The Switching Skill, Chapter Two

     He had only a small distance to fly outward, for the warriors were almost directly below; but the distance downward was great, and he fell through the air feet first, aiming directly for the uninjured man.
      The latter was reaching again for the girl when Dar-Teh struck. A foot hit on each shoulder of rogue, and such was the impact that Dar-teh's feet crushed the bones beneath them and bounced viciously off, and as the man crumbled, the naked warrior smashed against him with his full weight, crushing him to the earth.
     There was a shout, then the ring of metal coming unsheathed sounded in Dar-teh's ears, and he knew the noise well. He glanced up in time to duck under the slash of the one wounded by the arrow, and then to spring like a giant cat to the side, snatching as he did so the sword of his fallen adversary from the ground next to him, and landing lightly with a snarl to face the man.
     This latter foe stood snarling as well, despite the fear and surprise that this naked tiger's onslaught had produced in him, for the almond-eyed swordsman had spent a lifetime in the forest and on the steppes, and was a tough veteran of a dozen campaigns, in which the armies of his people had fought battles of such horror and gore as to make Dar-teh's small offensive seem a child's game. He feigned at Dar-teh, but did not close, for he heard a shout and knew that a third companion was now rushing to his aid.
      Dar-teh, however, would not wait. He, too, was experienced at the deadly game. He knew not why, but the curved blade felt at home in his grasp, and his arm hesitated not. He feigned a short lunge, then leapt forward with two fast cuts, slicing his enemy's breast each time. His speed and skill were such that the other man was taken by surprise, and although he leapt backwards in a catlike response of his own, he was not fast enough to avoid being touched. The sharp edge sliced both his garments and the skin of his breast.
     His running companion shouted, and feeling the blood trickling down his flesh, the warrior shouted nervously back, then glanced briefly over his shoulder.
      In that instant Dar-teh struck, flashing forward with a crushing blow to his opponent’s sword arm, then a powerful, upward sweeping cut to the man's neck, knocking him off of his feet and killing him before he hit the ground.
     He squared to face the third warrior rushing toward him, pounding softly over the frozen ground, his skin boots skipping lightly over stones and scrub. Then Dar-teh heard an angry groan behind--the first man, the one upon whom he had jumped! Dar-teh glanced behind in time to see the man, standing, and raising a short dagger. The naked giant spun, his foot flying through space and catching the man fully in the chest, knocking him away. Dar-teh followed through, repeating the kick with his other foot, this time crushing ribs and felling his foe. A short chop with his blade ended the man's life.
     A bow string sung, Dar-teh heard a grunt, and remembered the running man. He turned quickly to see this last fellow falling, a shaft protruding from his chest. He came to rest just a swords length from Dar-teh's feet. The girl stood, still near the stone wall, her bow grasped in her hand. Aside from her breath, and that of his own, he heard only the small whistle of the wind amongst the rocks and frozen twigs.
     It had been a brief flurry, nothing more; yet three fighting men lay dead at the feet of a naked, shivering man and a slight, frightened girl. The latter looked out of dark eyes at the strange figure before her with a mixture of relief, dread, and wonderment. Never taking her eyes from the man, she cautiously strung another shaft onto her bow.
      The fighting over, Dar-teh's discomforts rushed back over him with excruciating speed. His limbs trembled slightly from the cold and the adrenalin as he stepped quickly to the largest of the dead. Stooping, he pulled roughly at the man's garments, stripping him of his felt and fur trappings, and quickly donning these items himself.
      He continued with this work, finally leaving the almond eyed warrior stripped of nearly all of his clothing and warlike accoutrements. Such were the ways of war, Dar-teh knew, and although he remembered it not, he had similarly equipped himself at the expense of his vanquished enemies a number of times in the past.
      He turned and looked at the girl, who had remained motionless while Dar-teh dressed. Now she raised slightly her bow and shaft, aiming in Dar-teh's direction. He examined her closely. Immediately he was struck by her beauty, for she was young, possessing raven black hair, flashing eyes, and even, well-formed features; and a figure which, despite the heavy coverings against the cold, possessed the alluring shape of womanhood even at her early age.
      He noticed her garments--similar to the men lying dead on the ground--and her bow, a short, thick, weapon, which appeared, although undoubtedly difficult to draw, powerful enough to pierce thick garments and skins; even the hide or bone shields of which Dar-teh knew. He noted that she appeared to be of the same race as those who had assaulted her. Many questions flashed through Dar-teh's mind.
     "You need fear no harm from me," he said. "I am lost and injured in this strange land, and I know not who my enemies may be. I have no reason to consider you one, and have no desire to make one of you."
     The girl stared intently as he spoke, and her expression seemed to Dar-teh to be that of one who knew the words but struggled to digest their meaning. Instinctively, he felt that she knew his language, but only slightly.
      Nevertheless, she did not respond herself; only stood, quiet and watching.
     Dar-teh's relief was great at finally being warmly clothed. The mountains were cold and the wind strong, but the elements were not so severe at to cause great discomfort to a person properly attired. He looked away from the girl, considering once again the men he had just killed, his own puzzling situation, and what he must do next.
      A familiar and somewhat pleasant scent had filled his nostrils upon donning the dead man's cloak, and suddenly the significance of it came to him--horses. These fierce warriors must have been horsemen, and quite possibly their beasts would still be nearby. Dar-teh's next move was immediately decided, for there was no more doubt in his mind that he should try to mount himself if possible than there would have been had he been faced with the choice between swimming a torrid river or crossing such on a secure bridge. He stepped from one man to another, taking a quick inventory of the weapons and equipment of each, and began taking those items which he desired.
     The girl spoke. "Stranger, I know not from whence you have come, or why you are traveling alone and unclothed in this remote place, but you should know that there are many more Chalkars nearby. These three were only a short distance ahead of a larger party. If you do not know yourself, let me tell you: they are your enemies as well as mine. I must leave this place immediately, and I advise you to do the same."
     Dar-teh stared at her strangely as she spoke, and she returned his stare, awaiting a response. The big warrior understood her words well, although they were not of the language he himself had used. He could not recall the names of their respective tongues, and he required several moments to even recall the concept of different idioms, such was the nature of his mysterious mental ailment.
     As Dar-teh was digesting these thoughts, she observed him more closely. She noted his size, greater than the men of her race, and even the garments of the largest of their attackers barely fit his frame. Thusly clothed, with broad shoulders and wild hair, he reminded her of the great bears who roamed these forested slopes. His face however, was young--not many years older than her own--handsome, and rugged. Most striking to her were the man's eyes, a light grey color, unlike any she had ever seen, for all of the clans with which she was familiar possessed black eyes and straight, black hair. Dar-teh's eyes and thick, dark brown hair intrigued her. Many thoughts dashed through her mind as she struggled to suppose from whence this enigma might have come.
     The wind continued to blow the dry snow through the air, occasionally stinging their faces with the icy crystals. The girl shook herself from her thoughts, girded her cloak around her and attempted to move off past Dar-teh. Upon taking her first bold step, however, she was apparently overcome by pain, for she emitted a short cry, grasped her side, and fell forward with an expression of agony on her face.
      Dar-teh stepped forward quickly and caught the girl in an outstretched arm, slowly lowering her to a sitting position against the stone wall. Immediately she pushed his arm from her.
      "I need no help. I stumbled--that is all." She tried to rise but, unable to bear her own weight properly, slipped again to the ground. She began another attempt, but Dar-teh, crouching close by, put out a hand to stop her. She could not rise with his heavy grip upon her.
      "Stop long enough to hear my words," he said, "and do not be afraid. I saw from above the slash of the warrior's blade, and I know that it bit your flesh well. Alone on this cold mountain your chances are poor. Together, perhaps, we can help each other."
     He had spoken in her language, causing her brief surprise, but then she considered the words. Were she to resist, this giant of a man could subdue her easily, if he so desired; and he was correct, her wound was a serious one, still bleeding and causing pain, and alone, she might easily perish or be captured by her foes. But with a companion such as this one, so long as his actions remained kind, she might fare well. Instinctively she felt the man was sincere.
     An idea began to form in her mind about the man--although the notion seemed so wondrous she hardly dared wish it to be true. Yet, even if he eventually turned foul, he might at least delay pushing his advantage with her for some time, allowing her to benefit from his aid and protection until they achieved a distance from the Chalkars. Then, perhaps, she would be in a better position to strike off alone, if she saw fit to do so. There was little choice. The burning sensation growing along her side convinced her of it.
      "Very well," she said, then motioned towards a place further along the wall, toward which she had been heading. "Take me to my mount."
     Dar-teh looked in the direction indicated and saw a small but sturdy horse standing quietly amongst the scrub. He was surprised but pleased. He lifted the girl easily to her feet and supported her as she limped painfully to her mount, whereupon Dar-teh hoisted her lightly into the saddle.
     "These men were no doubt mounted as well," he said, "and started off on foot only to scale the cliffs below."
      "Yes," replied the girl. "The trail winds slowly up the mountain from shelf to shelf, but the Chalkars dismounted and climbed this last precipice in order to capture me."
      "Our chances will be greater if I am on horseback as well. Where does the trail cut down to the lower shelf? The horses of these dead ones may still be there."
     She looked at Dar-teh and considered his words. What he proposed made sense. Even among these rugged peaks, the land was still suitable for horsemen, and, depending on the direction of their flight, they might soon come to terrain upon which it would be a great advantage, if not necessary, to be mounted. She felt the warm trickle of blood now pooling under her garments, and knew that she might soon be unable to ride unassisted. Furthermore, for some reason she could not explain, she felt a great sense of trust in this strange man. She pointed along her back trail.
      "Past that stunted sapling, where the large thicket is. Look between the branches. There is a descent which the horses can manage."
     Dar-teh looked into the dark eyes of the beautiful face, lovely despite the welt from the blow of the Chalkar, and marveled at their calm expression. "Flee if trouble comes," he said, "otherwise, wait quietly." The girl nodded.
      Dar-teh moved off, noticing again his own discomforts, the nearly frozen feet and aching ribs. He had been able to shove them from his mind during the excitement of the battle. Now, not only these physical pains, but mental confusion as well overwhelmed him. Since awakening on the icy shelf the night before, he had been forced to concentrate entirely upon survival; now, as he strode away from the girl, he was finally afforded the luxury of being warmly clothed and having a relative moment of leisure in which to ponder his situation.
      He tried to think back more than a day, but there was nothing. Until now, the man had expected the memories to return, as they do to one who awakens from a deep sleep and only slowly recalls the events of the night before, but a strange emptiness was the only result of his attempts to remember, and this strange feeling left him disturbed and uneasy.
     Dar-teh, although he did not know it, was a man who had traveled vast distances and back again, had traversed tremendous plains and forests, fought through mountains such as these, with and against giant armies, and had, at different times, been lost, defeated, and victorious. Such a past allowed him proceed such as he was now, taking action in order to save himself and the girl, and, at least for the time being, to put from his mind any confusion and worry.
     A hundred cat-like paces, keeping close to the shadows of the cliff above, brought him opposite the thicket. Through it would be some sort of trail leading below. A vague path could be discerned disappearing under the scrub.
     Dar-teh moved cautiously forward. Perhaps these Chalkars were already approaching from below. He felt for the weapons of the Chalkar he had slain, testing the location and arrangement of the harness. He gently parted the branches and stepped partially through.
      He saw what the girl had described; a slope tumbling away before him, at a reasonable angle, but strewn with jagged rocks and boulders as big as a man. Some distance below was another flat shelf, similar to the one upon which he had left the girl. A vaguely beaten trail, narrow, such as one made by wild beasts, wound though the rocks in front of him, and stunted trees and bare scrub clung to such places as offered a bit of soil or a crevice for their roots.
     Dar-teh paused to take in a larger view, for in the distance the mountainside fell away sharply through the gray and misty dawn into a vast, empty space, and the range stretched as far as could be seen both to his right and to his left, the lower slopes blanketed with the moss green of forest. Patches of white appeared where snow hung in the branches of the thicker stands, or was revealed on the ground of small, wind-protected meadows.
     He stood motionless a while longer, searching for any sign of enemies. After a moment, he started off, moving quietly and rapidly down the trail, which wove amongst the boulders and slanted slabs of stone. Dar-teh was uncomfortable, for the trail was exposed here, and his tall frame stood above the rocks in many places. Twenty strides, however, brought him to a fog bank, and, as he entered, he felt a sense of security due to the heavy mist, but at the same time the mysterious surroundings caused a wave of eeriness to pass over him.
      The shapes of pines and firs emerged from the gloom as the trail leveled out, and their scent filled the nostrils of the man. The path turned along the mountainside and disappeared into the trees. Dar-teh's hand slipped to the leather-bound hilt at his side as he moved, ghost-like, along the trail.
     A slight scrape reached his ears, and instantly he crouched behind a gray trunk. A moment later he heard the blow of a beast's breath, and then the stamp of a hoof.