Despite knowing that the Ice Sprites were nowhere near this dry, hot lowland, Callum still looked for bright spots in the landscape and sky. Their allies rarely left the highland snowfields. Callum had first considered running to higher ground, but the enemy drove them downward instead. They'd had no choice.
Heavy boots stomped along the nearby path, but none of the berserkers came closer. Many of them growled and yelled. They occasionally howled, but they kept moving onward.
Callum had to force himself to stop listening to the drums. They kept wandering back into his thoughts so that words were hard to hear in his own head. Think! Thunk. Move thunk away thunk. Damn drums!
"No, wait!" Callum caught Ryson by the arm and then snared Kono. "We have to stop the drums!"
"They have guards," Kono said. "We won't have any better luck with them than going after the army."
"Not them. The drums."
"The guards, the drummers --" she protested.
But Ryson nodded with more enthusiasm than he'd had since they left the castle.
"The drums control them," Ryson said with a frantic look through the bush. "If we can silence enough of them, some others will start losing the beat, and the berserkers will fall out of formation. The drums -- "
"Let's do it," Callum agreed. He crawled out. Another group of drummers drew closer. "Kono, you --"
"If you say I need to stay hiding --"
"You will have to guard us both."
"Oh."
"Whatever you do, don't pick up a drum," Ryson said. He prepared to stand. "Neither of you. Don't let them touch your skin. They can claim you."
Then he threw himself out into the path of oncoming drummers.
Callum and Kono growled identical, impolite words, but it was too late to stop Ryson. He had already drawn the attention of three drummers and their companions.
"You idiot! I had a plan!" Callum shouted and kicked someone coming at him with a knife.
"Good," Ryson replied and ducked under a spear. "We need a plan."
"A bit late," he answered.
"Go for the heart," Ryson ordered.
"I thought we were attacking the drums."
"Yes. The drum's heart."
Of course.
At least Ryson made quick work of demonstrating the attack. He squatted and soared like a frog -- a big frog with two sharp blades -- and stabbed straight into the drum with one hand and into the chest of the drummer with the other hand. Both drum and drummer fell dead at Ryson's feet as he stood again.
"Now he's just showing off," Callum stated.
They were fast in the middle of a battle with no time to discuss fighting styles. Callum noted one important fact, though. The berserkers, with no enemy they were pointed at, were not good at fighting one-on-one.
Their leader was not directing anything. What was he doing if not trying to capture or kill the prey they had so close?
"Aiiieeeai!"
It wasn't until that moment that Callum realized the army was not after the three of them.
"Callum!" Ryson shouted as he snagged Kono and dragged her along. "Did you hear --"
"Battle cry of the Dradeni desert tribe. I suspect we fell into a trap meant for someone else."
Kono killed another drum and a companion while Callum took on the drummer. By then, they had welcome company as a dozen Dradeni rushed down the trail and pushed back the next line of drummers. Callum had the feeling they'd been watching; they killed the drums first. Then they shoved berserkers at each other and let them wear down the number of enemies. It looked the wiser way to win this battle, but Cullan didn't think they would hold Ryson back for long. Even the queen fidgeted.
Two older Dradeni backed away from the last of the battle and crossed to where the three stood, still gasping.
"Lord Tsak," Ryson said as he and Callum gave polite bows.
"How is it that anything survived with these two rogues involved? And the queen in their company? This must be fate that your council hired us to find you, Queen Kono."
