The Roots of the Mountains: Wherein Is Told Somewhat of the Lives of the Men of Burgdale, Their Friends, Their Neighbours, Their Foemen, and Their Fellows in ArmsMorris, William
Science
The Roots of the Mountains: Wherein Is Told Somewhat of the Lives of the Men of Burgdale, Their Friends, Their Neighbours, Their Foemen, and Their Fellows in Arms
Morris, William
Fantasy fiction
Now as he looked this way and that, and deemed that he must tarry no
longer, but must enter into the courts of the houses before him and make
his way into the Market-stead, lo! a change in the throng of Dusky
Warriors nigh the Mote-house, and the ordered bands about the Altar fell
to drifting toward the western way with one accord, with great noise and
hurry and fierce cries of wrath. Then made Face-of-god no delay, but ran
down the bent at once, and at the break of it came upon Bow-may standing
upright and sword in hand; and as he passed, she joined herself to him,
and said: ‘What new tidings now, Gold-mane?’
‘Tidings of battle!’ he cried; ‘tidings of victory! Folk-might hath
fallen on, and the Dusky Men run hastily to meet him. Hark, hark!’
For as he spoke came a great noise of horns, and Bow-may said: ‘What horn
is that blowing?’
He stayed not, but shouted aloud: ‘For the Face, for the Face! Now will
we fall upon their backs!’
Therewith was he come to his company, and he cried out to them: ‘Heard ye
the horn, heard ye the horn? Now follow me into the Market-place; much
is yet to do!’
Even therewith came the sound of other horns, and all men were silent a
moment, and then shouted all together, for the Wood-landers knew it for
the horn of the Shepherds coming on by the eastward way.
But Face-of-god waved his sword aloft and set on at once, and they
followed and gat them through the courts of the houses and their passages
into the Market-place. There they found more room than they looked to
find; for the foemen had drawn away on the left hand toward the battle of
Folk-might, and on the right hand toward the battle of the Steer; and
great was the noise and cry that came thence.
Now stood Face-of-god under the two banners of the Wolf in the
Market-place of Silver-stead, and scarce had he time to be high-hearted,
for needs must he ponder in his mind what thing were best to do. For on
the left hand he deemed the foe was the strongest and best ordered; but
there also were the kindreds the doughtiest, and it was little like that
the felons should overcome the spear-casters of the Face and the
glaive-bearers of the Sickle, and the bowmen of the Vine: there also were
the wisest leaders, as the stark elder Stone-face, and the tall
Hall-face, and his father of the unshaken heart, and above all
Folk-might, fierce in his wrath, but his anger burning steady and clear,
like the oaken butt on the hearth of the hall.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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