«I was going to kill you,» she admitted in a small voice. «I… the Rojas chiefs told me to do it. They…» She fell silent, then began again. «They want to help the Lanyri. The Lanyri have promised them Pendari territory and gold and slaves. They want to kill you and take the Golden Steed and put their own Pen-Pend- P-«
«Pendarnoth,» Blade supplied.
Curana nodded. «So I was supposed to kill you. But after.. what we did… I… I couldn't. We were so good together I couldn't.» And she burst into tears again. Blade held her gently until the sobbing subsided, then put a hand under her chin and raised her head until he could look into her eyes.
«Curana,» he said, making his voice gentle and severe at the same time. «Do you want to go back to the Rojag people?»
She very nearly bust into tears again, but managed enough self-control not to. Then she shook her head. «Not now. I have failed. They would have me staked out in the sun over an ant's nest until the ants ate the flesh off my bones. I cannot go back to them now.»
Blade nodded. «Then I will take you with me to Vilesh.» She gasped but he held up his hand to quiet her. «I will take you to Vilesh, and I will ask the Princess Harima to take you into her service and protect you. I have heard that she is a good mistress.» He knew not one single thing about the Princess Harima other than her age and her loyalties. But at this point he would say almost anything to ease this poor girl's mind. «Are you willing to go? Remember, in Vilesh you will be far from the Rojags. And you will have not only Harima's protection, but mine as well. I think as Pendarnoth I will be something of an important person, so that should help.»
Curana found the spirit to giggle faintly at his description of the Pendarnoth as «something of an important person.» Then she was silent for a while, apparently turning the idea over in her mind. Finally she nodded. «I will go with you to Vilesh, Pendarnoth. But will you be able to protect me from that Captain Guroth? He wanted to kill me. I know it.»
Blade nodded. «He did. But if his soldier is all right tomorrow morning, I will be able to handle him. He respects me not only as the Pendarnoth, but as a warrior. And now I think it is time for you to stop worrying about tomorrow and get some sleep.» Curana nodded again, lay down, and by some miracle was asleep within a few minutes.
Blade wished he could follow his own advice, but for a long time sleep eluded him. Had he made the right decision, saddling himself with this girl who might still be in the pay of the Pendari's enemies? He only knew that there didn't seem to be any alternative. Guroth would kill her quickly, the Rojag chiefs slowly and painfully. And the villagers? If they learned what their half-Rojag pariah had tried to do to the Pendarnoth, what they would do to her was an ugly thought. Taking Curana to Vilesh was the only way to save her life. And saving an innocent girl's life wasn't a bad way to start off a career as a messiah, in any Dimension. That thought brought Blade enough peace of mind so that he shortly drifted off to sleep himself.
CHAPTER SIX
Guroth swore the air blue the next morning when Blade told him that Curana was riding to Vilesh with them. At least he swore until Blade fixed him with a cold look. «Captain Guroth. I told you last night that Curana did nothing against me. Are you suggesting I have lied?»
That brought Guroth to a screeching halt. Or rather, a gulping halt. He sat in his saddle, mouth opening and shutting as though he were gasping for air, hands frozen on the reins. Then he said, «No, Pendarnoth. I only wonder what you see in the girl.»
«She is an innocent victim of those plots and counterplots you have tried to explain to me,» said Blade. «That is enough for me. I will protect her and ones like her whenever I can.»
«You are merciful, Pendarnoth. I hope you are wise enough to know that there are times not to be merciful. The prophecies said the Pendarnoth would come bearing a sword of wrath for the enemies of the Pendari. When are you going to fulfill that part of the prophecy?»
«When I meet an enemy of the Pendari,» said Blade shortly. «And that has not happened yet.» He turned decisively on his heel and strode away.
The trip to Vilesh took them five more days, although they moved south as fast as their horses would carry them. Blade would have liked to slow the pace to accommodate Curana, but did not ask it of Guroth. Asking for any more concessions for Curana might weaken his authority with Guroth. And quick-tempered as he might be, Guroth was an able and essentially fair-minded man, an ally Blade could not spare now. In fact, Guroth was the only ally Blade had for the moment. It might be different after they reached Vilesh.
The towers of Vilesh rose out of the plain in late afternoon of the fifth day. For the past few days they had been traveling across semi-arid country, with only sparse patches of grass and even sparser flocks of sheep and goats to break the monotony. But Vilesh lay on a major river, and the waters of that river flowed through a complex network of irrigation canals to water the fields that fed Vilesh. For many miles around the yellow-brown walls of the city, the land was green and lush. The red-tiled roofs of solid whitewashed cottages stood out in vivid contrast in the sparkling clear air.
The city itself sprawled across five hills. Its walls rose and fell for miles as they made their way up and down the slopes. Beyond the high walls, the towers of palaces and temples rose, some of them gilded, others shining in a dozen different colors. All of them were flying banners, and tall plumes of yellow smoke rose from the tops of some of them.
«They seem to be expecting us,» Blade said to Guroth.
«They are indeed, Pendarnoth,» said the captain. He had apparently forgiven Blade for his sharpness in Lio. «I sent one of my men on ahead last night with the news that the Pendarnoth has come. There will be a festival such as there has never been in the whole history of Vilesh. If any work gets done today, it will be a miracle.»
He looked at Blade. «You said you have been a soldier. Have you ever been a general, and returned to a great city after winning a great victory?»
«More or less,» said Blade. «I take it that today it will be much like that in Vilesh.»
«Indeed. The people will be half-mad with joy. The Pendarnoth has come, a thousand years of prophecy fulfilled, and their safety ensured. I wish by all the gods that I could bring myself to such a simple faith. But I cannot. Klerus and the Lanyri are too formidable to be met by any Father of the Pendari, unless he also has the wisdom and warcraft of a great leader. And whether you have those, I do not know.»
«You could not expect to, Guroth,» said Blade. «You have not known me long enough. Know me longer, and I think you will find that I have some of these talents you speak of.»
«I hope so,» said Guroth. «With all my heart, I hope so.» He broke off suddenly and pointed toward Vilesh. Blade looked that way and saw a cloud of yellow dust moving out from the gate nearest them. «An escort is coming out to bring us in.»
Blade looked back to see how Curana and the other soldiers looked. The soldiers looked no better than men who had been riding for weeks could look-dirty, sunburnt even darker than usual, and tired. But Guroth obviously wasn't worried about their appearance, so there was no point in Blade's worrying about it either.
Curana was another matter. She had never been on a horse in her life before they left the village. But by sheer willpower she had managed to stay in the saddle and keep pace with the rest of the party. What it had cost her in physical strain was written in the lines carved deep in her thin, dusty face. And how much it had cost her inside to force herself onward, away from her native village, enduring the coldness and the taunts of the soldiers, only she knew. At least Guroth had held his men somewhat in check, and said nothing to her himself. He hoped the gamble he was taking for the girl's safety would be a winner.