laneys.info Beware of Yankees, drunks, and loose women.

William's morale was low.  He prayed to Arhus, thanking him for his life, but for some reason he could not connect to his champion.

Several days passed and his supplies were all but gone, when he topped a dune and saw an encampment.  William felt a spark a joy.  Perhaps he could do some trading.  William heard and saw the camp come to life.  Casting spyglass again, he observed six men, armed and mounting up.  William decided to turn away and spurred his mount.  Reaching a gallop was difficult in the deep sand, not to mention that his horse was fatigued.  William could hear the men behind him.  Examining his options, William knew he could keep trying to outrun them or stand and fight.  He chose to fight.

William rode over a short dune, went twenty yards, and slid out of the saddle.  Drawing his two-handed sword, he plunged it deep into the sand, creating a makeshift hitching post.  Next, he slammed his shield into the sand to create an instant shield wall, albeit small, and cast blur off his Warrior Law list.  William waited, then three riders, armed with swords, topped the hill.  As the riders started down, William fired, killing the middle one.  William snatched up an arrow from the sand in front of him.  Firing that one off, he watched it strike the head of the horse on his left.  The animal went head over heels, followed by its rider.  William then fired on the third, striking him in the left shoulder.  As he prepared a follow up shot, two arrows flew by and one struck his shield.  William spun to see three more riders, armed with bows, reloading and preparing to fire.  William fired first, striking the right rider square in the chest.  The middle rider's horse reared, throwing him.  William felt something slam into his left shoulder and his bow dropped into the sand at his feet.  Looking down, he saw an arrow shaft sticking out of his shoulder.  Cursing under his breath, William looked right.  He saw the last rider, at the bottom of the dune, frantically trying to nock another arrow.  William charged.  As he reached the horse and rider, William drew his sword using a quick-draw skill, called Iai, that allowed him to strike with the draw.  The horse's head fell in the sand and its body fell over onto the rider.  William leaned over and dispatched him.  As William stood up, he heard someone charging him from behind.  William executed a reverse stroke and felt the blade find its mark.  When he withdrew the blade and turned to face his opponent, he locked eyes with a boy no more than sixteen years old.  The boy was looking down at a rapidly expanding circle of blood in the center of his chest.  His long, curved dagger fell from his hand onto the sand, then the boy fell to his knees and then face down into the sand.

Willam looked around for the loose horses, but he saw none.  One of his attackers had gotten away, so he knew he had to put some distance between this place and himself.  William also now felt the pain of his wound.  He turned toward his horse only to feel fear grip his heart.  The horse had blood from his left flank down to his hoof.  William examined the animal; it had taken a glancing blow, but the wound was deep.  William did what he could to staunch the flow of blood and prayed that it would be enough.

William searched the bodies and found three water skins, but no food.  William mounted his horse, his arm screamed with pain.  William hoped the horse would last until nightfall; that whould make covering his tracks easier should he be on foot.  William stopped after an hour and cocked his head toward his rear.  He heard only the wind.  Suddenly, the horse gasped once and fell straight down.  William threw himself clear, then he lay in the sand cursing this place and its people.