Quest for Lost Heroes (28 page)

Okas' voice sounded inside Chareos' mind:
'Lead the horses to the pool. Let them drink their fill. You do likewise and fill the water-sacks. Then withdraw. Let no one speak.
' Chareos turned to the others and lifted his fingers to his lips. Finn nodded, and silently they made for the water.

The song of Okas continued as the questors led the frightened horses to.the pool. The need for water overcame their fear and they dipped their heads and drank. Chareos dropped to his belly and filled his mouth with the cool liquid. For some moments he held the water there, then he allowed it to trickle into his dry throat. Finally he drank until he felt he could contain no more. Only then did he fill the water-sacks. The others followed suit.

Kiall ducked his head under the surface of the pool. 'That was good,' he said as he sat up.

The lion roared. The horses reared and Beltzer almost lost grip of the reins. The lion rose and padded across towards Kiall.

'
Make no move
!' came the voice of Okas in Kiall's mind.
'Sit still. Absolutely still
.'

The lion prowled around Kiall, baring its yellow fangs. The song of Okas came louder now, hypnotic in its rhythm. The lion's face loomed before Kiall's eyes, the fangs brushed his skin and he could smell the creature's fetid breath. Then the lion padded back to the pride and settled down. Kiall rose unsteadily. Chareos had gathered the reins of Kiall's mount and passed them to him silently; slowly the group retreated from the pool, down the long slope and out on to the plateau.

Okas joined them and the party rode on for an hour, camping just before daybreak in a shallow lava ditch.

Finn clapped Kiall's shoulder. 'Not many men have been kissed by a lion,' he said. 'It will be something to tell your children.'

'I thought he was going to tear my head off,' said Kiall.

'I thought of doing the same,' snapped Chareos. 'Did you not see the sign for silence? Did you take lessons in stupidity, or does it come naturally?'

'Leave him be, Blademaster,' said Finn. 'You were young once. Do you know why the lion nuzzled you, Kiall?'

'No.'

'He has scent glands in his mouth. Lions often mark their territory with them. You were lucky - mostly they urinate to establish the borders of their domain.'

'In that case I feel doubly lucky,' said Kiall, smiling. He turned to Okas. 'How long before we reach the Nadren settlement?'

'Tomorrow ... the day after.' The old man shrugged. The hunters are everywhere. We must continue to move with care.'

'Will Ravenna still be there, do you think?' Kiall asked Chareos.

'I would doubt it. But we'll find out where she went.'

'I'm sorry for that mistake,' apologised Kiall, seeing that Chareos was still angry.

The older man smiled. 'Finn was right, we were all young once. Do not allow mistakes to become a habit. But there is something we must talk about. There is no way we can rescue all the women who may be held by the Nadren - we are not strong enough - so prepare yourself for disappointment, Kiall. It will be wonderful if we can establish where Ravenna was sent, but there is no more than that to be gained. You understand?'

'But if they are there, we must make the attempt, surely?'

'What purpose would it serve? You have seen yourself the difficulty we are experiencing just getting to the settlement. Can you imagine what chance we would have of getting out?'

Kiall wanted to argue, to find some compelling reason why Chareos was wrong. But he had seen the arid lands of the Steppes and knew that they would have no chance to escape, encumbered by perhaps twenty freed captives.

Yet he could not bring himself to answer Chareos. He looked away and stared at the stars.

'I know that you made a promise, Kiall,' continued Chareos. 'I know what that means to you. But it was a foolhardy promise. All life is compromise, and a man can do only his best.'

'As you say, I made a promise,' returned Kiall. 'And, yes, it was foolish. But perhaps I can buy them back? I have gold.'

'And they would sell them to you - and a day later, or even before, they would ride after you, kill you and take back what they sold. We are not dealing with men of honour.'

'We shall see,' said Kiall. 'It may all be as you say. But let us not decide until the day comes.'

'When the sun rises, the day has come,' said Chareos.

Kiall settled down to sleep, but his thoughts were many. He had dreamt of riding off like a knight in pursuit of his love; he had pictured her returning beside him, her gratitude and love sustaining him. But it was almost four months now since she had been taken and he was as likely to find her wed to a savage, or dead. As for the other women, many of them he had not known too well. He had always been shy in female company, and they had laughed at his blushes. Lucia, the baker's daughter, had always been kind to him. But what could he offer her now? Her father was dead, her home burned. If he took her back she would have nowhere to live, and would probably be forced to find employment in Talgithir. Then there was Trianis, the niece of Paccus the seer. Again there were no living relatives. He ran the names of the captives through his mind: Cascia, Juna, Colia, Menea ... so many.

Chareos was right. How could they attempt to rescue twenty or more young women and then spirit them across the Steppes?

Yet, if they did not at least try, then Kiall would have branded himself both a liar and a braggart.

Kiall slept fitfully into the day. Soon after dusk the questors set off, avoiding skylines, keeping to the low ground. At last Okas led them up a winding deer trail and halted within a clearing surrounded by poplar trees. There he dismounted and moved off to the brow of a low hill. Chareos and the others joined him there and found themselves overlooking a large settlement. A tall stockade wall was built around the town, with four wooden turrets at each corner. Inside there were some sixty dwellings and a long hall. Guards paced the battlements, and lanterns were hung over the gates.

'It's more like a cursed fortress,' said Beltzer.

'We're not here to attack it,' Chareos told him.

'Thank the gods for that," said Beltzer.

Chareos studied the layout of the buildings and the movements of the people within the town. It was just after dawn and few of the town dwellers could be seen. Two women carrying wooden buckets on yokes walked to the rear of the stockade and out through a side exit. Chareos focused his attention on this; it was shaped as a portcullis, with a heavy metal block that was raised by turning two spoked wooden wheels situated on the battlements.

Chareos eased his way back from the skyline and joined the others.

'I can see no way for us to gain entry without being seen,' he told them, 'unless we have someone on the inside.'

'Who?' asked Beltzer.

'I'll go myself,' proposed Chareos.

'No,' said Kiall. 'It makes no sense to send our leader into peril. What would the rest of us do if you were taken? No, I will go.'

'What will you tell them, boy?' chortled Beltzer. 'That you've come for your lady and they'd better surrender her or else?'

'Something like that,' said Kiall. He pushed himself to his feet and walked to his horse. Swiftly he emptied his saddlebag of gold, keeping only a single red gold ring, then he returned to the group. 'I shall tell their leader, whoever he is, that I am willing to buy back the women taken. If he is agreeable, I will signal you from the ramparts; I will raise my right arm and wave. If I think there is treachery in the air, I will raise my left.'

'What are we supposed to do then, general?' sneered Beltzer. 'Storm the citadel?'

'Be silent, you oaf!' snapped Chareos. 'So far the plan is sound. At midnight Finn and I will be at the southern wall. If you have not signalled in that time, we will come in and look for you. Be careful, Kiall. These men are killers. Life means nothing to them.'

'I know,' Kiall replied. As he walked to his horse and mounted, Okas' voice came into his mind.

'
I will be with you, seeing through your eyes
.'

He smiled at the Tattooed Man and touched heels to his horse.

The sun was bright as he headed down the grass-covered slope towards the settlement. Looking up at a sentry who had notched an arrow to his bow, Kiall waved and smiled. The gates loomed and he rode through. Sweat trickled to his back and he could not bring himself to look up at the archer. He guided the mount to a hitching-rail and dismounted. There was a well nearby and he hauled up the bucket and drank from a rusty iron ladle.

He heard the sound of moving men and turned slowly to see four guards approaching him with swords drawn. He spread his hands. 'There is no need for violence, my friends. I am here to buy a woman - maybe two.'

'Let's feel the weight of your gold,' answered a tall man.

Kiall dipped his hand into his pocket and came up with the ring. He tossed it to the man, who examined it closely.

'Very nice,' he said. 'And the rest?'

'Hidden until we complete our business.'

'Hidden eh? Well, I know a few tricks that always make a man sing out his secrets.'

'I am sure that you do,' said Kiall. 'Now take me to whoever is the leader here.'

'How do you know it's not me?' the man asked, sneering.

Kiall's temper flared. 'I do not. I merely assumed the leader would have more than half a brain.'

'You cowson!' The man's sword came up and Kiall leapt to the right, drawing his sabre.

'Leave him be!' roared a voice and the men froze. A tall man, dressed in black, came walking through the crowd which had gathered beyond the group.

'What's this to do with you?' asked the swordsman.

'I know this man,' he answered, 'and I do not want to see him killed.' Kiall looked closely at the speaker. He was hawk-faced and lean, and a jagged scar showed on his cheek; his nose was hooked, his features dark and hard. But Kiall had never seen him before.

'Why push that long nose of yours into another man's business, Harokas?' sneered the swordsman.

The man smiled coldly and drew his own sabre. 'You brainless dolt, Githa! You never saw the day dawn when you could best me with a blade.'

Githa swallowed nervously and backed away, aware that he had gone too far.

'Enough!' bellowed Kiall, doing his best to copy the authoritative tone used by Chareos. Both men froze. 'You,' said Kiall, moving forward to stand before Githa. 'Hand me the ring and go back to the ramparts.' The man blinked sweat from his eyes and happily obliged. He did not look at Harokas, but sheathed his sword and hurried away. With the excitement over, the crowd dispersed. Harokas grinned and shook his head.

'Not bad for a farm boy,' he said. 'Not bad at all. I see that Chareos has trained you well. Is he close by?'

'Perhaps. Are you a friend of his?'

'No, but I need to see him. I have been looking for you for almost four months.'

'Why?'

'I have a message from the Earl,' said Harokas. He lifted a ladle of water from the bucket and sipped it. 'But what are you doing here, Kiall, so far from home?'

'If you are from the Earl, then you must know already. This is where the women from my village were taken.'

'And you have come to win them back? How noble of you. A shame, though, that you have arrived too late. The last of them was sold off months ago. This is only a market town, Kiall. Every three months or so Nadir merchants and princes come here to buy slaves.'

Kiall swallowed back his frustration. 'How is it then that you - an Earl's man - are welcome here?'

'I am welcome in many strange places. Come, I will take you to the leader you enquired about. Perhaps then you will find answers.'

Kiall followed the tall man through the alleyways and out into the main square. Here was the hall he had seen from the hill. Harokas entered the building and led Kiall to a curtained area at the rear.

A woman rose from a satin-covered divan and strode to meet them. Her hair was short-cropped and dark, her eyes wide and slanted, her lips full. She wore a black tunic belted at the waist, and her long legs were bare. Kiall blinked and tried not to stare at her. She stood before him, too close, and he shifted his feet, trying to put more distance between them. He looked into her eyes, noting that they were blue tinged with purple.

'Well,' said Harokas, 'you have your wish, Kiall. Here is the leader you asked to meet.'

Kiall bowed, aware that he was blushing. 'I am pleased to ... that is ... I ..."

'Is he retarded?' she enquired of Harokas.

'I do not believe so, Princess.'

'What do you want here?' she asked Kiall.

He took a deep breath. 'I am seeking a woman.'

'Does this look like a brothel?' she snapped.

'No. Not at all. I meant that I was seeking a special woman. She was taken from my village and I want to buy her back."

'To buy? Our prices here are high. Can you afford her?'

'I believe that I can. How high?'

'That would depend,' said the woman, 'on how beautiful she is.'