'We would never reach it. The Krayakin are less than a day behind us, and the Ventrian army is moving across the mountains. Three thousand men are on the march, and more than two hundred cavalry have been sent to cut us off from the coast.'
Kebra knew the strength of Nogusta's Third Eye and he sat silently for a moment, absorbing the information. 'What then can we do?' he asked. 'We cannot fight an army, and we cannot escape it. Is our plan merely to run until we are exhausted — like an elk tracked by wolves?'
'Who is being tracked by wolves?' asked Bison, rising from his blankets and walking across to join them. Before Nogusta could explain the situation to him the giant saw the sleeping priestess. 'Kreya's Tits!' he exclaimed. 'Look at her! She's thin as a spear. What have I missed?'
'A great deal, my friend,' said Kebra. Slowly he explained the events of the last few minutes, the glowing around the priestess, the healing of his eyes, and the sores on Conalin's back and arms, and lastly, the news of the march of the Ventrian army. Bison ignored the last news.
'She healed you? What about my ear? It hurts like the devil. You could have woken me up. What kind of a friend are you?' He dropped to his knees beside the priestess and shook her shoulder. Ulmenetha did not stir. 'Well, this is nice,' said Bison, glancing up at Kebra. 'So far I've been bitten by wolves, burnt by magick and kicked by a horse. And you get your eyes healed. Is that fair?'
'Life is not fair, Bison,' said Kebra, with a smile. 'As any one of your large number of wives would testify.' His smile faded. 'The question is what are we going to do?' At that moment Axiana cried out. Beside her Pharis awoke and moved to her side.
'What is it, my lady?' she asked.
'I think. . the baby is coming,' said Axiana.
Axiana was frightened, and called for Ulmenetha. The black warrior, Nogusta, moved to her side. 'She cannot come to you now,' he said, taking the queen's hand. 'She is sleeping, and cannot be woken.' Fear turned to panic in Axiana.
'The baby is coming! I need her!' Her face spasmed as fresh pain seared through her.
'Move aside, man,' said Bison, dropping to his knees beside the frightened girl.
'I don't want you!' shouted Axiana, horrified. 'Not you!'
Bison chuckled. 'As I've just been told, life isn't fair. But I've birthed babes before, and a large number of horses, cows and sheep. So you'll just have to trust me.' He turned to Nogusta. 'I want you to make a screen
around her. Give us some privacy. And you, girl,' he told Pharis, 'can help me.' Bison drew back the blanket covering the queen. Her gown was wet. 'The water's broken,' he said. He looked across at Nogusta. 'Could we get a little urgency going here?'
Nogusta nodded and rose. Nogusta and Dagorian cut long branches from nearby trees, then stripped them of leaves. Plunging them into the earth around the queen they tied blankets to them, creating a roofless tent around her. Several times she cried out. Pharis emerged and moved to the stream, filling a bowl with water, and returning to the tent.
Little Sufia sat in the doorway of the tent, staring wide eyed into the interior. Conalin walked over to her, lifting her into his arms and carrying her to the wagon. The child was nervous and frightened. 'They are hurting her,' she said, her eyes brimming with tears.
'No they are not,' said Conalin, soothingly. 'A baby is coming. It's inside her, and it is going to come out.'
'How did it get inside her?' asked Sufia.
'It grew from a very small seed,' said Conalin. 'And now it is ready to live.'
A long shriek came from the tent. Sufia jumped. 'Why is she hurting?' Sufia began to cry. Kebra walked to the wagon. 'It is all right,' he said, ruffling the child's blond hair.
'She wants to know why the queen is in pain,' said Conalin.
'Well,' began Kebra, uneasily, 'she's.. slim in the hips and — ' Sufia's bright blue eyes were locked to Kebra's gaze. '- and…' He swung and called for Nogusta. The child has some questions,' he said, brightly.
'Answer them,' said Nogusta, walking away towards the stream.
Thank you so much,' Kebra called after him. He turned back to Sufia. 'I can't really explain,' he told the child. 'Childbirth is sometimes painful, but soon the queen will be well, and you will be able to see the baby boy. That will be nice, won't it?'
The queen shrieked once more, and Sufia dissolved into tears.
Kebra moved away and began to prepare breakfast. Sitting beside the stream Nogusta and Dagorian talked in low voices. 'Does Bison know what he's doing?' asked the young officer.
'Yes. Believe it or not many of the camp whores request Bison when they are ready to deliver.'
'I can't think why.'
'Maybe he fathered most of the children,' ventured Nogusta. 'But I believe she is in safe hands.'
'Safe hands? How safe are any of us?'
Nogusta heard the fear in the young man's voice. He was concerned, for he had noticed the growing tension in the officer ever since the wolf attack. 'Nothing has changed since you rescued the queen,' he said.
'I didn't rescue her — Ulmenetha did that. And the children. I just came later. And we would all have been killed had you not arrived to kill the lancers. I don't feel that I have been of any real use.' Dagorian sighed. 'I am not like you, Nogusta. Nor the others. You are tough men. The stuff of heroes. I. .' he faltered. 'I am just a failed priest.'
'You do yourself a disservice,' said Nogusta. Dagorian shook his head.
'You remember when you warned me about an attempt on Banelion's life? I went to him, as I told you.' 'Yes. He advised you to stay away from him. That was good advice.'
'Maybe it was — but a hero would have disobeyed him. Don't you see? I was glad to be relieved of responsibility. I thanked him and I left. Would you have done so?'
'Yes,' said Nogusta.
'I don't believe you.'
'I wouldn't lie to you, Dagorian.'
'But would you have felt relief?'
'You are torturing yourself unnecessarily,' said the black man. 'What is really at the heart of this?'
'I am afraid.' He looked into Nogusta's face. 'What is it that you have seen? I need to know.'
'You do not need to know,' Nogusta assured him. 'And it would serve no purpose to tell you. This gift I have is like a sharp sword. It can save a life, or it can take it. At this moment you and I are alive, and we have a mission. All we can do is try to stay alive. What I have seen, or not seen, is irrelevant.'
'That is simply not true,' said Dagorian. 'The future is not set in stone. You could, for example, have seen me walking on a particular cliff top. The ground gives way and I fall to my death. But if you warn me I will not walk on that cliff top. Then I will live.'
Nogusta shook his head. 'I told you once before that the gift is not that precise. I do not choose what to see.'
'I just want to know whether I will survive,' said Dagorian. 'Have you seen that, at least?'
'Ultimately no-one survives,' hissed Nogusta. 'That is the way of life. We are born, we live, we die. All that counts is the manner in which we live. And even that does not count for long. History will forget us. It forgets all men eventually. You want certainty? That is certainty.'
'I fear I may be a coward,' said Dagorian. 'I might run from this mission.'
'You will not run,' said Nogusta. 'You are a man of courage and honour. I know you are afraid. So you should be — for so am I. Our enemies are great in number, and our friends are few. Yet we will do what we must, for we are men, and the sons of men.'
The queen cried out again. Dagorian jerked at the sound, then pushed himself to his feet and walked from the camp.
For more than an hour the group waited, and there was little sound from within the roofless tent. Then Bison emerged, wandered to the fire and ate some of the hot oats Kebra had prepared for breakfast. The bowman approached him.