The King Beyond the Gate

'Do you know what order this is?'

'No.'

'The acolytes here are gifted beyond other men and they have powers you could not comprehend. Their whole lives are given over to the Source. What do you offer?'

'Only myself. My life.'

'Very well. I will take you. But hear this and mark it well. You will not mix with the other acolytes. You will not walk to the upper level. You will live below in a crofter's hut. You will put aside your weapons and never touch them again. Your tasks will be menial and your obedience total. You will not speak to anyone at any time — only when I address you, may you answer.'

'I agree,' said the warrior without hesitation.

'I will instruct you each afternoon and I will gauge your progress. If you fail in any way, I will dismiss you from the monastery.'

'I agree.'

For five years the warrior had obeyed without question, and as the seasons passed the Abbot watched the haunted expression fade from his dark eyes. He had learned well, though never could he master the release of the spirit. But in all other things the Abbot was pleased.

'Are you happy, Decado?' the Abbot asked now. The priest leaned back and turned.

'Yes, Lord Abbot.'

'No regrets?'

'None.'

'I have news of the Dragon,' said the Abbot, watching him carefully. 'Would you care to hear it?'

The priest looked thoughtful. 'Yes, I would. Is that wrong?'

'No, Decado, it is not wrong. They were your friends.'

The priest remained silent, waiting for the Abbot to speak.

'They were wiped out in a terrible battle by the Joinings of Ceska. Although they fought valiantly and well, they could not stand against the power of the beasts.' Decado nodded and returned to his work.

'How do you feel?'

'Very sad, Lord Abbot.'

'Not all your friends perished. Tenaka Khan and Ananais have returned to the Drenai and they plan to kill Ceska — to end his terror.'

'May the Source be with them.' said Decado.

'Would you like to be with them?'

'No, Lord Abbot.'

The Abbot nodded. 'Show me your garden,' he said. The priest rose and the two men walked among the plants, coming at last to the tiny hut that housed Decado. The Abbot walked around the outside. 'You are comfortable here?'

'Yes, Lord Abbot.'

Behind the hut the Abbot stopped, staring down at a tiny bush and the single flower that grew there.

'And what is this?'

'It is mine, Lord Abbot. Have I done wrong?'

'How did you come by it?'

'I found a seedpod someone had thrown from the upper level and I planted it three years ago. It's a beautiful plant; it usually flowers much later.'

'Do you spend much time with it?'

'When I can, Lord Abbot. It helps me to relax.'

'We have many roses on the upper levels, Decado. But none of this colour.'

It was a white rose.

* * *

Two hours after dawn Ananais returned to the campsite, bringing with him Valtaya, Scaler and Belder. Tenaka watched them approach. The older man, he could see, was a veteran who moved carefully, hand on sword-hilt. The woman was tall and well-made and she stayed close to the black-garbed Ananais. Tenaka grinned and shook his head. Still the Golden One, he thought. But the young man was interesting. There was about him something familiar, yet Tenaka was sure they had never met. Athletic and tall, clear-eyed and handsome, his long dark hair was held in place by a black metal circlet adorned with an opal at the centre. He wore a leaf-green cloak and calf-length brown walking boots. His tunic was of soft leather and he carried a shortsword in his hand. Tenaka sensed his fear.

He stepped from the trees to greet them.

Scaler looked up as he appeared. He wanted to rush forward and embrace him, but resisted the urge. Tenaka would never recognise him. The Nadir prince had changed little, he thought, save for the few grey hairs glinting in the sunlight. The violet eyes were still piercing, the stance still unconsciously arrogant.

'You cannot resist surprises, my friend,' said Tenaka.

'So true,' answered Ananais. 'But I have breakfast in the pack, and explanations can wait until I have eaten.'

'Introductions cannot,' said Tenaka softly.

'Scaler, Valtaya and Belder,' said Ananais, waving an arm at the trio. With that he strode past Tenaka and on towards the fire.

'Welcome!' said Tenaka lamely, spreading his hands.

Scaler walked forward. 'Our presence in your camp is temporary,' he said. 'Your friend helped Valtaya and it was vital that we left the city. Now that she is safe, we shall return.'

'I see. Join us for food first,' offered Tenaka.

The silence around the fire was uncomfortable, but Ananais ignored it, taking his food to the edge of the trees and sitting with his back to the group so that he could remove his mask and eat.

'I have heard much of you, Tenaka,' said Valtaya.

He turned to her. 'Much of what people say is untrue.'

'There is always a grain of truth at the centre of such sagas.'

'Perhaps. Where did you hear the stories?'

'From Scaler,' she replied. Tenaka nodded and turned to the young man, who was blushing furiously.

'And where did you hear them, my friend?'

'Here and there,' replied Scaler.

'I was a soldier. Nothing more. My ancestry gave me fame. I could name many better swordsmen, better riders, better men. But they had no name to carry before them like a banner.'

'You are too modest,' said Scaler.

'It is not a question of modesty. I am half-Nadir of the line of Ulric and half-Drenai. My great-grandfather was Regnak, the Earl of Bronze. And yet I am neither Earl nor Khan.'

'The Khan of Shadows,' said Scaler.

'How did such a thing come about?' asked Valtaya.

Tenaka grinned. 'It was the Second Nadir War and Regnak's son Orrin made a treaty with the Nadir. Part of the price was that his son, Hogun, should marry the Khan's daughter, Shillat. It was not a marriage of love. It was a grand ceremony, I am told, and the union was consummated near the Shrine of Druss on the northern plain before Delnoch. Hogun took his bride back to the fortress, where she dwelt unhappily for three years. I was born there. Hogun died in a riding accident when I was two and his father sent Shillat home. It was written into the marriage contract that no child of the union could inherit Dros Delnoch. And as for the Nadir, they desired no half-breed to lead them.'

'You must have been very unhappy,' said Valtaya.

'I have known great joys in my life. Do not feel pity for me, lady.'

'How did you come to be a Dragon general?'

'I was sixteen when the Khan, my grandfather, sent me to Delnoch. Again it was part of the marriage contract. My other grandfather was there to greet me. He told me he had arranged a commission in the Dragon. It is that simple!'

Scaler stared into the fire, his mind flowing back.

Simple? How could such a terrible moment be described as simple?

It was raining, he remembered, when the guard on the Eldibar tower sounded the trumpet. His grandfather Orrin had been in the keep, engaged in a war-game with their guest. Scaler was perched on a high chair, watching them roll the dice and move the tiny regiments, when the trumpet call echoed eerily in the storm winds.

'The Nadir spawn has arrived,' said Orrin. 'He picked the right day for it.'

They dressed Scaler in a cloak of oiled leather and a wide-brimmed leather hat, then began the long walk to Wall One.

Once there, Orrin gazed down on the twenty riders and the dark-haired youth on the white shaggy pony.

'Who seeks entry to Dros Delnoch?' called Orrin.

'The son of Shillat,' yelled the Nadir captain.

'He only may enter,' said Orrin.

The great gates creaked open and the Nadir troop wheeled their mounts, riding swiftly back to the north.