The King Beyond the Gate

'Yes. But because of your action we might all be dead. What would that have achieved?'

'But we are not dead. And we saved her.'

'Through luck. A soldier may need luck on occasion, but we would rather not have to rely on it. I am not asking you, Renya, I am telling you: you will not do it again!'

'I do as I please,' she said. He struck her open-handed across the face. She hit the ground hard, but rolled to her feet with eyes blazing, fingers curled into talons. Then she saw the knife in his hand.

'You would kill me, wouldn't you?' she whispered.

'Without a thought!'

'I loved you! More than life. More than anything.'

'Will you obey me?'

'Oh, yes, Tenaka Khan, I will obey you. Until we reach Skoda. And then I will leave your company.' She turned on her heel and strode back to the campsite.

Tenaka sheathed his dagger and sat down on a boulder.

'Still the loner, eh, Tani?' said Ananais, stepping from the shadows of the trees.

'I don't want to talk.'

'You were hard on her, and quite right too. But you went a little far — you wouldn't have killed her.'

'No. I would not.'

'But she frightens you, doesn't she?'

'I said I didn't want to talk.'

'True, but this is Ananais — your crippled friend who knows you well. As well as any man. You think that because we risk death there is no place for love? Don't be a fool — enjoy it while it's there.'

'I cannot,' said Tenaka, head bowed. 'When I came here, I could see nothing but Ceska. But now I seem to spend more time thinking of… you know.'

'Of course I know. But what happened to your Nadir code? Let tomorrow look to itself.'

'I am only half-Nadir.'

'Go and talk to her.'

'No. It is better this way.'

Ananais stood up and stretched his back. 'I think I'll get some sleep.' He ambled away back to the camp, stopping where Renya sat staring miserably into the fire.

He squatted down beside her. 'It is a strange thing about some men,' he said to her. 'In matters of business or war, they can be giants; wise to a fault. In matters of the heart, they are like children. Now women are a different matter; they see the child in a man for what it is.'

'He would have killed me,' she whispered.

'Do you really think so?'

'Do you?'

'Renya, he loves you. He couldn't hurt you.'

'Then why? Why say it?'

'To make you believe it. To make you hate him. To make you go.'

'Well, it worked,' she said.

'That's a shame. Still. . you shouldn't have loosed that arrow.'

'I know that!' she snapped. 'You don't need to tell me. I just. . couldn't see them kill a baby.'

'No, I wasn't over-keen myself.' He glanced across the fire to where the woman lay sleeping. The black giant, Pagan, sat with his back to a tree, holding the babe against his chest. The child had reached a pudgy hand from its blanket and curled it around Pagan's finger, while he was speaking to it in low, gentle tones.

'Good with children, isn't he?' said Ananais.

'Yes. And with weapons.'

'A real man of mystery. Still, I am watching him.'

Renya glanced at the bright blue eyes beyond the black mask. 'I like you, Ananais. I really do.'

'Like me, like my friends,' he said, nodding towards the tall figure of Tenaka Khan as he made his way to his blankets.

She shook her head and returned her gaze to the fire.

'That's a shame,' he said again.

* * *

They rode into the village two hours after dawn. Galand had scouted ahead and reported that the soldiers were setting off towards the south and the distant spires of Karnak. The village was gutted, charred timbers oozing dark plumes of smoke. Bodies lay here and there, while around the edge of the burnt-out buildings ten crosses had been erected, from which hung the village council. They had been whipped and beaten before being nailed to the beams, finally their legs had been broken, causing their battered frames to slump and cut off the air supply to the lungs.

'We have become barbarians,' said Scaler, turning his mount away from the scene. Belder merely nodded, but he followed the young Drenai to the grass fields beyond.

Tenaka dismounted at the village square, where the mass of bodies lay — more than thirty women and children.

'There is no sense to it,' he said as Ananais joined him. 'Now who will work the fields? If this is happening all over the empire. .'

'It is,' said Galand.

The woman with the babe lifted her shawl over her head and closed her eyes. Pagan glimpsed the movement and rode alongside her, taking the reins from her hands.

'We will wait for you outside the village,' he said.

Valtaya and Renya followed them.

'It is a strange thing,' said Ananais. 'For centuries the Drenai have turned back enemies who would have done this to our land. And now we do it ourselves. What breed of men are they recruiting now?'

"There are always those who love this kind of work,' answered Tenaka.

'Among your people, maybe,' said Parsal softly.

'What does that mean?' snarled Ananais, turning on the black-bearded warrior.

'Forget it!' ordered Tenaka. 'You are right Parsal; the Nadir are a vicious people. But the Nadir did not do this. Nor did the Vagrians. As Ananais has said, we are doing it to ourselves.'

'Forget I said it, general,' murmured Parsal. 'I am just angry. Let's get away from here.'

'Tell me something,' said Galand suddenly. 'Will killing Ceska change all this?'

'I don't know,' Tenaka replied.

'He needs to be smashed.'

'I don't think six men and two women can bring down his empire. Do you?'

'A few days ago,' said Ananais, 'there was only one man.'

'Parsal is right, let us get away from here,' said Tenaka.

At that moment a child began to cry and the four men ran to the bodies, hauling them aside. At last they reached an old fat woman, her dead arms curled protectively around a girl of five or six. The woman's back bore three terrible, wounds and she had obviously crouched down over the child to shield her from the weapons. But a lance had ripped through her body and into that of the child beyond. Parsal lifted the girl clear, then blanched as he saw the blood that had soaked her clothing. He carried her out of the village to where the others had dismounted and Valtaya ran forward to relieve him of the slender burden.

As they laid her gently to the grass her eyes opened; they were blue and bright.

'I don't want to die,' she whispered. 'Please?' Her eyes closed and the woman from the village knelt by her, lifting her head and cradling the child in her lap.

'It's all right, Alaya; it's me, Parise. I have come back to look after you.'

The child smiled weakly, but then the smile froze and twisted into a grimace of pain. The companions watched life depart.

'Oh no! Please, no!' murmured Parise. 'Sweet gods of light, no!' Her own babe began to cry and Pagan lifted it from the ground to hold it against his chest.

Galand turned away and fell to his knees. Parsal moved to his side and Galand looked up at his brother, tears streaming from his eyes. He shook his head, for no words would come.

Parsal knelt beside him. 'I know, brother, I know,' he said gently. Galand took a deep breath and drew his sword.

'I swear by all that's holy and unholy, by all the beasts that crawl or fly, I will not rest until this land is clean again.' He lurched to his feet, waving his sword in the air. Tm coming for you, Ceska!' he bellowed. Hurling aside his blade, he stumbled away towards a small grove of trees.

Parsal turned apologetically to the others. 'His own daughter was killed. A lovely child… a child of laughter. But he meant what he said, you know. And. . and I'm with him.' His voice was thick with emotion and he cleared his throat. 'We're not much, him and me. I wasn't even good enough for the Dragon. We're not officers or anything. But when we say a thing we mean it. I don't know what the rest of you want out of all this. But those people back there — they are my people, mine and Galand's. Not rich and noble. Just dead. That old fat woman died to protect that child. And she failed. But she tried. . gave her life trying. Well, so will I!' His voice broke then and he swore. Turning he walked quickly to the grove.