Kubin was bending over Esseta, his remaining hand clamped on her neck. Blade looked closer, and his face set even harder. The bolt from the crossbow had torn through Esseta's neck, gouging the flesh deeply. Not deeply enough to get the jugular vein, fortunately-the blood was only trickling around Kubin's fingers, not pouring out. Blade pulled off his own sash, tore off a piece, wadded it into a compress, and tied it over the wound with the rest of the sash. Then he straightened up, wiping his hands on his trousers to clean Esseta's blood off them.
«We're going to have to hole up somewhere,» said Blade. «Neither you nor Esseta will survive if we have to travel. So we're going to the nearest house and settle in there, while one of the men goes to your villa for help.»
Kubin nodded. «What if the people in the house object?»
Blade hefted his sword. «I don't think they will.»
Kubin motioned to one of his men, holding up his right hand. «Ride to the villa and bring back the doctor and ten men. Take this glove so they'll know the message is from me.»
«Yes, Lord Kubin.» The man pulled the heavy glove off Kubin's hand and dashed away. Blade bent down, lifted Esseta gently in his arms, and led the way across the ditch and into the vineyard.
A few minutes later they came out on the other side, near a small white farmhouse. Blade led them across the farmyard and hammered on the door with his sword.
«Open, in the name of the Baran!»
There was the scrape of a bolt being- drawn, and then the door crept open a few inches and a woman peered out. She took one look at Blade, appearing twice human size and splattered with blood from head to foot, then screamed and fainted. Blade thrust his sword into the opening before anyone could slam the door, then pushed the door the rest of the way open. The woman's children scurried out of the way and huddled in a corner. Blade strode in, picked up the woman, carried her out of the way, and turned back to the door just in time to see Kubin faint. Shock and loss of blood had finally caught up with him.
Blade made both Kubin and Esseta as comfortable as possible, and assigned one of the men to keep an eye on them. He and the remaining man went around the house, closing and nailing all the shutters, locking the door, and putting buckets of water handy in case the Thieves tried to burn them out.
Blade hoped the Thieves couldn't call up reinforcements before Kubin's men arrived from his villa. He also hoped his rough first aid would keep both Esseta and Kubin alive until the doctor came.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do for a while, except hope.
Wherever the Thieves went after their defeat, it was not to Kubin's villa or the house where Blade mounted guard over his two helpless charges. An hour passed in silence, except for the heavy breathing of Kubin and Esseta.
Then suddenly armed men seemed to drop from the sky, until there were enough around the farmhouse to fight a pitched battle against the Hashomi. First came the men from Kubin's villa, thirty of them, with the doctor and two priests of Junah. Then fifty of the City Riders came clattering up. Hard on their heels was a column of soldiers from the city garrison. After that came another strong force of horsemen-more than Blade could count. These were the elite cavalry of the Baran's Guard, armored from head to foot, mounted on mail-draped horses, armed to the teeth, and each of them a match for half a dozen Thieves or a couple of Hashomi.
Finally Giraz, chief of the Eyes of the Baran, rode up on a mule and took charge. He discouraged unnecessary questions and sent the two-thirds of the men who weren't needed about their business. He also made arrangements to have Kubin and Esseta taken directly to the palace. After that he found time to get a brief account of the night's events from Blade.
«The hand of Junah was over all of you tonight,» he said soberly, when Blade had finished. «You must give proper thanks for his favor.» Giraz's piety had disturbed Blade at first, but now he realized that it was entirely sincere, although a trifle odd in a man of Giraz's profession.
«I will,» said Blade politely. «I'd also like to hear what the Baran has to say about this night's work. We did him good service, I think, but he may not realize it.»
Chapter 21
Blade and Giraz sat down with the Baran for a private conference the next morning. The Baran was blunt. His orders had been to watch the Thieves, not fight them-at least not now.
«However, I must admit that order always depended on the Thieves cooperating,» he said. «Since they did not cooperate-«he shrugged. «We've had to start lopping off heads, so we may as well go on doing it. I will be a good deal happier when there is not a single Thief alive in Dahaura.» Both Giraz and Blade nodded in agreement.
«Now,» the Baran continued, «we still would do well to try striking down the Council of Twelve as our first move. Giraz, do you think there is still any chance of that?»
The eunuch nodded. «We have ways of knowing where and when they meet. I do not think last night's events have made any difference. As far as I have learned, the thieves took no prisoners who could tell them how much we know about them. It is obvious they thought Esseta was such a person, but they had no time to ask her anything before Blade came upon them.»
«Good,» said the Baran. «How is Esseta, by the way?»
«The doctor believes she will live;«replied Blade. «He also fears she will be scarred for life.»
«She need not worry about that,» said the Baran. «She will have no need to continue in her profession. I could reward Kubin Ben Sarif as generously, but I doubt if the treasury could afford it. He's not exactly a poor man.»
Blade laughed. «No, my lord, he certainly is not. Besides, I don't think he'd take the money. I spoke to him this morning. He says he can keep a brothel just as well with the one hand he has left-after he gets through using it to strangle as many Thieves as he can reach. The doctor threatens to tie him to the bed if he keeps talking like that.»
The Baran smiled. «The doctor will have my orders to do so, if Kubin doesn't calm himself. He has done his duty several times over, and a good man like that should rest and be healed. He won't be happy about missing our blow against the Thieves, but I am not going to risk the lives of my subjects merely to keep Kubin Ben Sarif happy. Will his men fight without him leading them, do you think?» Blade nodded. «Good. I will put you in command of them, on the night. Now, Giraz, bring out the map of Dahaura, and we shall see what is to be done.»
The moon was now past full, and tonight clouds covered two thirds of the sky. In the back alleys of Dahaura it was dark enough to hide black cats, Thieves, or men of the Baran and Kubin Ben Sarif setting out to catch Thieves.
Richard Blade slipped into the shelter of a recessed doorway and held his bronze lantern out at arm's length. Five small holes were punched in each side, making four different patterns. Blade held out the lantern until he saw a faint orange glow at the far end of the alley.