which you have heard,” said Axel, taking some liberties with the truth. “You are intruders, you are caught, trapped! A hundred bows are drawn, a hundred shafts set to the string. Cast down your weapons, free us, immediately, if you would live.”
At this point, the larl crouched at the edge of the camp. It was a gigantic creature. Even crouching its head was as high as that of a tall man.
The hair on the back of the neck of Tiomines began to bristle. His ears flattened back. He began to growl. “Steady, friend,” said Axel, as his hands were being freed.
I did see one or two men with the beast, behind it, in mariner’s caps. Too, I saw a helmet. That pleased me. In this situation it was better to know the spear than the sea.
The larl, as it was a bred beast, was larger than the usual wild larl to the south. It may have weighed as much as a dozen panthers, three forest bosk.
This sort of thing is common with bred animals, where the largest and the fiercest, and the most dangerous, may be bred, again and again, increment by increment, with the largest, the fiercest, and most dangerous. The same is true of domestic sleen. The wild sleen is agile and dangerous, but it is seldom a match for the bred sleen.
My hands were being freed.
Aeson freed us of the neck rope.
“My weapons!” I demanded.
They were hurried to me.
I saw Axel cinching his belt about his waist. He then accepted his hunting spear, handed to him by Genak.
“How did they find us?” asked Aeson.
“We summoned them,” I said, “yesterday evening. You, Genak, Axel, and I, with the whistle.”
“It made no sound,” said Aeson.
“None we could hear,” I said, “but one easily detected by many animals, by the panther, the larl, the sleen. Did you not note the reaction of Tiomines?”
“I did,” said Genak, wryly.
“I do not care to repeat myself,” said Axel. “You are surrounded. There are more than two hundred men about. Must the larl be loosed amongst you, scattering bodies and blood as far as the river? Must a hundred, two hundred shafts, leap from the forest, seeking hearts? Look. I lift my hand. When I lower it, a wind of death will spring from the forest, a raging blast of feathered death. You will all be dead in an Ihn. Cast away your weapons and kneel!” Axel’s lifted hand trembled, and his eyes glittered with a fierce, feral blaze. I thought he was doing quite well. I was about ready to cast away my own weapons. Asperiche, I thought, would have been proud of him. I must beat Asperiche, I thought. She has obviously been too free with her smiles.
“See?” I said. “He is only too ready to lower his hand! In the name of the Priest-Kings, if no other, save yourselves!”
Genserich looked about, wildly. Clearly it was difficult to see into the shadows of the forest, which were well nigh impenetrable.
For all he knew, an indefinite number of bowmen might be concealed in the shadows, and greenery.
Too, there was the larl.
“I urge you,” I cried. “Your position is hopeless!”
“I will lower my hand!” cried Axel. “I am eager to do so!”
“Wait!” I said, doing as well as I could, but with little hope of outdoing Axel. “Do not act now! You know the fever to which you are subject. The blood lust is upon you!”
“It is not!” cried Axel, wildly, with an excellent imitation of a fellow on whom might rest the flames of blood lust.
“We were treated as guests!” I cried.
“But not well treated,” he said.
“Show them mercy!” I cried.
“They deserve none!” he said.
“Wait!” I said.
“No!” he said.
“Please!” I said.
“I will count three,” said Axel, eyes blazing. “One! Two!”
“Cast away your weapons, kneel!” commanded Genserich.
His voice, and the authority it bore, brooked no insubordination. Even Rorton, and his cohorts, obeyed.
“On your bellies, facing the river, your hands crossed behind you!” said Axel. Then he turned to the forest. “A few of you come forth to secure the prisoners; the rest of you remain where you are, bows drawn. Fire at the first indication of the least resistance.”
Shortly thereafter the band of Genserich was helplessly trussed, hand and foot.
“You may sit up,” said Axel, affably.
“Where are the others?” demanded Genserich.
“What others?” asked Axel.
“The hundred, the two hundred others,” said Genserich.
“I may have miscounted,” said Axel.
“One hundred, two hundred!” said Genserich.
“I did not know for sure,” said Axel. “It was an estimate.”