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Show After the third clash the number of fallen knights came close to eighty and the cuts and bruises among them were alarming, considering they were all self-inflicted or inflicted by their own folk-a fact that the fallen warriors would not believe. In their pain and exhaustion, the Provincials marveled that the Commendium knights could inflict such punishment on them and remain unscathed themselves. "Demons they be and that rightly," muttered one huge woman with gleaming pectorals and biceps and a head of black curly hair-a Seljuk Warrior, no doubt about it. "Offspring of Merlin, all of them," she added. The woman was sporting an ugly black eye and a bruise that ran from shoulder to elbow which she swore was inflicted by her opponent's sword, but was evidently caused by a long dent in her own brassard. By the fifth joust, there were three enemy knights on the field still able to sit a horse. One of the three came forward and raised his hand for counsel. Erica, who had been watching from the sidelines since the third joust walked forward to confer with him. His helmet was dented in several places and its visor was no more, having been ripped off in the last charge. His broken lance he had been using as a club, his scabbard was innocent of its sword since he had lost it in the first charge. Nevertheless the man-slightly under middle height and heavily muscled- dismounted with dignity and stepped over to Erica, inclining his head politely. The beard and mustache showing under his helmet was reddish gray with dust. "A knight of courage, most surely!" murmured Janni fervently, gazing at the stocky man with interest. 262 |
