The Desert Spear

Treacherous enough for barefoot and agile boys in nothing but their bidos, it was far more so for men in sandals and heavy armored robes, carrying spear and shield.
    But these were Kaji
dal’Sharum,
Jardir’s elite. They ran fearlessly, whooping with delight as they leapt from wall to wall, feeling like boys as the night wind whipped their faces, ready to die like men.
    Jardir, running in the lead, felt it more than anyone. The Sharum Ka would be furious with him, but Nie take him before he let an entire tribe die out to appease the First Warrior’s pride.
    A trip that would have taken many times as long in the Maze was accomplished in minutes atop the walls, and the Sharach unit quickly came into view. There were more than a dozen
alagai
in the ambush pocket, cutting off all avenues of escape. At least half the Sharach were down, and those who remained stood on the defensive, back-to-back and shield-to-shield as demons came at them from all sides.
    They stood as men before an overwhelming force of
alagai,
and the sight enraged Jardir’s Krasian heart. He would let no more
dal’Sharum
die this night.
    “Take heart, Sharach!” he cried. “The Kaji come to your aid!” He was the first to set his hook and throw a rope down into the pocket, rappelling the twenty feet in two quick hops. He didn’t even wait for his men, charging in with his warded shield leading, taking a sand demon in the back. The wards flared, and the demon was thrown away from the failing Sharach circle.
    Jardir paid the stunned creature no further mind, moving on to the next demon with a thrust of his spear, driving it back with a series of precise strikes to the weakest parts of its armor. Behind him, he heard the roar of his fifty as they poured down the wall, and knew his back was secure.
    “Everam watched your stand with pride, brother!” Jardir cried to the Sharach
kai’Sharum,
whose white veil was red with blood. “See to your wounded now! We will finish your glorious start and see that the Sharach fight another day!”
    The third demon Jardir charged turned to face him and caught his spear in its jaws, splintering the wood. The impact threw Jardir off balance, and the creature hooked the edge of his shield on its talon. It flexed its corded arm, and the shield straps snapped. Jardir hit the ground hard, dodging aside as the creature came at him. For a moment, the demon had the advantage, but the Sharach
kai’Sharum
slammed into it from the side, knocking it away from him.
    “The Sharach will fight to the last, my brother!” the
kai’Sharum
cried, but the sand demon struck back, its tail whipping under the warrior’s guard to knock him down. It tensed to spring for the kill.
    Jardir glanced about. His warriors were all engaged, and there was no weapon in reach.
    I was born to die on
alagai
talons,
he reminded himself, and growled as he leapt to his feet, intercepting the sand demon in midair as it launched itself at the Sharach
kai’Sharum.
    The demon was stronger than him by far, but it fought on instinct, knowing nothing of the brutal art of
sharusahk.
Jardir caught its arm and pivoted, diverting the force of its attack and throwing it fifteen feet into the demon pit at the center of the ambush pocket. The
alagai
fell away with a howl, trapped until the sun rose to burn it from the world forever.
    Another sand demon came at him, but Jardir punched it hard in the throat and kicked at the backs of its knees, grappling the creature and bearing it to the ground, twisting to avoid its teeth and claws while turning the thrashing
alagai’s
own force against it.
    The demon’s gritty armor plates cut through his robes, slicing his skin, and his muscles screamed as they were stretched to their limits, but inch by inch, Jardir twisted farther behind the demon until he reached the desired hold and rose to his feet. He was taller than the creature, and with his arms locked under its pits and behind its head, he easily lifted it off the ground. It kicked and shrieked, but Jardir whipped it about, keeping its hind legs far from his body as he stumbled toward the demon pit.
    With a shout, he threw the second demon into the pit, gratified to see that his warriors had already driven most of the other
alagai
into it as well. The pit floor was a seethe of scale and talon, the wards cut into the walls sparking angrily as they tried to climb out.
    “I will watch as the sun takes you all!” Jardir shouted.
    He turned back to the battle,