The King Beyond the Gate

23

Ananais stepped down from the wall and joined Thorn, Lake and Galand on the grass below. Jugs of wine and plates of meat had been set out and the group ate in weary silence. Ananais had not watched as his old friend was torn apart, but he had turned back in time to see the power of the Templars ripped asunder by the awful ferocity of the dying beasts.

After that the Legion had attacked again, but halfheartedly. They were repulsed with ease. Darik called a halt while the bodies were cleared away: five thousand Joinings, three hundred Templars and another thousand soldiers had died in those terrifying minutes.

Ananais saw Balan sitting alone near the trees; taking a jug of wine, he joined him. Balan was a picture of misery, sitting with head bent staring at the ground. Ananais sat beside him.

Tell me!' he ordered.

'What is to tell?' answered the priest. 'They gave their lives for you.'

'What did they do?'

'I cannot describe it to you, Darkmask. But simply they projected a picture into the minds of the beasts. The picture awakened that within them which was still human — it tore them apart.'

'Couldn't they have done it from the safety of the walls?'

'Perhaps. But the closer you are to a man, the stronger is your power. They had to get close in order to be sure.'

'And now only you are left.'

'Yes. Only Balan!'

'What is happening at Tarsk?'

'I shall find out for you,' said Balan, closing his eyes. Moments later he opened them again. 'All is well. The wall holds.'

'How many men did they lose?'

"Three hundred will not fight again. Only one hundred and forty have died.'

'Only,' muttered Ananais. 'Thank you.'

'Don't thank me,' said Balan. 'I loathe everything to do with this insane venture.'

Ananais left him and wandered back into the trees, pulling off his mask and allowing the cool night air to soothe his burning skin. Stopping by a stream he dunked his head, then he drank deeply. Rayvan saw him there and called out, giving him time to replace his mask.

'How goes it?' she asked.

'Better than we expected. But more than four hundred men are dead at both walls. At least another four hundred will not fight again.'

'How many does that leave us?'

'Around three hundred here. Five hundred at Tarsk.'

'Can we hold?'

'Who the Hell knows? Maybe one more day. Maybe two.'

'Still a day short,' said Rayvan.

'Yes. Tantalising, isn't it?'

'You look weary. Get some rest.'

'I will, lady. How are your wounds?'

'The scar on my face will enhance my looks. The hip is sore.'

'You have done well.'

'Tell that to the dead.'

'I don't need to,' said Ananais. "They died for you.'

'What will you do if we win, Darkmask?'

'A strange question in the circumstances.'

'Not at all. What will you do?'

'Stay a soldier, I suppose. Re-form the Dragon.'

'What about marriage?'

'No one would have me. I am not exactly pretty under this mask.'

'Show me!' she said.

'Why not?' He pulled the mask clear.

'Yes,' she said, 'that is ghastly. I am surprised you survived. The fang-marks are almost at your throat.'

'Do you mind if I put this on again? I feel uncomfortable.'

'Not at all. It is said that you were once the most handsome man in the empire.'

'True, lady. In those days I would have swept you from your feet.'

'That's not saying much. I always had trouble saying no… And that was with ugly men. I even slept with Thorn once, though I daresay he wouldn't remember. It was thirty years ago — before I married, I might point out.'

'You must have been very young.'

'How gallant! But yes, I was. We are in the mountains, Darkmask, and there is precious little entertainment. But tell me, do you love Valtaya?'

'It's no business of yours,' he snapped.

'Indeed it is not. But answer me anyway.'

'Yes, I do.'

'This is going to sound hurtful, Ananais. .'

'I wondered what we were leading up to.'

'Well, it is this: if you love her, leave her alone.'

'Did she ask you to come to me?'

'No. But she is confused, uncertain. I don't think she loves you. I think she is grateful and trying to prove it.'

'I take what I can get these days,' he said bitterly.

'I don't think that's true.'

'Leave me alone, Rayvan. Please!'

When she had gone Ananais sat alone for some hours, unable to sleep. His mind relived his triumphs, but strangely there was no longer any satisfaction in his memories. Cheering crowds, pliant women, envious men — he wondered if he had genuinely enjoyed any of it.

Where were the sons he should have bred?

Where was the woman of his heart?

Valtaya?

Be honest with yourself, man. Was it ever Valtaya? If you were still the Golden One, would you give her a second look? Dawn tinted the eastern sky and Ananais chuckled, then laughed aloud.

What the hell? He had lived as hard as a man could.

No use in morbid regret. The past was a dead beast anyway, and the future was a bloody sword in a Skoda valley.

You are nearing fifty years of age, he told himself, and you are still strong. Men follow you. The Drenai people depend on you. Your face may be gone, but you know who you are.

Ananais, the Golden One.

Darkmask, the Ceska Bane.

A bugle sounded. Ananais heaved himself to his feet and walked back to the ramparts.

Renya lay awake for the third night, angry and uncertain. The walls of her small tent crowded in on her and the heat was oppressive. For two days now the Nadir had been preparing for war; gathering provisions, choosing their ponies with care. Tenaka had selected two warlords to accompany him, Ingis and Murapi. Renya had learned this from Subodai, for not one word had passed between Tenaka and herself since the night before the Shamen Quest.

She sat up, hurling the sheepskin blanket across the floor. She was tired, yet tense as a bowstring. She knew why, yet knowledge was useless. She was in limbo, caught between her love of the man and her hatred of his mission. And she was lost, for her mind dwelt on him ceaselessly.

Renya's childhood had been built on rejection, for she was deformed and could not take part in children's games. They mocked her lame leg and twisted back and she withdrew into her room. . and into her mind. Aulin had taken pity on her, giving her the gift of beauty through the machines of terror. But though outwardly she had changed, the inner Renya remained the same — fearful of affection lest it turned on her, afraid of love because it meant opening the heart and removing the defences. Yet love had taken her like an assassin's blade and she felt tricked. Tenaka had been a hero, a man she could trust. And she had welcomed the blade. Now she found it was tipped with poison.

She could not live with him.

She could not live without him.

The drab tent depressed her and she walked out into the night. The camp sprawled over almost half a mile, with Tenaka's tent at the centre. Subodai groaned and rolled over as she passed him. 'Sleep, woman!' he muttered.

'I cannot.'

He cursed and sat up, scratching his head. 'What's wrong with you?'

'None of your business.'

'His wives bother you,' decided Subodai. 'Natural for a Drenai woman. Greedy.'

'It has nothing to do with his wives,' snapped Renya.

'So you say! How come he put you out of his tent, eh?'

'I put myself out.'

'Mm. You're a good-looking woman, I will say that.'

'Is that why you sleep outside my tent? Waiting to be invited in?'

'Shhh, don't even whisper it!' said Subodai, his voice rising. 'A man could lose his head — or worse. I don't want you, woman. You are strange, crazy even. I heard you howl like an animal, watched you leap on those dumb Pack-rats. I wouldn't want you in my bed — I would never sleep for worrying!'

'Then why are you here?'

'The Khan ordered it.'

'So now you are his dog. Sit, stay, sleep outside the tent!'

'Yes, I am his dog. I am proud to be his dog. Better the hound of a king than a king among jackals.'

'Why?' asked Renya.

'What do you mean, why? Is it not obvious? What is life but a betrayal? We start out young, full of hope. The sun is good, the world awaits us. But every passing year shows how small you are, how insignificant against the power of the seasons. Then you age. Your strength fails and the world laughs at you through the jeers of younger men. And you die. Alone. Unfulfilled. But sometimes. . sometimes there will come a man who is not insignificant. He can change the world, rob the seasons of their power. He is the sun.'

'And you think Tenaka is such a man?'

'Think?' said Subodai. 'What do I know of think? A few days ago he was Bladedancer. Alone. Then he took me. A Spear. Then Gitasi. Then Ingis. Then the nation. You understand? There is nothing he cannot do. Nothing!'

'He cannot save his friends.'

'Foolish woman. Still you do not see.'

Renya ignored him and walked away towards the centre of the camp. He followed her discreetly, keeping some ten paces behind. This was no hardship, for it allowed him to gaze at her with undisguised pleasure. His dark eyes lingered on her long legs and the subtle swing of her hips. Gods, what a woman! So young and strong. Such animal grace.

He began to whistle, but the sound died in an instant as he saw the tent of the Khan. There were no guards. He ran forward to Renya, pulling her to stop.

'Don't touch me,' she hissed.

'Something is wrong,' he said.

Her head came up,her nostrils catching the scents of the night. But the stench of the Nadir was all around her and she could detect nothing.

Dark shadows moved towards the tent.

'Assassins!' yelled Subodai, dragging clear his sword and running forward; the dark shapes converged on him. Tenaka Khan opened the flap of his tent, sword in hand, to see Subodai hacking and slashing his way forward. Tenaka watched him stumble and go down under the swinging blades.

He stepped out to meet the killers.

An eerie howl echoed through the camp and the assassins slowed in their advance.

Then the demon was upon them. A back-handed blow sent a man ten feet through the air. A second fell as her taloned hand opened his throat. Her speed was awesome. Tenaka ran forward, parried a thrust from a squat warrior, and slid his own blade between the man's ribs.

Ingis raced in with forty warriors and the assassins lowered their weapons, standing sullen-eyed before the Khan.

Tenaka cleaned his sword and then sheathed it.

'Find out who sent them,' he told Ingis, then strode to where Subodai lay. The man's left arm was gushing blood and there was a deep wound in his side above the hip.

Tenaka bound the arm. 'You'll live!' he said. 'But I am surprised at you, allowing yourself to be overcome by a few night-stalkers.'

'Slipped on some mud,' muttered Subodai defensively.

Two men came forward to carry the injured warrior to Tenaka's tent. The Khan stood up and looked for Renya, but she was nowhere to be seen. He questioned the warriors nearby and two of them claimed to have seen her running towards the west. Tenaka called for his horse.

Ingis approached him. 'It is not safe to go after her alone.'

'No. Yet I must do it.'

He climbed into the saddle and galloped through the camp. It was too dark to see a trail, but he rode on and out on to the Steppes. There was no sign of her.

Several times he slowed his horse and called out, but there was no response. Finally he stopped his mount and sat quietly staring at the land around him. Ahead to the left was a small grove of trees, screened by thick bushes. He turned his horse's head and cantered towards them, but suddenly the horse pulled up, whinnying in fear. Tenaka calmed the beast, stroking its neck and whispering soft words into its ear, but he could not make it move forward. He dismounted and drew his sword.

Logic told him that whatever was in the bushes could not be Renya, for the horse knew her. Yet something other than logic prevailed in his mind.

'Renya!' he called. The sound that greeted his call was like nothing he had ever heard: a keening, sibilant wail. He sheathed his sword and walked slowly forward.

'Renya! It is Tenaka.'

The bushes exploded outwards and her body hit him with immense force, hurling him from his feet to land on his back. One of her hands was locked about his throat; the other hovered above his eyes, the fingers curved into talons. He lay still, staring into her tawny eyes. The pupils had become slits, long and oval. Slowly he lifted his hand to hers. The feral gleam died in her eyes and the grip on his throat loosened. Then her eyes closed and she slumped forward into his arms. Gently he rolled her on to her back.

The sound of hooves on the Steppes caused him to push himself upright. Ingis galloped into sight, his forty warriors behind him, and leapt from the saddle. 'Is she dead?'

'No, sleeping. What news?'

'The dogs would say nothing. I killed all but one and he is being questioned now.'

'Good! And Subodai?'

'A lucky man. He will heal swiftly.'

'Then all is well,' said Tenaka. 'Now help me get my woman home.'

'All is well?' echoed Ingis. 'There is a traitor at large and we must find him.'

'He failed, Ingis. He will be dead by morning.'

'How can you be sure?'

'Wait and see.'

Tenaka saw Renya safely installed in his tent before accompanying Ingis to the place where the assassin was being questioned. The man had been tied to a tree and his fingers had been broken, one at a time. Now a fire was being prepared beneath his feet. Tenaka walked forward and stopped the torturers.

'Your master is dead,' he told the man. 'There is no further need of this. How do you wish to die?'

'I don't care.'

'Do you have family?'

'They know nothing of this,' said the man, fear in his eyes.

'Look in my eyes, man, and believe me. I shall not harm your family. Your master is dead and you have failed. It is punishment enough. All I want to know is: why?'

'I am pledged to obey,' said the man.

'You were pledged to me.'

'Not so. Only my warlord — he was pledged to you, but I broke no oath. How did he die?'

Tenaka shrugged. 'Would you like to see the body?'

'I would like to die beside it,' said the man. 'I will follow him even in death, for he was good to me.'

'Very well.' Tenaka cut the man loose. 'Do you need to be carried?'

'I can walk, damn you!' spat the man. Followed by Tenaka, Ingis and the forty warriors, he led them through the camp until he reached the tent of Murapi where two guards stood at the entrance.

'I have come to see the body,' said the man. The guards gazed at him nonplussed and realisation hit him like a blow.

He spun to face Tenaka. 'What have you done to me?' he shouted.

The tent-flap opened and Murapi stood forth. He was past middle age and stockily built. He smiled thinly.

'Of all men,' he said calmly, 'I did not think you could break this one. Life is full of such surprises!'

The man fell to his knees. 'I was tricked, Lord,' he sobbed.

'It doesn't matter, Nagati. We will speak of it on the journey.'

Tenaka stepped forward. 'You broke a life-oath, Murapi. Why?'

'It was a gamble, Tenaka,' replied the man evenly. 'If you are right the gates of Dros Delnoch will be open to us, and the entire Drenai empire with it. But you merely wish to rescue your Drenai friends. It was just a gamble.'

'You know the price of failure?'

'Indeed I do. Will I be allowed to kill myself?'

'Yes.'

'Then you will not harm my family?'

'No.'

'You are generous.'

'Had you stayed with me, you would have found out how generous.'

'Is it too late?'

'Indeed it is. You have one hour.'

As Tenaka turned to walk back to his tent, Ingis fell into step beside him. 'You are a subtle man, Tenaka Khan.'

'Did you think otherwise, Ingis?'

'Not at all, my lord. May I give my son, Sember, command of Murapi's wolves?'

'No, I will command them.'

'Very well, my lord.'

'Tomorrow they will guard my tent.'

'You like living dangerously?'

'Goodnight, Ingis.'

Tenaka stepped inside the tent and made his way to Subodai's bed. The warrior was sleeping soundly and his colour was good. Then he moved on into the rear section of the tent where Renya lay. He touched her brow and she woke, her eyes returned to normal.

'Did you find me?' she whispered.

'I found you.'

'Then you know?'

'I know.'

'Mostly I control it. But tonight there were so many of them and I thought you would die. I lost control.'

'You saved me.'

'How is Subodai? Did he live?'

'Yes.'

'He adores you.'

'Yes.'

'So. . tired,' she said. Her eyes closed and, leaning forward, he kissed her lips.

Her eyes opened. 'You are trying to save Ananais, aren't you?' Her lids drooped once more. He lifted the blanket around her and returned to the centre of the tent.

There he sat down and poured himself a goblet of Nyis, sipping it slowly.

Was he trying to save Ananais?

Truly?

Or was he glad that the decision had been taken from him?

If Ananais were to die, what would stop him from continuing his war deep into the Drenai lands?

True he was not hurrying, but then what was the point? Decado had told him they could not hold. What purpose would it serve, driving his men day and night to arrive exhausted at the battlefield?

What purpose?

He pictured Ananais standing defiantly before Ceska's hordes, sword in hand, blue eyes blazing.

He cursed softly.

And sent for Ingis.