Oddly, he did not black out. Instead, Delbin found himself standing by a mountaintop, with the man in gray beside him. They looked out onto a landscape covered in great part by a city. Nethosak, to be exact.
"The road is harsh. I'm sorry about that," murmured the gray man. "But the balance must be maintained. I swore by Lunitari, Solinari, and Nuitari that I would see to it. I have yet to be released from that oath. I will do what I can for Kaz. I promise you that, young Delbin."
"I don't understand," the small figure said, looking at the robed man.
"Neither did Huma of the Lance, but he fulfilled his destiny. This is all about destiny, Young One. Yours and that of the entire minotaur race, who deserve better and worse than they've received these past centuries, Kaz especially. Destiny demands the balance, though."
Delbin understood even less now. He started to open his mouth, but then a roar echoed through the city below. It was a terrible roar, as if some great leviathan had just awakened in a foul mood.
The gray man shook his head. When the roar died down, he smiled sadly and added, "It is almost time, I'd say. Wouldn't you?"
Chapter 11
Kaz caught sight of the soldiers as they were carrying Delbin's limp form out of the corridor and into the streets. The high priest wanted Delbin alive and unharmed, which meant that at the most the minotaur's friend was unconscious. Still, he intended the captors to pay for what they had done.
The corridor smelled of fire, smoke, and some other odor that made the minotaur's nostrils twitch. He started after the guards. He had to stop them before they left the shadow of the arena. Anywhere else, and an attack would be too conspicuous. The other minotaurs, busy with their charge, did not notice as he slipped out the entrance after them. Kaz counted only two. A good number. Two he could take with ease.
He was suddenly seized by strong arms that tore the axe from his grip, secured him, and covered his muzzle before he could speak. The minotaurs with the kender did not even notice the swift and silent scuffle behind them. There was no one now who could save Delbin from becoming the high priest's prisoner.
A hard female voice whispered in his ear, "Kaziganthi, you are summoned before your patriarch."
Patriarch?
He had been captured by his own clan? Kaz felt like a fool. Of course they would have been in the audience. Possibly even the patriarch himself.
"Give your word of honor and we shall let you walk. Refuse and we shall be forced to bind you hand and foot and drag you. We haven't much time, so you'd better make up your mind fast."
She meant what she said, especially about dragging Kaz. The clan of Orilg did not make empty threats. Kaz quickly nodded.
The minotaurs relaxed their grips, though at least one blade grazed his back. Kaz glanced around him. The others were all young, strong, and lean. He could have taken two, possibly three captors, but the clan had surrounded him with six, which was something of an honor, he supposed.
Able to speak again, Kaz said, "Listen to me! There is a kender with those two! It's important that we rescue him! The high priest must not get his hands on that-"
"We've orders concerning only you, Kaziganthi. The patriarch saw you flee the arena and desires to speak to you."
"The kender is my-"
"Your word's been given. Resist and we'll have to act accordingly, Kaziganthi."
He had no real choice. Kaz glanced at the receding figures. It was already too late. The State Guard had carried Delbin off into the crowds. It was fortunate that only his clan had so far caught up with Kaz.
I'll get you out, Delbin, he silently promised. I'll teach Jopfer to regret his scheming.
Another thought occurred to him. Ganth and the others. As far as he knew, they were still inside. He turned back to the female. "The others-"
"We've been ordered only to bring you. Now move on before someone notices who you are. If they recognize you, we can't help you."
He almost laughed. He had escaped, only to be captured just outside the circus. Now not only was Delbin lost to him, but so were the others.
"All right, then," Kaz growled. "Let's go see old Dastrun. Maybe it is time I had a few words with him."
For the first time, he managed to disconcert the female. He could tell by her expression. Looking at the others, she commanded, "Keep an eye on him at all times, but make it look casual." To Kaz she added, "Don't fight us, Kazi-ganthi. We are clan, remember."
"Does Dastrun remember that?"
There was no reply. The female started off, as did the others. It made for a long and sobering march to the clan house.
"So this is how you spread the glory of Clan Orilg," Dastrun commented.
Kaz had always recalled Dastrun as a wiry sort, and in the years since he had last seen the elder minotaur, Dastrun had grown even more wiry, almost emaciated. His fur was nearly white. Yet there was strength in those limbs and voice, despite the signs of old age. He had to admit that the robed figure seated on the chair was very much the image of a clan patriarch. He even might have respected Dastrun despite their differences if only the patriarch had not been chosen for his position by the emperor, possibly at the high priest's urging.
The patriarch was seated on a high-backed throne placed at the top of a short dais. Seated on each side of the huge chamber to which Kaz had been brought were other elders of the clan. Standing along the walls were guards. Kaz and his captors were the only others in the meeting hall. Dastrun was trying keep Kaz's presence a secret as long as was possible. Whether that strategy would succeed, the prisoner could not say.
"No, this is how I try to live," Kaz finally remarked. "This is how I uphold the honor of Orilg."
Dastrun sighed. "The same old Kaz. You were always one who would not bend when it was best to do so. Your sense of honor, your personal sense of honor, was always more important than the good of the clan."
Kaz stared at the minotaurs gathered in the chamber. Most of them he recognized as followers of Dastrun. Some, he was pleased to see, were from parts of the clan that would never, ever, accept the elder as a legitimate patriarch. In their eyes, there were some traditions that should not have been flouted.
"All I ask is to be left alone."
"You were left alone."
"Only when it was convenient, Dastrun. Only when it was convenient."
The patriarch waved the matter away. "I came to the arena to see if you would at least die with your honor intact. You could not even do that. When I saw that you intended to flee, I commanded Fliara to keep watch for you. I knew she would understand your thinking."
"Fliara?" Kaz froze, then slowly turned to study the younger female. "Fliara?"
Her acknowledgment was formal, nothing more. "Brother."
"Fliara." She was his youngest sibling and had been little more than a baby when he had last seen her. Fliara had often tagged along behind him, watching with great interest what her eldest brother did. Now she seemed not to care. "Why didn't you say anything to me?"
"The patriarch had commanded me not to reveal myself unless you recognized me." If she felt any emotion, it was well concealed by her indifferent expression. "You did not."
She looked away as she finished speaking.
"Our father was back there."
Her eyes darted to Dastrun, then to Kaz. With clipped words, Fliara quietly said, "I know."