few footmen broke, and then a few more, and then, as if coming loose,
Otah's army turned its backs to the Galts and ran. Otah saw some
horsemen trying to draw off the pursuing Galts, but most were flying
hack in retreat themselves. Otah spun his horse and saw, back on the
field, the remnants of his wedges of archers fleeing as well.
"No!" he shouted. "Not you! Stop where you are!"
No one heard him. He was a leaf in a storm now, command gone, hope gone,
his men being slaughtered like winter pork. Otah dug his heels into his
mount's sides, leaned low, and shot off in pursuit of the archers. It
was folly riding fast over mud-slick ground, but Otah willed himself
forward. The fleeing archers looked hack over their shoulders at the
sound of his hooves, and had the naivete to look relieved that it was
him. He rode through the nearest wedge, knocking several to the ground,
then pulled up before them and pointed hack at the men behind them.
"Loose your arrows," Utah croaked. "It's the only chance they have!
Loose arrows!"
The archers stood stunned, their wide confused faces made Utah think of
sheep confronted by an unexpected cliff. He had brought farmers and
smiths onto a battlefield. He had led men who had never known more
violence than brawling drunk outside a comfort house to fight soldiers.
Utah dropped from his horse, took a how and quiver from the nearest man,
and aimed high. He never saw where his arrow went, but the bowmen at
least began to understand. One by one, and then in handfuls, they began
to send their arrows and bolts up over the retreating men and into the
charging Galts.
"'They'll kill us!" a boy shrieked. "There's a thousand of them!"
"Kill the first twenty," Otah said. ""I'hen let the ones still standing
argue about who'll lead the next charge."
Behind them, the other fleeing archers had paused. As the first of the
fleeing horsemen passed, Otah caught sight of Ashua Radaani and raised
his hands in a pose that called the man to a halt. "There was blood on
Radaani's face and arms, and his eyes were wide with shock. Otah strode
to him.
"Go to the other archers. "fell them that once the men have reached us
here, they're to start loosing arrows. We'll come hack with the men."
"You should come now, Most High," Radaani said. "I can carry you."
"I have a horse," (bah said, though he realized he couldn't say what had
become of his mount. "Go. Just go!"
The Galtic charge thinned as they drew into range of the arrows. Utah
saw two men fall. And then, almost miraculously, the Galts began to pull
back. Utah's footmen came past him, muddy and bleeding and weeping and
pale with shock. Some carried wounded men with them. Some, Utah
suspected, carried men already dead. The last, or nearly the last,
approached, and Utah turned, gesturing to the archers, and they all
walked back together. The few Galts that pressed on were dissuaded by
fresh arrows. Ashua had reached the other wedge. "Thank the gods for
that, at least.
The army of Machi, three thousand strong that morning, found itself
milling about, confused and without structure as the evening sun