The Winged Rider

 

cover art by A.L. Ripley

Read/Watch 'em in Order #178

Our journey through the January 10, 1926 issue of Adventure brings us to a prime example of why this particular pulp was one of the best ever sources of great fiction in the history of the entire universe.

Harold Lamb was a regular contributer to Adventure. 19 of his short stories and novellas, published between 1917 and 1926 inclusive, featured Khlit the Cossack.

And, gee whiz, Khlit was awesome. When we meet him in the late 16th Century, he's already old, but he refuses to retire to a monestary and begins to wander the world, running into trouble AND finding friends in the Ukraine, Mongolia, China and Afghanistan.

Khlit is still good in a fight, but he's also learned to use his brains. In fact, he's more likely to simply outwit an enemy than beat him in a straight fight.

"The Winged Rider" is the next to last Khlit tale. At this time, he's traveling with his young nephew Kirdy and a big guy named Ayub. 

By this time, Khlit had stepped aside as the main protagonist in Lamb's Cossack tales while he mentors Kirdy into eventually being as awesome as Khlit himself.  As this particular tale opens, Khlit is happy with Kirdy's swordsmanship, courage and tactical leadership, but is worried that the younger man still hasn't learned how to deal with treachery.

Well, it's not surprising that the opportunity to spot treachery soon turns up. The three Cossacks encounter soldiers working for Erlik Khan, a man rumored to be a powerful wizard or demon who has a stronghold near the Don River.  Erlik is also married to a beautiful woman named Ivga.

The three men end up as guests in Erlik's fortified outpost. They learn that a pirate named Skal is leading a force of pirates and outlaws against the outpost, pulling a couple of ship's cannon on sledges to bring down the walls. Ivga, who claims to be speaking for Erlik Khan, makes goo-goo eyes at Kirdy and asks him to lead Erlik's men. A couple of mercenaries from Europe don't care for this, but Kirdy does end up agreeing to take command.

But he also learns that not all is as it seems in Erlik's territory. Erlik might not be who Ivga says he is. In fact, Ivga might not be who Ivga claims to be.

Khlit gives no advice to his nephew, but keeps an eye on the younger man. Kirdy, though, does well. He does lead Erlik's force out of the outpost to fight Skal's men, using intelligent tactics to make up for the fact that he's outnumbered. And he learns not to blindly trust pretty girls. 

It's a great story, which is typical of any fiction written by Lamb. The enviroment and tense atmosphere are brought to vivid life. The characterizations are strong and the action is intense. The novella ends with the attack on Skal's forces, which includes a one-on-one fight between the large pirate and the large Cossack Ayub--followed by a wicked sword duel between Kirdy and another character. Lamb's Cossack stories are available in a four-volume set I have on my Kindle and re-reading "The Winged Rider" makes me want to revisit the entire Cossack saga.