Honoured Enemy Page 0,2

young soldier looked up at Richard.

'I could help him,' Richard ventured.

'We'll ask the Captain,' the priest replied, but Richard could tell by his tone that the answer would be no. Either the boy walked on his own or died.

Corwin patted the soldier reassuringly on the shoulder, stood up, and looked over to where a Tsurani lay with a crossbow bolt buried deep in his upper thigh. A comrade was by his side, trying to get him to take a little food.

'Poor bastard,' Corwin sighed and without hesitation went over and knelt beside him. The two looked at Corwin, turning to him masklike visages on which there was no expression. They looked straight through Corwin and Richard as if they didn't even exist.

'Really got you,' Corwin said quietly, motioning to the arrow.

The two said nothing.

'Got to get it out sooner or later.'

Again no response.
Chapter 2

'Damn it, don't they take care of their wounded?' Richard asked.

'It's obvious they don't have a chirugeon with them,' replied the Priest of Sung. 'This arrow's in deep. I guess they figure they'll just leave him here - no sense in putting him through the agony of trying to get it out. Richard, go fetch me some boiling water and I want you to take these two knives, stick one in the fire for a minute or so, the second one, leave it in the fire.'

As he spoke he drew two small daggers belted to his waist and handed them up. Richard followed the priest's orders and returned with a tin pot filled with boiling hot tea and the dagger which was shimmering with heat.

'No water, just the boiled tea.'

The priest chuckled. 'It'll do,' he said. He reached into his tunic, pulled out a small roll of white linen, tore off a piece and stuck it into the boiling liquid. Then he motioned at the arrow and made a gesture as if pulling it out.

The wounded man looked at him wide-eyed and shook his head, and his comrade said something and made a gesture, waving his hand over the arrow as if to block Corwin.

'He says they already tried to get it out, that it's snagged on the bone,' Gregory announced, coming up behind the group. 'Priest, just leave him alone, he's finished. You can't draw it without cutting the poor bastard to pieces. Those damned moredhel arrows are four-barbed.'

'Just shut up and stay out of my way,' Corwin growled. He reached into his tunic, pulled out a small leather case and unrolled it, drawing out several needles which already had threads attached, tweezers and tiny brass clamps.

He looked straight into the eyes of the Tsurani and began a low chant in a strange tongue. Those around him fell silent for the words carried a power, a sense of otherworldliness and Richard felt a cold shiver. The chanting continued for several minutes. Then Corwin slowly reached out, placing his right hand on the Tsurani's forehead and let it gently slip down to cover the man's eyes. Finally he drew his hand back. The Tsurani's eyes were still open but were now glazed.

Corwin gripped the arrow with his left hand and ever so slowly tried to pull it out. It didn't budge.

'Snagged on the bone, like he said,' the priest whispered. 'Richard, help roll him on to his side then hold him tight.'

Richard followed the priest's orders. The wounded man's eyes were still unfocused. Richard cradled the man on his lap and looked back down at the priest who was carefully examining the wound, running his fingers around the back of the man's leg.

Corwin picked up the still-hot dagger with his right hand, positioned it underneath the wounded man's leg on the opposite side from the wound and drove the blade in halfway to the hilt and rotated the blade.

A gasp escaped the wounded man. Richard looked into his eyes and saw that consciousness was returning: the Tsurani's pupils went wide.

'Hold him!' the priest snapped.

With his left hand he grabbed the arrow and started to push even as he pulled the dagger back out. A second latter the head of the arrow exploded out of the hole cut by the dagger.

The wounded Tsurani cried out, and began to struggle, but Richard grabbed hold of him, 'It's all right; you'll be all right,' he began to say over and over.

'Damn it, priest, he's bleeding to death!' Gregory cried.

'Just shut up and get the hot knife from the fire!'

The priest continued to push the arrow through the wound, finally pulling