Crusade - James Lowder [137]
Standing next to Razor John, the orc snorted as the pelting rain fell.
"Wizards make storm," he muttered. "Now armor wet and stinky."
A cheer went up in the Alliance's lines as they realized the War Wizards had foiled the barbarians' plan. A low, insistent rumble answered the cry, but some of the men dismissed it as a peal of thunder. Anyone who could see the Tuigan line knew otherwise.
The khahan had ordered his entire army forward. The terrible rumble crossing the field was the sound of their horses pounding the sodden ground.
*****
"Here they come!" Azoun shouted, and the signal went up to prepare for an assault. The king glanced at Vangerdahast.
"Are you ready?"
The wizard smiled wickedly, but Azoun could see a quiver shake his cheek.
The strain of casting the spell to make it rain had obviously worn down the aged Vangerdahast. "Ready as I'll ever be," he said.
All eyes turned to the Tuigan charge. The rain was slowing their mounts somewhat, especially those racing through the fields rather than up the Golden Way itself. The downpour had already loosened the topsoil enough that the horses kicked up clods of muddy earth with each step.
At fifty yards, Azoun spotted the khahan's banner. The nine yak-tails that hung from the pole were dripping with water, and the mud churned up by the charge had hidden their color. It was clear nevertheless that Yamun Khahan rode near the standard; it was the tallest and most prominent in the Tuigan line. As ordered, the western archers began to rain arrows down upon the Tuigan. On the right flank, the dwarves let fly a thousand crossbow bolts and quickly reloaded. Sheet after sheet of deadly missiles dropped upon the seventy thousand barbarians as they rushed forward. "Now, Vangy," Azoun said and pointed to the center of the enemy line.
Without hesitation, the wizard drew a pinch of diamond dust from a pouch at his belt. Spreading it in an arc over the ground, Vangerdahast uttered a brief incantation. "There," he said weakly. "The khahan is all yours." He staggered a few steps and added, "I'd best get back with the other War Wizards. I can do no more here."
Azoun couldn't take his eyes off the center of the Tuigan line. The horselords raised their curved swords high and shrieked a frightening war cry.
Even though he knew that at least some of the barbarians would be stopped by the holes dug across the battlefield, the king felt a shiver run up his spine.
If the Tuigan got through, it was clear they intended to take no prisoners.
The war cry trilled over the battlefield for a few seconds more, until with startling suddenness, the Tuigan line hit the traps. At first only a few horses stumbled, but that was all it took to cause havoc in many parts of the charge.
Because of the small front the western army presented, the horsewarriors were forced to ride much closer together than they normally did. Now, when one rider fell or one horse staggered, others quickly followed.
As the full bulk of the Tuigan charge hit the semicircle of holes, it became clear how effective the trap was going to be. Rider after rider urged his mount into the illusory terrain, only to have it drop one leg into a deep hole. The sickening sound of bones breaking filled the air before the horses started to shriek in pain and confusion. Soldiers tumbled out of saddles. A few were lucky enough to be tossed clear of the press, but most were not. The former were quickly cut down by the western archers, the latter crushed by falling horses or the troops charging behind them.
To Azoun, it looked as if an invisible wall had been thrown up to stop the enemy charge-a wall with one noticeable gap.
The riders at the center of the Tuigan line, those closest to Yamun Khahan and his standard, found the path to the western army strangely free of barricades. Their horses pounded over the muddy ground while others on either side of them were stopped by unseen forces.