She Who Has No Name (The Legacy Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF

Master, they could see over the crest towards their campsite and the town of Rampeny.  Where there had been nothing before but ruined farmland and Captain Adell’s thinning campsite, there was now a mass of men, assembled and perfectly arranged into squads and divisions, packed tightly so there was no sign of bare earth between them.  Captains were barking orders as the soldiers readied themselves for battle.  Their armour was fresh and untainted by combat, gleaming in the sun.  Blue and gold banners flapped in the breeze.  To one side, a hundred warhorses began away, thundering up and over the crest, rallying to run down the fleeing N orth-men.
    ‘How did you get here so quickly, Grand Master?’ Goodfellow asked of the old magician.  ‘We thought you would be much longer yet.’
    The old man looked out from beneath his wispy , grey brows and scratched angrily at his long beard as if bees were at his chin.  No one knew his true age, but it was enough to say that he had already outlived most others in the Empire.  H e bore his age well , standing straight and tall.  His mind was still as sharp as a tack and his temper was as quick as a nest of wasps, which perhaps explained why he was so feared by his foes and so respected by his allies.  Of all the Lions, old Anthem was the mightiest and , when he spoke, it was with the voice of a man barely beyond middle age, deep and strong and filled with vigour.  ‘We split General Canard’s forces from General Warren’s to make it here as quickly as we could.  We had to leave behind most of our cavalry and cut across the woods, so I hope it was worth it.  I understand you three were rushing out to dig your own graves just as we reached the highway.  I was quite looking forward to a good rest and a cup of tea, so you can consider yourselves quite fortunate that we reconsidered and decided to come and save your troublesome skins.  It was not a unanimous decision, mind you.  I would much rather have had my tea!’
    Eric gave the old man his best cheeky smile.  ‘You had to come and spoil our fun.  We would have been done with the Gartens in another minute or two.’
    The old man guffawed.  ‘Nearly done for, is more like it, from what I saw.  We were already making bets on which of you would be run through first.  Now , why don’t you three take note of how things are done properly?  For goodness sake; you gave up perfectly good high ground and marched down amongst the enemy and let them surround you—a tactical sin of the worst degree!  A blind oaf with a bucket on his head would not have stumbled into so great a calamity.’
    The three red-faced magicians returned their attention to the valley, where the warhorses were cutting down the furred N orth-men by the droves.  Their wedged formations thundered through the Gartens, before swinging around in great arcs to come back at them from the opposite direction.  The Lions, meanwhile, had spread themselves further around the valley and were picking off any individuals who attempted to scramble up the difficult slopes, with spells that shot out like flashing arrows. 
    Not far from them, General Canard directed the battle, his captains and his trumpeters at his side.  Master Crisp hovered there nervously, standing on his tiptoes to get a look over their shoulders at the maps in their hands.
    A flash of magic drew Samuel’s attention as a distant figure came leaping across the valley and landed crouching beside them.  It was Grand Master Gallivan and he wiped the sweat from his brow as he stood straight, letting the Leaping spell dissolve away from around him.
    ‘It’s not over yet, Janus,’ he said, setting his marvellous black moustache to wobble.  ‘They’ve more men coming in from behind.  Many more.  They sent the wild men in first, but Otgart’s finest are waiting behind for their turn—heavy footmen.  They’ll come at us next.  We’re lucky we arrived when we did.’
    ‘Then we’ll