The Golden Steed

CHAPTER FOUR

It took Blade a little while to realize that these men were worshiping him as a god or holy man. During that time he stood motionless, hands still outspread in the peace gesture. He suspected there must be an idiotic gape of astonishment on his face. However, his mental reflexes were nearly as fast as his physical ones. If it had been otherwise, Blade would long since have been dead many times over. So he was a god, was he? He had played the role before, in more than one Dimension. It had much to recommend it: good working conditions, set your own hours, all sorts of fringe benefits-he quickly shut off the whimsical line of thinking.

He let the chanting go on for a little while longer, then lowered his hands and opened his mouth. «Warriors! Rise and speak! The Golden Steed is indeed come, and the Pendarnoth with it. But you shall honor them on your feet, not on your bellies.» He hadn't the remotest notion of who or what he was supposed to be, but these few sentences had the right ring to them. Rule One for being a god: If you can't say the right thing, say everything you do say as impressively as possible-then people won't notice any mistakes you might make.

The tone and the words broke through the men's awe. One by one they rose to their knees. Most of them were still staring at Blade. Finally, one man rose to his feet and came forward, both hands held together in front of him as if in prayer. But his head was not bowed, and the black eyes in the lean face were surveying Blade without fear.

«Were there any more of the Rojags besides those we slew here, Pendarnoth?»

The Rojags, Blade gathered, were the horsemen who had been pursuing him. «There were some who may be alive back that way.» He pointed.

«How far?»

«I do not know exactly.» Was that the wrong answer? Was the Pendarnoth supposed to be omniscient? «About ten minutes back that way-«he pointed,»-at a gallop. I was in a great hurry.»

For the first time the man smiled. «That I can well believe.» He turned to his men. «Up, up on your feet, all of you. The Pendarnoth himself has said it-honor him on your feet like warriors, not on your bellies like snakes or bugs. The Pendarnoth said he left some of the Rojags perhaps not dead back about four o f in to the west. Six of you go back, find them, and kill them. None among the Rojags must know that the Pendarnoth has come, that the Golden Steed has come.»

Reluctantly, six of the men rose to their feet, mounted, and trotted off in a precise line. The officer turned back to Blade. «Pendarnoth, it will be simpler if you know my name. I am Guroth, a captain in the guards of King Nefus of Pendar. Rumors had come to Vilesh, the royal city of Pendar, that the Golden Steed had been seen, that the Pendarnoth had been seen. I was ordered to take my men north into the land of the Rojags. I was ordered to see if there was any truth in these rumors and, if so, how much. It seems there was complete and utter truth. It was beyond my dreams and deserving to be the first of all Pendar to hail the Pendarnoth.» There was awe in his voice as he said that, and for a moment he seemed about to go down on his knees again. But he conquered the impulse and went on.

«We saw the dust cloud from a long way off, and knew that it must be Rojags. They do not use the bow, so we can usually beat them. I decided to attack. If we took prisoners, I could perhaps find out more about the rumors from them. As we came closer, I saw that the Rojags were chasing somebody. Then I recognized the Golden Steed. It was a terrible moment for me. How could we shoot at the Rojags without danger to the Golden Steed and to you? But my men are good archers, and we killed the Rojags.»

«You did well, Captain Guroth,» said Blade. The officer seemed to want to be praised, so why not oblige him? «But I also have a name. It is Richard Blade.»

«A strange name,» said Guroth. «But it does not matter how strange it is, for you will not be called by it among the Pendari. It is written in the Book of the Nine Prophets that he who comes to Pendar riding the Golden Steed will be the Pendarnoth, the Father of Pendar.»

«So be it,» said Blade. He wondered if he should ask for a copy of the book whose prophecies he had accidentally fulfilled. It might give him a few clues as to how to act. He disliked flying blind in something where his life might be the price of a single mistake.

But Guroth was continuing. «How did you come to ride the Golden Steed, Oh Pendarnoth? The rumors spoke of a man called Nurash, a war chief of the mountain tribes to the north even of the Rojags. Do you know him, or at least of him?»

That question forced Blade into some exceedingly fast thinking. How much could he admit safely? Finally he said slowly, «I have heard of this man called Nurash also. But I have never met him, spoken to him, or even seen him. He is as much a name to me as he is to you. I have heard tales that he is dead, slain by wild animals or the Rojags.»

«Indeed,» said Guroth. «Perhaps the gods saw he was not worthy and sent the animals or Rojags to destroy him. They can do such things.»

«No one doubts this,» said Blade. «But I heard of him as a brave man and a warrior. If he is dead, I grieve, for there are few such.»

«There is no denying that,» said Guroth with a sigh.

Now the men who had gone to track down the remaining Rojags were coming back. Blade found himself almost holding his breath as they approached. The Rojags who had attacked him were almost certainly of the same band that had attacked Chief Nurash. Suppose one of them talked before he died, talked of a fight with another man who had ridden the Golden Steed before Blade? Guroth's wits seemed too sharp for him to let such a story pass. His awe of the Pendarnoth would not keep him from asking pointed questions. In fact, it would make him ask those questions, even of Blade. And if he did not get the answers he wanted? Blade knew that the fate of a man posing as a long-awaited religious figure could be hard indeed. He wondered if the local gods demanded human sacrifices, and if so by what method?

But for the moment at least there was nothing to fear. The six horsemen returned to declare all the Rojags dead-nothing else. Guroth turned to Blade and said, «O Pendarnoth, it seems to me proper now that we ride for Vilesh. King Nefus will want to behold you and do you proper honor. So will the High Councilor and all the nobles and warriors and people of Pendar. This is a great moment for all of us. We are truly beloved of the gods. Now, though all the soldiers of Lanyr come against us, we shall prevail.» Guroth swung himself lightly into the saddle and motioned Blade to do the same.

The Pendari moved out slowly, holding their pace to the gentle jog that was all Blade would ask of the weary Golden Steed. After three hours they stopped by the river to refill their water bottle and lunch on dried meat and flat hard bread. The Pendari warriors would not permit Blade to do a thing for himself. They waited on him hand and foot, filling his water bottles, sharpening his battered sword, pressing clean clothes on him, handing the food to him and all but shoving it into his mouth. Blade felt like a goose being fattened for the slaughter. He could not help wondering in fact if the destined duty of the Pendarnoth was to be sacrificed after he had performed his other duties. What those duties were, he still didn't have the faintest idea. Guroth would no doubt tell him, but it might not be wise to ask the captain too many questions where the other warriors could overhear. Guroth seemed an intelligent enough man not to be surprised that the destined savior of the Pendari knew not the first thing about them or their problems. The other warriors might not be so wise.

Blade's chance came when they had made camp for the night. They pushed on until well after dark in an effort to get clear of Rojag land, and it took them an hour after that to make camp. By the time dinner was over, the fires blazing orange in the darkness, and the sentries posted, the only thing Blade was ready for was sleep. But Guroth had apparently decided to take one of the first watches himself. This gave Blade a perfect opportunity to ask the necessary questions.

He rose to his feet and strode past the fire, out to where the captain was pacing back and forth, hand on his sword hilt, eyes ceaselessly flicking from side to side. The captain made the hands-together greeting to Blade.

«Hail, oh Pendarnoth. It is said that the Pendarnoth shall have ten times the strength of a man. Is this true of you? You do not seem tired.»

Blade laughed. «Am I supposed to have the strength of ten in everything, Guroth?»

The officer smiled. «In everything, so the stories, say. But the stories are not part of the Book of the Nine Prophets. I do not think people will expect that you have the strength of ten. Although there may be women who hope so, and will even try to find out.»

«I will worry about that when it happens,» said Blade with a grin. Then his voice and expression sobered. «No, Guroth, I am only a man who has been called to this honor by the gods after many years of being nothing but a traveler and a warrior. I have traveled far and I have tried to be a good warrior. But I do not know if all I have learned of men and war will be enough to make me worthy of being Pendarnoth.»

Guroth looked hard at Blade. Blade's words seemed to have surprised him, or at least to have been something he was not expecting. There was on his face the unmistakable look of a man weighing his words with care before saying them. Blade was the Pendarnoth, who would have great and terrible power among the Pendari as soon as they arrived. But he was also a man. He might have human weaknesses that would make it unsafe to tell him things he could use against the Pendari. Blade knew that if Guroth decided to be cautious and closed-mouthed, there was nothing he could do except submit graciously-and keep his ears open even wider.

Finally Guroth shook his head slowly. «I am glad you have confessed this to me, for I am of the party of King Nefus. Do not admit ignorance or any other weakness before one of the High Councilor's party. They will perhaps doubt that you are the destined Pendarnoth. Even if they do not doubt it themselves, they will spread rumors that you are not. Such rumors will weaken the Pendari in the face of the Lanyri. And if they neither doubt nor spread rumors, they will at least try to take advantage of your ignorance. They will try to 'tell the truth' about the affairs of Pendar.»

«And that means they will try to win me over to their party?»

«They will. I see you understand how such factions work.»

«I have seen a good many such, and survived them all.»

More than I can ever admit to you or anyone else, Blade added mentally. Aloud he said, «How am I supposed to know who is of the High Councilor's party?»

«Some of them will be obvious, the moment you see Klerus, the High Councilor. As for the rest, I will do my best to warn you.»

That was an opening that Blade had not expected. Now he took prompt advantage of it.

«Yes, Guroth. You say you will warn me. But why should I trust you any more than the High Councilor Klerus? What do you wish for Pendar, and what does he wish? As you say, I am a stranger here.»

This time there was no mistaking the look of surprise on Guroth's face. It was a long minute before the captain recovered from that surprise enough to continue. His words came out even more slowly and reluctantly than before, at least at first.

«I will swear by all the gods and prophets of the Pendari that I speak the truth. And I will also swear by anything you hold sacred, for I understand that our gods may not be yours and therefore mean nothing to you yet.

«But if that is so, I urge you to conceal it. Klerus the High Councilor gets much of his support from the priests, who do not understand what he truly wants. They are most of them good and simple men, who only see in Klerus a man who would have the old ways of worship enforced and those lax in them punished severely. They will be watching you like an eagle watching a lamb on the earth far below, watching for any sign of disrespect to what they cherish. And if they find such, they will tell Klerus, and he will use it against you.»

«Thank you,» said Blade with elaborate sarcasm. «I am grateful to you for telling me so much that I did not ask about. You are generous. But you have not told me why I should join your party.»

«The king's party,» said Guroth, with the first sign of irritation he had shown.

«Very well, call it the king's party,» said Blade calmly. «But why should I choose either the king's party or the High Councilor's? What does the High Councilor want to do that you and the king oppose? I must have an answer to that, Guroth. If I do not have one soon, you will not have a Pendarnoth. I will mount the Golden Steed and ride away to some land where people will give me straight answers and not use me as a toy in their own games.» There was an edge in his voice as he said the last sentences.

For a moment, Guroth's jaw set hard, and Blade wondered if the captain was going to lose his temper. Then the Pendari officer's mood seemed to change in a split-second. A thin smile spread across his lean brown face.

«You are a suspicious man. It is not going to make dealing with you easy for me. But it will not make it easier for Klerus to deal with you either. You have certainly learned a great deal in those travels and wars of yours.»

«I would not be alive today to become the Pendarnoth if I had not.»

«I can imagine. Someday when we have time you must tell me of your adventures. But that day will be a long time off, I fear.» Guroth clasped his hands behind his back and looked straight into Blade's eyes. «Let us agree. I will tell you what I know of the state of things in Pendar, and how I see them. But I will not ask that you do more than listen to what I will say now. When you get to Vilesh, you can listen in the same way to the High Councilor or whoever he sends to tell you his story. And you may also look about you and see for yourself what is going on.»

«I would do that, Guroth, whether you let me do so or not. The only way you could keep me from doing so would be to kill me here and now.»

Guroth went pale at the idea. «I do not know what would be the fate reserved for the man who slew one who might be the Pendarnoth. I do not wish to find out. Besides, I think I would have a hard time killing you, and no small chance of being killed myself.»

Blade nodded. «You would. But you are a wise and, I think, an honest man, so you will never have to try. What you propose is a good agreement, and I will follow it.» He thrust out his hand and clasped Guroth's.

«Very well,» said the captain. His voice was lighter, as though a great load had been lifted from his mind. «I will give you the tale as quickly as possible.»

«King Nefus is a boy of eleven. He shows much intelligence and courage, but for all this he is still a child. And a king cannot rule in Pendar until he is eighteen. So for seven more years the real rulers of Pendar will be the Council of Regents. Nefus has a sister, the Princess Harima, who is nine years older than he. But she has no power and can have none under our laws and customs.»

«Such laws and customs about women are not always wise,» put in Blade.

«You may speak the truth,» admitted Guroth. «But it is the law in Pendar, and has been so for centuries. Not even the Pendarnoth could hope to challenge it. At least not without arousing the wrath of the priests.»

«And that would be playing into the hands of the High Councilor Klerus, no doubt. Tell me about this man.»

«He is an eunuch. The High Councilor is always an eunuch, so he may have no family to which he can pass on his wealth and power. Thus he is not tempted to take bribes or develop great and corrupt ambitions, for there are none to benefit from these except himself.»

«That is indeed a wise custom,» said Blade. «But I have learned that it does not always work.»

«It has not worked in this case. Klerus is ambitious beyond reason, and cares little that there can be no sons to inherit what he wins. He would rule in Pendar. He would rule in his own right if that were possible, but even in his ambition he knows that cannot be. So he seeks now to rule as the viceroy of the Lanyri.»

«You have mentioned the Lanyri several times. Who are they?»

«They rule a mighty empire on the shores of the Western Ocean, a month's march to the west of Pendar. It is said by travelers who have been among them that they give an orderly rule to those who submit. But it is not a just rule. It is a rule according to Lanyri laws alone. Those who are not of Lanyri blood, or who have not foresworn their native laws and customs and kissed the Lanyri's feet, have no hope of justice under their rule. Their land goes to Lanyri overlords, their women droop at Lanyri looms or become the concubines of Lanyri nobles. Someday the people they have robbed and killed will rise against them and end their empire. But in the meantime they are like wild animals that roam about in a village, striking down all who cannot fight back.»

Blade nodded. Guroth was getting a little off the track. «And they now wish to move east, to bring Pendar under their rule?»

«Yes. They did not wish it at first. Their army is strong and good, but all of its men fight on foot, with swords and heavy armor. They think horsemen are weak and archers cowards, so they have few of these. And so they find it hard to face our mounted archers.

«They know that well. Pendar has great amounts of gold, which to the Lanyri is something precious. I do not understand why, but that is their custom. A hundred years ago, in the reign of King Korfin IV, they demanded that we give them as much gold each year as half a thousand strong horses could carry. We refused. It is our gold. So they sent an army to invade our land, 'teach us a lesson,' and carry away all that gold and much more besides by force. We met that army with all our horsemen in a great battle and defeated it. Their general we captured and killed, and the Lanyri have held us in respect ever since that day.» Guroth's face lit up as he told his story of Pendar's past glories.

Then it sobered as he came to the present. «But then four years ago King Nefus succeeded to the throne of Pendar. Klerus became High Councilor and ruler of Pendar in all but name. I do not know whether he was ambitious before, but he certainly became so then. It is in the minds and hearts of many people that he has had dealings with the Lanyri. He has promised to betray Pendar by dividing and dispersing our army. Then the Lanyri will invade and march upon Vilesh. They have mighty siege machines that will break down its walls within a few days. Then the soldiers will pour in and burn and kill and rape until there is nothing left alive or standing in the whole city. Vilesh is the heart of Pendar. When that heart stops beating, Pendar will die, and of all its people, only the dead will be free of Lanyri rule.»

«A terrible fate for a brave people,» said Blade. He was not entirely feigning the outrage in his voice. On the other hand, what could Klerus say in his defense if given the chance? And how did the Pendari look in the eyes of the Lanyri? This was going to be a matter of open eyes and ears and a closed mouth for many weeks to come yet. Aloud he said, «If Klerus is such a great villain, why have the people who know of his villainy not gone to the other councilors and spoken to them of it?»

Guroth smiled. «You do indeed know little of the way of things among the mighty in Pendar. At least a third of the councilors are in Klerus' pocket. He leads them on with dreams of sharing the spoils from the ruins of their own land. And another third he has won to silence, if not support, by bribes, threats, and the like. Only a handful remain true to the interests of Pendar and the Royal House.»

Blade was about to speak but Guroth held up a hand. «And if you are about to ask why not speak to the king-we have thought of that. We have lain awake nights thinking of ways to do that, and prayed to all the gods of Pendar to show us a way to make the king listen.

«But Nefus is a child, an orphan. The High Councilor is the closest thing to a father he has now, or will ever have again. Klerus loses no opportunity to show the boy how much his 'Uncle Klerus' loves and respects him, humors him» Guroth spread his hands in disgust.

«We have found no way to sow the seeds of doubt in the boy's mind. The Princess Harima believes us and works with us as much as she can, but she has no power and little influence. We have even thought of assassinating Klerus, but Nefus would never forgive us for that. He would let loose the archers of the Council upon us, and the archers are headed by one of Klerus' most loyal supporters. We would be signing our own death warrants and almost certainly be unleashing civil war in Pendar. And civil war would give the Lanyri just as good a chance as Klerus' treachery.»

Guroth fell silent, weary in body, voice, and spirit. He stared off into the darkness as Blade considered his own reply. His path was obvious if Guroth was telling the whole truth. But of that he could not be sure. There was nothing to do but wait and watch until he could be sure.

«You have spoken well, Guroth. You have kept your promise. Now I shall keep mine. Klerus' dreams of having the Pendarnoth in his pocket will be just that-dreams. This I swear by my honor as a warrior, the thing most sacred to me.»

They shook hands and together they walked back to their tent.