“Us?” balked Niger. “You can’t be serious? How do you kill something that is already dead? We’ll be cut to pieces.”
“You separate their heads from their bodies,” answered Bakhai. “At least that is what we have been told.”
“Easier said than done,” scowled Niger.
“Well,” Rejji smiled fatalistically, “I guess the Sakovans are tougher fighters than Fakarans, or at least some Fakarans.”
The three Jiadin frowned, but Rejji continued speaking.
“Wyant,” ordered the Astor, “I want you to join up with Yltar and the free tribes. They are to hold in position until ordered to move.”
“As you wish,” nodded Wyant. “Will you be here if we need direction?”
“No,” the Astor shook his head. “I will be at the south end of the lake providing cover for the Sakovans so they can retreat with Emperor Marak.”
“You can’t be serious?” balked Niger. “You will surely die.”
“We might,” shrugged Bakhai as he rode forward and halted alongside his brother, “but we will have died in glorious battle, not sitting in the sun baking to death like old women.”
Harmagan laughed so hard that he doubled over in his saddle. Jaker and Niger looked at their leader with puzzlement.
“What is so funny?” asked Jaker.
“I think Rejji already knew that the Jiadin would ride with him into battle,” chuckled Harmagan, “but his little brother’s words left no chance of our refusal. You are a wily one, Bakhai.”
Bakhai blushed slightly and Rejji grinned broadly.
“Jiadin,” shouted Harmagan, “prepare for battle.”
Tens of thousands of red-scarfed warriors shouted battle cries and raised their swords high. The outcast horsemen formed ranks and prepared to charge into the midst of the mass of skeleton creatures.
“Scarab,” Harmagan said softly to the Khadoran spy, “you keep close to Rejji and his brother. Let nothing harm them. I am counting on you.”
“Thank you,” smiled Harmagan’s supposed little brother.
Harmagan nodded and smiled as he raised his sword high.
“Jiadin,” he bellowed, “Charge!”
The plains of Vandegar rumbled as over a hundred thousand hooves slammed into the dust. Harmagan took the point and led his people towards the lake. Great billows of dust rose skyward as the Jiadin swept towards the skeletons. If the skeleton creatures had been capable of knowing fear, they would have fled immediately. Instead they turned to meet the stampeding horde of Jiadin.
Harmagan kept part of his attention on the progress that the Sakovans were making. When he saw that they had reached the south shore of the lake, he altered course so that the Jiadin would bisect the mass of skeletons between the lake and the forest. The move threw the skeletons off stride. Those that were preparing to meet the Jiadin charge suddenly had no opponents to fight, and those who were bearing down on the Sakovans had to turn and fight a new threat. The tactic could not have worked better.
* * *
The Torak reached up and grasped Goral’s hand. The giant easily lifted the Emperor clear of the lake and set him down on the ground.
“StarWind,” ordered Lyra, “find Marak a choka.”
StarWind dashed away, and Lyra approached Marak and wrapped her arms around him.
“I thought you had died,” Lyra said softly.
“Impossible,” grinned Marak, “I have not had a chance to fight yet. How are we getting out of here?”
“We thought we weren’t,” replied King Avalar, “but you have more friends than anyone I know. Fakaran horsemen are charging into the skeletons between here and the forest to the south. I have archers trying to open a corridor from the forest northward. We will have to fight our way out, but at least we have a fighting chance now.”
“Then let us fight,” the Torak said loudly as he broke Lyra’s embrace and accepted a choka from StarWind.
Marak felt ten pounds heavier with his wet clothes, but the choka did not seem to mind. He urged the warbird through the center of the elven-bearing cheetahs and prepared to take the point of the return trip to the forest. Goral, HawkShadow, and StormSong edged in front of him.
“This is not a Khadoran mission,” grinned Goral. “We will ride point this trip. You get the leftovers.”
The Torak nodded good-naturedly, and Goral started the push forward. The Sakovans had no momentum as they had had on the dash to the lake, and getting started was rough. The column inched forward and casualties began to mount as Sakovan warriors fell to the ground and their chokas tried to continue fighting.
“Archers concentrate forward,” shouted King Avalar. “We need to pick up the pace.”
The elven archers instantly obeyed and hundreds of arrows streaked past Goral. By the third volley, Goral was able to get some speed out of his choka, and the column began moving at a decent pace. The elven archers continued to concentrate on the masses before the column at the expense of the flanks. This allowed the column to gain speed, but the flanks were being destroyed. Emperor Marak saw a hole in the flank and quickly moved to fill it. He drew the Sword of Torak and began slashing into the skeletons as quickly as he could.
Once the column was moving swiftly, the elven archers returned their attention to the flanks, and the Sakovan losses ended. Before they were a third of the way to the forest, Jiadin riders surrounded the entire column. Half way to the forest, two long lines of elven archers created a safe corridor for the column to pass through. The Jiadin enveloped the lines of elven archers allowing them to join the column and return to the forest. By the time they were three-fourths of the way to the forest, the skeletons gave up the chase. Everyone moved into the shade of the forest and began to take stock of their losses.
Lyra rushed over to Marak as soon as they were safely beneath the trees. She hugged him tightly and kissed him.
“You had me worried,” she said softly. “Don’t ever do that again.”
“I won’t,” promised Marak. “I doubt that Myka will ever let me ride her again. I was a hindrance to her fighting. Where is she?” he asked as he tried to peer through the canopy.
“She died,” Lyra said cautiously. “She went down with the third demon.”
Lyra could feel Marak’s body grow suddenly rigid. His expression turned cold with hatred, and he broke the embrace. Without a word, the Torak turned and marched out of the forest. Lyra ran after him, afraid that he was going to do something foolish, but she halted at the edge of the trees when she saw that he was not storming off. The Torak was on his knees with his head bowed to the soil. His fists were clenched in tight balls, and the Star of Sakova knew that what was dripping onto the parched soil was not water from the Torak’s clothes, but tears for his lost winged warrior.
Chapter 44
The Burial
The mood in the forest south of Lake Jabul was somber. Mages tended to the wounded, while unit leaders counted the number of fighters missing. The losses were great, especially among the Jiadin who had carved a wide path through the skeleton creatures. Warriors gathered in small clumps to discuss the fighting and tell of their narrow escapes from death, or to console those who had lost someone close. Lyra sat silently by the fire thinking of Marak, while StarWind, King Avalar, Princess Alastasia and Ukaro stood nearby discussing tactics. Harmagan, Jaker, and Niger approached the group to talk.
“You Jiadin did an excellent job out there,” complimented King Avalar. “I doubt we would have made it back to the forest without your help.”
“The fact that you were out of the forest speaks highly of your courage,” Harmagan returned the compliment. “How could the Jiadin not honor such devotion to the Torak?”
“Well spoken big brother,” smiled Scarab as he, Rejji, and Bakhai approached. “One would almost think you actually knew who the Torak was?”
“I do not understand what the term means,” Harmagan admitted sheepishly, “but I do understand this much about men. Any man that could garner such favor from so many people is an amazing man, and one worthy to be associated with. I know of him as Emperor Marak of Khadora, and what I heard of him causes awe and inspiration. Others speak of him as the Torak, as if he were a deity. Whatever he is called, I long to serve such a man.”