Book of Water

Chapter 4

4

The enemy was everywhere.

Like a swarm, like a wave, warriors on horseback pouring over the field, more of them emerging from the forest every minute it seemed, an endless stream of them, so many that as one fell, another four seemed to take his place.

Bradamante vanquished the foe before her and quickly scanned the field for her brother. She had last seen him fighting a warrior in gray with a red star on his sleeve.

Rinaldo still battled the same man. Bradamante watched as the two traded strikes, both of them equally matched, neither able to land the killing blow.

But then another warrior charged at Bradamante and drew her attention away.

This one, too, had a red star on his sleeve, although that sleeve was white. Not every warrior had it. Some wore ragged clothes and scarred leather armor, but this warrior’s clothing, like the one fighting Rinaldo, looked clean and new.

Tighten your mind, Bradamante heard her teacher’s voice scold her. This isn’t a game. Fight!

But as her blade met her opponent’s, Egalite suddenly reared. Bradamante threw her weight forward, gripping the mane, and nearly lost hold of her sword.

“Egalite!”

The mare was in a frenzy. She jolted backward, snorting and stamping, ramming against nearby horses on the choked battlefield. Bradamante fought to stay on her back.

Finally Egalite kicked out with her back legs and spun to her right and broke free of the melee. Bradamante regained her balance just as the horse took off, racing to the far end of the meadow.

To where Rinaldo now lay on the ground, the left half of his body pinned beneath the bulk of his fallen horse. Blood spurted from the wound in Bayard’s front leg where an enemy warrior had sliced it nearly through to the bone. That enemy now lay dead nearby.

“Naldo!” Bradamante vaulted from Egalite’s back and ran to her brother. Rinaldo’s face was sickeningly moist and pale and his eyes were slit with pain.

Bradamante heaved against Bayard, first with her arms and then bracing with her feet, but the horse was far too heavy to move. And it was clear he couldn’t stand on his own. He thrashed his legs against the grass, groaning in pain. The movement caused Rinaldo to cry out as fresh agony swept over his face.

Bradamante begged the horse to be still.

“Help! I need help!” she called, but no one seemed to hear.

Except an enemy soldier who spied her and grinned as he galloped her way.

“Egalite!” Bradamante shouted as she stood and picked up her sword. She turned to mount her horse.

But Egalite surged past her into the enemy’s path and then reared and pawed at the air. Her neigh was so violent and fearsome it could be heard across the field.

The enemy’s horse halted. No amount of kicking would urge it on. And meanwhile Egalite’s cry had finally brought them aid.

Hilyard and Rixton and several more of Rinaldo’s men rode to their fallen commander. They turned their backs to him and formed a defensive ring while others rushed to help Bradamante extract her brother from beneath his horse.

Bradamante ripped strips of her tunic and wrapped them tightly around Bayard’s wound. She braced the horse’s leg while others helped to lift.

Rinaldo was now oblivious to it all. The pain had finally grown too great and left him unconscious but still alive. Bradamante made sure of it as she anxiously watched the vein throbbing in his neck.

They strained and heaved as the fighting continued around them. And then suddenly the battle turned. A horn sounded from the forest and cheers erupted on the field.

The enemy was in retreat. And she soon saw the reason why.

Orlando had finally arrived. His force poured over the top of the pass. Hilyard spat out a curse. Bradamante agreed. Where had they been all this time?

Late or not, their arrival finally freed more of Rinaldo’s men to help. Bradamante braced Bayard’s leg once more as the others hoisted the horse to his feet.

And then Bradamante’s own face went pale. She saw what damage was done.

Rinaldo’s leg looked twisted and broken in multiple places and his left hip was crushed. Bradamante knew from her lessons with Manat that there was probably bleeding inside Rinaldo, too. All color was gone from his skin. His breathing was shallow. When she pressed her fingers against the side of his throat, the pulse felt erratic.

Meanwhile Orlando and his men rode across the meadow in victory. The enemy had escaped. There was no one left to fight.

Fearing an ambush, Orlando sent only his scouts into the woods. They returned unharmed and with the report that there was no trace of Rogero’s army.

Rogero watched it all.

He particularly watched the girl.