29 "Sir," said The Child of Spirit, "Our Lord, Bold Dove, sends you greetings and gives you opportunity now, to withdraw! You have entered witout permission into our land, but that we will forgive.
30 Take your people now, and peaceably depart, that there be this day, no bloodshed. Our leader asks this in all sincerity, and in all good will towards you and your king. Let these thoughts of war in your heart depart. Leave us, we pray thee, in peace."
31 The Trn Leader smiled. "Tell your Warlock," he announced, "I will give him his answer in a moment by either withdrawing or attacking. Go in peace."
32 "Very well," the young man replied. He turned to leave, but as he did so, the Trn Leader drew his dagger, stepped up behind the young man, reached around, and plunged the weapon in his throat! The young man gasped, fell to the ground, and quickly died.
33 "Your people talk with the Dead," laughed the Trn Leader, "carrry your message now!"
34 A cry of anger rose from The Children of Spirit, but Bold Dove held them back. "Stand!" he cried, "Stand! Soon we will have ample opportunity to avenge this innocent blood.
35 To the beat of their drums The Trns marched forward. Just outside of arrow-range they charged, and with a tremendous crash the battle was joined.
36 For several minutes the battle swung to and fro then the center of The Children of Spirit's line began to break. Slowly it swung back in both directions.
37 From his position of safety the Trn Leader watched with interest. "You play your games, Children of Fools," he said, "but this time you do not play them well enough. Hold the reserves," he ordered, "soon their Giants will attack over those ridges. When they do, throw in the reserves. Drive them in with the others, and then we'll finish them all! Swing around behind them, and block the passage. Let not one escape! There are to be no prisoners!"
38 The Giants attacked and The Trn Leader threw in his reserves. The dust of the battle was so great, and the enemy's eyes were on those they had trapped they did not see the columns come out from behind the ridges, nor did they hear the hundreds of tinkling bells. Their only awareness that something was wrong, was the sudden screams of their men as the dogs fell on them from behind!
39 The orderly battlefield became instant chaos. The dogs, Black Death, and their supporting fighting people slashed through the enemy hardly without effort. Lances, teeth and metal-tipped claws left in their wake the dead and dying. The enemy tried to run, but there was no place for him to go.
40 The Children of Spirit broke their circles. Driving into the enemy from all directions they cut him up into small pockets. Many of the terrified enemy threw down their swords, dove on the ground, and covered themselves with their shields, screaming "Mercy! Mercy!"
41 They were quickly bound and dragged away. The Trn Leader was still full of fight. He screamed for his men to rally and desperately the bravest tried.
42 But then several dog riders drove into the circle where The Trn Leader was, and one of them drove his lance through the Leader's eye. With his death, the rest of the Trns threw down their weapons. "We yield! they cried, "We yield! It is finished!"
43 They were quickly taken prisoner. The Trns had lost thousands, The Children of Spirit only a couple of hundred.
44 Nameless Fox and his dog riders rushed into the road. Day after day they rode west, sometimes even at night.
45 Swift Goat had done his work well. The enemy had no warning. They reached the Trn end of the road, and would have taken the fortress there, too, had not a sentry seen them at the last moment and shut the gate.
46 Still, they had won a great victory, and everyone expected The Dove would now send emissaries to the Trn King and have him ransom back the prisoners. But to everyon's surprise, he did not!
47 He sent word to his son. "This is the third time the Trns have made war on us, the third time we have shed blood repelling their unprovoked attack. This time, they .lose territory.
48 I order you to break thorugh into their land, capture at least two of their cities, all the land that lay within their boundaries. Then and only then, when we have seized some of their territory, will I offer them peace!"
49 Now, Bold Dove shared his father's feelings, but how was he to carry out his orders, without great loss of life? The Trn road and The Valley of Shadows were both blocked by great fortresses, the taking of which would cost many of his people's lives.
50 He called a Council of Warlocks and asked their advice. It was Swift Goat that rose.
51 The Mountaineer came forward, and tapped the map. "The enemy," he announced, "have made a mistake in The Valley of Shadows. They have built their fortress right up against a sheer cliff where the passage turns to the left.
52 They have no outposts on the tops of the cliffs because they do not think anyone can climb that mountain to get above them.
53 But, Lord, my Mountaineers can! We can climb that mountain! Then, in the dead of night, we can come down that cliff face, take out the sentries, and open the gate, and keep the enemy at bay long enough for the rest of you to get in the fortress.
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