Death of the Dragon - Ed Greenwood [98]
Alusair and Azoun nodded in grim unison. "No," they agreed. The king did not pause, but added, "Sir Messenger, rest your horse. We shall tarry here for a time, while the Princess Alusair essays an attack, planned yestereve, on those who harry us."
The Steel Princess turned her head, jaw dropping in astonishment. As her eyes met those of the king, her father winked and said simply, "Do it."
Alusair clapped her hand to her shoulder in a smart salute, spurred her horse away, and shouted back, "Redhorn's riders carry the best wine, Bayruce. Mind you get to it before His Majesty, if you want any!"
* * * * *
"This dragondew is good," Azoun agreed, wiping his mouth. "How did I sire such a daughter?"
"Do you desire me to say innocently, 'In the usual way, Your Majesty'?" Bayruce asked the sky smoothly.
Azoun gave him a chuckle and turned his head back to the battle. Alusair had done just as he would have. Two arms of men were flung out like the arms of a crab, behind hills, bills and spears to the front and archers behind, to fire when their fellows were forced to retreat. Alusair had placed herself with the largest, strongest men in the center, to take a stand against the main company of goblins while the two hidden arms reached around to strike.
A brief struggle, then horns would sound the retreat and they'd flee south again, probably to the Starwater, and make a stand there. Giogi would just have to lose a year's grapes and the good wine that came from them.
The goblins came over a rise and roared with excited fury when they saw their foes standing ready for them. They lumbered into a charge without a one of them looking up or to either side. Yes, goblins loved to fight. "Glath!" they called. "Glaaath!"
"Blood!" that was, in Common. Azoun smiled thinly. Let it be goblin blood. The goblins struck the line where his daughter was standing with a crash that made him wince, and he and the messenger watched intently as the charge drove Purple Dragons helplessly back. Those long hacking swords were busy now.
Alusair's hair was streaming about her shoulders. "Gods above, girl, they don't care how beautiful you look!" Azoun roared, standing up in his stirrups. "Put your damned helm back on!"
Alusair never turned her head, but both men thought that her long warsword thrust up at them in a rather rude gesture. Archers were lying on their bellies behind the fray, firing arrows point-blank up at any goblin they could get a clear shot at. At such close range, the shafts were tearing clear through screaming goblin bodies or plucking their victims up into the air and hurling them well back among their fellows.
They saw Alusair step forward to face a goblin who stood half a head taller than all the rest and saw her shudder and stagger under the shock of their blades meeting. Sparks flew around her as the Steel Princess struck back, their blades meeting again. She threw herself onto her back, hauling hard on their locked swords and driving a boot into the goblin's belly. He hurtled over her to crash helplessly on his face and die under the daggers of half a dozen enthusiastic archers.
"Well, now," Bayruce said in soft admiration. "Well, now…"
Alusair was up again, hand dipping to her belt. A moment later, the clear horn call went up, and the Cormyreans fell back. Both of the pincer-arms came into view over the rise as they rushed to take the last few goblins from behind, their bills dipping in deadly unison.
"Well hammered," Azoun agreed in satisfaction. "We can't afford to lose many men, so she's nursing them like a mother. A born battlemaster!"
With one accord, the king and his messenger reached for more dragondew. The wineskin was almost empty.
* * * * *
"There are more orcs than you can count two or three hills back, but that's most of the goblins," Alusair said