Page 85 of Lhora
“So you believe those ships are the enemy’s?” Lhora tried to clarify.
“They could be ours,” the Gur suggested. “They’ve had time to arrive.” He looked over at his daughter. “If they’re Coltrosstian, the Sarpi’s work here is done. He’ll rely on them to take us out.”
“But if they—” she started to protest, when he abruptly cut her off.
“Pass the word. On my command, begin walking toward the enemy. First line, converge in front.”
Lhora sent him a silent question. He didn’t need to read the rest of his men to know they were equally curious as to his motive.
“Let’s get within shurr distance. If the crafts are ours, we can take out the Sarpi and his men without pulsing the metal. But if the vessels are Coltrosstian…”
“We include them in the music,” Degast concluded with a grin.
Fallmin winked at her, then lifted his chin. “Advance!”
As one unit, they began walking in regimented steps, their swords held out in front of them. They moved like the well-trained soldiers they were, keeping a deliberate and smooth stride. Lhora judged the distance they had to cover in order for their shurrs to envelope the Coltrosstians to be at least twenty to thirty vares. They’d cover that expanse in the same number of steps. Although her own steps were shorter, she managed to keep up with a brisker pace.
The shurr sword’s music continued to reverberate through her bloodstream, keeping her energized and ultra-aware of herself and her weapon. She knew she’d eventually have to pay the price for having the gift, as did all the other shurr-lova. When the power finally dissipated, she’d crash and crash hard, sleeping a good two or three days straight as she recovered. As her sword master, Delphid, explained, the positive equaled the negative. Having the shurr was a blessing as well as a curse. Yet, there had never been a shurr-lova who regretted being so blessed by the goddesses.
“We’re getting close,” Urjo stated.
“They don’t look happy to see us coming at them,” Hanso remarked with a chuckle.
Lhora started to grin when she noticed the Coltrosstian forces move. So did her father and everyone else.
Fallmin threw up a hand. “Hold.”
As one they halted and watched in disbelief as the Sarpi and his men stepped back a few vares.
“What’s wrong, Sarpi?” the Gur cried out. “Afraid to take us on land?”
“Just drawing you closer to your demise, Beinight!” Sov yelled in answer.
Hanso snorted. “What the plugging hellfa is he talking about?”
Someone gave a shout. Vist pointed to the sky with his sword. “Those incoming ships! They’re Coltrosstian!”
Lhora felt her father’s alarm. An instant later, it was gone.
“Everyone! On my command, split! If we remain clustered, we’ll be easy targets.” He turned to address them. “Run to the Coltrosstians! Engage them! Those ships won’t fire on their own.”
“What happens if we overcome them?” Degast demanded.
“Stay with them. Use them to shield you! The Esstika has sent ships to our aid! They should be here soon! All we have to do is remain out of the Coltrosstians’ line of fire long enough for help to arrive!”
“Do we call upon our shurrs?” Bissi asked.
Fallmin debated with himself. Reaching out to him, Lhora placed her hand on his arm. “We need to use every advantage we have. If we don’t, we could perish under the onslaught, diminishing our numbers.”
Urjo leaned in. “She has a point. If we don’t act the moment we know we’re within range, we could lose any chance we had.”
The Gur nodded. “I agree. Shurr-lova, when you get within range, activate the music.”
“Do we wait for your call?” Degast asked.
“No. You are free to move on your own.”
“What about the rest of us?” Portand inquired, indicating the other front liners like himself.
