The King Beyond the Gate

15

Caphas moved away from the tents and spread his black cloak on the dry earth as a blanket. He removed his dark helm and settled himself down. The stars were bright, but Caphas had no eyes for them. The night was cool and clean, but he hated the emptiness. He longed for the sanctuary of the Temple and the drug-induced orgies. The music of the torture room, the sweet sound of a victim's plea. Joy was what he missed here in this barren land. Laughter.

A special relationship came into being between the torturer and his victim. First there was defiance and hatred. Then tears and screams. Then begging. And finally, after the spirit was broken, there was a kind of love. Caphas cursed loudly and stood up, arousal creating anger within him. He opened the small leather pouch on his hip and removed a long Lorassium leaf. Rolling it into a ball, he placed it in his mouth and began to chew slowly. As the juices took hold and his mind swam, he became aware of the dreams of the sleeping soldiers and the slow, hungry thoughts of a badger in the undergrowth to his right. He screened them out, forcing his memory to replay a scene from the recent past when they had brought a girl-child to the torture room. .

Uneasiness flooded him and he jerked his mind to the present, eyes flickering to the dark shadows in the trees.

A bright light grew before him, shimmering and coalescing into the shape of a warrior in silver armour. A white cloak was draped across his shoulders, the edges fluttering in the winds of Spirit.

Caphas closed his eyes and leapt from his body, black soul-sword in hand, dark shield upon his arm. The warrior parried the blow and stepped back.

'Come here and die,' offered Caphas. Twelve of your party are dead already. Come and join them!'

The warrior said nothing and only his blue eyes could be seen through the slit in the silver face-helm. The eyes were calm and the quiet confidence emanating from them seeped into Caphas' heart. His shield shrank.

'You cannot touch me!' he screamed. The Spirit is stronger than the Source. You are powerless against me!'

The warrior shook his head.

'Damn you!' shouted Caphas as his shield disappeared. He charged forward, slashing wildly.

Acuas parried the blow with ease and then slid his own blade deep into the Templar's chest. The man gasped as the icy sword cloved his spirit flesh. Then his soul guttered and died and, beyond it, his body toppled to the earth.

Acuas vanished. Two hundred paces into the wood he opened the eyes of his body and sagged into the supporting arms of Decado and Katan.

'All the Templar guards are dead,' he said.

'Good work!' praised Decado.

'I feel strained by their evil. Even to touch them is to be as one accursed.'

Decado moved back silently to where Ananais waited with one hundred warriors. Thorn crouched to his left, Galand to his right. Fifty of the warriors were legion men of whom Ananais was unsure.

Though he trusted Decado's instincts, the talents of The Thirty left him sceptical still. Tonight he would see whether these men were with him. He was uncomfortably aware of their swords around him.

Ananais led the force to the edge of the trees. Beyond lay the tents of the Delnoch army — one hundred of them — each giving shelter to six men. Beyond the tents were the picket ropes where the horses were tethered.

'I want Breight alive and I want those horses,' whispered Ananais. 'Galand, take fifty men and lead the mounts clear. The rest can follow me.' He moved forward, crouching low, his dark-armoured warriors spreading out behind him.

As they reached the tents the force split up, armed men silently lifting the front flaps and stepping stealthily inside. Daggers were drawn across sleeping throats and men died without a sound. At the edge of the camp, a sleeping soldier was awakened by the pressure of a full bladder; he rolled from his blanket and stepped out into the night air. The first thing he saw was a black-masked giant bearing down on him, followed by twenty swordsmen. He screamed once. . and died.

Suddenly all was chaos as men surged from the tents with swords in hand. Ananais cut two warriors from his path and cursed loudly. Breight's tent was just ahead, blue silk bearing the White Horse emblem of the Drenai herald.

To me, Legion!' he bellowed and ran forward. A soldier ran at him with a spear but Ananais sidestepped the weapon, his own sword sweeping viciously in a tight arc that smashed the man's ribs to shards. Ananais ran on, wrenching open the tent-flap and stepping inside. Breight was hiding below his bed, but Ananais dragged him out by his hair and hurled him into the night.

Old Thorn ran to Ananais as he emerged. 'We are in a little trouble, Darkmask,' he said.

The Legion fifty had closed ranks by Breight's tent, but all around them the Delnoch warriors stood ready, waiting the order to move in. Ananais dragged Breight to his feet and pushed his way to the front of the line.

'Order your men to lay down their weapons or I will cut your miserable throat,' he hissed.

'Yes, yes,' whimpered the greybeard, holding up his hands. 'Men of Ceska, lay aside your weapons. My life is too valuable to be thrown away in such a fashion. Let them go, I command you!'

A Dark Templar stepped from the line. 'You are worth nothing, old man! You had one mission — to talk these dogs from the hills. You failed.' His arm swept back, then down, and a black dagger hammered into Breight's throat. The old man staggered and fell to his knees. 'Now take them!' yelled the Templar and the Delnoch men surged forward. Ananais cut and thrust as the forces met, drawing the enemy to him like moths to a candle. His swords flickered among them faster than the eye could follow. Around him the Legion fought hard and well, and old Thorn ducked and cut cunningly.

Suddenly the thunder of hooves overrode the sounds of clashing steel and the Delnoch line waved as men glanced back to see a fresh force racing into the fray.

Galand's group hit the rear of the Delnoch force like a hammer-blow, scattering the enemy. As Ananais ran forward, yelling for the men to follow him, a sword lanced into his side. He grunted and back-handed a cut that swept the attacker from his feet. Decado spurred his horse towards Ananais, holding out his left arm. Ananais grasped it and vaulted to the saddle behind the priest. Other Legion men followed suit and the Skoda warriors galloped from the camp. Ananais glanced back, seeking Thorn and spotted him clinging to Galand.

'He's certainly a tough old man!' said Ananais.

Decado said nothing. He had just received a report from Balan, whose talk had been to scout the land over Drenan in order to study the marshalling of Ceska's main force. The news was not good.

Ceska had wasted no time.

The Joinings were already on the march and there was no way Tenaka Khan could bring a Nadir force to intercept them.

According to Balan the army would be camped by the Skoda valleys in four days.

All Tenaka could do was avenge them, for no force on earth was going to hold the werebeasts of Ceska.

Ananais rode into the city, holding himself straight in the saddle though weariness sat upon him like a boulder. He had spent a day and two nights with his lieutenants and their section leaders, informing them of Ceska's lightning march. Many leaders would have disguised the threat, fearing desertions and loss of morale, but Ananais had never subscribed to that theory. Men waiting to die had every right to know what lay in store.

But now he was tired.

The city was quiet, for dawn was only two hours old, but even so children gathered to play in the street, halting their game to watch Darkmask ride by. His horse almost lost its footing on the shiny cobbles and Ananais pulled up its head and patted its neck.

'Almost as tired as me — eh, boy?'

An old man, thickset and balding, stepped from a garden to the right. His face was flushed and angry.

'You!' he shouted, pointing at the rider. Ananais halted his mount and the man came forward, some twenty children bunching behind him.

'You want to talk to me, friend?'

'I am no friend to you, butcher! I just wanted you to see these children.'

'Well, I have seen them. They are a fine bunch.'

'Fine, are they? Their parents were fine, but now they're rotting in the Demon's Smile. And for what? So that you can play with a shiny sword!'

'Have you finished?'

'Not by a damn sight! What is going to happen to these children when the Joinings arrive? I was a soldier once and I know you can't hold those hell-beasts — they will come into this city and destroy every living thing. What will happen to these children then?'

Ananais touched his heels to his mount and the horse moved away.

'That's right!' yelled the man. 'Ride away from the problem. But remember their faces — you hear me?'

Ananais rode on through the winding streets until he reached the Council building. A young man came forward to take his horse and Ananais mounted the marble steps.

Rayvan sat alone in the hall staring — as she often did — at the faded mural. She had lost weight in the last few days. Once more she was wearing the chain-mail shirt and broad belt, her dark hair swept back and tied at her neck.

She smiled as she saw Ananais and gestured him to a chair beside her. 'Welcome, Darkmask,' she said. 'If you have bad news, hold on to it for a little while. I have enough of my own.'

'What happened?' asked Ananais.

She waved her hand and closed her eyes, unable to speak. Then she took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. 'Is the sun shining?' she asked.

'It is, lady.'

'Good! I like to see the sun on the mountains, it carries a promise of life. Have you eaten?'

'No.'

'Then let us go to the kitchen and find something. We will eat in the tower garden.'

They sat in the shade of a thick flowering shrub. Rayvan had picked up a black loaf and some cheese, but neither of them ate. The silence itself was comforting.

'I hear you were lucky to escape with your life,' said Rayvan at last. 'How is your side?'

'I heal fast, lady. The wound was not deep and the stitches will hold.'

'My son, Lucas — he died last night, we had to remove his leg… gangrene.'

'I'm so sorry,' said Ananais lamely.

'He was very brave. Now there is only Lake and Ravenna. Soon there will be no one. How did we come to this, Darkmask, tell me?'

'I don't know. We let a crazy man come to power.'

'Did we truly? It seems to me that a man has only as much power as we allow him. Can Ceska move mountains? Can he put out the stars? Can he tell rain to fall? He is only a man and if everyone disobeyed him he would fall. But they don't, do they? It is said that he has an army of forty thousand men. MEN. Drenai men! Ready to march on other Drenai men. At least in the Nadir Wars we were sure of our enemy. Now there is no enemy. Only failed friends.'

'What can I say?' asked Ananais. 'I have no answers. You should have asked Tenaka. I am just a warrior. I remember a tutor who told me that all of the world's hunters had eyes that faced front: lions, hawks, wolves, men. And all the world's prey had eyes on either side to give them a greater chance of spotting the hunter. He said Man was no different from the tiger. We are nature's killers and we have great appetites for it. Even the heroes we remember show our love of war. Druss, the greatest killing machine of all time — it is his image you stare upon in the council chamber.'

'True enough,' said Rayvan. 'But there is a difference between Druss and Ceska. The legend fought always for others to be free.'

'Don't fool yourself, Rayvan. Druss fought because he loved to fight — it was what he did well. Study his history. He went east and battled for the tyrant Gorben; his army razed cities, villages, nations. Druss was part of it, and he would have offered no excuses. Neither should you.'

'Are you saying there never were true heroes?'

'I wouldn't know a hero if he bit my buttocks! Listen Rayvan, the beast is in all of us. We do our best in life, but often we are mean, or petty, or needlessly cruel. We don't mean to be, but that's the way we are. Most of the heroes we remember — we remember because they won. To win you must be ruthless. Single-minded. Druss was like that, which was why he had no friends — just admirers.'

'Can we win, Ananais?'

'No. But what we can do is to make Ceska suffer so greatly that someone else might win. We shall not live to see Tenaka return. Ceska is already on the march; but we must tie him down, give him losses — crack the aura of invincibility he has built around his Joinings.'

'But even the Dragon could not stand against the beasts.'

'The dragon was betrayed, caught on open ground. And many of them were old men. Fifteen years is a long time. They were not the real Dragon. We are the real Dragon — and by the Gods, we'll make them suffer!'

'Lake has devised some weapons he wants you to see.'

'Where is he?'

'In the old stables at the southern quarter. But take some rest first — you look exhausted.'

'I will.' He pushed himself to his feet, staggered slightly and then laughed. 'I'm getting old, Rayvan.' He moved away several paces, then returned and placed his huge right hand on her shoulder. 'I am not good at sharing, lady. But I'm sorry about Lucas. He was a good man — a credit to you.'

'Go and get some rest. The days are growing shorter and you will need your strength. I'm relying on you — we are all relying on you.'

After he had gone she wandered to the wall and gazed out over the mountains.

Death felt very close.

And she didn't care.

Tenaka Khan was sick with fury. His hands were tied tightly with rawhide thongs and his body was lashed to the trunk of a slender elm. Before him five men sat around a camp-fire searching through his saddlebags. His small cache of gold had been discovered and now lay next to the leader — a one-eyed rogue, thickset and surly. Tenaka blinked away the thin stream of blood that trickled into his right eye and closed his mind to the pain of his bruises.

He had been too preoccupied as he rode into the forest and a stone from a sling had hammered into his temple, toppling him from his horse semi-conscious. Even then, as the outlaws rushed him he had drawn his sword and killed one before they bore him down, hitting him with clubs and sticks. The last words he heard before darkness fell were, 'He killed my brother. Don't kill him — I want him alive.'

And here he was, less than four days out of Skoda, tied to a tree and moments away from a gruesome death. Frustration tore at him and he wrenched at the ropes, but they were expertly tied. His legs ached and his back burned.

The one-eyed outlaw stood up and walked to the tree, his face a mask of bitterness.

'You pig-rutting barbarian — you killed my brother!'

Tenaka said nothing.

'Well, you will pay for it. I shall cut you into tiny pieces, then cook your flesh on that fire and force you to eat it. How do you like that?'

Tenaka ignored him and the man's fist lashed out. Tenaka tensed the muscles of his stomach just as the blow struck, but the pain was terrible. As his head sagged the man hit him in the side of the face.

'Speak to me, Nadir dung!' hissed the outlaw.

Tenaka spat blood to the ground and licked his swollen lip.

'You will talk to me; before dawn I will have you singing a sweet song.'

'Cut out his eyes, Baldur!' said one of the outlaws.

'No. I want him to see everything.'

'Just one, then,' urged the man.

'Yes,' said Baldur. 'Maybe just one.' He drew his dagger and moved forward. 'How would you like that, Nadir? One of your eyes dangling from your cheek?'

A ghostly cry echoed into the night, high-pitched and eerie.

'What in the seven Hells was that?' said Baldur, spinning round. The others made the sign of the Protective Horn and reached for their weapons.

'It sounded close,' said one, a short man with a sandy beard.

'Cat, maybe. Sounded like it could be a cat,' said Baldur. 'Build up the fire.' Two men scurried forward, gathering up dry wood as Baldur turned back to Tenaka. 'You ever heard that sound before,' Nadir?'

Tenaka nodded.

'Well, what is it?'

'Forest demon,' said Tenaka.

'Don't tell me that! I've lived in forests all my life.'

Tenaka shrugged.

'Whatever it is, I don't like it,' said Baldur. 'So you don't die so slow. I'll just open up your belly and you can bleed to death. Or maybe the forest demon will get you!'

His arm drew back. .

A black feathered arrow appeared in his throat and for a moment he just stood there, as if stunned. Then he dropped his knife and slowly reached up to feel the shaft. His eyes widened, then his knees gave way and he pitched to the earth. A second arrow flashed across the clearing, taking the sandy-haired outlaw in the right eye. He fell screaming. The remaining three raced for the sanctuary of the forest, their weapons forgotten. For a while there was silence, then a little figure stepped from the trees with bow in hand.

She was wearing a tunic and troos in light brown leather, and a green burnoose covered her hair. A short, slender sword hung at her side.

'How are you, Tenaka?' asked Renya sweetly.

'I am certainly happy to see you,' he answered. 'Loose me.'

'Loose you?' she said, squatting by the fire. 'A big strong man like you. Come, now! Surely you don't need a woman's help?'

'Now is the wrong time for this conversation, Renya. Untie me.'

'And then do I come with you?'

'Of course,' he said, knowing he had no choice.

'You're sure I won't be a hindrance?'

Tenaka gritted his teeth, struggling to control his anger as Renya walked round the tree and slashed the rawhide with her shortsword. Tenaka stumbled and fell as the ropes gave way and she helped him to the fire.

'How did you find me?'

'It wasn't hard,' she hedged. 'How are you feeling?'

'Alive. Just! I shall have to be more careful once we cross the mountains.'

Renya's head came up, nostrils flaring. 'They're coming back,' she said.

'Damn! Get me my sword.' He glanced round but she had gone, vanished into the trees. He cursed and staggered to his feet, scooping up his sword from the far side of the fire. He felt in no condition to fight.

The terrible howling began again and his blood froze. Then Renya walked back into the clearing with a broad smile on her face.

'They're running so fast now, I don't think they will stop until they reach the sea,' she said. 'Why don't you get some sleep?'

'How do you do that?'

'It is a talent I have,' said Renya.

'I underestimated you, woman,' said Tenaka, stretching himself out beside the fire.

'The cry of men down the ages,' muttered Renya.

Night was falling once more when Renya and Tenaka sighted the deserted fortress of Dros Corte-swain, nestling in the shadows of the Delnoch mountains. Built as a defence against Vagrian invasion during the days of Egel, the first Earl of Bronze, the fortress had been disused for more than forty years. The town that had sprung up around it was also deserted.

'Eerie isn't it?' said Renya as she guided her grey mare close in to Tenaka.

'Corteswain was always folly,' answered Tenaka, gazing up at the bleak battlements. 'Egel's only mistake. It is the one fortress in the Drenai that has never seen a battle.'

Their horses' hooves echoed in the night as they walked towards the main gates. The wood had been removed and the stone opening beckoned to them like a toothless mouth.

'Couldn't we camp in the open?' asked Renya.

'Too many forest demons,' said Tenaka, ducking as she swiped a blow at his head.

'Halt!' called a quavering voice and Tenaka's eyes narrowed.

In the open gateway stood an old man in rusty mailshirt. In his hands was a spear with a broken point. Tenaka reined in his mount.

'Give your name, rider!' called the old man.

'I am Bladedancer. This is my wife.'

'Are you friendly?'

'We are no threat to any man who does not threaten us.'

'Then you can come in,' said the old man. 'The Gan says it's all right.'

'Are you the Gan of Dros Corteswain?' asked Tenaka.

'No. This is the Gan,' said the old man, pointing to the space beside him. 'Can't you see?'

'Of course, forgive me! My compliments to your commanding officer.'

Tenaka rode in to the gateway and dismounted. The old man limped towards him. He looked as if he must be over eighty and his hair was wispy and thin, clinging to his yellow skull like mountain mist. His face was sunken and blue shadows spread beneath his watery eyes.

'Make no false move,' he warned. 'Look you to the battlements. There are archers covering your every step.' Tenaka glanced up — the ramparts were deserted, save for sleeping pigeons.

'Very efficient,' he said. 'Is there food here?'

'Oh yes. For those that's welcome.'

'Are we welcome?'

'The Gan says you look like a Nadir.'

'I am indeed, but I have the honour to serve in the army of the Drenai. I am Tenaka Khan of the Dragon. Will you introduce me to the Gan?'

'There are two Gans,' said the old man. 'This is Gan Orrin — he is the first Gan. Hogun is our scouting.'

Tenaka bowed deeply. 'I have heard of Gan Orrin. My compliments on your defence of Dros Delnoch.'

'The Gan says you are welcome and may join him in his quarters. I am his aide. My name is Ciall — Dun Ciall.'

The old man put down his broken spear and wandered away to the darkened keep. Tenaka loosened the saddle-cinch and left his horse to wander in search of grass. Renya followed suit and they set off after Dun Ciall.

'He's mad!' said Renya. 'There's no one else here.'

'He seems harmless enough. And he must have food. I'd as soon save as many of our supplies as I can. Listen — the men he is referring to are the original Gans of Dros Delnoch when my ancestor fought Ulric. Orrin and Hogun were the commanders before Rek became the Earl of Bronze. Humour him — it will be a kindness.'

In the Gan's quarters Ciall had set out a table for three. A jug of red wine was placed at the centre and a stew was bubbling in a pot over the fire. With trembling hands the old man filled their plates, said a prayer to the Source and set to with a wooden spoon. Tenaka tried the stew; it was bitter, but not unpleasant.

'They're all dead,' said Ciall. 'I am not mad — I know they're dead but they're here just the same.'

'If you see them, then they are here,' said Renya.

'Don't humour me, woman! I see them and they tell me stories. . Wonderful stories. They forgave me. People didn't, but ghosts are better than people. They know more. They know a man can't be strong all the time. They know there are some times when he can't help running away. They forgave me — said I could be a soldier. They trust me to look after the fortress.'

Ciall winced suddenly and gripped his side. Renya looked down and saw blood flowing into the rust and dripping to the bench seat.

'You are hurt,' she said.

'It's nothing. I don't feel it. I am a good soldier now — they tell me that.'

'Remove your mailshirt,' said Tenaka softly.

'No. I am on duty.'

'Remove it, I say!' thundered Tenaka. 'Am I not a Gan? There will be no lack of discipline while I am here.'

'Yes sir,' said Ciall, fumbling with the ancient strap. Renya stepped forward to help him and slowly the mailshirt came away. The old man made no sound. His back was raw with the marks of a whip. Renya searched the drawers and cupboards, finding an old shirt. 'I'll get some water,' she said.

'Who did this to you, Ciall?' asked Tenaka.

'Riders. . yesterday. They were looking for someone.' The old man's eyes glittered. 'They were looking for you, Nadir prince.'

'I expect they were.'

Renya returned carrying a copper bowl brimming with water. Gently she washed the old man's back, then tore the shirt into strips to place over the worst of the wounds.

'Why did they whip you?' Did they think you knew of my whereabouts?'

'No,' said Ciall sadly. 'I think they just enjoyed it. The ghosts could do nothing. But they were sorry for me — they said I bore it bravely.'

'Why do you stay here, Ciall?' asked Renya.

'I ran away, lady. When the Nadir were attacking I ran away. There was nowhere else to go.'

'How long have you been here?'

'A long, long time. Years probably. It's very nice here, with lots of people to talk to. They forgave me, you see. And what I do here is important.'

'What is it you do?' asked Tenaka.

'I guard the stone of Egel. It is placed by the gate and it says that the Drenai empire will fall when Corteswain is manned no more. Egel knew things. He's been here, you know, but I wasn't allowed to see him when he came; I hadn't been here long then and the ghosts didn't trust me yet.'

'Go to sleep, Ciall,' said Tenaka. 'You need your rest.'

'First I must hide your horses,' said Ciall. 'The riders will be coming back.'

'I will do that,' promised Tenaka. 'Renya, help him into bed.'

'I can't sleep here — it's the Gan's bed.'

'Orrin says that you can — he's going to meet Hogun and will share his quarters tonight.'

'He's a good man,' said Ciall. 'I'm proud to serve under him. They're all good men — even though they're dead.'

'Rest, Ciall. We will talk in the morning.'

'Are you the Nadir prince who led the charge on the Ventrian raiders near Purdol?'

'I am.'

'Do you forgive me?'

'I forgive you,' said Tenaka Khan. 'Now sleep.'

Tenaka awoke to the sound of galloping hooves on the cold stone of the courtyard. Kicking aside his blanket, he woke Renya and together they crawled to the window. Below some twenty riders were grouped together; they wore the red capes of Delnoch and shining helms of bronze topped with black horse-hair plumes. The leader was a tall man with a trident beard and beside him was one of the outlaws who had captured Tenaka.

Ciall limped out into the courtyard, broken spear in hand.

'Halt!' he said. His arrival broke the tension and the riders began to laugh.

The leader raised his hand for silence and then leaned forward over his horse's neck.

'We seek two riders, old man. Are they here?'

'You are not welcome at the fortress. The Gan commands you to leave.'

'Did you not learn your lesson yesterday fool?'

'Must we force you to go?' countered Ciall.

The outlaw leaned over to whisper something and the leader nodded. He turned in the saddle. 'The tracker says that they are here. Take the old man and get him to talk.'

Two riders began to dismount. Ciall screamed a battle cry and ran forward; the officer was still half turned when the broken spear rammed into his side. He screamed and half-fell. Ciall dragged the spear loose and hacked at him once more, but a rider to the left dipped his lance and spurred his mount forward and Ciall was lifted from his feet as the iron tip plunged into him. The lance snapped and the old man fell to the stones.

The officer hauled himself upright in the saddle. 'Get me away from here; I'm bleeding to death!' he said.

'What about the riders?' asked the tracker.

'Damn them! We have men spread out from here to Delnoch and they can't escape. Get me away from here!' The tracker took the officer's reins and the troop cantered back through the gates. Tenaka raced out to the courtyard, kneeling beside the mortally wounded Ciall.

'You did well, Dun Ciall,' he said, lifting the man's head.

Ciall smiled. 'They've done it now,' he said. 'The stone.'

'You will still be here. With the Gan and the rest.'

'Yes. The Gan has a message for you, but I don't understand it.'

'What does he say?'

'He says to seek the King Beyond the Gate. You understand?'

'Yes I do.'

'I had a wife once. .' whispered Ciall. And died.

Tenaka closed the old man's eyes; then lifted the frail body and carried it to the shade of the gate tower, laying it to rest beneath the stone of Egel. He placed the broken spear in the dead man's hand.

'Last night,' he said, 'he prayed to the Source. I don't know enough to believe in any god, but if you are there then I pray you will take his soul into your service. He was not an evil man.'

Renya was waiting in the courtyard when he returned.

'Poor man,' she said. He took her in his arms and kissed her brow.

'Time to go,' he told her.

'You heard what they said — there are riders everywhere.'

'First they must see us. Secondly they must catch us. We are only an hour's ride from the mountains, and where I go they will not follow.'

Throughout the long morning they rode, hugging the tree-line and moving carefully out on to open ground, avoiding the sky-lines. Twice they saw riders in the distance. By midday they had reached the base of the Delnoch peaks and Tenaka led them up into the high country. By dusk the horses were exhausted and the riders dismounted, seeking a place to camp.

'Are you sure we can cross here?' asked Renya, wrapping her cloak tightly about her.

'Yes. But we may not be able to take the horses.'

'It's cold.'

'It will get colder. We have maybe another three thousand feet to climb yet.'

Throughout the night they huddled together beneath their blankets. Tenaka slept fitfully. The task he had set himself was awesome. Why should the Nadir follow him? They hated him more than the Drenai did. The two-worlds warrior! He opened his violet eyes and watched the stars, waiting for the dawn.

It arrived in garish splendour, bathing the sky in crimson — a giant wound that seeped from the east. After a hurried breakfast they set off once more, moving ever higher into the peaks.

Three times during the morning they dismounted to rest the horses, leading them on over the patchy snow. Far below them Renya glimpsed the red cloaks of the Delnoch riders.

'They've found us!' she shouted.

Tenaka turned. 'They're too far back. Don't worry about them.'

An hour before dusk they breasted a rise. Before them the ground dropped away alarmingly. To the left a narrow trail hugged a sheer wall of icy rock; nowhere was the trail wider than six feet.

'We're not going to cross that?' asked Renya.

'Yes.'

Tenaka touched his heels to his mount and moved out. Almost at once the horse slipped, then righted itself. Tenaka kept up its head and began talking to the beast in a low soothing voice. His left leg was touching the rock wall, his right over the awesome drop; he did not dare swing his weight to see if Renya was following. The horse moved on slowly, its ears flat against its skull and its eyes wide in fear. Unlike the Nadir or Sathuli ponies, it had not been bred for mountain work.

The trail wound round the mountains, widening in some places and narrowing sickeningly in others, until at last they came to a slanting sheet of ice across their path. Tenaka had just enough room to slide from the saddle and he moved forward slowly, kneeling to examine the ice. The surface was powdery with fresh-fallen snow, but beneath it was glossy and sheer.

'Can we go back?' called Renya.

'No, there is nowhere to turn the horses. And the Delnoch riders will have reached the trail. We must go on.'

'Across that?'

'We must lead the horses,' said Tenaka. 'But if it starts to go, don't hold on. You understand?'

'This is stupid,' she said, staring down at the rocks hundreds of feet below.

'I couldn't agree more,' he answered with a wry grimace. 'Keep to the cliff face and don't curl the reins around your hand — hold them loosely. Ready?'

Tenaka stepped out on to the sloping ice, placing his foot carefully on the powdery snow.

He tugged on the reins, but the horse refused to budge; its eyes were wide with fear and it was close to panic. Tenaka stepped back, curling his arm over the beast's neck and whispering in its ear.

"There is no problem for you, noble heart,' he whispered. 'You have courage in your soul. It is merely a difficult path. I will be here with you.' For some minutes he spoke thus, patting and stroking the sleek neck. Trust me, great one. Walk with me for a little while.'

He stepped out on to the slope and pulled the reins and the horse moved forward. Slowly, and with great care, they left the safety of the trail.

Renya's horse slipped, but recovered its footing. Tenaka heard the commotion but could not look back. Solid rock was only inches away, but as Tenaka stepped on to it his horse slithered suddenly, whinnying in terror. Tenaka grabbed the reins tightly with his right hand, his left snaking out to the cliff face and hooking round a jutting edge of rock.

As the horse slid back towards the drop, Tenaka felt the muscles across his back tighten and tear. It seemed his arms were being torn from their sockets. He wanted to let go of the reins, but could not; instinctively he had curled the leather round his wrist and if the horse fell, he would be drawn with it.

As suddenly as it had lost its footing the beast found a solid section of rock, and with Tenaka's help struggled back to the trail. Tenaka sagged against the cliff face. The horse nuzzled him and he patted it. His wrist was bleeding where the leather had burned through the skin.

'Stupid!' said Renya, leading her horse to the safety of the trail.

'I cannot deny it,' he said, 'but we made it. From here on the trail widens and there are few natural dangers now. And I do not think the Drenai will follow us over this path.'

'I think you were born lucky, Tenaka Khan. But don't use up all your luck before we reach the Nadir.'

They made camp in a shallow cave and fed the horses before lighting a fire with brushwood they had strapped to their saddles. Tenaka stripped off his leather jerkin and lay down on a blanket by the fire while Renya massaged his bruised back. The struggle to keep the horse from falling had taken its toll and the Nadir prince could hardly move his right arm. Renya gently probed the shoulder-blade and the swollen muscles around it.

'You are a mess,' she said. 'Your body is a patchwork of bruises.'

'You should feel them from this side.'

'You are getting tod old for this,' she said mischievously.

'A man is as old as he feels, woman!' he snapped.

'And how old do you feel?'

'About ninety,' he admitted. She covered him with a blanket and sat staring out at the night. It was peaceful here, away from war and the talk of war. Truthfully she did not care about overthrowing the Ceska — she did care about being with Tenaka Khan. Men were so stupid; they didn't understand the reality of life at all.

Love was what mattered. Love of one for one. The touching of hands, the touching of hearts. The warmth of belonging, the joy of sharing. There would always be tyrants. Man seemed incapable of existing without them. For without tyrants there would be no heroes. And Man could not live without heroes.

Renya wrapped herself in her cloak and added the last of the wood to the fire. Tenaka lay asleep, his head resting on his saddle.

'Where would you be without Ceska, my love?' she asked him, knowing he could not hear her. 'I think you need him more than you need me.'

His violet eyes opened and he smiled sleepily.

'Not true,' he said. Then his eyes closed once more.

'Liar,' she whispered, curling up beside him.