C3 Chapter 3

Fareed Alhamad ran at Captain Rolf Lier with his scimitar lifted above his head, but Rolf gripped his own spear and thrusted it forward, hitting Fareed in the right breast and the sharp point emerged beneath the shoulder. Fareed dropped to the sand without a sound.

Hasheed Alamad aimed his spear at Lier and threw, but the spear missed the captain and soared over his shoulder, and then pierced Leif Arness who was a childhood friend of Andreas Rygg. The lance struck Leif in the groin as he dragged a corpse to take its studded armor and he fell on top of the body as his breath left him.

Captain Andreas Rygg saw his friend fall and strode toward Hasheed as he roared in pained anger. When he came near, Rygg threw a spear at the Soduqir man. Anwar Alvaziri tripped over a fallen helmet and stumbled into the spear's path. It sank into one temple and came out the other in a dark pink spray.

Mastur Alameen picked up a stone the side of his head and hurled it at Karsten Rygg, cousin of the captain, and the rock struck Karsten's right shin, smashing bone and tendon. He fell on his back and reached out to his cousin but Andreas had turned away and Mastur pinned down Karsten with a heavy foot and drove a spear through the northerling's soft belly. Intestines spilled out and Karsten saw darkness.

Mart Kromof ran toward Mastur Alameen as the Soduqir soldier bent to strip Karsten of his armor. Mart threw his spear and it landed in Mastur's chest. Mastur cried out and pulled the spear from his ribs and dark blood ran from the wound. Mart drove his sword through Mastur's belly and Mastur grabbed Mart's arm as he fell to the sand. Mart fell with him as he was exhausted and wounded from fighting others. Mastur died and as his eyes looked at the harsh blue-white sky, Mart gasped and panted beside him.

Bassil Almansur ran at Limbaco, the swift killer from Menegislas who fought with the northerlings. Bassil let fly his spear but it fell short of Limbaco and landed in the sand in front of him. Limbaco picked the spear up and threw it back at Bassil. It landed in the man's breastbone and knocked him backward as if he were kicked by a mule.

Beside Bassil was his brother Shamad, who watched as Bassil fell onto his back and belched up dark blood. Shamad cried out for his brother, then saw Limbaco nearing. Shamad turned and ran through the lines toward Kammun, leaving his brother's corpse behind.

Heni Alsuleman rode through the masses on his black horse and gallopped toward Ulfhrem. The prince swung the butt of his spear and knocked Heni from the horse. He landed on his belly and lay there and gasped for breath and then Ulfhrem shoved his spear between Heni's shoulders. The spear broke through his chest and the Soduqir man drew his last gurgling breath as his blood pooled around him thick and warm.

Arafat Alabdelram watched Heni's horse run through the bloody battle without a rider and reached for the reins when it came near. As he placed a foot in the stirrup and tried to mount, Limbaco's counsin Ongpin stabbed the man with a short sword through the right shoulder and Arafat dropped from the horse, which then trampled him to death.

Men gathered to take Arafat's armor and weapons and Tlamuq launched a spear through the back of Sameer Alarafat. Sameer landed in a heap upon the dead Arafat and the scavenging soldiers took his belongings as well.

Thor Vollen drove his spear through Nizar Alsuleman's buttock and pushed until it pierced Nizar's bladder. Nizar screamed and fell as blood and urine and feces spilled out of him and drained his life away. For Nizar Alsuleman, death came at a crawling pace.

Bernt Dahlem threw his spear at Ossama Rahal, and the spear landed in his neck just below the skull and continued out of the mouth and severed his spine and tongue. Ossama fell forward and bit the spearhead as he landed on his chin and his teeth shattered but he was already dead.

Yorn Ott chased Thaqib Alonae across the battlefield as the Soduqir man cried for mercy. Yorn threw his spear but missed his mark and the spear cut Thaqib's arm below the shoulder. Thaqib cried out and stumbled and Yorn caught up to him and drew his sword and cut off Thaqib's arm. The limb fell to the ground and Thaqib puked and then fell over on his side and bled until he died.

Katheer Alzia knocked an arrow and drew his goat horn bow. He saw his target Limbaco and aimed. He loosed the strong and the arrow flew but barely met its mark. Limbaco grunted at the arrow caught his left shoulder and he gritted his teeth as he pulled it out. Little blood flowed and the Menegislan former-mercenary rolled his shoulder to ease the pain. He fumed as he scanned the men slaughtering each other and yelled ”Who's the coward with the bow who won't come out and fight with honor?” but his Menegislan words fell on ignorant ears and the clamor was too loud to hear regardless.

Then Limbaco saw Katheer standing on a tall boulder with a shield in front of him. Katheer knocked another arrow and loosed it into the battlefield. Libaco roared and sprinted at the archer and on the way he killed Khalid Alatalah with a spear to the left breast, then Talib Alabasi with a sword through the collarbone and shoulder, and he also cut down Izadeen Almansur and Musel Alrae with his sword, then two men on horseback named Wa'il Almostufa and Sahl Alhoq with a spear to knock them from their animals. Both men broke their necks when they fell, though Sahl did not die until his paralyzed body was smothered by ten other dead men as the battle continued. Limbaco continued toward Katheer.

Captain Nazeem Almasih stood at the bottom of Katheer's boulder and shouted, ”IN the name of God, shoot that man,” and Katheer replied, ”I already did but he didn't even falter.”

”He bleeds like the rest of us,” Nazeem said, and Katheer knew that God was on their side.

But if one were to ask Limbaco, he would say that he wasn't on God's side, and as he reached throwing-distance to Katheer he hurled a spear at him. The spear hit Katheer's shield and the point came through the other side but didn't touch him. Limbaco bent to pick up an abandoned spear and Katheer peeked over his shield.

”You missed, you God-forsaken pagan!” the archer shouted just before Limbaco's second spear caught him in the mouth. The spearhead broke Katheer's teeth and severed his tongue and spurted from his neck. Blood sprayed and ran down Katheer's neck and back and chin and the archer toppled from his tall boulder and landed in a puff of sand and dust.

Nazeem watched his best archer die and looked back at Limbaco who now sprinted at him with fury in his eyes and new weapons in his hands. Nazeem dropped his spear and ran toward Kammun away from the battle and his fallen comrades. Limbaco laughed in his belly as the Soduqir captain fled.

Nazeem turned, saw that Limbaco no longer pursued him, and stopped running. He closed his eyes and whispered, ”Forgive me, God, for being a coward.”

Then feeling the courage rise within him, Nazeem made for a thick group of fighting men. He picked up two bloody spears and threw them on after the other and they found their marks in the bellies of Truls Agle and his brother Mikel. Both fell and died together just as they had been born together eighteen years earlier.

Tlamuq saw the twins fall and ran to Nazeem to avenge them. Captain Idar Bell joined Tlamuq at his side and together the men pulled the brothers' bodies back out of the fray. Nazeem held his ground with a curved blade extended. Other Soduqir soldiers stood at Nazeem's side, giving him confidence.

Tlamuq swung his sword at Imad Alhakim, cutting him through the collar-bone. A horse and rider galloped by and Idar Bell slashed out at Suhaib Alsinae, slicing open his thigh. Suhaib fell forward off his horse and died as the horse ran over the top of him.

The prophet watched from a distance through his black hood, and when he saw Tlamuq and Idar close in on Nazeem, he bellowed out a war cry and entered the battle.

Limbaco watched the prophet drift into the field like a stormcloud and shivered. The hooded man hovered above the ground as a phantom would, and around him rose a billow of sand that surrounded him like a shield. Men on both sides ceased fighting as the prophet flew in, robes flapping in the wind over his armor.

Limbaco said aloud to himself, ”That is not a man. That is a god.”

The prophet wielded no weapons but instead killed others with his Power. He reached a hand toward Magne Sand and Sivert Espel. The two Northerlings screamed in unison before sharp snaps burst from within them, and the two men fell limp in the dirt.

Rolf Lier hurled a spear at the prophet, but the Holder of Space diverted it with a twitch of his hand, and the spear instead found Ahmed Aljalil, striking him below the navel. Ahmed died with a terrible cry.

Umi jogged to keep pace with the tall man. When Ameena opened her eyes, they were behind a brown hill west of the village, one that she and Farod played on all the time. There were others there now, holding each other and looking at the tall man in confusion.

”Why are you helping us?” one of them asked. Ameena knew him only as ”the old man with the mole below his eye.” He was old, with most of his teeth missing, and he lived in the house beside Ameena's family.

The tall man lay Farod down beside Umi. She kissed her son's forehead and put a hand on his cheek.

”Don't go back until it's all over,” the tall man said. He stood over the rest of them, body drenched in sweat, and pale skin turned red from the desert sun. ”I'm doing everything I can. I'm so sorry.” He left them.

From behind the brown hill, the villagers listened to the battle. Umi brought Ameena close and once more began to sing. This time she was joined by dozens of her neighbors.

Then on the field Yusuf Alradi, the cousin of Ahmed, roared out and cast a spear at Rolf after the northerling brought Ahmed to his end. The captain dodged the missile, and the spear went through Torgeir Sundal's neck. Suntay, brother of Limbaco, threw his spear at Yusuf, and it pierced his thigh. Yusuf screamed in pain and limped away through the battle.

Andreas Rygg saw his comrade Torgeir fall by Yusuf's spear, and he roared in anger and sprinted after him. With his sword in his right hand and a short, broken spear in his left, he cut down Naif Alnawaz, Tufael Alraes, Ubaida Alhameed, Talib Alabdelnur, Najeem Almansur, Hamad Almamud, and Sabbah Almostaf. Bodies lay in a trail behind Rygg. Blood covered him from fingers to shoulders and painted his face and mixed with mud as sweat drew pink streaks down his body.