Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
From: kring@efes.physik.uni-kl.de (Thomas Kettenring)
Subject: [L] Bakr removes one of the bandits
Message-ID: <1992Jul13.220409.2980@rhrk.uni-kl.de>
Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1992 22:04:09 GMT


  Bakr, startled by the whistle, cast a quick glance at Salamander riding
next to him, then accelerated his horse.  When he reached a point where
he could see three of the attackers, he stopped, covered behind a tree and
murmured, "mu'izz li dinillah beit al hikma bilad al kanasil!"

  Seconds later one of the bandits attacking Murell had problems with his
horse.  It reared and tried to throw him off, and then it ran into the woods.
The brigand had difficulties to stay mounted; whenever he tried to pull the
bridle, the animal punished him by hectic manoevers.  During one of those,
he lost his sword.  The mare had never behaved this way before, and when it
occurred to him that this was probably magic, he decided it would be better
to grab a branch than to try to regain control.  He chose one that looked
softer than the others, then jumped on it when his mount was beneath it.

  The horse turned around in a sort of circle and looked at its owner.
He was hanging from the branch, his legs struggling to climb higher, and
looked back anxiously through the leaves.  Then he dropped to the ground and
ran into a shrubbery.  The horse set out for the place of the ambush.
The bandit stood up.  He would need five minutes to return to the battle,
and he had to find the sword too...

  Meanwhile Bakr sat in his saddle with empty eyes and limp limbs, and his
horse (he had called her Ghatta) started to ask herself what she was supposed
to do now.

ADMIN: In case you want to know, Mu'izz li Dinillah was a Caliph, Beit al
  Hikma was the university at Baghdad, and Bilad al Kanasil was a surname
  of the city of Djeddah (if I remember correctly).

Bakr ibn Ja'far ibn Musa al Mekneshi, apprentice mage.