Quest for Lost Heroes

CHAPTER SIX

'You tell me I face great danger — and yet you do not know from whence it comes?' asked Jungir Khan, his manner easy, his voice cold. He lounged back on the ivory inlaid throne and stared down at the shaman kneeling before him.

Shotza kept his eyes on the rugs below him, considering his words with great care. He was the third shaman to serve Jungir Khan; the first had been impaled and the second strangled. He was determined there would be no fourth. 'Great Khan,' he said, 'there is a magic barrier at work which will take me time to pierce. I already know where the magic originates.'

'And where is that?' whispered Jungir.

'From Asta Khan, sire.' Shotza risked a glance to see the effect the name had on the man above him.

Jungir's face betrayed no emotion, but his dark eyes narrowed. 'Still alive? How can this be? He was an old man when my father became Khan. He left the city of tents to die more than twenty years ago.'

'But he did not die, lord. He lives still in the Mountains of the Moon. There are many caves there, and tunnels that go through to the centre of the world.'

Jungir rose to his feet. He was tall for a Nadir, as his father Tenaka had been. He had jet-black hair drawn back in a tight topknot, and a short, trimmed trident beard. His eyes were slanted and dark, betraying no evidence of his half-breed ancestry. 'Stand up,' he ordered the little shaman and Shotza rose. He was just over five feet tall, wiry and bald. Less than sixty years old, the skin of his face hung in wrinkled folds.

Jungir looked into the shaman's curiously pale eyes and smiled. 'Do you fear me?" he asked.

'As I fear the winds of death, lord.'

'Do you love me?'

'Love? You are my Khan. The future of the Nadir rests with you,' answered Shotza. 'Why would you need my love also?'

'I do not. But the answer is a good one. Now tell me of Asta.'

The Khan returned to his throne and sat with his head back, gazing up at the silken roof which gave the throne hall the appearance of a vast tent. The silks were gifts from the Eastern kingdom of Kiatze, dowry for the bride they had sent him.

'After Asta left the Wolves, he passed from the knowledge of men,' began Shotza. 'We all thought he had died. But at the last full moon, when I tried to trace the Silver Thread of your destiny, I found a great mist had settled over the sign of your house. I tried to pierce it, and at first had some success. Then it hardened into a wall. I flew high, but could not find the top. Using all the arcane powers my masters taught me, I finally breached the wall. But all too briefly. Yet I saw the face of Asta Khan. And I sensed the perils that await you in the coming year.'

Shotza licked his lips and once more considered his words. 'I saw gleaming Armour of Bronze, floating beneath a star, and a swordsman of great skill. But then Asta became aware of me — I was.thrown back, and the wall sealed itself once more.'

'And that is all you saw?' asked Jungir softly.

'All that I could see clearly,' Shotza answered, wary of offering a direct lie to his king.

The Khan nodded. 'Find Asta Khan — and kill him. Take a hundred of my Guards. Scour the mountains. Bring me his head.'

'With respect, Great Khan, you could send a thousand men and not find him. Asta was the greatest of shamen; he cannot be taken by men.'

'His magic is stronger than yours?'

Shotza closed his eyes. 'Yes, lord. There is not one man alive who could overcome him.'

'It is not my way, Shotza, to have inferior men serve me.'

'No, lord. But there is a way in which I could defeat him. I have six worthy acolytes. Together — and with certain necessary sacrifices — we could overcome Asta.'

'Necessary sacrifices?'

'Blood kin of Asta Khan, sacrificed on the night of Midwinter.'

'How many such sacrifices?'

'Twenty at least. Maybe thirty. Each one will weaken the old man.'

'And you, of course, know the whereabouts of Asta's family?'

'I do, lord.'

'Then I leave the preparations to you, Shotza. Now this peril from the Armour of Bronze — does it herald yet another Drenai uprising?'

'I do not think so, lord. I saw the image of the armour, and yet the star was in the north. There can be no Drenai threat from the lands of the Gothir. But once I have breached Asta's wall, I will know more. I will know it all.'

Shotza bowed deeply. Jungir waved him away and the shaman made his way to his chambers and sat down on a silk-covered divan. Free from the piercing eyes of Jungir Khan, he lay back and allowed his fear to show. His heart was palpitating and he found it difficult to breathe. Slowly he calmed himself, thanking the gods of the Steppes that Jungir had not pressed him about the other images.

He had seen a babe, wrapped in a cloak, lying on a cold stone floor.

And hovering over the child was the grim ghost of Tenaka Khan, Lord of the Wolves.

Jungir watched the little man leave, then sat in silence for several minutes. He could smell Shotza's fear and knew full well there was more the shaman could have said. None of these sorcerers ever gave the whole truth. It was against their natures. Secretive, deceitful and cunning, they were weaned on subtlety and guile. But they had their uses. Shotza was the best of them and it must have taken great courage to admit that Asta Khan was more powerful. Jungir rose and stretched. He walked to the hanging tent wall which masked the window and pulled it aside.

The new city of Ulrickham stretched out before his eyes, low single-storey dwellings of mud-dried brick and stone. Yet inside all of them were the tent hangings that meant home to the Nadir. Nomads for ten thousand years, they were ill-suited to cities of stone. Yet Tenaka had insisted on the building of the cities, with their schools and hospitals.

'It ill behoves the world's greatest nation to live like savages,' he had told Jungir. 'How can we grow? How can we fasten our grip on the events of the world if we do not learn civilised ways? It is not enough to be feared on the battlefield.'

Such talk had made him unpopular with the older Nadir warlords, but how could they turn on the man who did what the mighty Ulric could not? How could they betray the man who had conquered the round-eyed southerners?

Jungir stepped back from the window and wandered into the Hall of Heroes. Here, after the fashion of the conquered Drenai, were the statues of Nadir warriors. Jungir paused before his father's likeness and stared into the cold, grey eyes. 'Just how I remember you, Father,' he whispered. 'Cold and aloof.' The statue was expertly carved, showing the lean power of the Khan, the fine jaw and the noble stance. In one hand he held a long-sword, in the other the helm of Ulric. 'I loved you,' said Jungir.

A cool breeze caused the torches to flicker and shadows danced on the stone face, seeming to bring it to life. Jungir could almost see the stone eyes gleaming violet, the mouth curving into that long-remembered cynical smile. He shivered. 'I did love you,' he repeated, 'but I knew of your plan. You trained me well, Father. I had my spies too. No man should think to live forever. . not even Tenaka Khan. And had you succeeded, where would Jungir have found a place? The eternal heir to a living god? No. I too am of the blood of Ulric. I had a right to rule, to make my own life.'

The statue was silent. 'How strange, Father. There is no difference in talking to you now, from when you were alive. It was always like speaking to stone. Well, I wept when you died. And I almost stopped you drinking that poison. Almost. I reached out my hand to you. You looked into my eyes, and you said nothing. A single word from you and I would have stopped you. But you looked away. Did you know, I wonder, as the poison touched your soul? In those last moments, as you lay upon the floor with me kneeling by you, did you know that it was I who put the black powder in your wine? Did you?' He gazed once more into the cold eyes. 'Why did you never love me?' he asked.

But the statue was silent still.

The twelve days lost beyond the Gate cost the questors dear, for a savage blizzard kept them trapped within the cabin for eighteen days. Food ran short and Finn almost died after setting off to hunt for meat. After killing a deer, he was caught in a second blizzard and had to take refuge in a cave. An avalanche blocked the entrance and it was only through the magic of Okas that Chareos and the others found the hunter and dug a tunnel through to him.

The winter storms eased off on the nineteenth day, but even then it took another three weeks before the exhausted group topped the last rise before Tavern Town.

Beltzer led the way down to the inn, pounding on the door and calling for Naza. The little man shouted with delight when he saw the giant and embraced him.

'I feared you dead,' he said. 'Come in, come in! Mael has just lit the fire. It will soon be warm. Come in!'

'Where is everyone?' asked Kiall.

'They don't fell the timber at this time of year,' replied Naza. 'There will be no one here for another two months. Most of the passes are blocked. Sit down by the fire. I will fetch you some wine.' His smile faded as Okas entered the tavern. 'He's. . he's. .' stammered the innkeeper.

'Yes, he is,' said Chareos swiftly. 'He is also a friend who, like us, last ate three days ago.'

'Wine first,' grunted Beltzer, throwing his arm around Naza's shoulder and leading him back towards the cellar.

The flames took hold of the logs and began to rise, but even so it was cold inside the inn. Chareos pulled up a chair and sat. His eyes were dull, and purple rings showed under them. Even the hardy Finn was exhausted. Only Okas and Kiall seemed none the worse for the ordeal in the mountains. The old man had been untroubled by the cold, and the youngster had grown in strength as the days passed.

'We're too old for this,' said Finn, reading Chareos' thoughts. Chareos nodded, too tired to reply. Returning with wine, Beltzer thrust a poker deep into the fire and waited until the iron glowed red and bright. Then he plunged it into the wine pitcher. He poured five goblets and handed one to each of the questors. He downed his own swiftly and refilled the goblet. Naza brought them bread, smoked cheese and cold meat.

After the meal Chareos slowly climbed the stairs to the upper guest room, pulled off his boots and was asleep almost as soon as his head touched the bolster. Maggrig and Finn took a second room, while Okas lay down on the stone hearth and slept before the fire.

Beltzer and Kiall sat together, the giant calling out for a third pitcher of wine.

Mael brought it. 'I take it you still have no money?' she asked.

'Oh yes, he has,' said Kiall. 'Pay the bill, Beltzer.'

Beltzer muttered a curse and dipped into his pocket, producing a thick gold ring. Mael took it, judging the weight. 'That should settle about half of what you owe Naza,' she said, leaving her hand extended.

'You are a hard woman,' grumbled Beltzer. He fished around in his pocket, seeking a small token, but he had only larger items. Finally he produced a wristband. 'That's worth ten times what I owe,' he told her.

Mael laughed at him, as she took the band and examined it. 'I have never seen workmanship like it, nor gold as red as this. Naza will give you a fair price — and you are right. It is worth far more than you owe. I will see to it that you are reimbursed.'

'Don't bother,' said Beltzer, flushing. 'Keep it. I'll probably come back one day, with not a copper coin to my name.'

There's truth in that,' she told him.

After she had gone Beltzer turned to Kiall. 'What are you staring at, boy? Never seen a man settle a debt before?'

Kiall had drunk too much wine and his head was light, his thoughts serene. 'I never thought to seeyou settle one.'

'What does that mean?'

'I took you for a selfish, greedy pig,' said Kiall, smilingly oblivious to Beltzer's growing anger.

'I pay my debts,' declared Beltzer.

'Truly? You didn't even thank Finn for buying back your axe — and that cost him dear.'

'That is between Finn and me. You don't count, boy. Now curb your tongue — before I cut it out!'

Kiall blinked and sobered swiftly. 'And you are a liar,' he said. 'You told me Tura was dead, drowned in a dock. All lies. And I don't fear you, you fat-bellied pig. Don't threaten me!'

Beltzer lurched to his feet and Kiall rose, scrabbling for his sabre, but not before Beltzer's ringers grabbed the front of his jerkin and hoisted him into the air. As Beltzer's fist rose Kiall's foot lashed up into his groin and the giant bellowed with pain, dropping the younger man and staggering back. Now Kiall drew his sabre. Beltzer grinned at him — and advanced.

'What are you going to do with that, boy? You going to stick old Beltzer? Are you?' Kiall backed away, aware that the situation had careered out of control. Beltzer lunged at him, slapping the sabre aside. Kiall hit him with a straight left that slammed into Beltzer's face. The giant ignored the blow and struck Kiall's jaw open-handed, cartwheeling the younger man across the floor. Half-stunned, Kiall came to his knees and dived head-first at Beltzer's belly. Beltzer's knee came up with sickening force, snapping Kiall's head back. .

He awoke to find himself in the chair by the fire with Beltzer sitting opposite him.

'Want some wine?' Beltzer asked. Kiall shook his head. Hammers were beating inside his skull. 'You are a game fighter, boy, and one day you may even be a wolf. But wolves know better than to tackle a bear.'

Til remember that,' Kiall promised. 'And I'll have that wine now.'

Beltzer handed him a goblet. 'I love old Finn. And he knows how much it meant to me to have that axe back; he didn't need any words. Back at Bel-azar, Finn was dragged from the ramparts by the Nadir. Chareos, Mag-grig and me, we jumped down to haul him clear. It was I who carried Finn on my back, and cut a path to the gate-tower. He didn't thank me then; he didn't need to. You understand?'

'I believe I do.'

'It's the drink. It makes me talk too much. You don't like me, do you?'

Kiall looked at the flat, ugly face under the shining bald head; he stared into the small round eyes. 'No, not much,' he admitted.

Beltzer nodded solemnly. 'Well, don't let it concern you. I don't like myself much, either. But I was on the mountain, boy. No one can take that away from me.'

'I was on the mountain too,' said Kiall. 'Not my mountain. But maybe you will, one day.' 'What is so special about it?' 'Nothing,' replied Beltzer. Then why should I wish to go there?' Beltzer looked up from his wine. 'Because that's where your lady is, Kiall.'

Moonlight bathed the grey stone walls, and a hunting owl swooped low over the deserted ramparts. Chareos could hear the screams of the wounded and the dying, yet there were no bodies sprawled on the stone, no blood pooling by the gate-tower steps. As he sat down on the edge of the crenellated battlement, staring out over the valley of Bel-azar, the screams faded into the echoes of memory. The land was now empty of life. Where Nadir camp-fires had lit the valley like fallen stars, now there was only the shimmering grass, the lonely boulders and a long-dead lightning-struck tree.

Chareos was alone. He could not remember travelling to Bel-azar, but that did not seem to matter. He felt, in some strange way, that he was home — safe among the ghosts of the past.

Safe? Dark shapes moved at the edge of his vision, vanishing into the shadows as he swung to confront them. He backed away to the rotted gate-tower door and climbed the spiral steps to the circular battlement. There he drew his sword and waited. He could hear the scratching of talons on the stairway, smell the fetid odours of the dwellers in the dark: slime on fur, the sweet, sickly stink from mouths that fed on corpses.

He slammed shut the top door. There was no bolt and he dropped his sword into the catch, wedging the door shut. Heavy bodies beat upon the wood. 'Beltzer!' called Chareos. 'Help me!' But there was no answer. 'Maggrig, Finn!' 'It would seem you are alone, kinsman,' said a quiet voice and Chareos turned slowly, knowing whom he would see. The tall man sat on the battlement's edge, his black hair tied at the nape of the neck, his violet eyes seeming grey in the moonlight.

'Will you help me?' whispered Chareos.

'Blood always aids blood, my friend. Are you not my kinsman?'

'Yes. Yes, I am. Will you help me? Please?'

The door splintered and a taloned hand broke through, ripping at the wood.

'Begone!' shouted Tenaka Khan. The hissing cries beyond the doorway faded into silence and the hand slid back from view.

'Are they your creatures?' Chareos asked.

'No, but they know a voice of power. And they can smell fear like a lion smells blood. Why are you afraid, Chareos?'

'I don't know how I came here. I am alone.'

'That is not an answer. Fear brought you, but what caused the fear?'

Chareos laughed, but there was no humour in the sound. 'You can ask that? You who slew my father and mother and made me an outcast? I should hate you, Tenaka. Once I thought I did. But then you climbed alone to this tower, and you sat and talked with us.' Chareos stared at the man before him. He was dressed exactly as he had been on that night so many years ago, in black riding-boots and leather leggings, topped by a shirt of black silk embroidered with silver. 'You called me kinsman,' whispered Chareos. 'You know who I am?'

'I knew you when first I saw you on this tower,' answered Tenaka. 'Blood recognises blood.'

'I should have killed you!' hissed Chareos, 'for all the pain. I was twelve when they sent me from Dros Delnoch. The night when your hordes finally stormed the last wall, I was taken from the fortress and brought to the lands of the Gothir. My father's last words to me were, "Avenge me, my son. And remember the Drenai". My mother was already dead. And for what? So that a treacherous cur like you could take Nadir savages into the last bastion of civilisation. What caused my fear? You dare ask me that?'

'I still ask it,' replied the Khan smoothly. 'And all you tell me is a history I already know.'

'You were descended from the Earl of Bronze and raised by the Drenai. How could you destroy them?'

'How indeed?' replied the Khan. 'If you truly knew the story of my life, you would not ask such a question. As you know, I was raised by the Nadir until I was fourteen. You think you were the only child who ever suffered pain and rejection? I was hated for being part Drenai. Then I was sent, as part of my mother's marriage agreement, to live among the Drenai. Were they different from tie Nadir? No. To them I was a savage from the Steppes — something they could bait and torture. Yet I learned to live among them. And I fought for them. I rode with the Dragon. I even made a few friends among them. But when the mad emperor Ceska brought terror to the land, I risked my life and my soul to aid the Drenai. I paid my debt to them. I brought the Nadir to crush the emperor's army, and I allowed Rayvan and your father to form a new republic. Why did I take Dros Delnoch years later? Because I was the Khan! Because the day of the Nadir had dawned. Yet if I can be accused of treachery, what of you? Why did you not obey your father's command? Why did you not return home?'

'For what purpose?' shouted Chareos. 'To die? Achieving what?'

'So that is your fear?' responded Tenaka Khan. 'You were afraid to try. Afraid to fail.'

'Don't you dare to judge me!' Chareos stormed. 'I will not be found wanting by a murderous traitor.'

Tenaka Khan spread his hands. 'And who did I betray, Chareos? I was the Khan of the Nadir. I had saved the Drenai once. I gave them good warning that I would return. But you — you betrayed your father and all your ancestors back to Regnak, second Earl of Bronze. He held Dros Delnoch against seemingly insurmountable odds. Generations of Drenai warriors have died to protect their homeland, but not you. No, you would be content to marry a whore and win a little battle here at Bel-azar.'

Chareos dragged his sword from the bolt latch of the door and swung on Tenaka.

'Is this how you repay me for saving your soul?' asked Tenaka, mildly. 'Only a few moments ago, you were asking for my help against the beasts of the night.'

Chareos lowered his sword. 'Am I a coward then?' he whispered.

'There are many forms of cowardice, Chareos. One man can face a score of enemies with a sword, but not a sickness which paralyses him. Another can face death with a smile, yet fear the years of hardship and toil which are living. Are you a coward?'

Chareos sat down on the battlements, staring at the sword in his hand. 'I have never feared an opponent. But yes, I am a coward. I did not have the strength to return to the Drenai… I still haven't.'

'You found the Tattooed Man?'

'Yes. Yes, we found him. And he will come with us on our. . journey.'

'You feel this quest is below you?' asked the Khan.

'We are seeking to rescue a pig-breeder's daughter, taken by Nadren raiders. Will the sun fall from the sky if we fail?'

Tenaka stood and placed his hands on Chareos' shoulders. 'I returned to the lands of the Drenai to kill a madman. Instead I found a friend, and a love, and a home I never knew I had lost. From being the Prince of Shadows I became the Great Khan, and I took the Nadir to heights undreamed of. Do not judge your quest until you have completed it. You remember that other night on this very tower?'

'How could I forget? You let us live.'

'One day soon, you will know why.'

Chareos awoke. The fire had died, the room was cold; he shivered and pulled the blankets over his chilled frame. He could still picture the slanted violet eyes and feel the strength of the grip on his shoulders.

The door opened and Okas stepped in. He moved silently to the bed and sat upon it.

The dawn is up,' said Okas. 'Your quest awaits.'

'I had a dream, Okas.'

'I too. I dreamt of a bed of rushes and a soft woman.'

'And I of Tenaka Khan.'

'Was he at Bel-azar?' enquired the Tattooed Man.

'Yes.' Chareos sat up. 'How do you know that?'

'I did not,' replied Okas, blinking. 'It was a question.'

'But why did you ask it?'

The old man was silent for a moment. 'There is a mystery here. Tenaka Khan was buried with his ancestor Ulric in the Great Tomb. It was sealed by his son, Jungir, and a thousand spells were cast upon it so that it should never be opened.'

'I know all this,' snapped Chareos.

'You do not know,' said Okas, 'or you would solve mystery. I understand magic that is hidden in the world; I can read hearts of men. Yet the Source of All Things has his own secrets, and I cannot read those. Tenaka Khan died and was buried — this we know. His son was anxious that no one should enter the tomb; this also we know. But here is the mystery, Chareos: why do Tenaka Khan's bones lie hidden at Bel-azar?'

That is impossible. It would be sacrilege.'

'Indeed so.'

Chareos shook his head. 'Our quest has nothing to do with Tenaka Khan. We will be travelling nowhere near Bel-azar.'

'Are you sure?'

'I will stake my life on it.'

Okas said nothing.