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to burn the coal, or to make ghost eaters from it, it will never be yours. I will see the
mountains themselves burn before I allow it into your hands.
 Listen to me, old man! Tell me how to stop that thing, or I ll string you up by your
guts! You can t win here you can t fight against an army this big with nothing but sticks
and stone arrows! Either give me what I want, or your sons will die and I ll make your
wife my whore!
There was no Ahkan i word for  whore, but Johann translated it well enough that
several of the men shouted in outrage. Ebrim only laughed.
 Yell all you want, he mocked.  But you know it s true. Fight us, and we ll crush
you. I have an army behind me, while you stand alone!
 That s where you re wrong, colonel, called a woman s voice.
She stood on the ridgeline behind them, tall and still against the sky. Sunlight
picked gold out of her honey-colored hair, even from a distance. The wind caught the
edge of her duster and sent it flapping behind her, revealing the saber and pistols slung
around her waist.
 Gwendith, Johann whispered.
The ghost eater stared, caught in a moment of disbelief. For an instant he
thought he beheld her ghost, returned to exact revenge. Then realization opened up in
him, and he let out a wordless cry of joy.
Gwendith s gaze remained fixed on the colonel. A warrior appeared behind her
suddenly, then another, and another. Within a few minutes, an army had materialized
along the ridgeline.
Several soldiers moved back nervously at the sight of this second army.  And
who the hell are you? shouted Ebrim, his face going first white, then red.
She pulled out her saber, holding it over her head so that it glittered in the early
light.  I am Gwendith of the Woodpecker Clan! The Ahkan i call the warriors behind me
Immortals. And we have come to tell you to leave here or die!
Ebrim let out a snarl of rage, snatched out his own saber, and made a cutting
gesture.  Attack! Attack!
A volley of gunfire ripped the mountain air. Gwendith ducked, and then broke into
a crouching run. The Immortals surged forwards, wild war-whoops shattering the air.
Halfway down the slope, they suddenly faded from view except for their arrows, which
rained down on the soldiers, and their war clubs, which rushed into the midst of the
horses.
The ghost eater leapt to his feet, racing after them. A bullet tore into his shoulder,
and he turned the pain into a war cry. A man in armor angled sluggishly towards him.
He avoided him, leaping into the midst of an unprotected group of infantry. One yelled
and ripped at him with a bayonet. He turned on the man, sent the bhargha into his body,
and devoured his ghost. It was different than it had been, slower, the images and
memories less vivid. The youth stiffened and fell amidst his shrieking comrades.
The world degenerated into chaos. Ahkan i warriors were running, yelling, killing,
and dying. Those with war Ways used them. The ghost eater caught a glimpse of Sihun
diving into the ground and coming up from the earth behind his enemies. Jilhe shifted
his shape into that of a shaggy bear, which fell upon a soldier and mauled her.
The invisible Immortals had pulled down one of the armored men. Now their
clubs fell mercilessly, smashing his helmet into his head. Stands-in-Smoke wrestled
with a soldier for his gun; a moment later, the weapon exploded, sending shards of
metal into his body. Men fled from the ghost eaters, only to fall dead in their tracks.
Crowded in on all sides, the ghost eater cursed his lack of height. Leaping over a
dying warrior, he made for the high ground, pausing there to see what happened and
where he might be most needed. A still space had opened up towards one end of the
battlefield. Colonel Ebrim stood in the middle of it, his saber in his hand. Gwendith faced
him, blood dripping from a cut across her breast. Even as the ghost eater watched,
Ebrim lunged forwards. The blades clashed together, and then leapt apart again.
Gwendith skipped back, her eyes narrowed.
Ebrim grinned a predator s grin. He pressed his advantage, using his greater
strength and weight to push Gwendith into giving ground. She dropped back, her
defense seeming to falter. Seeing his opening, Ebrim lunged, blade striking for her
heart.
But the blow never made contact. Gwendith danced aside, all pretense at
sluggishness gone in an instant. Her saber drew a line of blood up Ebrim s unguarded
side. He cried out, stumbled, and fell to his knees. An instant later, Gwendith s blade
removed his head from his body. Ebrim s headless corpse knelt a moment, blood
gushing out over his blue uniform. Then he slowly toppled forwards.
Some of the soldiers stumbled back from the sight of their commander s death,
then suddenly turned and ran. Their panic spread like a contagion. Within moments, the
battle had become a rout, as soldiers fled back down the ravine. Immortals and Ahkan i
alike gave chase, their war whoops echoing wildly. Frightened horses bolted riderless,
reins trailing behind them. As the runners disappeared, a sort of silence descended over
the battlefield, broken only by the moans of the wounded and dying.
The Corn Grows Tall ghost eater stood amidst a small hill of bodies. His eyes
widened, and a look of incredulity crossed over his face.  We won, he said.  We won!
The ghost eater left his vantage point and ran across the ravine.  Gwendith!
Gwendith!
She turned at the sound of her name, wiping sweat and hair from her eyes. He
caught her about the waist, lifted her, and spun her around. She hugged him hard,
enthusiastically returning his kiss. When they pulled apart, he saw that he had managed
to smear his paint all over her mouth. He laughed at the sight, then suddenly began to
cry.
 We thought you were dead, he managed to say at her startled look.  I thought
that I had lost you.
 What? No! I& it s a long story. She pulled him close, kissed his black-painted
eyelids.  You ll never lose me.
 I hope not. I  He felt her body tense against him suddenly.  What is it?
A soldier staggered towards them from among the wounded on the field. His
clothing was in tatters, and blood poured from an ugly wound on his temple. A gore-
stained rifle gleamed dully in his shaking hands. His gaze was fixed on them, and there
was a crazed gleam in his eye.
 Beoch, Gwendith whispered.
The ghost eater shoved her behind him. Beoch seemed to look through him, all
his attention on Gwendith.  You& filthy& whore.
 Beoch, Gwendith started calmly.
 Be silent! Beoch yelled, pointing the gun at them.  I did everything for you
tried to rescue you and you ve been spreading your legs for every muddy in these
damned mountains.
The ghost eater tensed, and the bhargha flared into visibility around him.  Say [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]