Then Ekodas prepared a tray of bread and cheese for Shia, feeling his excitement rise at the prospect of seeing her once more. 'I cannot find the apple juice,' he told Glendrin.
'We finished it yesterday.'
'But I promised her some.'
Glendrin shook his head. 'Then I would imagine she will despise you for the rest of your life,' said the red-headed priest.
'Fool!' replied Ekodas, placing a jug of water and a clay goblet upon the tray.
'Do not be too long with her,' advised Glendrin. Ekodas did not reply.
Leaving the heat of the kitchen he climbed the cold stone stairwell and made his way to Shia's room. Balancing the tray on his left arm he opened the door. The Nadir woman was asleep on the floor before the dead fire, her head resting on her elbow, her legs drawn up, her body bathed in the last of the moonlight.
'Good morning,' said Ekodas. She gave a low groan, stretched, then sat. Her hair was unbraided now, hanging dark and lustrous to her shoulders. 'I have some breakfast for you.'
'Did you dream of me?' she asked, her voice husky from sleep.
'There is no apple juice,' he told her. 'But the water is fresh and cold.'
"Then you did, prayer-man. Were they good dreams?'
'You should not speak this way to a priest,' he admonished her.
She laughed at him, and his face reddened. 'You kol-isha are a strange people.' Rising smoothly she walked to the bed, sitting cross-legged upon it. Taking the loaf she tore off a chunk and tasted it. 'Needs salt,' she said. He poured her a goblet of water and passed it to her. Her hand reached out, her fingers stroking his skin. 'Soft hands,' she whispered. 'Soft skin. Like a child.' Then she took the goblet and sipped the water.
'Why did you come here?' he asked.
'You brought me,' she told him, dipping her finger into the bowl of butter and licking it.
'Were you sent?'
'Yes. By my shaman, Kesa Khan. To fetch my brother home. But you know this.'
'Yes, but I just wondered...
'Wondered what?'
'Ah, it does not matter. Enjoy your breakfast. The Abbot will see you before you leave. He will tell you where to find Belash.'
'There is still time, prayer-man,' she whispered, reaching out and taking his hand. He snatched it back.
'Please do not speak like this,' he pleaded. 'I find you. . . very unsettling.'
'You desire me.' It was a statement, accompanied by a smile.
Ekodas closed his eyes for a moment, struggling to compose his thoughts. 'Yes. But that in itself is not a sin, I believe.'
'Sin?'
'A wrong action . . . like a crime.'
'Like stealing the pony of your brother?' she enquired.
'Yes, exactly. That would be a sin. Indeed any theft, or lie, or malicious action is a sin.'
She nodded slowly. 'Why then is lovemaking a sin? Where is the theft? The lie? Or the malice?'
'It does not have to be just these actions,' he said, his voice close to a stammer. 'It is also the breaking of rules, or oaths. Each of us here made a promise to the Source. It would be breaking that promise.'
'Did your god ask you to make this promise?'
'No, but. . .'
'Then who did?'
He spread his hands. 'It is a part of our tradition. You understand? Rules made by holy men many centuries ago.'
'Ah, it is in the writings, then.'
'Exactly so.'
'We have no writings,' she said brightly. 'So we live and laugh, we make love and we fight. No diseases of the belly, no head pains, no bad dreams. Our god speaks to us from the land, not in writings.'
'It is the same god,' he assured her.
She shook her head. 'No, prayer-man, I don't think so. Our god is strong.'
'Will he save your people from the Gothir?' snapped Ekodas, before he could stop himself. 'I'm sorry! It was a thoughtless question. Please forgive me.'
'There is nothing to forgive, for you do not understand, Ekodas. Our god is the land, and the land makes us strong. We will fight. And we will either conquer or die. It does not matter to the land whether we win or lose, for alive or dead we are at one with it. The Nadir are the land.'
'Can you win?' he asked softly.
'Will you be sorry when I am dead?' she countered.
'Yes,' he told her, without hesitation.
Smoothly she rolled to her feet and moved in close to him, her arm circling his neck. Her lips brushed his cheek. 'Foolish Ekodas,' she whispered. Then she released him.
'Why am I foolish?' he asked.
'Take me to the Abbot. I wish to leave now.'
* * *
Waylander reined in the black gelding and dismounted, walking the last few paces to the crest of the hill where he bellied down and studied the line of mountains stretching from west to east across the great Sentran Plain. The hound Scar padded up the hill, stretching out alongside him.
There were three routes to the north, but which one should they take? North-east lay the Delnoch Pass, with its new six-walled fortress. That was the direct road to Gulgothir and the Mountains of the Moon, but would the commanding officer have been warned to watch for Waylander?
He sighed and swung his gaze to the north and the high lonely passes inhabited by Sathuli tribesmen, long-time enemies of the Drenai. No wagons passed through their lands, no convoys, no travellers. Ferocious fighters, the Sathuli lived their lives in isolation from the civilisations of both Gothir and Drenai.
Lastly there was Dros Purdol, the harbour fortress, far to the east. But beyond that was the great desert of Namib. Waylander had crossed it before. Twice. He had no wish to see it again.
No. He would have to risk Delnoch.
Just as he was about to push back from the skyline he caught a glint of light to the east. Remaining where he was he waited, eyes focused on the distant tree line. A column of riders appeared, lances held to the vertical, sunlight gleaming from the polished iron helms and weapons. There were some thirty lancers, moving slowly, conserving the strength of their mounts.
Waylander eased back from the crest then rose and walked to where the others waited. Scar followed, keeping close to Waylander's side. 'We'll wait here for an hour,' he said, 'then we'll make for Delnoch.'
'You see anything?' asked Angel.
'Lancers. They are riding for the fortress.'
'You think they might be looking for us?' put in Senta.
Waylander shrugged. 'Who knows? Karnak is anxious to see me dead. By now my description could be with every army unit within fifty miles.'
Miriel rose and strolled to the hilltop, crouching behind a screen of gorse to gaze down on the lancers. For some minutes she remained motionless, then returned to the group. 'The officer is Dun Egan,' she told Waylander. 'He is tired and hungry, and thinking about a woman he knows in a tavern by Wall Two. And yes, he has your description. Twenty of his men are behind us, to the south-west. They have orders to apprehend you.'
'What now?' asked Angel.
Waylander's expression was grim. 'Across the mountains,' he said at last.
'The Sathuli are fine fighters, and they don't like strangers,' Senta pointed out.
'I've been through before. To kill me they have to catch me.'
'You intend going alone?' asked Miriel softly.
'It is best,' he replied. 'You and the others make for Delnoch. I will find you beyond the mountains.'
'No. We should be together. My Talents can keep us safe.'
"There's truth in that,' Angel observed.
'Perhaps there is,' agreed Waylander, 'but against that, five riders raise more dust than one. Five horses make more noise than one. The high passes exaggerate every sound. A falling stone can sometimes be heard half a mile away. No. I go alone.' Miriel started to speak, but he touched a finger to her lips. 'No more argument, Miriel,' he said with a smile. 'I have hunted alone for more than half my life. I am at my strongest alone. Go to Delnoch, and once through the fortress head due north.
I will find you.'
'I will be with you,' she whispered, leaning in close and kissing his cheek.
'Always,' he agreed.
Moving to his mount, Waylander swung into the saddle and touched heels to the gelding's side. The hound loped alongside as the black-garbed rider crested the hill. The lancers were tiny dots in the distance now and Waylander gave them not a moment of thought as he angled towards the rearing Delnoch peaks.
Alone.
His spirits soared. Much as he loved Miriel he felt a great release, a sense of freedom from the burdens of company. Glancing down at the hound he chuckled. 'Not entirely alone, eh Scar?' The dog cocked its head to one side and ran on, sniffing at the ground, seeking rabbit spoor. Waylander drew in a deep breath. The air was fresh and cold, blowing down from the snow-topped peaks. The Sathuli would be building their winter stores now, their thoughts far from raiding and war. With skill, and a little luck, he should be able to ride the high passes and the echo-haunted canyons without their knowledge.
A little luck? He thought of the route ahead – the narrow, ice-covered trails, the treacherous slopes, the frozen streams, the realms of the wolf, the bear and the mountain lion.
Fear touched him – and he laughed aloud. For with the onset of fear he felt the pounding of his heart, the rushing of blood in vein and muscle, the strength in his arms and torso. Right or wrong he knew this was what he had been born for, the lonely ride into danger, enemies all around. For what was fear if not the wine of life, and the taste of it thrilled him anew.
I have been dead these last five years, he realised. A walking corpse, though I did not know it. He thought of Danyal, and found himself remembering the joys of their life, without the sharp, jagged bitterness at her passing. The mountains loomed, grey and threatening.
And the man rode on.
* * *
Miriel sat silently in the garden of the tavern staring down over the colossal walls of Dros Delnoch. The journey to the fortress had passed without incident, save for the bickering between Angel and Belash. At first Miriel found it hard to understand the hatred festering within the gladiator, then she used her Talent. She shivered at the memory, and switched her line of thought. Her father would now be travelling through the lands of the Sathuli. A fiercely independent people, they had crossed the sea from the deserts of Ventria three hundred years before, settling in the Delnoch mountains. She knew little of their history, save that they believed in the words of an ancient prophet, and were persecuted for their beliefs in their home country. They were a solitary race, hardy and ferocious in battle, and permanently at war with the Drenai.
She sighed. Waylander would not cross their lands without a fight, she knew, and she prayed he would come through safely.
Behind the three tavern buildings, the ancient keep reared between the narrows of the Delnoch Pass. Impressive and strong, the keep was dwarfed by the new fortress which now filled the valley. Miriel scanned the immense structure, with its crenellated battlements of reinforced granite, its massive gate-towers and turrets.
'They call it Egel's Folly,' said Angel, moving alongside her and handing her a goblet of watered wine. Senta and Belash followed him from the tavern and sat on the grass with Miriel. 'Each of the walls is more than sixty feet high, and the barracks can accommodate thirty thousand men. Some of them have never been used. Never will be.'
'I have never seen anything like it,' she whispered. The sentries on the first wall seem as small as insects from here.'
'A magnificent waste of money,' said Senta. 'Twenty thousand labourers, a thousand stone-masons, fifty architects, hundreds of carpenters. And all built for a dream.'
'A dream?' inquired Miriel.
Senta chuckled and turned to Belash. 'Yes. Egel said he saw a vision of Belash and a few of his brothers – a veritable ocean of warriors gathering against the Drenai. Hence this monstrosity.'
'It was built to keep out the Nadir?' asked Miriel, disbelieving.
'Indeed it was, Miriel,' said Senta. 'Six walls and a keep. The largest fortress in the world, to thwart the smallest enemy. For not one Nadir tribe numbers more than a thousand warriors.'
'But there are more than a thousand tribes,' pointed out Belash. 'The Uniter will bring them all together. One people. One king.'
'Such are the dreams of all poor peoples,' said Senta. 'The Nadir will never unite. They hate each other as much – if not more – than they hate us. They are always at war. And they take no prisoners.'
'That's not true,' hissed Angel. 'They do take prisoners – and then they torture them to death. Men, women and children. They are the most despicable race.'
'No true Nadir would torture children,' said Belash, his dark eyes angry. 'They are killed swiftly.'
'I know what I saw!' snapped Angel. 'And do not think to call me a liar!'
Belash's hand moved to his knife. Angel's fingers curled around the hilt of his sword. Miriel stepped between them. 'We will not fight amongst ourselves,' she said, laying her hand on Angel's arm. 'There is evil in all races, but only a foolish man condemns an entire people.'
'You did not see what I saw!' he told her.
'But I have seen it,' she said softly. 'The overturned wagons, the looting and the deaths. And I can see your father with his arm around you, holding his cloak before your eyes. It was an evil day, Angel, but you must let it go. The memory is poisoning you.'
'Stay out of my head!' he roared suddenly, pulling back from her and striding towards the tavern.
'He carries demons in his soul,' said Belash.
'We all carry them,' added Senta.
Miriel sighed. 'He was only nine years old when he saw the attack, and the screams have been with him ever since. But he no longer sees the truth – perhaps he never did. His father's cloak blocked the most savage of the sights, and he does not remember that there were others in the attack who were not Nadir. They wore dark cloaks, and their weapons were of blackened steel.'
'Knights of Blood,' said Belash.
Miriel nodded. 'I believe so.'
Belash rose. 'I shall stroll and look at this fortress. I wish to see these walls my people inspired.'
He wandered away and Senta moved alongside Miriel. 'It is nice to be alone,' he said.
'You are picturing me on a bed covered with sheets of satin. It does not please me.'
He grinned. 'It is not courteous to read a man's thoughts.'
'It does not concern you that I know what you are thinking?'
'Not at all. There is nothing to shame me. You are a beautiful woman. No man could sit with you for long without thinking of satin sheets, or soft grass, or summer hay.'
'There is more to life than rutting!' she told him, aware that she was blushing.
'How would you know, beauty? You have no experience of such things.'
'I'll never marry you.'
'You cut me to the quick, beauty. How can you make that judgement? You don't know me yet.'
'I know enough.'
'Nonsense. Take my hand for a moment.' Reaching out he gently clasped her wrist, his fingers sliding down over hers. 'Never mind my thoughts. Feel my touch. Is it not gentle? Is it not pleasing?'
She snatched back her hand. 'No, it is not!'
'Ah ha! Now you lie, beauty. I may not have your Talents, but I know what you felt. And it was far from unpleasant.'
'Your arrogance is as colossal as these walls,' she raged.
'Yes, it is,' he agreed. 'And with good reason. I am a very talented fellow.'
'You are conceited and see no further than your own desires. So tell me, Senta, what is it that you offer me? And please, no boasts about the bed-chamber.'
'You say my name so beautifully.'
'Answer my question, damn you. And do remember that I shall know if you are lying.'
He smiled at her. 'You are for me,' he said softly, 'as I am for you. What would I offer you? Everything I have, beauty,' he whispered, his eyes holding to hers. 'And everything I will ever have.'<
br />
For a moment she was silent. 'I know that you believe the words as you say them,' she said. 'But I do not believe you have the strength to live by them.'
'That may be true,' he admitted.
'And you were prepared to kill Angel and my father. You think I can forgive that?'
'I hope so,' he told her. And in that moment she saw within his thoughts a flickering image, a remembrance that he was struggling to keep hidden. It shocked her.
'You weren't planning to kill Angel! You were ready to die.'
His smile faded and he shrugged. 'You asked me to spare him, beauty. I thought perhaps you loved him.'
'You didn't even know me – you don't know me now. How could you be prepared to lay down your life in that way?'
'Do not be too impressed. I like the old man. And I would have tried to disarm him, wound him maybe.'
'He would have killed you.'
'Would you have been sorry?'
'No – not then.'
'But you would be now?'
'I don't know . . . yes. But not because I love you. You have had many women – and you have told them all that you loved them. Would you have died for them?'
'Perhaps. I have always been a romantic. But with you it is different. I know that.'
'I do not believe love can strike that swiftly,' she said.
'Love is a strange beast, Miriel. Sometimes it leaps from hiding and strikes like a sudden spear. At other times it can creep up on you, slowly, skilfully.'
'Like an assassin?'
'Indeed so,' he agreed with a bright smile.
11
Jahunda notched an arrow to his bowstring and waited for the rider to emerge from the trees. His fingers were cold, but his blood ran hot with the hunt. The Drenai had chosen his route with care, avoiding the wide, much-used paths, and holding to the narrow deer-trails. But even so Jahunda had spotted him, for the Lord Sathuli had ordered him to watch the south from Chasica Peak, and no one could enter Sathuli lands from the Sentran Plain without being observed from Chasica. It was a great honour to be so trusted – especially for a fourteen-year-old with no blood kills to his name. But the Lord Sathuli knows I will be a great warrior and hunter, thought Jahunda. And he chose me for this task.
Waylander II: In The Realm of the Wolf ds-5 Page 17