts come into view of the Hitt rear, he is to halt and draw back a quarter-mile and wait until I come up. Be sure he understands and acknowledges.»
The boy rode better into the sun and flashed his mirror for a time. They waited. Answering flashes came.
Marko rode back to Blade. «He understands and proceeds.»
«Good. Now, Marko, you ride back to the Captain Thane and tell him what I told the first horse group. The same message, but that I will await his coming just as the first horse awaits me. His men are to triple-time. Tell him he is to whip them to it if need be. Go.»
Marko went galloping off and Blade rode back to the head of his column. They cantered on. Soon they were passing through the village. Blade gave it a brief study as they rode through: streets laid out in neat rectangles, houses of wood and wattle, some mud-daubed, all painted in bright color. Windows and doors were open and there was a smell of cooking in the air, but nothing live moved. Blade grimaced. He had been told aright-when the Hitts fought it was a total effort.