Waylander III: Hero In The Shadows

Chapter Fifteen

As he moved, Waylander loosened the muscles of his shoulders. Panagyn was a large man, and his cavalry sabre was custom-made, heavier than the standard issue and some six inches longer. He guessed that the man would attack with a sudden charge, relying on brute strength to force his opponent back. The fact that he had agreed to this duel surprised Waylander. Codes of chivalry were largely for the story-tellers and bards to sing of. Enemies should be slain with the minimum of effort. He had learnt this during close to forty years of combat and danger. The knowledge had been hard-won.

So why are you doing it? he wondered, as Panagyn also began to work on the muscles of his shoulders, swinging the sabre left and right.

Then it came to him. There ought to be such codes, and the world would be a lesser place if the young, like Niallad, failed to believe in them. Perhaps, given time, he could make such codes a reality within Kydor. Waylander doubted it.

You are getting old and soft, he told himself.

Panagyn charged. Instead of stepping back, Waylander leapt to meet him, blocking a savage cut and ramming his head into Panagyn's face, crushing his nose. The burly nobleman staggered back. Waylander lunged. Panagyn blocked desperately, then backed away. Waylander circled him. Panagyn dragged out a dagger and flung it at Waylander. As he ducked, the nobleman rushed in. Waylander dropped to the ground, then kicked out, catching Panagyn below the right knee, just as the man's weight was coming down on it. Panagyn fell heavily. Waylander rolled to his feet and sent a slashing blow that cannoned from the top of Panagyn's head, opening his scalp. With a cry of rage and pain Panagyn charged again. This time Waylander stepped swiftly to his left, slamming the shortsword into Panagyn's belly. The blade sank deep. Waylander grabbed the hilt with both hands, tipping the sword and driving it up into Panagyn's heart. The nobleman sagged against him.

'This is for Matze Chai,' said Waylander. 'Now rot in Hell!'

Panagyn toppled to the ground. Putting his foot on the dead man's chest, Waylander tore his sword loose and cleaned the blade on Panagyn's embroidered tunic.

Stepping back, he turned towards the horses – and stopped.

Niallad was sitting very still, the crossbow pointed at Waylander. 'He called you by a name, Grey Man,' said the boy, his face pale. 'It is an old word meaning stranger or foreigner. Tell me that is all he meant. Tell me that you are not the traitor who killed my uncle.'

'Put up that weapon, boy,' said Emrin. 'He is the man who saved your life.'

'Tell me!' shouted Niallad.

'What is it you want to hear?' asked Waylander.

'I want the truth.'

'The truth? All right, I'll tell you the truth. Yes, I am Waylander the Slayer and, yes, I did kill the king. I killed him for money. It is a deed that has haunted me all my life since. There is no way to make amends when you kill the wrong man. So, if you want to use that weapon on me, do so. It is your right!'

Waylander stood very still and stared at the crossbow in the youth's hand. This was the weapon he had used to kill the king, the crossbow which had sent so many to their death. In that frozen moment of time Waylander thought how fitting it would be to be killed by this weapon, loosed by the only blood relative of the innocent king whose murder had plunged the world into chaos. He relaxed and waited.

At that moment the wind changed. Ustarte had moved closer and her scent drifted across the nostrils of Niallad's horse. It reared. Niallad was thrown back in the saddle. His hand involuntarily squeezed the bronze trigger of the crossbow. The bolt slammed into Waylander's chest. He half turned, took three faltering steps then fell to the grass close to the body of Panagyn.

Ustarte reached his side first, turning him and pulling the bolt clear.

'I didn't mean to shoot!' said Niallad.

Keeva and Emrin dismounted and ran towards the fallen man. Ustarte waved them back. 'Leave him to me,' said Ustarte. Putting her arms beneath the unconscious Waylander, she lifted him with ease and carried him into the forest.

When he opened his eyes he was lying on a bed of leaves. Ustarte was squatting beside him. Waylander's hand went to his chest. 'I thought he had killed me,' he said.

'He did,' Ustarte told him, her voice heavy with sadness.

Kysumu stared out over the ruins of Kuan-Hador. The sun was setting, and the plain below seemed immensely peaceful. Moving away from the warriors of the Riaj-nor, he squatted down and drew his sword. A great sadness was upon him. It lay like a boulder on his heart.

He remembered his teacher Mu Cheng, the Eye of the Storm, and the long years of training. Mu Cheng had tried, with great patience, to show Kysumu the secrets of the Way of the Sword, how to release control and become a living weapon. The sword, Mu Cheng had said, is not an extension of the man. The man must become the extension of the sword. No emotion, no fear, no excitement. Calm, and in harmony, the Rajnee did his duty, no matter the cost. Kysumu had tried. He had struggled with every fibre of his being to master the Way. His swordsmanship was beyond excellent, but it could not reach the sublime skill shown by Mu Cheng. 'It will come one day,' Mu Cheng had told him. 'And on that day you will be the perfect Rajnee.'

Two years later Kysumu had accepted the role of bodyguard to the merchant Lu Fang. He soon discovered why Lu Fang needed a Rajnee bodyguard: the man was amoral to the point of evil. His ventures included forced prostitution, slavery, and the distribution of deadly narcotics. Upon learning this, Kysumu had climbed the stairs to Lu Fang's apartments and informed him that he could no longer be his bodyguard.

Lu Fang had railed at him. 'You gave me your promise, Rajnee,' he said. 'And now you will leave me unprotected?'

'I will stay until noon tomorrow,' Kysumu told him. 'You will send your servants out in the morning to find other protectors. Then I leave.'

Lu Fang had cursed him, but the curses were just empty sounds to the young Rajnee. There was no honour to be gained in defending a man like Lu Fang. He walked from the apartments to the balcony beyond. Two hooded and masked figures were stealthily climbing the stairs. Kysumu moved to block them, his sword raised. Both men hesitated. 'Leave now,' said Kysumu, 'and you live.'

The men glanced at one another. Both carried thin-bladed daggers, but neither had a sword. They backed down the stairs, Kysumu following them. As they reached the last step they turned and ran.

Another figure moved into sight.

It was Mu Cheng.

As Kysumu stood now, overlooking the Eiden Plain, and the ghostly ruins of the ancient city, he remembered his shock at the condition of his former master. Mu Cheng's eyes had been red-rimmed, and there was stubble upon his cheeks. His robes were dirty, but the sword he held was clean. It shone brightly in the lantern-light.

'Step aside, pupil,' said Mu Cheng. 'The villain will die tonight.'

'I have told him I can no longer serve him,' said Kysumu. 'I leave him at noon tomorrow.'

'I have promised he will die tonight. Step aside.'

'I cannot, master. You know this. Until noon I am his Rajnee.'

'Then I cannot save you,' said Mu Cheng. The attack was incredibly swift. Kysumu barely blocked it. The two swordsmen had then engaged in a blisteringly fast series of encounters. Kysumu could never recall quite when it happened. But somewhere within that fight he had discovered the Way of the Sword. He had relinquished control. His blade moved faster and faster, casting bewildering patterns of light in the air. Mu Cheng had been forced back until, at the last, Kysumu's sword cut through his chest. The Eye of the Storm died without a word. His sword fell to the carpeted floor, the blade shattering into a hundred shards.

Kysumu stared down at the dead face of a man he had loved.

The voice of Lu Fang came from the balcony above. 'Are they dead? Are they gone?'

'They are gone,' said Kysumu, striding from the house.

Two days later Lu Fang had been stabbed to death in a market square.

Now Kysumu looked back and wondered just why he had longed to be a Rajnee. Around him he could hear the coarse, gutter language of the Riaj-nor. What a fool I have been, he thought. Everything I was taught was based on lies. I have wasted my life trying to be as great as the original heroes of legend. And now I find they are part beast, part man, and have no honour in them.

Yu Yu Liang approached, squatting down beside him. 'They will come, you think, the demons?' he asked.

'They will come.'

'You are still sad?'

Kysumu nodded.

'I've been thinking about what you said, Kysumu. I think you are wrong.'

'Wrong?' Kysumu gestured towards the warriors. 'You believe they are great and mystic heroes?'

'I don't know. But I was talking to Song Xiu, and he was saying that the meld affects the body in a number of ways. One of them is that no Riaj-nor can sire children.'

'What is your point, Yu Yu?' snapped Kysumu.

'Whatever you think of them they did defeat the enemy. But once they were all dead – of old age or whatever – who could replace them? Ordinary men did not have the strength or the speed. So the elders had to find special men. Men like you, Kysumu. It is not about a lie. It is not about trickery. It doesn't matter that the original warriors were Joinings. The order of the Rajnee has always been . . . pure. That is why they have inspired our people for centuries. I know I am not putting this well. I am no debater. You were raised to believe in stories about a great warrior people. Well, they are great warriors. They did fight and die for us. You were then taught to believe in the Rajnee code. It is a good code. You do not swear, you do not lie, you do not steal, you do not cheat. You fight for what you believe in, and never give in to evil. What is wrong with that?'

'Nothing is wrong with it, Yu Yu. It just isn't based on truth.'

Yu Yu sighed and pushed himself to his feet. Song Xiu and Ren Tang walked across to join them.

'The gateway is an hour's march from here,' said Song Xiu. 'It will be guarded. One of our scouts picked up the trail of a small group of Kriaz-nor. It is my belief they saw our arrival, and will have communicated it to their masters.'

'There are going to be demons among those ruins,' said Yu Yu. 'They will come in a mist. Big black dogs and white bear creatures and serpents.'

'We have fought them before,' said Ren Tang.

'So have I – and I'm not looking forward to doing it again,' said Yu Yu.

'And you shouldn't,' said Kysumu, his voice gentle. 'You have fulfilled your part in this, Yu Yu. You were chosen to find the Men of Clay and you have done this. But from now on other skills will be required. You should make your way back to the coast.'

'I can't leave now,' said Yu Yu.

'There is nothing more you can do. I do not mean this unkindly, but you are not a swordsman. You are not Rajnee. Many of us – perhaps all of us – will die upon that plain. It is what we were trained for. You have great courage, Yu Yu. But now is the time for other skills to come into play. You understand? I want you to live. I want you to … go home and find a wife. Have a family.'

Yu Yu was quiet. Then he shook his head. 'I may not be a swordsman,' he said, with great dignity, 'but I am the pria-shath. I brought these men to this place. I will lead them to the gateway.'

'Ha!' said Ren Tang. 'I like you, human.' Throwing his arm around Yu Yu's shoulder he kissed his cheek. 'You stay close to me. I'll teach you how to use that demon-sticker.'

'Time to march,' said Song Xiu.

Yu Yu Liang, the Chiatze ditch-digger, led the fighting men of the Riaj-nor down on to the Eiden Plain.

As they reached the ruins a mist began to form ahead of them.

Norda was quite sure she was dreaming. At first she had been frightened, but now she relaxed, wondering where the dream would take her next. She rather hoped it would involve Yu Yu Liang.

The first part of the dream had been very real. Eldicar Manushan had sent for her, and told her that Beric had need of someone to sit with him while Eldicar himself was engaged in other duties. This was no hardship, for Beric was a delightful boy. Norda had been a little surprised to hear that Beric was waiting for her in the North Tower library. It was getting late, and in Norda's experience little boys tended to dislike dark, cold places.

Norda had climbed the circular stair, and been surprised to find four dark-garbed swordsmen in the library room below the tower. She had paused, sudden fear flooding her system. Such. . . creatures as these had been the talk of the palace for days now, with their cat-like eyes and their haughty manner.

The first of them had bowed to her and offered her a sharp-toothed smile. His arm swept out, beckoning her to mount the stairs.

At this point Norda had no idea it was a dream. She climbed the stairs to the tower, and found Beric lounging on a wide couch. He was wearing only a white robe, belted at the waist. The tower room was chilly, a cold breeze whispering from the open balcony. Norda shivered. 'You must be cold,' she said to the boy.

'Yes, Norda,' he said sweetly. She was filled with the urge to hug him, and crossed the room to sit beside him. He snuggled into her. That was when she first realized that she was dreaming. Norda felt light-headed as he moved in close, and awash with feelings of love and contentment. It was really quite exquisite. She gazed down at his beautiful face, and saw that it was swelling at the temples, large blue veins pulsing across the stretching skin of his brow. His eyes grew smaller under heavy brows, the blue changing, becoming tawny gold. He seemed to be smiling, but she saw that, in reality, his lips were being dragged back across his cheeks, as his teeth grew longer and thicker, overlapping each other. His face was but inches from her own, and Norda frowned as it changed. She still felt great love for the boy, even though he was obviously a boy no longer. Norda regretted the cheese and bread she had eaten for supper, and the goblet of red wine with which she had washed it down. Cheese and wine always made her dream. But how odd that Beric should feature. Normally Norda dreamt of more potent men – men like Yu Yu Liang and Emrin. Even the Grey Man had figured in the more erotic dreams.

'You are not so pretty now, Beric,' said Norda, reaching up to stroke the pallid grey skin of his face. Her fingers brushed against his now dark hair. It was more like a pelt.

His own, taloned, hand moved across her shoulder. She glanced down and saw that the skin of his arm was scaled and grey.

Something touched her leg. Norda saw that it was a long, scaled tail, with what seemed to be a claw growing from the base. She laughed.

'What is amusing, my dear?' asked the creature.

'Your tail,' she said. 'Long tails.' Then she laughed again. 'Emrin has a long tail. Yu Yu's tail is shorter and thicker. They don't have claws on them, though. I'll not drink that Lentrian wine again, that's for sure.'

'No, you won't,' said the creature.

The tail slid up over her belly, the claw pricking at the skin.

'That hurts,' said Norda, surprised. 'I've never felt pain in a dream before.'

'You never will again,' said Deresh Karany. The claw ripped into her.

Eldicar Manushan climbed the stairs and tapped lightly at the door. When he entered he gave one glance to the shapeless husk that only moments before had been a vibrant, friendly young woman. The desiccated corpse had been carelessly flung into a corner.

Deresh Karany was standing by the balcony window, staring out into the night.

Eldicar found the melded form repugnant, and realized that Deresh had let fall the charm-spell. 'Are you refreshed, Lord?' asked Eldicar.

Deresh turned slowly. His legs were twisted, the knees reversed, the feet splayed. The long tail, resting on the carpeted floor, gave him balance. His grey face twisted towards Eldicar. 'Invigorated, my friend. No more. Her essence was very powerful. It gave me a vision. Panagyn and Aric are dead. The Grey Man will be coming here. He thinks to kill us.'

'And the gateway, Lord?'

'The Riaj-nor are battling to reach it.' Deresh Karany moved clumsily towards the couch. His taloned feet hooked into a rug and he half slipped. 'How I loathe this form!' he hissed. 'When the gateway is open, and this land is ours, I shall find a way to reverse this . . . this foulness.'

Eldicar said nothing. Deresh Karany had become obsessed with the twin-meld, and acquiring the ability to change at will. As far as Eldicar could see, he had succeeded admirably. Deresh could assume the perfect body of a golden-haired child, or this powerful monstrosity, part lizard, part lion. This second form suited his personality perfectly.

'What are you thinking, Eldicar?' asked Deresh Karany suddenly.

'I was thinking of the problems of the meld, Lord,' replied Eldicar. 'You have mastered the twin forms. I don't doubt you will find a way to make the larger form more . . . attractive to the eye.'

'Aye, I will. Have you set the guards in place?'

'Yes, Lord. Three-swords and his group will be patrolling the lower access points, and Panagyn's soldiers are watching the grounds and the other entrances. If Waylander does come he will be captured or killed. But surely he is no threat to us. He cannot kill us.'

'He could kill you, Eldicar,' said Deresh. 'I might decide not to revive you. Tell me, how did it feel to have your arm ripped off by Anharat's demons?'

'It was agonizing, Lord.'

'And that, my dear Eldicar, is why I don't want Waylander to reach me. He cannot kill me, but he can cause me pain. I do not like pain.' Except in others, thought Eldicar, remembering the sharp hurts of the many communions, and Deresh Karany's dismissive contempt of his own suffering. Deresh had always insisted upon communion, rather than conversation. He claimed that he did not want to risk being overheard. But there had been many occasions when no one had been close enough to eavesdrop. Even then Deresh had demanded communion. Some part of him revelled in the pain it caused Eldicar. How I hate you! he thought.

In that moment he felt a great warmth settle over him. He looked into the crooked features of his master and smiled. He knew it was the charm-spell, yet he was unable to resist its power. Deresh Karany was his friend. He loved Deresh Karany, and would die for him.

'Even Waylander will be unable to resist the spell,' said Eldicar. 'He will love you as I do.'

'Perhaps, but we will give him to Anharat anyway.'

'One of his demons, you mean, Lord?' Eldicar could not keep the fear from his voice.

'No. You will help me prepare for the Summoning.'

Even through the comforting warmth of the charm-spell Eldicar felt panic rising. 'Surely, Lord, we do not need Anharat to kill one mortal. Will he not be insulted by being summoned for such a small task?'

'Perhaps he will,' agreed Deresh, 'but then again even the Lord of Demons must enjoy feeding occasionally. An added advantage will be to remind Anharat who is the master and who is the servant.' Deresh saw the growing terror in Eldicar and laughed. It was an ugly sound. 'Fear not, Eldicar, there is a good reason for using Anharat. Ustarte is with Waylander. She knows several ward spells. She will most certainly lay one upon him. Now, if I was to summon a lesser demon and her ward spell proved effective, that demon would turn on me – or, rather, on you as my loachai. There is no ward-spell that can turn back Anharat. Once loosed against a victim he is unstoppable.'

There was truth in that, Eldicar knew. Equally the Summoning would take a great deal of power. His heart sank as he realized what was coming.

'Pick ten of the servants,' said Deresh. 'Young ones, preferably female. Bring them here, two at a time.'

'Yes, Lord.'

As Eldicar Manushan left the tower he tried to think of lakes and sailboats.

But there was no refuge there.

Yu Yu stumbled – just as a huge white-furred creature broke through the line before him. Song Xiu leapt across his path, sending his sword slashing through the creature's neck. It roared and lashed out. Song Xiu grabbed Yu Yu, hauling him out of the demon's reach. Ren Tang and Kysumu both stabbed the beast, which fell writhing to the ground. More demons swept through the breach. Yu Yu clove his blade through the neck of a serpent. Kysumu half decapitated a black Kraloth hound as it leapt towards his throat.

Then the mist faded back. The Riaj-nor regrouped. Yu Yu glanced around. It seemed to him that they had lost around forty of their number. And they had covered barely half a mile. The Riaj-nor fought with a savagery Yu Yu could scarcely believe. There were no war cries, no exhortations, no screams from the wounded and dying. Merely blinding webs of dazzling blue light from the mystical blades as they ripped and tore into the flesh of the demonic army opposing them.

Kysumu had been right. This was no place for Yu Yu. He knew that now. He was merely a clumsy, slow human. Several of the Riaj-nor had died protecting him, and both Song Xiu and Ren Tang watched over him constantly.

'Thank you,' said Yu Yu, in the brief lull.

Ren Tang grinned at him. 'It is our duty to protect the pria-shath,' he said.

'I feel like a fool,' Yu Yu told him.

Song Xiu stepped in. 'You are not a fool, Yu Yu Liang. You are a brave man, and you fight well. With a touch of the meld you could be very good.'

'They are coming again,' said Kysumu.

'Then let us not keep them waiting,' said Ren Tang.

The Riaj-nor swept forward. The mist rolled towards and around them. Winged creatures appeared overhead, throwing barbed darts down upon the fighting men. The Riaj-nor drew daggers from their belts and hurled them up at the demons. They fell from the sky to be stabbed to death. One warrior tore a dart from his shoulder and leapt, grabbing a creature by the ankle. Huge black wings flapped furiously, but the combined weight bore both of them down. The Riaj-nor stabbed the dart through the creature's bony chest. As it died its talons ripped across the Riaj-nor's throat. Blood sprayed over Yu Yu. Swinging round, he hacked off the demon's head.

Ren Tang went down. Yu Yu leapt across his fallen body, delivering a mighty blow to the chest of the bear-like beast that had downed him. The blade sank deep. The creature bellowed in pain and fell back. Ren Tang rose to his feet. There was blood on his face, and a flap of skin was hanging from his temple.

The fighting was furious now. The demons were above them and all around them. But still the Riaj-nor drove forward into the mass.

More than half of the Men of Clay were dead, but the demon hordes were thinning now.

Yu Yu was close to exhaustion. Ice was clinging to his wolfskin jerkin. He tripped and fell across the body of a dead Riaj-nor. Kysumu hauled him to his feet.

The mist parted.

A warm breeze blew across the ruins.

And the demons vanished.

Song Xiu put his arm around Yu Yu and pointed to a line of cliffs. 'There is the gateway,' he said.

Yu Yu peered through the gloom. He could see a flickering blue light against the grey stone. But it was not the light that caught his attention.

It was the two hundred black-garbed Kriaz-nor warriors who were moving out to form a defensive line.

Yu Yu swore. 'After all we've been through you'd think we deserved a bit of luck,' he grumbled.

'This is luck,' said Ren Tang. 'You can't feast on the hearts of demons.'

Yu Yu looked at him, but made no response. Despite the attempted lightness of his tone, Ren Tang looked bone weary. Song Xiu leant on his sword and swung to assess the remaining warriors. Yu Yu did the same. There were just over a hundred Riaj-nor left standing, and many were wounded.

'Can we beat them?' asked Yu Yu.

'We don't have to beat them,' said Song Xiu. 'We just have to get through them and reach the gateway.'

'We can do that, though, hey?'

'It is why we came,' said Song Xiu.

'Let's do it,' said Ren Tang. 'And then I want to find a town and a tavern and a fat-arsed woman. Maybe two.'

'Taverns or women?' asked another warrior.

'Taverns,' admitted Ren Tang. 'I'm a little too tired to want more than one woman.' Putting aside his sword, he lifted the bloody flap of skin back into place, pressing his hand against the wound.

Song Xiu moved alongside him, drawing a curved needle from a small pouch tucked into his waist sash. Swiftly he stitched the upper section of the wound. 'Well,' he said, 'if you don't want both women I'll take one.'

'Aye,' answered Ren Tang, with a quick grin. 'So let us not waste any more time. Let's sweep away these ugly vermin, then get drunk.'

'Agreed,' said Song Xiu, with a brief smile. Then he took a deep breath and swung to Yu Yu. 'I heard what your friend told you earlier. He was wrong then, but his words are right at this time. You cannot come with us on this last fight. We will not be able to protect you. And once we break through we will not be able to protect ourselves.'

'What do you mean?'

'As our swords touch the gateway they will simply cease to be. They will be absorbed by the spell that was placed there.'

'Then you will all be killed,' said Yu Yu.

'But the gateway will be closed,' pointed out the Riaj-nor.

'I will not stay behind,' insisted Yu Yu.

Ren Tang stepped in. 'Listen to me. Despite my hatred of them, I have to admit these Kriaz-nor are great fighters. We cannot battle them and look after you. Yet if you come we will be forced to try to protect you. You see the predicament? Your presence will lessen our chance of success.'

'Do not be sad, Yu Yu,' said Song Xiu. 'It was for people like you that Qin Chong and I, and the others, surrendered our humanity. It is pleasing to me that you are here. For it shows that we did not take this path in vain. Your friend Kysumu can come with us. He will represent humans in this encounter. It is what he wants. He has no true love of life. He knows no fears, as he knows no joys. That is why he can never be the hero you are. And that, my friend, is why you were the pria-shath. Without fear there can be no courage. You have fought beside us, ditch-digger, and we are proud to have known you.' He held out his hand. Yu Yu blinked back tears as he shook it. 'Now we must fulfil our destiny,' said Song Xiu.

The Riaj-nor formed a fighting line, Ren Tang, Song Xiu and Kysumu at the centre.

Yu Yu stood by wretchedly as they walked slowly towards the ancient enemy.

Waylander looked into Ustarte's golden eyes. 'You are telling me that I am dying? I feel fine. There is no pain.'

'And no heartbeat,' said Ustarte sadly.

Waylander sat up and felt for his pulse. She was right. There was nothing. 'I do not understand.'

'It is a talent I did not know I had until we crossed the gateway. One of my companions, a lovely child named Sheetza, was stabbed. Her heart, too, had stopped beating. I healed the wound – as I have yours – and sent a surge of my power into her blood, causing it to continue to flow through the body. She lived for some hours, but then, as the spell faded, she died. You have a few hours left, Waylander. I am sorry.'

Keeva stepped forward from where she had been standing in the shadows of the trees. 'There must be something you can do,' she said, dropping to her knees beside the Grey Man.

'How many hours?' Waylander asked.

'Ten – perhaps twelve at the most,' Ustarte told him.

'The boy must not know,' said Waylander, rising to his feet. He walked back through the trees to where Emrin and Niallad were sitting by the trail.

As Niallad saw him he scrambled to his feet. 'I did not mean to shoot,' he said.

'I know. It barely pierced the skin. Come, walk with me.'

Niallad stood very still, fear showing on his face. 'I will not harm you, Niallad. We need to talk.' Waylander led the boy to a cluster of rocks beside a fast-flowing stream, and there they sat as the sun sank below the mountains. 'Evil creeps up on a man,' said Waylander. 'He starts out on a mission he believes is just, and with every killing he darkens his soul just a little more. He lives neither in the day nor in the night. And eventually this man of twilight, this . . . Grey Man finally steps into the dark. As a young man I tried to live a decent life. Then one day I arrived home to find my family butchered. My wife, Tanya, my son, my two baby girls. I set out to hunt down the nineteen men who had taken part in the raid. It took me almost twenty years to find them all. I killed every one. I made them suffer, as Tanya had suffered. They all died in dreadful agony. I look back on the torturer I became and I barely recognize the man. His heart was stone. He turned his back on almost everything of value. I cannot tell you now why he … I accepted the contract to kill the king. It no longer matters why. The simple fact is that I did accept, and I did kill him. And in killing him I became as evil as the men who murdered my family. I tell you all this not to excuse myself or to ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness is not yours to give. I tell you simply because it may help you in your own life. You fear being weak. I see that fear in you. But you are not weak, Niallad. One of the men who slaughtered your parents was in your power, and you upheld the chivalric code. That is strength of a kind I never possessed. Hold to that, Niallad. Hold to the light. Keep that code in your heart with every decision you make. And when, one day, you are faced with a rival, or an enemy, make sure you do nothing that would bring you shame.'

With that Waylander rose and the two walked back to the horses. Waylander gathered up his bow and loaded it. He called the four prisoners to him. They shuffled forward uncertainly. 'You are free to go,' he said. 'If I see you again you die. Now get out of my sight.'

The four men stood for a moment, then one walked away into the forest. The others waited to see if Waylander would shoot him. When he did not the others followed. Waylander approached Emrin. 'There should be no pursuit now,' he said. 'Their horses are far away. So take the high road and bring Niallad and Keeva to the capital. If the lad is strong enough he will win over the other nobles and become the Duke. I want you to stand beside him.'

'I will, sir. Where are you going?'

'Where you can't follow, Emrin.'

'No, but I can,' said Keeva.

Waylander turned to her. 'You told me you did not wish to become a killer. I respect that, Keeva Taliana. If you walk with me now you will have to use that bow.'

'There is no time for debate now,' said Keeva grimly. 'I shall come with you to stop the magicker. Just in case – for any reason – you are unable to do so.'

'Then let it be so,' he said. 'And now we must go. We have some hard riding to do.'

'There is no need to ride,' said Ustarte. 'Come, stand with me, and I shall take you where you wish to go.'

Waylander and Keeva moved alongside her.

Niallad called out. 'For what it is worth, Grey Man, I do forgive you. And I thank you for all you have done for me.'

Ustarte raised her hands. The air shimmered before her. Then she stepped from sight, Waylander and Keeva disappearing with her.