The King Beyond the Gate

6

The black man was enjoying himself. Two of the robbers were down and another five remained. He hefted the short iron bar and twirled the chain attached to it. A tall man with a quarterstaff leapt forward and the black man's hand flashed out, the chain whipping round the staff. As he tugged, his attacker stumbled — into a crunching left upper-cut. He slumped to the ground.

Two of the remaining four robbers dropped their clubs, pulling curved daggers from their belts. The other two ran back into the trees, fetching longbows.

This was getting serious. Up to now the black man had killed no one, but that would have to change. He discarded the mace and pulled two throwing knives from his boots.

'Do you really want to die?' he asked them, his voice deep and sonorous.

'No one is going to die,' said a voice from the left and he turned. Two more men stood at the edge of the trees; both had bows bent, aimed at the outlaws.

'A timely intervention!' commented the black man. 'They killed my horse.'

Tenaka gently released the pressure on the bowstring and came forward.

'Put it down to experience,' he told the man. Then he turned to the outlaws. 'I suggest you put away your weapons — the fight is over.'

'He was more trouble that he was worth, anyway,' said the leader, walking over to check the fallen.

'They are all alive,' said the black man, replacing his knives and collecting the mace chain.

A scream sounded from the woods and the outlaw leader jerked to his feet.

Galand, Parsal and Belder moved into view.

'You were right, general,' said Galand. 'There were two more of them creeping in.'

'Did you kill them?' asked Tenaka.

'No. Sore heads, though!'

Tenaka swung to the outlaw. 'Are we likely to have any more trouble with you?'

'You are not going to ask for my word, are you?' replied the man.

'Is it worth anything?'

'Sometimes!'

'No, I don't want your word. Do as you please. But the next time we meet, I will see you all dead. That is my word!'

'The word of a barbarian,' said the man. He hawked and spat.

Tenaka grinned. 'Exactly so.' Turning his back, he walked back to Ananais and then on into the trees. Valtaya had prepared a fire and was talking to Scaler. Renya, dagger in hand, returned to the clearing as Tenaka arrived; he smiled at her. The others followed, except Galand who was keeping an eye on the outlaws.

The black man arrived last, carrying two saddlebags across one broad shoulder. He was tall and very powerful, dressed in a tight-fitting tunic of blue silk under a sheepskin cloak. Valtaya had never seen anyone like him, though she had heard stories of dark races far to the east.

'Greetings to you, my friends,' he said, dumping his saddlebags to the ground. 'Many blessings be upon you all!'

'Will you eat with us?' asked Tenaka.

'That is kind, but I have my own provisions.'

'Where are you headed?' asked Ananais as the black man delved into his bags, pulling out two apples which he polished on his tunic.

'I am visiting your fine land. I have no set destination for the moment.'

'Where are you from?' asked Valtaya.

'A far way, my lady, many thousand of leagues east of Ventria.'

'You are on a pilgrimage?' enquired Scaler.

'You could say that. I have a small mission to perform and then I shall return home to my family.'

'How are you called?' asked Tenaka.

'I fear my name would be difficult to you to pronounce. However, one of the robbers called me something that touched a chord. You may call be Pagan.'

'I am Tenaka Khan.' Swiftly he introduced the others.

Ananais held out his hand; Pagan took it in a firm clasp and their eyes met. Tenaka leaned back, watching them. Both men were from the same mould, immensely powerful and inordinately proud. They were like two prize bulls, each gauging the other.

'Your mask is dramatic,' said Pagan.

'Yes. It makes us look like brothers, black man,' replied Ananais and Pagan chuckled, a deep rolling sound full of good humour.

'Then brothers we are, Ananais!' he said.

Galand appeared and moved to Tenaka. 'They've gone north. I don't think they will be back.'

'Good! That was fine work back there.' Galand nodded and moved to sit beside his brother. Renya signalled to Tenaka and the two of them moved away from the fire.

'What is it?' he asked.

'The black man.'

'What about him?'

'He carries more weapons than anyone I have ever seen. He has two knives in his boots; a sword and two bows that he left in the trees back there. And there's a broken axe under his horse. He's like a one-man army.'

'So?'

'Did we meet him by accident?'

'You think he might be hunting us?'

'I don't know. But he is a killer, I can sense it. His pilgrimage has to do with death. And Ananais doesn't like him.'

'Don't worry,' he said softly.

'I am not Nadir, Tenaka. I'm not a fatalist.'

'Is that all that's worrying you?'

'No. Now you mention it — the two brothers; they don't like us. We don't belong together and we are none of us close — just a group of strangers thrown together by events.'

'The brothers are strong men and good warriors. I know about these things. I also know they regard me with suspicion, but there's nothing I can do about that. It has always been the way. But we share a common goal. And they will come to trust me. Belder and Scaler? I don't know. But they will do us no harm. And as for Pagan — if he is hunting me, I will kill him.'

'If you can!'

He smiled. 'Yes. If l can.'

'You make it sound easy. I don't see it that way.'

'You worry too much. The Nadir way is better: tackle each problem as it arises and worry about nothing.'

'I shall never forgive you if you let yourself be killed,' she said.

'Then you watch out for me, Renya. I trust your instincts — I mean that, truly. You are right about Pagan. He is a killer and he may be hunting us. It will be interesting to see what action he now takes.'

'He will offer to travel with us,' she said.

'Yes, but that would make sense. He is a stranger in our land and has already been attacked once.'

'We should refuse him. We are conspicuous enough with your giant friend and his black mask. But to add a black man in blue silk?'

'Yes. The gods — if such there be — are in humorous mood today.'

'I am not laughing,' said Renya.

Tenaka awoke from a dreamless sleep, his eyes flaring open and fear touching him like a cold caress. He rose to his feet. The moon was unnaturally bright, glowing like an eldritch lantern, and the branches of trees rustled and swayed though there was no breath of wind.

He looked around him — his companions were all sleeping. Then he glanced down and shock hit him hard: his own body lay there, wrapped in its blankets. He began to shiver.

Was this death?

Of all the cruel jests fate could play. .

A faint stirring, like the memory of yesterday's breeze, caused him to turn. At the edge of the trees stood six men in dark armour, their black swords in their hands. They advanced on him, spreading out in a half-circle. Tenaka reached for his own blade but could not touch it; his hand passed through the hilt as if it were mist.

'You are doomed,' said a hollow voice. 'The Chaos Spirit calls.'

'Who are you?' asked Tenaka, ashamed that his voice quavered.

Mocking laughter came from the dark knights.

'We are Death,' they said.

Tenaka backed away.

'You cannot run. You cannot move,' said the first knight. Tenaka froze. His legs would not obey him and still the knights came closer.

Suddenly a feeling of peace swept over the Nadir prince and the knights halted their slow advance. Tenaka glanced left and right. Beside him stood six warriors in silver armour and white cloaks.

'Come then, you dogs of darkness,' said the silver warrior nearest him.

'We will come,' replied a dark knight. 'But not when you call.' One by one they backed away into the trees.

Tenaka turned slowly, lost and frightened, and the silver warrior who had spoken placed his hand on the Nadir prince's shoulder.

'Sleep now. The Source will protect you.'

Darkness settled over him like a blanket.

On the morning of the sixth day they cleared the trees and entered the broad plains stretching from Skultik to Skoda. In the distance, to the south, was the city of Karnak, but only the tallest spires could be seen as white pinpoints against a green horizon. The snow lay in white patches now, the spring grass groping for the sunlight.

Tenaka held up his hand as he saw the smoke.

'It cannot be a grass fire,' said Ananais, shielding his eyes from the harsh sunlight.

'It's a village burning,' said Gal and, walking alongside. 'Such sights are all too common these days.'

'Yours is a troubled land,' said Pagan, dumping his huge pack on the ground at his feet and laying his saddlebags upon it. Attached to the pack was a bronze-edged shield of stiffened buffalo hide, an antelope horn bow and calf-hide quiver.

'You carry more equipment than a Dragon platoon,' muttered Ananais.

'Sentimental reasons,' answered Pagan, grinning.

'We'd best avoid the village,' said Scaler. His long hair was greasy with sweat and his lack of fitness was telling on him. He sat down beside Pagan's pack.

The wind shifted and the sound of drumming hooves came to them.

'Spread out and lie low,' said Tenaka. The companions ran for cover, dropping to their bellies in the grass.

A woman crested the top of a small hill, running at top speed, her auburn hair flowing behind her. She was dressed in a skirt of green wool and wore a brown shawl. In her arms she carried a small babe whose piping screams carried to the travellers.

As the woman ran on, she cast occasional panic-stricken glances over her shoulder. The haven of the trees was an eternity away as the soldiers cantered into view, but still she ran, cutting towards the hidden Tenaka.

Ananais swore and stood up. The woman screamed and veered left — into the arms of Pagan.

The soldiers reined their mounts and the leader dismounted. He was a tall man, dressed in the red cloak of Delnoch, his bronze armour burnished to a sheen.

"Thank you for your help,' he said, 'though we did not need it.' The woman was quiet now and in her despair she buried her head against Pagan's broad chest.

Tenaka smiled. There were twelve soldiers, eleven of them still mounted. There was nothing to be done except to hand back the woman.

Then an arrow flashed into the neck of the nearest rider and he pitched from the saddle. Tenaka's eyes flared in shock. A second arrow buried itself in the chest of another soldier and he too fell back, his horse rearing and hurling him from the saddle. Tenaka drew his sword, plunging it into the officer's back, for the man had turned as the arrows struck home.

Pagan pushed the woman from him and dropped to his knee, drawing the throwing-knives from his boots. They flew from his hands and two more soldiers died as they tried to control their mounts. Tenaka ran forward, leaping into the saddle of a riderless horse, scooping up the reins and heeling the beast forward. The seven remaining soldiers had drawn their weapons and two charged at Pagan. Tenaka's mount crashed into the remaining five and one horse fell, the others rearing and whinnying madly. As Tenaka's sword sliced down, an arrow whipped by him, taking a rider through the left eye-socket.

Pagan drew his shortsword, then dived left as the horses thundered by him, rolling to his feet once more as the riders dragged their mounts to a halt. Running forward, he blocked a wild slashing cut and buried his blade in the rider's side. As the man screamed and fell from the saddle, Pagan vaulted to the beast's back; then he hurled himself at the second rider, carrying the man clear of his horse. They fell heavily and Pagan broke the man's neck with a single blow.

Renya hurled aside her bow and, dagger in hand, ran from cover to where Tenaka, joined by Ananais, was battling the remaining soldiers. She leapt to a horse's back behind its rider and hammered her dagger between his shoulder-blades. The man screamed and tried to twist round but Renya punched him behind the ear. His neck snapped and he tumbled clear.

The last two soldiers turned their mounts and spurred them clear of the fray, riding back towards the hill. But Parsal and Galand stepped out in their paths and the horses reared, throwing one man from the saddle. The other clung on grimly until Galand's sword opened his throat. Parsal pulled his blade clear of the downed rider.

'I'll say this,' he called, grinning broadly. 'It's not been dull since we came back.'

Galand grunted. 'We're damned lucky, is all I'll say.' Wiping his sword on the grass, he gathered the reins of the two horses and walked back to the main group.

Tenaka hid his anger and called out to Pagan, 'You fight well!'

'I think it must be all the practice I am getting,' answered the black man.

'What I want to know is, who fired that arrow?' shouted Ananais.

'Forget it — it's done,' said Tenaka. 'Now we had best move from here. I suggest we ride back to the forest until nightfall. Now that we have mounts, we can make up the time.'

'No!' said the woman with the babe. 'My family. My friends. They're being butchered back there!'

Tenaka went to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. 'Listen to me. Unless I am mistaken these soldiers were part of a half-century, which means there are almost forty men in your village. It is too many — we cannot help you.'

'We could try,' said Renya.

'Be silent!' snarled Tenaka and Renya's mouth dropped open, but she said no more. He turned back to the woman. 'You are welcome to stay with us and we will come to the village tomorrow. We will do what we can.'

'Tomorrow will be too late!'

'It is probably already too late,' said Tenaka and she pulled away from him.

'I would not expect help from a Nadir,' she said, tears flowing. 'But some of you are Drenai. Please help me!'

'Dying will not help anyone,' said Scaler. 'Come with us. You escaped — so may others. And anyway, there is nowhere else for you to go. Come on, I will help you to a horse.'

The companions mounted and headed for the forest. Behind them the crows circled and wheeled.

That night Tenaka called Renya to him and they went from the camp-site and into the trees. No word had passed between them all afternoon.

Tenaka's manner was cold and distant. He walked to a moonlit clearing, then turned on the girl.

'You loosed that arrow! Don't ever act again without my order.'

'Who are you to order me?' she snapped.

'I am Tenaka Khan, woman! Cross me again and I will leave you behind.'

'They would have killed that woman and baby.'

'Yes. But because of your action we might all be dead. What would that have achieved?'

'But we are not dead. And we saved her.'

'Through luck. A soldier may need luck on occasion, but we would rather not have to rely on it. I am not asking you, Renya, I am telling you: you will not do it again!'

'I do as I please,' she said. He struck her open-handed across the face. She hit the ground hard, but rolled to her feet with eyes blazing, fingers curled into talons. Then she saw the knife in his hand.

'You would kill me, wouldn't you?' she whispered.

'Without a thought!'

'I loved you! More than life. More than anything.'

'Will you obey me?'

'Oh, yes, Tenaka Khan, I will obey you. Until we reach Skoda. And then I will leave your company.' She turned on her heel and strode back to the campsite.

Tenaka sheathed his dagger and sat down on a boulder.

'Still the loner, eh, Tani?' said Ananais, stepping from the shadows of the trees.

'I don't want to talk.'

'You were hard on her, and quite right too. But you went a little far — you wouldn't have killed her.'

'No. I would not.'

'But she frightens you, doesn't she?'

'I said I didn't want to talk.'

'True, but this is Ananais — your crippled friend who knows you well. As well as any man. You think that because we risk death there is no place for love? Don't be a fool — enjoy it while it's there.'

'I cannot,' said Tenaka, head bowed. 'When I came here, I could see nothing but Ceska. But now I seem to spend more time thinking of… you know.'

'Of course I know. But what happened to your Nadir code? Let tomorrow look to itself.'

'I am only half-Nadir.'

'Go and talk to her.'

'No. It is better this way.'

Ananais stood up and stretched his back. 'I think I'll get some sleep.' He ambled away back to the camp, stopping where Renya sat staring miserably into the fire.

He squatted down beside her. 'It is a strange thing about some men,' he said to her. 'In matters of business or war, they can be giants; wise to a fault. In matters of the heart, they are like children. Now women are a different matter; they see the child in a man for what it is.'

'He would have killed me,' she whispered.

'Do you really think so?'

'Do you?'

'Renya, he loves you. He couldn't hurt you.'

'Then why? Why say it?'

'To make you believe it. To make you hate him. To make you go.'

'Well, it worked,' she said.

'That's a shame. Still. . you shouldn't have loosed that arrow.'

'I know that!' she snapped. 'You don't need to tell me. I just. . couldn't see them kill a baby.'

'No, I wasn't over-keen myself.' He glanced across the fire to where the woman lay sleeping. The black giant, Pagan, sat with his back to a tree, holding the babe against his chest. The child had reached a pudgy hand from its blanket and curled it around Pagan's finger, while he was speaking to it in low, gentle tones.

'Good with children, isn't he?' said Ananais.

'Yes. And with weapons.'

'A real man of mystery. Still, I am watching him.'

Renya glanced at the bright blue eyes beyond the black mask. 'I like you, Ananais. I really do.'

'Like me, like my friends,' he said, nodding towards the tall figure of Tenaka Khan as he made his way to his blankets.

She shook her head and returned her gaze to the fire.

'That's a shame,' he said again.

They rode into the village two hours after dawn. Galand had scouted ahead and reported that the soldiers were setting off towards the south and the distant spires of Karnak. The village was gutted, charred timbers oozing dark plumes of smoke. Bodies lay here and there, while around the edge of the burnt-out buildings ten crosses had been erected, from which hung the village council. They had been whipped and beaten before being nailed to the beams, finally their legs had been broken, causing their battered frames to slump and cut off the air supply to the lungs.

'We have become barbarians,' said Scaler, turning his mount away from the scene. Belder merely nodded, but he followed the young Drenai to the grass fields beyond.

Tenaka dismounted at the village square, where the mass of bodies lay — more than thirty women and children.

'There is no sense to it,' he said as Ananais joined him. 'Now who will work the fields? If this is happening all over the empire. .'

'It is,' said Galand.

The woman with the babe lifted her shawl over her head and closed her eyes. Pagan glimpsed the movement and rode alongside her, taking the reins from her hands.

'We will wait for you outside the village,' he said.

Valtaya and Renya followed them.

'It is a strange thing,' said Ananais. 'For centuries the Drenai have turned back enemies who would have done this to our land. And now we do it ourselves. What breed of men are they recruiting now?'

"There are always those who love this kind of work,' answered Tenaka.

'Among your people, maybe,' said Parsal softly.

'What does that mean?' snarled Ananais, turning on the black-bearded warrior.

'Forget it!' ordered Tenaka. 'You are right Parsal; the Nadir are a vicious people. But the Nadir did not do this. Nor did the Vagrians. As Ananais has said, we are doing it to ourselves.'

'Forget I said it, general,' murmured Parsal. 'I am just angry. Let's get away from here.'

'Tell me something,' said Galand suddenly. 'Will killing Ceska change all this?'

'I don't know,' Tenaka replied.

'He needs to be smashed.'

'I don't think six men and two women can bring down his empire. Do you?'

'A few days ago,' said Ananais, 'there was only one man.'

'Parsal is right, let us get away from here,' said Tenaka.

At that moment a child began to cry and the four men ran to the bodies, hauling them aside. At last they reached an old fat woman, her dead arms curled protectively around a girl of five or six. The woman's back bore three terrible, wounds and she had obviously crouched down over the child to shield her from the weapons. But a lance had ripped through her body and into that of the child beyond. Parsal lifted the girl clear, then blanched as he saw the blood that had soaked her clothing. He carried her out of the village to where the others had dismounted and Valtaya ran forward to relieve him of the slender burden.

As they laid her gently to the grass her eyes opened; they were blue and bright.

'I don't want to die,' she whispered. 'Please?' Her eyes closed and the woman from the village knelt by her, lifting her head and cradling the child in her lap.

'It's all right, Alaya; it's me, Parise. I have come back to look after you.'

The child smiled weakly, but then the smile froze and twisted into a grimace of pain. The companions watched life depart.

'Oh no! Please, no!' murmured Parise. 'Sweet gods of light, no!' Her own babe began to cry and Pagan lifted it from the ground to hold it against his chest.

Galand turned away and fell to his knees. Parsal moved to his side and Galand looked up at his brother, tears streaming from his eyes. He shook his head, for no words would come.

Parsal knelt beside him. 'I know, brother, I know,' he said gently. Galand took a deep breath and drew his sword.

'I swear by all that's holy and unholy, by all the beasts that crawl or fly, I will not rest until this land is clean again.' He lurched to his feet, waving his sword in the air. Tm coming for you, Ceska!' he bellowed. Hurling aside his blade, he stumbled away towards a small grove of trees.

Parsal turned apologetically to the others. 'His own daughter was killed. A lovely child… a child of laughter. But he meant what he said, you know. And. . and I'm with him.' His voice was thick with emotion and he cleared his throat. 'We're not much, him and me. I wasn't even good enough for the Dragon. We're not officers or anything. But when we say a thing we mean it. I don't know what the rest of you want out of all this. But those people back there — they are my people, mine and Galand's. Not rich and noble. Just dead. That old fat woman died to protect that child. And she failed. But she tried. . gave her life trying. Well, so will I!' His voice broke then and he swore. Turning he walked quickly to the grove.

'Well, general,' said Ananais, 'what are you going to do with your army of six?'

'Seven!' said Pagan.

'See, we are growing all the time,' said Ananais and Tenaka nodded.

'Why will you join us?' he asked the black man.

'That is my business, but our ends are the same. I came thousands of miles to see Ceska fall.'

'We will bury the child and head for Skoda,' said Tenaka.

They rode warily throughout the long afternoon, Galand and Parsal riding wide on the flanks. Towards dusk a sudden storm burst over the plains and the companions took refuge in a deserted stone tower on the banks of a fast-flowing stream. They picketed the horses in a nearby field, gathered what wood they could find near a cluster of trees and cleared an open space within the tower on the first level. The building was old and square, and had once housed twenty soldiers; it was a watchtower from the days of the First Nadir War. There were three levels, the top being open to the sky where sharp-eyed scouts would watch for Nadir or Sathuli raiders.

Around midnight, as the others slept, Tenaka called Scaler to him and led him up the winding stair to the turret.

The storm had moved on to the south and the stars were bright. Bats circled around the tower, dipping and wheeling, and the night wind was chill as it swept down from the snow-clad Delnoch range.

'How are you faring, Arvan?' Tenaka asked Scaler as they sat beneath the battlements away from the wind.

Scaler shrugged. 'A little out of place.'

'That will pass.'

'I am no warrior, Tenaka. When you tackled those soldiers, I just lay in the grass and watched. I froze!'

'No, you didn't. Everything happened at once and those of us standing just reacted more quickly. We are trained for it. Take the brothers: they moved to the only spot the soldiers would break for and stopped any survivors from escaping to bring help. I didn't tell them to do it, they're soldiers. Now, the whole skirmish lasted maybe two minutes. What could you have done?'

'I don't know. Drawn my sword. Helped!'

'There will be time for that. What is the situation at Delnoch?'

'I don't know. I left there five years ago and before that I had spent ten years in Drenan.'

'Who rules?'

'No one of the House of Bronze. Orrin was poisoned and Ceska put in his own man. His name is Matrax. Why do you ask?'

'My plans have changed.'

'In what way?'

'I was intending to assassinate Ceska.'

'And now?'

'Now I plan something even more foolish. I am going to raise an army and bring him down.'

'No army in the world can stand against the Joinings. Gods, man, even the Dragon failed — they didn't even come close!'

'Nothing in life is easy, Arvan. But it's what I am trained for. To lead an army. To bring death and destruction on my enemies. You heard Parsal and Galand; what they said was right. A man must stand against evil wherever he finds it and he must use all his talents. I'm not an assassin.'

'And where will you find this army?'

Tenaka smiled. 'I need your help. You must take Delnoch.'

'Are you serious?'

'Deadly!'

'You want me to take a fortress single-handed? A fortress that has withstood two Nadir hordes? It's insane!'

'You are of the House of Bronze. Use your head. There is a way.'

'If you have already thought of a plan, why don't you do it?'

'I cannot. I am of the House of Ulric.'

'Why so cryptic? Tell me what to do.'

'No. You are a man and I think you sell yourself short. We will stop in Skoda and see how the land lies. Then you and I will bring an army.'

Scaler's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

'A Nadir army?' he whispered, blood draining from his face. 'You would bring the Nadir?'

'Only if you can take Dros Delnoch!'