Hawksworth turned to see Shirin drop her bow onto the floor of the howdah. She slumped against the steel side, her eyes glazed with incredulity at what she had done.
They watched wordlessly as the perimeter of Jadar's elephants was again drawn together and secured. As the other horsemen were driven back, a coherent defense barricade of concentric circles was gradually established around the prince. The outer perimeter was a line of Rajput infantry armed with long spears. Inside their line were Rajput swordsmen, who now had linked together the skirts of their long, steel-mesh cloaks to form a solid barrier. And inside these was the last defense line, the circle of armored war elephants.
As their own elephant instinctively rejoined the line protecting Jadar, Hawksworth reached to touch Shirin's hand. As he did, he noticed her thumb was bleeding and realized for the first time she had not been supplied a bow ring.
"I think we can hold off the infantry with the elephants. But I don't know how long . . ." Her voice trailed off as he looked up at her face. She was leaning against the side of the howdah, pointing wordlessly toward the east.
He turned to see a vast wave of the Imperial Rajput horsemen bearing down on their position. They numbered in the thousands.
"God Almighty." He reached weakly for another arrow, trying to count those remaining in the quiver and asking if he would live long enough to shoot them all. "It's over."
Their battle cry lifted above the plain as the approaching cavalry neared the edge of the massed Imperial infantry engulfing Jadar. They began advancing directly through the infantry, not slowing, heading straight for Jadar.
Hawksworth notched an arrow and rose up in the howdah
to take aim. He drew back the string and picked the man in the lead for the first arrow.
As he sighted the Rajput's bearded face down the shaft, he suddenly froze.