ggk.asongforarbonne-第109节

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　uplifted　in　salute；　towards　him。
　　Ranald's　last　shouted　words　had　been　heard；　Blaise　realized。　And　these　men　would　have　watched　one　of　their　own；　Bergen　of　Garsenc；　felled　by　a　Portezzan　as　he　prepared　to　ride　back　to　them。　And　sure；　surely；　there　would　be　those　among　the　corans　he　had　grown　up　among　who　had　not　been　filled　with　joy　at　the　prospect　of　burning　women　and　mutilating　helpless　men。
　　He　saw　his　father　turn；　alerted　by　a　change　in　the　sounds　behind　him。　Galbert　visibly　checked　at　what　he　saw；　then　his　own　magnificent；　stentorian　voice　rang　out　over　the　battlefield　like　the　voice　of　doom；　of　a　god；　〃Stop　those　men！〃　he　trumpeted。　〃There　are　traitors　among　us！〃
　　Confusion　reigned。　Some　corans　turned　obediently　in　the　Gorhaut　ranks　and　began　slashing　at　others　who；　moments　before；　had　been　fighting　beside　them。　In　front　of　Blaise　the　warriors　of　Gorhaut　turned　towards　the　centre　to　see　what　was　happening；　and　in　the　respite　shaped　by　that　brief　hesitation　the　men　of　Arbonne　pushed　forward　beside　Rudel's　hard…bitten　mercenaries；　fighting　now　beneath　the　incongruous　banner　of　the　kings　of　Gorhaut。　Blaise　saw　Mallin　de　Baude　drive　forward；　first　man　into　the　gap。
　　〃Go　quickly　now！〃　he　cried　over　his　shoulder　to　Fulk。　〃We　have　a　chance！〃
　　With　no　more　words　spoken；　Fulk　de　Savaric　barked　orders　to　his　captains　and　moments　later…more　swiftly　than　Blaise　could　have　hoped…the　men　of　Savaric　had　peeled　back　and　begun　swinging　south　towards　the　lake　in　a　desperate　attempt　at　flanking　around。
　　It　was　going　to　have　to　be　swift；　Blaise　realized　grimly；　as　nearly　half　the　men　in　their　sector　melted　away。　Rudel　looked　back　at　him；　grasped　what　was　happening　and；　improbably；　grinned。
　　〃It　this　some　sort　of　vengeance　upon　me？〃　he　cried；　leaning　over　in　his　saddle　towards　Blaise。　〃For　youthful　sins　I　have　long　forgotten？〃
　　〃What　else　could　possibly　be　guiding　me　now？〃　Blaise　shouted　back；　moving　his　horse　up　beside　his　friend。　Rudel　laughed　aloud。　Then　he　stopped　laughing；　for　the　warriors　of　Gorhaut；　seeing　empty　space　open　up　before　them　and　the　numbers　of　their　foes　suddenly　diminished；　returned；　with　a　collective　cry　and　a　new　urgency；　to　their　own　assault。
　　After　that　there　was　little　chance　to　do　so　much　as　look　up；　let　alone　assert　leadership　on　any　grand　scale。　Battles　were　always　like　this　at　their　peak；　breaking　down　into　islands　of　desperately　close　bat；　the　screams　and　the　sweaty　press　of　men　and　horses；　the　living　and　dying　and　dead；　preventing　any　chance　at　grasping　an　overall　picture。　Blaise　lost　sight　of　Mallin。　He　knew　Bertran　must　be　holding　in　the　centre；　or　they　would　by　now　have　been　under　hopeless　pressure　from　that　side。　He　knew　this　had　to　be　true；　but　he　couldn't　spare　a　moment　to　look　up　and　see。
　　The　world　shrank　to　the　smallest；　bloodiest　dimensions；　to　a　sword　lifting　and　falling；　the　scream　of　a　dying　horse；　the　jarring　impact　of　his　blade　on　armour　or　the　different　sucking　feel　as　it　bit　into　flesh；　an　awareness　of　Rudel　on　his　left　side　and　another　man；　a　mercenary　he　didn't　know　beside　him　on　the　right。　When　that　man　fell；　moments　later；　another　coran　pushed　forward　to　take　his　place。　It　was　Hirnan　of　Baude；　and　Blaise　belatedly　understood　that　they　were　guarding　him。　That　he　was　no　longer　just　one　of　the　captains　here。　He　was　the　man　in　whose　name　the　banner　above　them　was　flying。
　　That　was　the　moment；　really；　when　Blaise　was　made　aware　of　what　being　a　king　might　entail。　The　knowledge　came　to　him　on　that　desperate　battlefield　as　a　weight　and　an　exaltation；　both。　The　rash　folly　he　had　begun　in　Tavernel　last　summer　and　then　continued　in　the　fall…claiming　a　crown　at　the　Lussan　Fair…became；　in　that　valley　north　of　Talair；　something　tangible　and　fully　incarnate　for　him。
　　A　man　with　an　axe　appeared　in　front　of　him　on　a　dark　grey　horse；　Rudel　Correze；　with　an　elegant；　almost　casual　movement　in　the　saddle；　slid　his　sword　into　the　man's　throat　between　armour　and　helm　and　Blaise　watched　him　fall。　Hirnan　immediately　drove　his　horse　forward　to　cut　off　the　space　in　front　of　Blaise。
　　They　were　guarding　him；　he　understood；　at　risk　of　their　own　lives。
　　In　that　instant；　utterly　calm　in　the　midst　of　wild　battle；　with　a　dead　man　trampled　into　the　ground　at　his　feet；　Blaise　de　Garsenc　came　into　his　true　awareness　of　power。　On　a　field　of　death；　fighting　his　countrymen　on　the　day　his　father　had　killed　his　brother；　Blaise　realized　that　he　really　did　know　what　he　wanted　for　Gorhaut；　and　that　he　thought　he　could　achieve　it　if　given　but　half　a　chance。
　　He　did　not　expect；　pushing　forward　between　Rudel　and　Hirnan；　feeling　his　horse's　hooves　unavoidably　trample　the　body　below；　to　live　long　enough　to　do　anything　about　it。
　　Later　he　would　remember　how　that　last　bleak　thought　had　e　to　him　even　before　he　heard　Rudel；　his　panion　on　so　many　battlefields；　speak　a　malediction　of　bitter　ferocity；　and　Blaise；　looking　over　to　the　west；　saw　what　his　friend　had　seen　and　felt　something　colder　than　winter　enter　his　heart　with　the　awareness　of　treachery　and　of　the　final；　inexorable　revenge　of　the　past。
　　On　the　forested　ridge　of　land　west　of　the　valleys　a　pany　of　men　could　be　seen　at　the　edge　of　the　trees。　A　very　large　pany；　arrayed　in　precise　rows；　well　armed　and　armoured。　Above　their　heads　were　flying　not　one　but　two　banners。　One　was　a　green　device　Blaise　had　e　to　know　well　in　Arbonne。　The　other　was　that　of　the　kings　of　Gorhaut。
　　Urté　de　Miraval　had　e　to　war；　and　their　worst　nightmares　were　made　real　as　those　grim；　meticulous　ranks　began　to　move　down　the　slope。　Fulk　de　Savaric；　Blaise　saw；　had　somehow　managed　to　fight　his　way　around　by　the　shore　of　the　lake。　He　and　his　men　had　turned　north　and　were　even　now　poised　to　turn　and　strike　at　Ademar's　centre　from　behind。
　　It　didn't　matter　any　more。　They　were　going　to　be　annihilated；　their　backs　pletely　exposed　to　the　men　of　Miraval；　who　were　gathering　speed　now　as　they　swept　into　the　valley。　If　Fulk　turned　to　face　Urté　they　would　be　equally　helpless　before　Ademar's　corans。　Blaise　had　sent　those　men　to　the　worst　sort　of　death。
　　With　their　own　soon　to　follow。　Blaise　looked　a　long　way　over　then…there　seemed　to　be　a　respite　here　on　their　flank　as　men　in　both　armies　turned　to　see　what　was　happening…and　he　picked　out　the　fiercely　battling　figure　of　Bertran　de　Talair。　Once　he　had　thought　the　man　no　more　than　a　lord　who　debased　his　rank　by　consorting　with　singers　and　frivolously　pursuing　any　woman　who　came　under　his　blue　gaze。　These　things　were　true；　there　was　no　gainsaying　them；　but　there　was　nothing　in　the　man　he　saw　just　then　that　could　have　been　called　less　than　lordly　as　Bertran　fought　for　his　land　in　the　face　of　betrayal　and　what　would　have　to　be　the　knowledge；　bitter　as　poison；　that　Urté　de　Miraval　was　the　source　of　their　undoing。
　　With　a　horrified　fascination…the　way　one　watches　a　coiled　snake　before　it　strikes…Blaise　saw　the　corans　of　Miraval；　fifteen　hundred　of　them；　sweep　down　from　their　ridge　behind　the　majestic　figure　of　the　duke。　He　saw　them　e　up　beside　the　first　of　Fulk's　wheeling；　scrambling　men；　swords　and　spears　and　axes　uplifted　and　levelled　and　poised。
　　And　he　saw　them　go　straight　past　those　desperate　men；　no　horse　or　man　of　Urté's　pany　so　much　as　breaking　stride；　to　crash；　with　a　sound　and　an　impact　that　seemed　to　shake　the　earth；　full　into　the　rear　of　the　army　of　Gorhaut。
　　In　the　instant　before　that　impact；　just　as　he　realized；　with　a　wild　surging　in　his　heart；　exactly　what　was　happening；　Blaise　heard　his　father's　voice　rise　up　again…to　tower　like　a　presence　over　the　valley；　crying　the　name　of　the　god　in　his　need。　There　was　no　answer　though；　no　reply　from　Corannos　in　the　cold　blue　sky。　Only　the　huge　thunder　of　hooves　on　hard　earth　and　the　screams　of　terrified　men　as　the　racing　corans　of　Miraval　smashed　into　the　rear　of　Ademar's　men；　with　the　warriors　of　Savaric　turning　swiftly　to　join　them　and　Bertran's　men　ing　forward　from　the　other　side；　roaring　in　exultation；　to　pincer　them　mercilessly。
　　〃He　fooled　them！〃　Rudel　screamed　in　Blaise's　ear。　〃He　fooled　them　pletely！〃　It　was　true；　Blaise　saw：　the　disruption　in　the　Gorhaut　ranks　caused　by　the　first　Garsenc　defections　earlier　had　turned　into　utter　chaos。　Corans　of　Garsenc　Castle；　men　he　had　known　all　his　life；　were　joining　with　Fulk　de　Savaric　now；　closing　in　upon　Ademar's　own　guards　even　as　he　watched。
　　〃e　on！〃　Blaise　cried。　In　front　of　them　the　men　on　their　flank　were　falling　back　in　panic；　fearing　to　be　cut　off。　Blaise　drove　his　horse　recklessly　forward　into　the　gap　between　the　armies。　It　seemed　to　him　as　if　something　oppressive　had　been　lifted　from　his　shoulders；　a　weight　from　the　darkness　of　the　past。　He　felt　light；　invulnerable；　and　he　wanted　Ademar。　He　didn't　even　look　back　to　see　if　anyone　was　following　him。　He　knew　now　that　they　would　be；　he　was　their　leader；　and　a　chance；　a　hope；　a　promise　like　a　lantern's　glow　seen　from　afar　in　a　night　forest；　had　appeared　for　them　where　none　could　ever　have　been　foreseen。
　　He　was　driving　in　to　the　centre；　straight　towards　Ademar；　and　so　was　actually　quite　close　when　he　saw　Duke　Urté　de　Miraval　meet　the　king　of　Gorhaut　in　the　midst　of　the　roiling　tumult。
　　
　　Ademar　feels　as　if　he　might　actually　ch