The horse’s ears cocked at the command, and it seemed to be deciding. Pug knew timing was critical and did not break the rhythm of his approach. The horse studied him as he came alongside, and Pug said, “Stand!” again. Then before the animal could bolt, he grabbed a handful of mane and was up on its back.
The battle-trained war-horse, whether by design or luck, decided Pug was close enough to his former master to respond. Perhaps it was due to the clamor of battle around, but for whatever reason, the grey leaped forward in response to Pug’s leg commands and was out the gate at a run. Pug gripped with his legs for his life. As the horse cleared the gate, Pug shouted, “Laurie, get the others!” as the stallion turned to the left. Pug glanced over his shoulder and saw the other animals following the herd leader as Laurie brought her past the gate.
Pug saw Kasumi running from the tack house, a saddle in his hand, and shouted, “Whoa!” setting as hard a seat as he could manage bareback. The stallion halted and Pug commanded, “Stand!” The grey pawed the ground in anticipation of a fight. Kasumi shouted as he approached, “Keep the horses from fighting. This is a Blood Raid, and the Thün will not retreat until each has killed at least once.” He called for Laurie to stop, and when the small herd was milling about, he quickly saddled a horse and turned it away from the others.
Pug kicked, and the grey and the mare Laurie rode led the remaining four horses to the side of the estate house. They kept the animals closely bunched out of sight of the attacking Thün.
A soldier came running around the corner of the house, carrying weapons. He reached Pug and Laurie and shouted, “My master Kasumi commands you defend the horses with your lives.” He handed the two slaves each a sword and shield, then turned and dashed back toward the fighting.
Pug regarded the strange sword and shield, lighter by half than any he had ever trained with. A shrill cry interrupted his examination as Kasumi came riding around the house, in a running fight with a Thün warrior. The eldest son of the Shinzawai rode well, and though he had little training in fighting from horseback, he was a skilled swordsman His inexperience was offset by the Thun’s lack of experience with horses, for while it was not unlike fighting one of his own kind, the horse was also attacking, biting at the creature’s chest and face.
Catching wind of the Thün, Pug’s grey reared and nearly threw him. He held fiercely to the mane and gripped tightly with his lower legs. The other horses neighed, and Pug fought to keep his from charging. Laurie shouted, “They don’t like the way those things smell. Look at the way Kasumi’s horse is acting.”
Another of the creatures came into sight, and Laurie let out a whoop and rode to intercept. They came together in a clash of weapons, and Laurie took the Thün club blow on his shield. His own sword struck the creature across the chest, and it cried out in a strange, guttural language, staggering for a moment, then falling.
Pug heard a scream from inside the house and turned to see one of the thin sliding doors erupt outward as a body hurled through it. A stunned house slave staggered to his feet, then collapsed, blood welling up from a wound on his head. Other figures came scurrying through the door.
Pug saw Katala and Almorella running from the house with the others, a Thün warrior in pursuit. The creature bore down upon Katala, club raised high overhead.
Pug shouted her name, and the grey sensed his rider’s alarm. Without command the huge war-horse sprang forward, intercepting the Thün as it closed with the slave girl. The horse was enraged, from the sounds of battle or the Thün smell. It crashed heavily into the Thün, biting and lashing out with heavy forelegs, and the Thün’s legs went out from under it. Pug was thrown by the impact and landed heavily. He lay dazed for a moment, then he climbed to his feet. He staggered to where Katala sat huddled and pulled her away from the maddened stallion.
The grey reared above the still Thün, and hooves came flashing down. Again and again the war-horse struck at the Thün, until there was no doubt of there being a breath of life left in the fallen creature.
Pug shouted for the horse to halt and stand, and with a contemptuous snort, the animal ceased the attack, but it kept its ears pinned back, and Pug could see it quiver. Pug approached it and stroked its neck, until the animal stopped trembling.
Then it was quiet. Pug looked about and saw Laurie riding after the scattering horses. He left his own mount and returned to Katala She sat trembling upon the grass, Almorella at her side.
Kneeling before her, he said, “Are you all right?”
She took a deep breath, then gave him a frightened smile. “Yes, but I was sure I was going to be trampled for a minute.”
Pug looked at the slave girl who had come to mean so much to him and said, “I thought so, too.” Suddenly they were both smiling at each other. Almorella stood and made some comment about seeing to the others. “I was so afraid you’d been hurt,” Pug said “I thought I would lose my mind when I saw you running from that creature.”