The Soaring Statue

Начало книги

THE battle of Khye was decided by Semapova's charge. That young Tshimvian, scorning to obey his uncle's orders to slink in a wide detour to raid the Znaci baggage, led his tribe's light cavalry in a long uphill mass charge against the main array of the Znaci. The Znaci crossbowmen, standing four deep, piled their unarmored assailants in heaps, while the Znaci gunners, armed with weapons bought or stolen from the earthmen of Sveho, added to the confusion more by the noise of their weapons than by the accuracy of their fire.

Semapova reached the Znaci line alone, to fall with a Znaci pike through him and several crossbow-bolts sticking in his feathery pelt. The surviving Tshimvi riders fled. Soon thereafter Horko, the Znaci chief, rode up on his vaciza and tossed Semapova's head into the ranks of the Tshimvi.

The Tshimvi were at a disadvantage in trying to fight and move their entire tribe at the same time. Crafty old Zhewha (or more accurately Zhe3a, the numeral representing a whistle) had planned to hold off the Znaci by feints and raids until his noncombatants were safely through Khye Pass, but Semapova's folly ruined his plan.

Читать дальше →