C4 Chapter 4

The prophet saw Andreas tear through his men, and he flew toward the Northerling as only one who holds the Power of Space could do. Yusuf Alradi, now crawling because of his wounded leg and loss of blood, saw his prophet and called out, ”My prophet, save me! I don't want to die here!”

But the prophet drifted past the captain. Yusuf's friend, Barak Ouladah, found Yusuf struggling and pulled him away from the battle beneath the shade of a boulder and beside the corpse of Katheer Alzia. Barak squeezed Yusuf's bleeding thigh and looked into his friend's terrified eyes.

”Hold on,” Barak said. ”Don't close your eyes, Yusuf, don't close your eyes...”

But Yusuf did close his eyes, and he did not reopen them.

The prophet selected a fallen scimitar, and the sword lifted into his right hand. With his left hand, he wielded his Power. In the wake of his slaughter fell Klaus Pedsen, Aksel Alstad, Peter Norred, Red Rosten, and Emil Fyord—all cut through with the prophet's blade or their bones broken with his thoughts.

Behind him, men gathered like flies to the corpses to strip the dead men's armor and take their weapons. Ubaid Abadi speared Mannes Spanyer through the chest as the Northerling tried to pry away Emil Fyord's shield. Mannes fell dead on top of it, adding his armor and sword to the pile.

Rolf Lier launched a spear at Abdul Raheem, and the spear struck him in the forehead straight through the skull and drove his brains out the other side.

Limbaco cut the legs of a horse as it ran by, and its rider Mamdu Alakbari flew forward as the horse screamed and plummeted head-first into the sand, and Limbaco gashed Mamdu's throat wide open. Blood flowed over Mamdu, and his horse and their blood mixed and pooled in the sand beneath them.

Then Heikon Laden cut down Awni Alhanif and Basam Alrafiq. He chased Qasim Alakram and Musha Alkazi, killing them both with his sword.

Lao, a freed Menegislan, stabbed Nassar Aldeen through his soft throat, and Andreas Rygg cut off Barak Alburki's arm at the bicep. Beside Lao, Tapoa killed Qasim Alkanan with a sword through his ribs, and Idar Bell cut the head from Raihan Albasa. Ulfhrem brought low Abdeen Alamen, Yorgen Swim killed Jawad Alazami, Yorn Ott speared Hakam Alirani.

Tlamuq punched Muhajeer Almamed in the mouth, breaking the Soduqir's front teeth, one of which Muhajeer swallowed. Tlamuq raised his sword to cut him down, but Muhajeer fell to his knees and hugged Tlamuq's legs and sobbed.

”Spare me or take me prisoner!” Muhajeer begged. ”I have a rich family, and they'll pay anything for my return!”

Tlamuq understood none of the man's words, though he saw the terror and want for mercy in his eyes. His sword-arm hesitated in the air.

Ulfhrem ran to Tlamuq and said, ”What are you doing, you skin-burnt savage? Don't let them talk to you—kill him!”

But Tlamuq had seen the pathetic light in Muhajeer's eyes and could not bring himself to do it. With a large foot, he kicked the Soduqir man away, and Muhajeer stumbled back. Ulfhrem cursed and plunged his sword into Muhajeer's back. The man gurgled as tears made trails down his dusty cheeks, and blood bubbled from his mouth, and the prince of Esterlenth pulled his sword free as Muhajeer fell dead on his belly.

Husham Almian, standing beside the prophet, cut the neck of Kyetil Hamr, severing muscle and tendon from his shoulder. The prophet drove his sword through the top of Tore Ellestad's head through his helmet and out through the bottom of his jaw.

Nikol Byork found a horse without a rider and jumped into the saddle, but Bassil Almiya speared him through the shoulder. Nikol crumpled off the horse and broke his neck when he landed.

Limbaco picked up a spear and hurled it at the prophet, who hovered above the lesser men. The spear missed, flying too low, and instead hit Radi Alhasen in the chest. Behind Limbaco, Radi-s half-brother Masara Alazer cried out and ran toward Limbaco. The Menegislan swung his sword and cut Masara down the chest and belly. Masar fell to the ground several yards from his brother Radi.

Now standing on the boulder that Katheer Alzia had once taken as a vantage, Tapoa stood and aimed his own bow at the Soduqir soldiers. With swift motions, he knocked arrows, drew the gut-string, and let loose in blurs of movement. Soduqir men fell all over the battlefield to his arrows. First was Tameer Alasmar, then Fadi Almadi and his son Shaqi. Memed Alkaesur, Nayf Alriz, Shameem Albangur, and Waseef Alabdel fell dead with feathered shafts quivering in their necks or breasts or eyes. Tapoa spied the prophet thirty yards away and aimed a deadly arrow at him. He loosed it, and the arrow missed the prophet and instead found Safar Alsad, striking him in the chest. Safar leaned over sideways and fell in a dead crash of armor.

Tapoa let fly another arrow at the prophet, but the prophet flicked a hand, and a large stone lifted from the ground and flew toward the archer. The rock struck Tapoa on his collar-bone, and he reeled back as burning pain spread through his arm and neck. His hand and fingers went numb, the bow fell from his grip, and he toppled from the boulder.

Rolf Lier saw the man fall and ran to him. ”You dead?” the captain asked in broken Menegisla words.

”Not yet,” Tapoa said through gritted teeth. He held his crippled arm against his chest. ”Stop staring at me and get me out of here, you bastard. I twisted my ankle.”

Rold helped Tapoa to his feet and supported him beneath his working arm. The two of them ran through the battle until it was safe for Tapoa to limp back to the camp to find the medic, and Rolf returned to the fight.

Prince Ulfhrem stabbed Abdeen Alfas between the eyes with a short, broken spear, and Abdeen's brains splattered inside his helmet. Then Ulfhrem turned and killed Gasan Alhashem, leaving the short spear in the man's chest, then used a sword to cut down Hashid Alamad. He killed Gameed Alhatem with a sword to the belly, then turned to Gameed's cousin Furqan Aledris, who fell to the ground and wept.

”Spare me!” Furqan sobbed. ”My father will pay you anything you wish!”

But the prince kicked Furqan with an armored foot, breaking the man's nose and teeth, then cut off his arms and head and sent the limbless body rolling down a hill like a log.

Men watched as Ulfhrem slaughtered the Soduqir, his eyes burning and his teeth white and his hands dripping with gore, and many turned and ran from him. Ulfhrem chased them and roared, spear in one hand and sword in the other, until they had almost come within sight of Kammun.

Abdul Khaliq stopped running as the walls of the city appeared, and he turned to face the Northerling prince. Ulfhrem hurled his spear at Abdul and missed. Abdul charged at the prince and stabbed him with his sword, cutting Ulfhrem just above the waist. Ulfhrem grabbed Abdul's hand and wrenched the sword free, then struck Abdul in the face with his forehead, breaking Abdul's nose and sending dark blood over the two of them. Ulfhrem took Abdul's sword and swung at him, making a deep red gash through the neck that stopped at the spine, and Abdul Khaliq crumpled to the sand and bled. Ulfhrem sheathed his sword and took Abdul's scimitar as well.

When Abdul's younger brother Majeed saw what the prince had done, he rushed to Ulfhrem and cut him below the elbow. Ulfhrem shrieked with pain as his arm shuddered and bled, and he backed away from Majeed. The young man dragged his brother's corpse toward the city, but Ulfhrem, using his left arm, picked up a spear from the ground and threw it as straight as he was able. The spearpoint grazed Majeed's neck and cut the artery there, and blood poured freely from the wound. Majeed cried out and fell beside his brother, keeping one hand on his bleeding neck. Ulfhrem walked to the young man and thrust his sword into his back, and the brothers were reunited.

The prince cradled his cut arm and flexed his fingers. He turned back to the thick of battle and walked around the field to avoid the soldiers on both sides.

The prophet saw the prince retreat, saw that he was injured beyond the ability to continue fighting. He shouted over the battle with a booming voice, ”Northerlings! Your prince is abandoning the fight! Follow his example, and you will live to see another sunrise!”

With these words, the Soduqir found new courage and energy, and the Northerlings looked around to see their prince making his way back to the camp to tend to his useless arm.

From the center of the battle, Arvid Holum lifted his sword and screamed at the prophet, ”Come down here, and I'll shove my blade so far up your arsethril you'll have the smack of steel for days! You and your god!”

The prophet flew to Arvid in less time than it takes to draw breath and removed Arvid's head with a single movement of his sword. A dust storm rose around the prophet in a surging ball, the wind and sand mixing in a blinding gale. The prophet swung his sword and thrust his spear, and a dozen more Northerlings fell to his wrath.

Yohan Byornstad, Syur Roed, Inge Dammen, Arild Avik, Ketil Mur, Trugve Fregerg...

Limbaco hurled his spear at the prophet, but once again, the Holder deflected it, and the spear killed Abdulah Alrafiq, landing in his chest above the heart.

The sight of the spear that was meant for the prophet shocked Andreas Rygg out of a lapse of hopelessness, and he joined Limbaco. Rygg slashed Sideeq Al'lodi across the chest, and the man only grunted as he died. Limbaco killed Jasur Almasud, and Rygg killed Fami Alakram and Badran Alsolamun with two swings of his sword.

The prophet roared at Limbaco and Rygg and came down at them with his weapons raised high. Limbaco threw his spear, and this time his missile found its mark. The spear glanced off the prophet's head and spun away to land in the sand. The prophet paused and hovered in the air. He felt his head and the tear in his hood with his hand. His hovering staggered, and he floated to the ground, shaking his bleeding head.

Limbaco and Rygg ran at the prophet, and many other Northerlings surrounded him as well. But the Soduqir stood between them and their prophet, holding spears out to defend him.

Limbaco jumped at a sprint and kicked Shukri Alnaderi in midair, making him stumble backward. Limbaco landed on Shukri's chest and drove a sword into his soft throat. Several yards away, Hisham Almian pulled back his bowstring and shot an arrow. It landed in Limbaco's foot. Limbaco screamed in anger.

”Stop!” bellowed the prophet, and every man—Soduqir and Northerling—paused, and all were silent. The prophet rose into the air, his robes snapping in the breeze against his armor. ”Enough for today.”

There was a high wind, and for a moment, the field was thick with sand and dust, and no man could see the man beside him. When the wind let up and the sandy air cleared, the prophet and his army were far away.

The Northerlings stood with their bloody swords in their bloody hands. Some panted, some cried, others puked, and others allowed themselves finally to pass out and fall over. The flies and vultures had already begun to stalk the place.

Brenn stood to the side. He had not lifted his sword nor made a move to join the battle. As his countrymen fell back and made their way back to camp, he joined them, falling in stride beside Tlamuq and Tapoa and his other dagak'hotl. They helped the limping Limbaco keep pace with the rest.

Brenn watched the Soduqir do the same, headed southeast for Kammun. The prophet turned his head as he walked behind the army, no longer strong enough to fly, and his eyes met Brenn's. The two men stared at each other for some time.

Brenn placed his hand above the hilt of his sword. He could know. All he had to do was grip his sword, and all the Prophet's thoughts would be known to him, not least of which would be his true identity.

Brenn let his hand drop to his side, knowing full well the consequences for abusing his gift. The prophet looked away, and so did Brenn. Around him his countrymen scoffed.

”Cowards,” said one man, holding a hand around his bleeding arm. ”But it's all right with me. I could do with a meal.”

”Probably too hot for them,” said another at his side. ”Did you see that one cheed get an arrow to the ass?” The two of them laughed together. ”Hopping back to the city like a coney missing his tail!”

When the sounds of battle finally ended, and the sky turned dark with scavengers, the villagers left their hiding place behind the brown hill and returned to their raided homes.

Umi and Farod brought Baba's body inside the house, took the tall dead man outside, and then Umi cried for a long time. Farod didn't cry, though his eyes and cheeks and neck burned with emotion. Ameena looked at the lump on the bed beneath the blanket and thought it appeared as if Baba was only sleeping.

When Umi finished crying, she brought a towel and a bucket of water to the bed, and she sang as she cleaned her husband's body.

The imam stepped into the empty doorway in silence, looking at the broken door and the body on the bed.

”It's a terrible thing,” he said with reverence. ”You have my condolences and my sympathy. God's will is sometimes difficult to understand, but it is His will, regardless. We must not weep for the fallen, for they are now at peace in Paradise.”

Umi began crying again, and the imam left the family to grieve alone.

Ameena asked, ”Umi, why are you crying?”

”Because I love him,” Umi said. ”Everyone cries when someone they love dies.”

But Ameena didn't cry. She was too young to understand. She watched as Umi prepared Baba's body and wondered if God had ever cried.