Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...
Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...
Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...
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Generated <strong>by</strong> ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html<br />
They were headed not <strong>by</strong> Peyepallo, the Hyerne high comm<strong>and</strong>er, but her second.Who still outranks<br />
me , Shkai'ra thought. But as the Hyerne arrived, giving Hot-blood a wary glance, she said in<br />
pidgin-Enchian, "Makalina say you in comm<strong>and</strong> until main body comes up."<br />
So, so. The smell of another promotion was in the air; somebody had noticed her sucker-punching that<br />
battalion of Arkan horse last week. Partly luck, but it always was, <strong>and</strong> she'd done something similar back<br />
in Senlaw, across the Lannic.<br />
The Hyerne deployed to the left of Shkai'ra's cavalry, black <strong>and</strong> white plumes fluttering in the gusting<br />
breeze. Sova pulled up on her other side <strong>and</strong> saluted. The Yeoli boy was about seventeen… yes, it was<br />
the one the girl was bouncing the bedroll with.Can't pronounce the name. Can't fault her taste, either<br />
. "A regiment of Schvait, two springalds, three companies of Lakans, <strong>and</strong>rigaryekrachaseye Makalina<br />
Shae-Sorel are on the way,knyd-hird ," Sova said.<br />
"Good," Shkai'ra replied. To the Hyerne: "The woods. I figure the skirmishers'll come out to meet you,<br />
since they don't want you taking the phalanx in the side. There's Arkan cavalry up on those hills; if they<br />
move down, we'll give three trumpet calls. You retreat sharpish, we'll h<strong>and</strong>le them."<br />
The Hyeme nodded <strong>and</strong> repeated back the orders to acknowledge. She had a jewelled Imperial<br />
longsword across her back, <strong>and</strong> a hastily repainted steel helmet that had obviously once protected some<br />
Aitzas .<br />
"Sova, <strong>and</strong> you-with-the-unpronounceable-name-that-sounds-like-a-sneeze," Shkai'ra said, "stay here<br />
<strong>by</strong> the st<strong>and</strong>ard. If we engage, keep in the second rank. Andlisten for the comm<strong>and</strong>s, Sova: I'm<br />
expectingyou to set an example."<br />
The Hyerne ran ahead into position beside her st<strong>and</strong>ard, a dolphin leaping over a staff, <strong>and</strong> gave a long<br />
shrill cry. Her troops sprang up head-high from their crouch, howling in answer, slamming spears against<br />
shields three timeswhamp-whamp-whamp . The thundercracks echoed across the fields towards the<br />
wood, <strong>and</strong> before the sound of the last died the Hyerne were charging at a bounding run through the<br />
waist-high wheat, plumes nodding, whetted spearheads glinting, cocked back over their right shoulders.<br />
Their shrieking war-cry was like files on metal, endless.<br />
Scarlet <strong>and</strong> steel glinted along the edge of the woods as the Arkan skirmishers came forward to the edge<br />
of the undergrowth at the foot of the trees. The Hyerne infantry comm<strong>and</strong>er barked; the run of the first<br />
line changed to a sideways crab-step. Another shout: heavy javelins flew. Barbed Arkan darts answered,<br />
flying on a higher arch. The second line of Hyerne ran through the first, threw; the third did likewise, <strong>and</strong><br />
the first were ready again. The next flight of Arkan spears was ragged, <strong>and</strong> men in scarlet tunics burst out<br />
of the brush to engage h<strong>and</strong>-to-h<strong>and</strong>.<br />
"Stupid," Shkai'ra said, as their charging line staggered under a hail of spears. She h<strong>and</strong>ed Sova the<br />
binoculars. "See: the Hyeme had less shelter, but all their ranks could throw. The towhairs couldn't take<br />
the iron. They should have fallen back, where the Hyeme had to come to them on their own ground. At a<br />
guess I'd say their comm<strong>and</strong>er couldn't bear to run away from women. Asshole."<br />
The Arkan light infantry had chainmail vests, small round shields faced with steel <strong>and</strong> double-edged<br />
short-swords; but the Hyerne were twice as numerous, <strong>and</strong> had a bounding agility the Imperials could not<br />
match. Through the glasses Sova saw an Arkan face spring out, teeth bared in a grin of tension as he<br />
backed before two black women whose spears licked out like the tongues of snakes, striking sparks<br />
from the surface of shield <strong>and</strong> sword… something flickered behind him, skin-brown <strong>and</strong> steel bright, his<br />
mouth <strong>and</strong> eyes popped open, stunned, <strong>and</strong> he was gone. For an instant all she could see were backs