BlackThorn's Doom Page 0,70

immediately. Racing southward they reformed the line a mile away. Leaving behind over one hundred of their brethren dead.

The Morne ranks recovered quickly and they pressed forward the host arcing to the south facing the mounted warriors.

Connell watched them approach searching for a weakness. “Steel yourselves, arrows will greet us on our next charge.”

They allowed the Morne to close the distance to half a mile before driving once more into the advancing army. A rain of black arrows fell among them as they advanced and many men fell to the earth dead.

The Warriors once more slammed into the Morne ranks. Their lines fell apart and a massive melee ensued. Connell drove through the ranks of the Morne his sword reaping a bloody harvest. Behind him charged D’Yana both her swords cutting a deep swath through the warriors.

Connell fought his way out of the Morne and with a wave signaled his bugler to sound the retreat. The Horse lords whirled as one and drove out of the Morne leaving behind a field filled with the dead and dying.

The warriors raced southward less than five thousand strong. Connell was angry and dismayed. They had done damage to the enemy but not enough to warrant the loss of nearly one haft.

“The Morne give chase!” D’Yana shouted to him as they retreated. “Your plan is working Connell.”

Connell frowned knowing that they would have to face the foe again in order to slow them down. “I only hope we have men enough to buy Gaelan the time he needs.”

D’Yana could see the grief in his eyes. Every man who died weighed heavily on him; she knew it would take many years for the cost of this war to fade.

She gripped her reins tightly vowing to kill as many Morne as the Gods would allow before this was over.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Casius rode through a stretch of forest denuded of trees. Stumps and roughly hewn timbers littered the ground. Morne by the hundreds had worked here recently. In several places the broken hafts of their crude axes were visible.

They had constructed something here but as to what Casius could not begin to guess. The clues they left provided no suggestions to him.

The sky to the east was brightening, and soon the high walls of the mountains would cast their long shadow over him. The faint sounds of combat he had heard throughout the night had faded and an eerie silence now filled the wood.

The horse stumbled its sure-footed gait faltering as exhaustion set in. He had pushed the horse hard, now both of them were feeling the fatigue of covering so many miles with little if any rest.

The smell of burning wood drifted upon the wind. Through the trees ahead he could see the light of a great fire burning. He rode the horse out from the thin cover of the trees and up upon the crest of a low hill.

He sat motionless in the gloom watching as thousands of wains burned in the vale before the combs entrance. Most had already collapsed into flaming piles of timber laced with half metal bits of iron and glowing coals.

Across the burning fields he could see a lone figure on horseback watching him. The warrior’s armor shone dully and upon his head he wore a great winged helm. He knew that this was no Morne warrior watching him from across the fires.

Casius tore his eyes from the specter and looked on in shock at the destruction that had befallen the great keep. The magnificent structure was all but destroyed; the eternal keeps days had finally come to an end. Through the shattered walls flowed the army of Morne.

He turned his horse away and rode back the way he had come. He was in a dark mood and his back was stiff from too many hours in the saddle. He found a sheltered vale to the north and made camp his back leaning against a fallen tree.

He sat pondering his next step when a distant roar split the air. He knew that sound anywhere and it set his heart to beating. Sur’kar had another of the damned demons at his call.

He could think of no way to get through the entire Morne army, past Trolls and a Ma’ul to reach Sur’kar. Even with the sword of Thoron’Gil he knew it would be an impossible task.

As he brooded the sun rose and the shadow of the mountain grew long and stretched over him. His eyes grew heavy and he fell asleep.

He slowly