Bright Swords of Serena

Chapter 14

 Untold numbers were swept to the ground, dead. Luck or good training saved others. Horses reared out of the way, riders clung to their mounts' necks, as Hollander did—Gods! What's the range of those cursed things? And how long does it take them to reload? He spotted the one person who would almost certainly know, and drove Redwing over to her, heedless of the danger of running along the front of the lines. Fanning's big stallion was snorting, wild-eyed. Hollander caught his reins under the chin and shouted to Fanning over the sounds of human and equine terror, "How long before they can fire again?"

"Minutes," she yelled back. "And we're well within their range. I suggest we retreat."

Hollander looked about for General Ewens, but her body was lying headless on the ground, her horse lying screaming atop her with both forelegs shattered. Hollander jumped down, slit the animal's throat as a kindness, and seized Ewens's trumpet before remounting. He sounded the retreat behind them, twice, and heard the repeater trumpets going from echelon to echelon. Fanning seized the reins of Ewens's aide, who was in shock. She slapped the man's face, and he blinked.

"Go make sure that the other divisions are doing the same, damn you. See to it!"

The aide blinked again, recovered, said, "Yes, ma'am," and drove his heels into his horse's side, to disappear through the disordered lines to the top of the ridge where Prince Calvan was still waiting.

"That takes care of that," Fanning said. "We'd best be on our way."

"Yah," Hollander said, sounded the retreat again along the milling and confused front ranks, hung the trumpet from the pommel of his saddle and turned toward the ridge, side by side with Fanning, only moments after the cannons from Stanton Castle had blown chaos into the orderly formations of Calvan's army.

*******

At the top of the ridge they joined Calvan and Rosslyn, Clark and General Sangiers, and a moment later General Kanone with Devran and Dyott in tow. Ewens's aide stood to one side. Of them all, Fanning looked the worst.

"Highness. Those cannons."

"Not your fault, Count. They got ahead of us."

"I should have known. I should have known. It was the logical thing to do after arming the Maruja."

"You aren't responsible for it."

"But of all people..."

"You didn't do it," Calvan repeated. "It was logical and they did it and it's done, so let's move on. Count Rosslyn, will you please have a truce flag prepared? We're going home—our purposes have been served, although at far too great a cost. We'll need safety to bring in our wounded and time to gather our dead. They'll surely grant us that."

"Yes, Highness."

"Where is Count Viendi?"

"On his way up, limping, Your Highness," Clark said. "His horse threw him when it was hit by a cannonball."

"I'll go help him," Hollander said, starting for Redwing again. But Calvan caught his arm.

"You're not going down there."

"Someone has to, Your Highness."

"No, they don't. It's too dangerous."

"It's dangerous for him, too," Hollander said.

"You're not risking yourself," Calvan said. "I'm not risking you."

Hollander stared. The other were all dead silent.

"Come to me after the truce is accepted, Hollander."

Hollander swallowed. It was an order and not to be disobeyed. He saluted and turned his mind to other things. Devran said, "Speaking of danger, Your Highness, I think you should get down off this ridge. We don't know the range of those things."