'What is it you have against me, Chareos?' asked Salida. 'Why must you turn up like a bad smell, just when life is looking good? I have had a rise in pay and I now command three hundred men. We have a treaty in prospect and my career is golden. Now you tell me the Earl is a traitor — and you have kidnapped the Nadir Queen. Excellent!'
'What will you do?'
'What would you have me do?' snapped Salida. 'The Lord Regent is expecting a treaty — a treaty he believes will safeguard the Gothir nation. Do you think he will risk a war because of a stolen peasant girl?'
'It is your decision, my friend,' said Chareos softly. 'All Jungir Khan wants is my life, and the lives of my friends. Such a small price to pay for peace, is it not?'
'For the guarantee of peace I would pay more than that,' hissed Salida. The Captain stood and looked to his men. 'Dismount!' he called. 'Take the horses inside. Beris!' A young officer came forward. 'Twenty groups to the wall, eight groups in reserve. Let the others look to the horses and prepare some food.'
'Yes, sir. Sir?'
'What is it?'
'Are we here to fight? I thought we were to accompany the Earl back to New Gulgothir with the treaty.'
'So did I, my boy. Isn't life full of nice surprises?' He turned back to Chareos. 'I assume you have the proof to back up your accusations?'
'Of course: the finest proof of all, the word of the Nadir Queen and the man who collected the Earl's profits. And lastly, the Nadir Princess who dealt with him.'
This is insane, Chareos. You know that, don't you?'
'I know that you're a better man than the one you serve.'
'You can forget the compliments,' snapped Salida, marching into the fortress and ascending the battlement steps. Seeing Harokas, he scowled.
'Welcome, Salida, old friend,' greeted Harokas. The soldier grunted and watched his men fan out along the wall.
The Nadir rose as the line of armoured men took up their positions. Once more the Earl mounted his bay and galloped to the wall.
'Good to see you, Salida,' he called. 'Arrest those people and open the gate.' Behind him the Nadir had mounted and were riding slowly forward.
'You have been named as a traitor,' answered Salida. 'I ask you now to surrender yourself to me. You will be taken to New Gulgothir for trial before the Lord Regent.'
'Are you mad?' stormed the Earl. 'Who accuses me? Chareos? A man I forgave for murder?'
'I do,' said Harokas. 'You trafficked in slaves — and I collected your gold. The Princess Tanaki is also here. Answer that — my lord.'
'I need not answer to you. Come, Salida, think of your position. You have three hundred men. There are a thousand here — and a thousand thousand still to be called upon. You cannot prevail. Open the gates — and we will ignore this. . this insubordination.'
'I ask you again, my lord, to surrender yourself.'
Til see you dead, you miserable cur!' the Earl shouted.
Jungir Khan spurred the grey alongside the nobleman. 'Why are they not opening the gate to you?' he asked mildly.
They are traitors,' snarled the Earl. 'Kill them all!'
'You cannot even control your own captain,' said Jungir. 'How then can you serve me?'
The Earl started to answer, but Jungir's hand flashed up — and the curved dagger blade plunged into the Earl's heart. Slowly he slid from the saddle. Jungir rode the grey stallion forward.
'Who commands this castle?' he called.
'I, Salida.'
'I am Jungir Khan. Come down, I wish to speak with you. It is not fitting that two commanders should negotiate in this manner.'
On the wall Harokas turned to Salida. 'Don't listen to him; it is a trick. Once the gate is open, they will storm through.'
These broken walls would not stop them,' answered Salida. He strode down the rampart steps and ordered the gate to be opened. Chareos walked with him and waited in the gateway.
As Salida walked on to the open ground Jungir touched his heels to the grey — which suddenly reared up, almost toppling him from the saddle. He clung on grimly as the stallion ducked its head and bucked. Jungir wrenched the beast's head and the horse fell — the Khan leaping from the saddle and falling to the dust. The stallion — ears flat to its skull, eyes rolling — lashed out at the Nadir leader, who fell back. The horse reared above him, hooves ready to smash his skull, as Chareos ran forward. 'Be calm, Grey One,' he called. To me!' The stallion swung to the sound of his voice and trotted away from the fallen Khan. Chareos stroked the beast's long neck.
Jungir rose and brushed the dust from his breeches. He was acutely aware that his men would be avidly watching what followed. The Khan had lost face. Worse, he had been rescued by the enemy.
'Are you all right, my lord?' Salida asked.
'I am well. You!' called the Khan to Chareos. 'You may keep the horse. It is a gift.' He swung back to Salida. 'Now, Captain, you say the dead man was a traitor. I have dealt with him. Now I ask you to return to me my property. To refuse will be taken as an act of war against the Nadir people. Is this what you wish, Captain?'
'No, Highness, it is not,' answered Salida. 'But you are standing on Gothir lands and Bel-azar is a Gothir fortress. Will you be so kind as to wait for me to seek orders from my superiors in Gulgothir? I will send a rider — and an answer will be forthcoming within the day?'
'I could take this ruin within an hour,' said Jungir.
'The Nadir are indeed a ferocious enemy,' Salida agreed. 'But allow me the day.'
For a moment Jungir was silent. He walked away, as if considering the request, and glanced at his warriors. The incident with the stallion had worried them. The tribesmen put great weight on omens; the horse had unseated the Khan and now stood in the gateway, allowing itself to be petted by the tall, dark-eyed warrior there. A good shaman would find a positive omen, even in this bizarre circumstance, but Shotza was dead and Asta Khan was standing on the ramparts in full view of the Nadir. If Jungir gave the order his men would attack, but they would do so less willingly, fearing bad omens. And if they should fail to take the walls swiftly there was a chance that — believing the gods were against them — they would turn on their leader. Jungir thought it through. The risk of failure was remote — but on a day like this? He swung back to Salida. 'Men should have time to consider their actions,' he said. 'I give you your day. But hear this: not one person is to leave the fortress — save for your messenger. And all who are not soldiers will be handed over to me. Otherwise I will destroy you all. Let that message be carried to the Lord Regent.'
The Khan strode back through his lines, the Nadir flowing after him. They stopped and made camp a half-mile from the wall.
'You are a man with nerve,' Harokas told Salida.
'And you will need to be,' said Salida, 'if the Lord Regent sends the message I expect him to.'
The day wore on, dusk shadows stretching across the valley. The Nadir lit camp-fires and Salida ordered most of the men back from the ramparts. The soldiers started their own cook-fires and Salida brought a bowl of thick soup to where Chareos sat on the wall.
The Blademaster accepted it and put it aside to cool. 'I am sorry, Salida. Once more I seem to have caused trouble for you.'
Salida shrugged. 'I am a soldier, Chareos. Trouble is what I am paid for. But — and I hope you will not take this amiss — when this is over I do not want to see you again.'
'In the circumstances that is understandable,' agreed Chareos with a wry smile. He looked down on the body of the Earl. 'Strange, he was a man of many talents and yet he always told me he envied my role at Bel-azar. He often said he would like to have had the chance to fight here. And he did… on the wrong side.'
'That is a question of perspective, Chareos. The wrong side is the losing side. We have yet to see which side we are on.'