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