Thraxas and the Ice Dragon
Page 22
"What?" We look at her in surprise. "How would you know anything about it?"
"My Orcish Lord was leading them," says Makri. "I heard him talk about it, often. Look - " Makri starts re-arranging the cutlery. " - I'll show you what happened. The Ninth Orcish infantry were here, at the river bank - "
"They can't have been there," says the Baron. "That's where the Turanian Sorcerers were trapped."
"I beg your pardon?" says Lisutaris. "Trapped? What's this about the Turanian Sorcerers being trapped?"
"They were pinned down by heavy archery," says the Baron. "I remember it well."
"Nonsense," cries Lisutaris. "Age must be affecting your memory. I was there that day as a young Sorcerer on my first campaign. The way I remember it, the phalanxes were hopelessly pinned down by dragons on the south of the slope, and the cavalry were trapped on the north by the Agban Orcish Sorcerers Guild. If I hadn't led the Turanian Sorcerers through the middle neither of you would ever have made it out alive."
"Led the Sorcerers?" I say. "I thought you were a young Sorcerer on your first campaign?"
"Our commander, Agbereth Red-Flame, was killed by a dragon so I took charge. I stepped up and told the other Sorcerers We're going up that hill or we'll die in the attempt!'"
"Your Sorcerers were trapped on the river bank till my phalanx saved the day!"
"Preposterous," says Lisutaris. "Give me that pepper pot, I'll show you what happened." She turns her head to call to the waitress. "Bring me another goblet of wine while I show these memory-impaired old campaigners how I saved their lives at Blackwing Rise. Better still, send over the bottle. It may take a while."
The End
Martin Millar was born in Scotland and now lives in London. He is the author of such novels as Lonely Werewolf Girl, The Good Fairies of New York, and Suzy, Led Zeppelin and Me. He wrote the Thraxas series under the name of Martin Scott. Thraxas won the World Fantasy Award in 2000. As Martin Millar and as Martin Scott, he has been widely translated.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29