"That's logic for you!" he mocked me. "Barak was always a man of blood!
He'll kill us all to stop this slaughter. Someone finish him."
One of his lieutenants spoke to two of the foremost men, who stepped
forward, rifles at the ready.
"If they shoot--" began Doriza tremulously.
"If they do, they destroy everyone!" I reminded yet again. "Come, who
dares. Swords if you will, but no fire!"
The officer who had given the order stepped between the two soldiers,
saber drawn. "Ready to rush," he said. "My blade, your butts--"
They approached, side by side. Their faces were set, grim. They
faltered for only a moment at the entry to the glare field.
In that moment I rushed them.
They hadn't expected that, three against one. I shouted, and hurled
myself at the soldier on the left. He made to dodge, and the officer
opposed his own saber; but I spun away from it and before the other
soldier knew my mind I was upon him. I could not use the ray in my
blade, but it drove past his hastily lifted gun-barrel and struck his
mailed shoulder so heavily that he dropped his weapon. Stepping in
close, I uppercut him with the curved hilt as with a mailed fist.
Leaping over his falling form, I was upon the officer. A single twist,
and I had his saber in my left hand. Two blows sent him staggering
back. I parried a blow from the rifle-stock of the remaining soldier
with my left-hand blade, while with my right I stabbed him in the side.
He, too, retreated, clutching his wound. I waved my blood-streaming
weapons.
"Who next?" I called.
Harvison made stout reply:
"You're mad, Barak. I know I'm no match for you, nobody is--but here I
come!"
He came, and his fellows. They all tried to crowd at once into that
narrow corridor, and hampered each other. I had a mighty sweep with
both my swords, spanning twelve full feet with them--enough for my
purpose. At my first parry I turned aside three points at once,
disengaged, and got home on poor Harvison, through the shoulder. He
sank to one knee, and further impeded his friends. I made a sweeping
cut with both blades, and despite themselves they gave back.
"This is monotonous," I taunted them. "Make it exciting."
"Rush at his back," I heard Gederr yelling.
"Careful!" Doriza warned me. And then another voice I knew, deep and
stout:
"I won't let them! Yandro, or Barak, or whoever you are--I'm with you!"
"Klob!" I yelled joyously over my shoulder. "I should have known I
could count on you!"
He had rushed, facing about at my very shoulder-blades. I heard the
snick of his blade against another weapon. Doriza again cried a
warning, to Klob this time, and he scored on his adversary, for he
snorted triumphantly. Then the Newcomers surged at me again.
* * * * *
I could not kill my own people. I strove to wound only. Three staggered
back, out of the fight, but the others pressed me bravely. Both my
swords must be everywhere at once. My breath began to come quickly, my
mind floundered here and there for new stratagems. The saving answer
came, not from my own brain, but from Klob.
"You!" I heard him address a new adversary. "You want to kill me?
Truly?"
"Why--" panted the other. "Why, no--Klob--why kill--"
"You were my friend!" Klob harangued him. "Turn here with me! A chance
for an end of war! Will you--won't you? If not, defend yourself, and I
could always fence better--"
"I'm with you, Klob," the other agreed, rather sullenly. And then he
stood by Klob.
At that moment I beat the biggest of my own adversaries to his knees,
and the others stood off. I stole a quick glance around. Klob had been
joined by his late opponent, a short but well-knit warrior armed with
both sword and rifle. It gave me hope and an inspiration.
"Fools!" I said, pointing my swords. "You won't trust me, when I only
want to help you, and these other fools who have been fighting you! You
can't conquer me! So join me!"
"Why?"
That was Harvison, again on his feet, holding a bloody hand to his
wound. The query was enough to slow up the others. They listened, and I
had time and wit to reply.
"A handful of rulers, with blind ambition, caused the war. They're
mostly gone. I want peace, a chance to bring both sides together."
"Stop his traitor mouth!" cried someone far back.
"Who's afraid to hear?" I yelled. "You almost walked into a trap, and I
stopped you. These defenders have mined the cavern beyond--"
"He tells the truth, you Newcomers!" Klob seconded me. "If you can't
understand truth and tell it from lies--_look out_, they come!"
He meant his own late comrades. Gederr had urged a fresh body at us.
"Quick!" I cried. "They heard me tell of their ambush, they want to
silence me! Won't anyone help!"
"I will," gurgled Harvison, wounded as he was. He stepped past me,
sword in his left hand, and engaged a Dondromogon warrior. Another big
Newcomer leaped forward to do likewise. I seized my opportunity.
"Don't move without my order!" I addressed the remainder of Harvison's
party, as if they were my allies again. "These defenders have the
advantage of you in their planted explosives!"
"Then destroy them some other way," growled an under-officer.