"I see you have retained your good humour, doctor," said Druss, grinning.
"What is there to be good-humoured about?" queried the surgeon. "An old friend is dying, and thousands of young men will follow him within the next few weeks."
"Perhaps. It is good to see you, anyway," said Druss, rising.
"Well it's not good to see you," said Calvar Syn, a gleam in his eye and a faint smile on his lips. "Where you go, the crows gather. Anyway, how is it that you seem so ridiculously healthy?"
"You're the doctor — you tell me."
"Because you are not human! You were carved out of stone on a winter's night and given life by a demon. Now get out! I have work to do."
"Where will I find Gan Orrin?"
"Main Barracks. Now go!" Druss grinned and left the room.
Dun Mendar took a deep breath. "You don't like him, sir?"
"Like him? Of course I like him!" snapped the surgeon. "He kills men clean, boy. Saves me work. Now you get out, too."
As Druss walked across the parade ground before the main barracks building, he became aware of the stares of the soldiers and the muted whispers as he passed. He smiled inwardly. It had begun! From now on he would be unable to relax for a moment.
Never could he show these men a glimpse of Druss the Man. He was The Legend. The invincible Captain of the Axe. Indestructible Druss.
He ignored the salutes until he reached the main entrance, where two guards snapped to attention.
"Where will I find Gan Orrin?" he asked the first.
"Third doorway of the fifth corridor on the right," answered the soldier, back straight, eyes staring a head.
Druss marched inside, located the room and knocked on the door.
"Come!" said a voice from within and Druss entered. The desk was immaculately tidy, the office spartanly furnished but smart. The man behind the desk was tubby, with soft doelike dark eyes. He looked out of place in the gold epaulettes of a Drenai Gan.
"You are Gan Orrin?" asked Druss.
"I am. You must be Druss. Come in, my dear fellow, and have a seat. You have seen the Earl? Yes, of course you have. Of course you have. I expect he has told you about our problems here. Not easy. Not easy at all. Have you eaten?" The man was sweating and ill at ease and Druss felt sorry for him. He had served under countless commanders in his lifetime. Many were fine, but as many were incompetent, foolish, vain or cowardly. He did not know as yet into which category Orrin fell, but he sympathised with his problems.
On a shelf by the window stood a wooden platter bearing black bread and cheese. "I will have some of that, if I may?" said Druss.
"But of course." Orrin passed it to him. "How is the Earl? A bad business. Such a fine man. A friend of his, weren't you? At Skeln together. Wonderful story. Inspiring."
Druss ate slowly, enjoying the gritty bread. The cheese was good too, mellow and full-flavoured. He rethought his original plan to tackle Orrin by pointing out the shambles into which the Dros had fallen, the apathy and the ram-shackle organisation. A man must know his limitations, he thought. If he exceeds them, nature has a way of playing cruel tricks. Orrin should never have accepted Gan rank, but in peacetime he would be easily absorbed. Now he stood out like a wooden horse in a charge.
"You must be exhausted," Druss said at last.
"What?"
"Exhausted. The workload here is enough to break a lesser man. Organisation of supplies, training, patrols, strategy, planning. You must be completely worn out."
"Yes, it is tiring," said Orrin, wiping the sweat from his brow, his relief evident. "Not many people realise the problems of command. It's a nightmare. Can I offer you a drink?"
"No, thank you. Would it help if I took some of the weight from your shoulders?"
"In what way? You are not asking me to stand down, are you?"
"Great Missael no," said Druss, with feeling. "I would be lost. No, I meant nothing of that kind.
"But time is short and no one can expect you to bear this burden alone. I would suggest you turn over to me the training and all the responsibility for preparing the defence. We need to block those tunnels behind the gates, and set work parties to razing the buildings from Wall Four to Wall Six."
"Block the tunnels? Raze the buildings? I don't understand you, Druss," said Orrin. They are all privately owned. There would be an uproar."
"Exactly!" said the old warrior, gently. "And that is why you must appoint an outsider to take the responsibility. Those tunnels behind the gates were built so that a small rearguard could hold an enemy force long enough to allow the defenders to move back to the next wall. I propose to destroy the buildings between Walls Four and Six and use the rubble to block the tunnels. Ulric will expend a lot of men in order to breach the gates. And it will avail him nothing."
"But why destroy the buildings?" asked Orrin. "We can bring rubble in from the south of the pass."
"There is no killing ground," said the old warrior. "We must get back to the original plan of the Dros. When Ulric's men breach the first wall, I want every archer in the Dros peppering them. Every yard of open ground will be littered with Nadir dead. We're outnumbered five hundred to one and we have to level the odds somehow."
Orrin bit his lip and rubbed his chin, his mind working furiously. He glanced at the white-bearded warrior seated calmly before him. As soon as he heard Druss had arrived, he had prepared for the certainty that he would be replaced — sent back to Drenan in disgrace. Now he was being offered a lifetime. He should have thought of razing the buildings and blocking the tunnels; he knew it, just as he knew he was miscast as a Gan. It was a hard fact to accept.
Throughout the last five years, since his elevation, he had avoided self-examination. However, only days before he had sent Hogun and 200 of his Legion Lancers into the outlands. At first he had held to the belief that it was a sensible military decision. But as the days passed and no word came he had agonised over his orders. It had little to do with strategy, but everything to do with jealousy. Hogun, he had realised with sick horror, was the best soldier in the Dros. When he had returned and told Orrin that his decision had proved a wise one, far from bolstering Orrin it had finally opened his eyes to his own inadequacy. He had considered resigning, but could not face the disgrace. He had even contemplated suicide, but could not bear the thought of the dishonour it would bring to his uncle, Abalayn. All he could do was to die on the first wall. And this he was prepared for. He had feared Druss would rob him even of that.
"I have been a fool, Druss," he said, at last.
"Enough of that talk!" snapped the old man. "Listen to me. You are the Gan. From this day on no man will speak ill of you. What you fear, keep to yourself, and believe in me. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone fails at something. The Dros will hold, for I will be damned if I will let it fall. If I had felt you were a coward, Orrin, I would have tied you to a horse and sent you packing. You have never been in a siege, nor led a troop into battle. Well, now you will do both, and do it well, for I will be beside you. Get rid of your doubts. Yesterday is dead. Past mistakes are like smoke in the breeze. What counts is tomorrow, and every tomorrow until Wound-weaver gets here with reinforcements. Make no mistake, Orrin. When we survive and the songs are sung, you will be worth your place in them and no one will sneer. Not a soul. Believe it! Now I have talked enough. Give me your seal on parchment and I will start today with my duties."
"Will you want me with you today?"
"Best not," said Druss. "I have a few heads to crack."
Minutes later, Druss marched towards the officers' mess flanked by two Legion guards, tall men and well-disciplined. The old man's eyes blazed with anger and the guards exchanged a glance as they marched. They could hear the sounds of singing coming from the mess, and were set to enjoy the sight of Druss the Legend in action.