three on mechanical animals. The disks were golden, an armspan wide, and those riding them seemed to have nothing to cling to, neither stirrups nor reins, though the hunters stood as easily as if on a flat rock. The barbarian’s analytical mind even assessed the flying beasts. They, too, were golden, set with jewels for eyes and decoration, the size of horses with wings as wide as a condor’s, two like dragons and one like a splay-tailed bird.
Yet unlike birds or dragons, the clockwork animals didn’t flap their wings. So the “dragons” were probably of the same material as the disks, and enchanted by the same means. And no doubt the leaders of the Hunt got the more gorgeous mounts and long lances, while the disk-foes were hired huntsmen or bodyguards with long cavalry flails and spears. That knowledge might come in handy, if he survived long enough to exploit it.
The four disk riders had split into pairs to flank the fleeing partyand so were already ahead and behind the barbarian and half-elf, for they moved like the wind. Oncoming were the three dragon riders. That suited Sunbright. He drew to his cheek, tracked the middle rider, and loosed. The speeding arrow missed as the Neth banked. He’d held his nock too long, signaled his target. Greenwillow, too, had shot, but Sunbright didn’t see the strike.
He reached for his last arrow, but was suddenly shoved aside hard enough to bank off a tree.
A crackle and a sizzle of lightning struck the branch just above his head. The wood split with a steamy explosion. Leaves were blasted to flinders. A dark streak marked the bark as the lightning sought ground. Sunbright blinked at the thought of that charge hitting his head, coursing down his body….
“Come!” shouted Greenwillow, who’d shoved him to safety.
The three dragons had flitted overhead. Sunbright saw their tails pointed at him, as stiff and straight as golden arrowheads. Far ahead, the hunters pursued Dorlas and the rest. “What was that?”
“Their rules allow only hand weapons and bows! And lances with minor magics: lightning and cold blast or fire. Anything else is unsporting, not the game.”
“Game? Killing the humans that support them? That makes no sense! It’s madness!”
“Aye, madness is a way of life for the Neth! They saw off the limbs that support them. Tell me how long their cruel culture will survive their cannibalizing themselves.”
They saved their breath for running, though they ran toward a trap. Ahead, amidst the trees where the land folded, jutted an outcrop of granite like a big house studded with scraggly cedar trees and some thick green vines. Hunted, the dwarf had steered instinctively for stone. Sunbright could just see the bodyguards’ heads amidst the jumble of rocks and leaves. Above, he saw the four huntsmen on disks whizzing around the outcrop like bees around a hive. Higher above, hovering, the three dragon riders had tilted up their masks to converse, no doubt planning a strategy.
If they’re that high, they can take damage from arrows, noted the warrior. And the faces behind the masks were human enough, even if Neth. Their armor was fantastically fluted and gilt, and painted in every color of the rainbow, so they looked like monstrous hummingbirds. The masks were horrific, wolves or lions or such, but no more frightening than the masks shamans wore in Sunbright’s tribe, and ones he himself might wear, if he lived so long.
He and Greenwillow paused for breath under the wide arms of an oak. Various plans rippled through their minds, and they both talked at once.
“Better to stay out here, strike from two sides. … No, they’ll close and we’ll need strength in numbers. … Hide until dark…. The dragons have some magic, can sniff us out… . Can’t fire the forest to keep them high, it’s too dry… . Only three arrows between us….”
But something else was bothering Sunbright, and now he discovered what. His hand against the tree touched fresh
Yet unlike birds or dragons, the clockwork animals didn’t flap their wings. So the “dragons” were probably of the same material as the disks, and enchanted by the same means. And no doubt the leaders of the Hunt got the more gorgeous mounts and long lances, while the disk-foes were hired huntsmen or bodyguards with long cavalry flails and spears. That knowledge might come in handy, if he survived long enough to exploit it.
The four disk riders had split into pairs to flank the fleeing partyand so were already ahead and behind the barbarian and half-elf, for they moved like the wind. Oncoming were the three dragon riders. That suited Sunbright. He drew to his cheek, tracked the middle rider, and loosed. The speeding arrow missed as the Neth banked. He’d held his nock too long, signaled his target. Greenwillow, too, had shot, but Sunbright didn’t see the strike.
He reached for his last arrow, but was suddenly shoved aside hard enough to bank off a tree.
A crackle and a sizzle of lightning struck the branch just above his head. The wood split with a steamy explosion. Leaves were blasted to flinders. A dark streak marked the bark as the lightning sought ground. Sunbright blinked at the thought of that charge hitting his head, coursing down his body….
“Come!” shouted Greenwillow, who’d shoved him to safety.
The three dragons had flitted overhead. Sunbright saw their tails pointed at him, as stiff and straight as golden arrowheads. Far ahead, the hunters pursued Dorlas and the rest. “What was that?”
“Their rules allow only hand weapons and bows! And lances with minor magics: lightning and cold blast or fire. Anything else is unsporting, not the game.”
“Game? Killing the humans that support them? That makes no sense! It’s madness!”
“Aye, madness is a way of life for the Neth! They saw off the limbs that support them. Tell me how long their cruel culture will survive their cannibalizing themselves.”
They saved their breath for running, though they ran toward a trap. Ahead, amidst the trees where the land folded, jutted an outcrop of granite like a big house studded with scraggly cedar trees and some thick green vines. Hunted, the dwarf had steered instinctively for stone. Sunbright could just see the bodyguards’ heads amidst the jumble of rocks and leaves. Above, he saw the four huntsmen on disks whizzing around the outcrop like bees around a hive. Higher above, hovering, the three dragon riders had tilted up their masks to converse, no doubt planning a strategy.
If they’re that high, they can take damage from arrows, noted the warrior. And the faces behind the masks were human enough, even if Neth. Their armor was fantastically fluted and gilt, and painted in every color of the rainbow, so they looked like monstrous hummingbirds. The masks were horrific, wolves or lions or such, but no more frightening than the masks shamans wore in Sunbright’s tribe, and ones he himself might wear, if he lived so long.
He and Greenwillow paused for breath under the wide arms of an oak. Various plans rippled through their minds, and they both talked at once.
“Better to stay out here, strike from two sides. … No, they’ll close and we’ll need strength in numbers. … Hide until dark…. The dragons have some magic, can sniff us out… . Can’t fire the forest to keep them high, it’s too dry… . Only three arrows between us….”
But something else was bothering Sunbright, and now he discovered what. His hand against the tree touched fresh
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