Darksong Rising (49 page)

providing a circle of protection.

She sang the danger spell... but the only dangers that the shimmering glass showed were

Bertmynn’s armsmen and the handful of figures behind them. Why are they a danger? Yet if she

didn’t know more, sorcery would offer no answers.

Anna released the image quickly. The less energy she spent on looking, the better, but she also

didn’t want to ride into an ambush.

“Still those players,” Jecks said. “Have you a spell? Can you use an arrow spell?”

Does he think you’ve got endless spells memorized? Anna wanted to scream, but forced a long,

slow breath instead. “I’m thinking about it."

What could she use... something along the line of “Heads of arrows, shot into the air... strike

Bertmynn’s players there...?" She needed more, more time, more armsmen, more everything.

And just whose idea was this expedition?

Anna recased the lutar and fastened it behind her, but where she could reach it easily. Then she

looked back at Liende, past Jimbob and Kinor. “How are the players?”

“Ready for what calls,” Liende replied.

“Good.” Anna remounted. You just hope you are. Then she guided Farinelli down the narrow

road after the vanguard. Rickel and Lejun looked nervously from side to side, as did Jecks. Kinor

and even Jimbob were studying the road ahead.

Before long, Himar’s first scouts were far out of sight, and the second group more than a dek

ahead along the rutted and narrower south road that ran through what seemed to be potato fields.

At least Anna thought the low green almost vine-like plants were potatoes. They looked like

what Papaw had grown in the marshy lower field by the creek. Sometimes, it was hard to believe

that a girl raised in the hollers of the Appalachians had ended up as Regent of Defalk. If you

don’t concentrate on what’s ahead... and come up with a spell against Darksong, you won’t be

anything much longer.

Jecks had eased his mount beside Anna, and Hadrenn had dropped back to ride easily beside

Himar. Fragments of their conversation drifted back to Anna and Jecks.

"... travels light..."

“...she's a warrior, Lord Hadrenn... say Lord Barjim’s consort was like that... and Lady Essan

years before..

Anna smiled, even as she wondered how Himar had picked up the information on Essan and

Alasia.

“... women in Defalk... different..."

"... comes from the mist worlds. . . you’ll see... fine iron ‘neath that young face... seen what

being a sorceress is... glad to be an overcaptain."

Anna shut out the conversation, still working on some form of the arrow spell. “How about.. ."

she murmured to herself,

Heads of arrows, shot into the air, stnke Bertmynn’s players, straight through there, rend the

spells and those who play...

She needed a last line. Her eyebrows furrowed. Then she nodded. repeating the words and

cadences to herself as she rode. When she hoped she had them, she cleared her throat, deciding

she’d better start warming up, since she guessed the rest of the ride would take less than a glass,

and she needed to be ready. She began on the first vocalise, wondering if she’d waited too long.

“Holly-lolly-lolly-pop..." She had to stop and cough out mucus. Another day, when getting clear,

isn’t going to be that easy. "Mueee... mueee...”

Anna coughed again, but by the time they’d gone several hundred yards, she wasn’t cutting out

on every fourth syllable. But you’re not that clear...

Farinelli whuffed once and then again, as if to comment on the quality of her warm-up.

“I know...I sound like hell.” She patted the gelding absently, and to reassure him, not that he

needed reassurance as much as she did.

A scout rode out from where the road had turned eastward into the low trees, an orchard of some

type, Anna thought, although the fruit was green. Once he had cleared the orchard by a few

hundred yards, he reached the north-south part of the narrow road. From there he brought his

mount into a quick trot on the way back north, toward Himar and the main section of Anna’s and

Hadrenn’s forces.

Himar signaled for the column to halt, and the orders rippled back along the line of men and

horses that extended nearly a dek back toward the River Syne.

Anna edged Farinelli forward, and Jecks kept his mount beside her, until they reined up beside

Himar and Hadrenn. Despite the light breeze, Anna found herself blotting a damp forehead to

keep perspiration out of her eyes.

“Sers... Regent... they’re drawn up on the hills, to the east here…except we’ll be south of them

the way the road goes, and they’re just waiting.”

“Waiting? They don’t have any scouts out?”

‘They have some. They are but a dek or so out from the others.”

“Archers?” asked Jecks. “Or crossbows?”

“Didn’t see none, ser. Could be, but not up front or where we’d see ‘em."

“Were there any players tuning?” Jecks persisted.

“No, ser.”

“How far is it to the ridge that faces the enemy?” asked Himar

“Dek and a half... maybe two deks.”

The overcaptain nodded, then stood in his stirrups. “Four Defalkan companies to the fore! Green,

gold, purple, and orange!” Himar ordered. “Two more from Lord Hadrenn’s forces.”

“Norteun company! Fosternn company!” ordered Stepan.

Anna was glad that Skent’s cyan company hadn’t been called forth, but Himar was only being a

good commander, by not putting a green subofficer forward in his first true battle.

“Be ready to hold the hillside there, the front of the ridge, should the enemy attack before all our

forces are assembled,” declared Himar.

Anna turned. “Liende, have the players ready to dismount and play.” The words felt dry in her

mouth. “Once we get to the slope opposite the enemy.”

“Yes, Regent.”

The sorceress turned back to study the lane leading to the orchard, her eyes lighting on the fruit.

Something she didn’t recognize... were they greenages? Or just green plums? Or were they the

same? Back to vocalises.

"Mueeee... oueeee... oueeee” She coughed again, but by the time they resumed their ride and

passed the last of the plum trees—where the road ended—and started across the browning grass

on the eastern end of the long orchard, she’d stopped cutting out and could concentrate more on

warming up without worrying about choking.

“Be ready to dismount and play,” ordered Liende from behind.

“Remember,” Jecks ordered Jimbob and Kinor, “you are to remain with the guards to protect the

Regent. She is Defalk.”

“Yes, ser..."

“Yes, ser”

Anna continued to warm up even as she studied the ridgeline along which they rode eastward

toward a shallow depression too small to be a valley—a depression covered with browning

grasses bending slightly in the crisp fall breeze. Beyond the ridge they traveled and across the

expanse of golden brown grasses, the burgundy tunics of Bertmynn’s lancers and armsmen stood

out like fresh blood against the grass and the green of the trees behind the far hill on which those

lancers and arms-men were arrayed.

“Still, he waits,” said Jecks quietly.

“Somebody has to wait.” why... why are you so edgy?

The sound of mounts died away as Himar and Stepan finished arranging their companies on the

low ridgeline.

Anna estimated the distance—less than a third of a dek—a shade over three hundred yards, and

the air was almost still.

Her spells would carry that far. And the spells of his players, if they are players, will carry back,

too.

Her eyes rested on the burgundy tunics, and then on the purple tunics and those in green on her

side of the field. They’re going to die... some of them—many of them—if you’re successful. And

why? Because you don’t want to keep fighting and because Bertmynn wants power? Are you any

different? Anna pushed that thought away.

“Set up to play as close to the front here, as you can.” The sorceress swung out of the saddle and

handed the reins to Blaz, stepping forward onto a slight knoll that would give her a bit more

height.

Behind her, players scrambled out of their saddles, and into position, as they prepared

instruments and began to tune. Anna blinked in the noon sun, trying to take in Bertmynn’s forces

on the rolling rise while the familiar cacophony built, and then began to subside.

A slow drumbeat rolled across the space between the two forces... long and dull, and the tone

seemed to freeze the day for a moment.

“Drums!” Jecks’ voice hissed across the distance between them. “Not players... but drummers.

Battle drums!”

Anna frowned, worried as much by Jecks’ tone and the disgust and horror he conveyed as by the

low drumrolls. Can you adapt that spell to drums? Do you need to? How soon?

“You must spell against the drums,” Jecks insisted.

“We stand ready, Regent,” Liende called.

You can do only one thing at a time. Anna shook her head, pulled her thoughts away from the

slow rhythm of the drum-beats, and tried to make sense of the burgundy lancers and armsmen

moving down the opposite hillside and across the shallow depression—less than two hundred

yards east and perhaps three yards lower than the rise on which Anna and her players stood.

“Ah..." Why is it so hard to think?
 
“The flame song!”