Talisman looked closely at the little man, but said nothing. The shaman sat down at the table and poured himself a cup of water. 'You say there is a lon-tsia inside the coffin?'
'Yes. Silver.'
'That is curious,' said Nosta Khan. 'The Shrine was plundered centuries ago. Why would the thieves leave a silver ornament behind?'
'It would have been worn next to the skin,' observed Talisman, 'underneath his shirt. Perhaps they missed it. The shirt then rotted away, which is why I found it.'
'Hmm,' murmured Nosta Khan, unconvinced. 'I think a spell was placed upon it, which has faded with time.' His glittering dark eyes fixed on Talisman's face. 'Now let us talk about the girl. You cannot have her, Talisman; she is pledged to the Uniter and you are not he. From his line will come the great men of the future. Zhusai will be his first bride.'
Talisman felt a tight knot in his belly, and his anger rose. 'I do not want to hear any more prophecies, shaman. I love her as I love life. She is mine.'
'No!' hissed Nosta Khan, leaning in close. 'The welfare of the Nadir is your first concern - indeed it is your only concern. You want to see the day of the Uniter? Then do not meddle with his destiny. Somewhere out there,' said Nosta Khan, waving his thin arm in the air, 'is the man we wait for. The strands of his destiny are interwoven with that of Zhusai. You understand me, Talisman? You cannot have her!'
The young Nadir looked into Nosta Khan's dark eyes and saw the malice lurking there. But more than that, he saw the little man was genuinely frightened. His life, even more than Talisman's, was devoted to one end, the coming of the Uniter.
Talisman felt as if a stone had replaced his heart. 'I understand,' he said.
'Good.' The little shaman relaxed and gazed around at the warriors working on the walls. 'It looks impressive,' he said. 'You have done well.'
'Are you staying with us for the battle?' asked Talisman coldly.
'For a while. I shall use my powers against the Gothir. But I cannot die here, Talisman; my work is too important. If the defence fails I shall leave. I shall take the girl with me.'
Talisman's heart lifted. 'You can save her?'
'Of course. Though let me speak plainly, Talisman. If you take away her virtue I shall leave her behind.'
'You have my word, Nosta Khan. Is it good enough for you?'
'Always, Talisman. Do not hate me, boy,' he said sadly. 'There are too many who do. Most of them have justification. It would hurt me for you to be among them. You will serve the Uniter well, I know this.'
'You have seen my destiny?'
'Yes. But some things are not to be spoken of. I need rest now.' The shaman walked away, but Talisman called him back.
'If you have any regard for me, Nosta Khan, you will tell me what you have seen.'
'I have seen nothing,' said Nosta Khan, without turning round. The little man's shoulders sank. 'Nothing. I do not see you riding with the Uniter. There is no future for you, Talisman. This is your moment. Relish it.' Without looking back he moved away.
Talisman stood for a moment, then turned towards the sleeping quarters and made his way up the stairs to Zhusai's room. She was waiting for him, her long black hair sleekly combed and shining with perfumed oil. As he entered she ran across to him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing his face. Gently he pulled away from her, and told her the words of the shaman.
'I don't care what he says,' she told him. 'I will never feel for another man what I feel for you. Never!'
'Nor I for any woman. Let us sit together for a while, Zhusai. I need to feel the touch of your hand.' He led her to the small bed. She took his hand and kissed it, and he felt the warmth of her tears falling to his skin. 'When all else fails,' he whispered, 'Nosta Khan will take you from here to a place of safety. He has great magic and he will lead you through the Gothir. You will live, Zhusai.'
'I don't want to live without you. I will not leave.'
Her words touched Talisman, but they also made him fearful. 'Do not say that, my love. You have to understand that, for me, your safety would be like a victory. I could die happy.'
'I don't want you to die!' she said, her voice breaking. 'I want to be with you, somewhere deep in the mountains. I want to bear your sons.'
Talisman held her close, breathing in the perfume of her hair and skin, his fingers stroking her face and neck. He could find no words, and a terrible sadness smote him. He had thought his dreams of Nadir unity were more important than life itself. Now he knew differently. This one, slender woman had shown him a truth he had not known existed. For her he could almost betray his destiny. Almost. His mouth was dry, and with a great effort he released his hold on her and stood. 'I must go now,' he said.
She shook her head and rose alongside him. 'No, not yet,' she told him, her voice controlled. 'I am Chiatze, Talisman. I am trained in many things. Remove your shirt.'
'I cannot. I gave my word to Nosta Khan.'
She smiled then. 'Take off your shirt. You are tense and weary, your muscles knotted. I shall massage your shoulders and neck. Then you may sleep. Do this for me, Talisman.'
Shrugging off his goatskin jerkin, he doffed his shirt, unbuckled his sword-belt and sat back on the bed. She knelt behind him, her thumbs working at the knots in his muscles. After a while she ordered him to lie down on his stomach. He did so, and she rubbed perfumed oil into his back. The scent was delicate, and Talisman felt his tension flowing from him.
When he awoke she was lying beside him under a single blanket. Her arm was resting on his chest, her face next to his on the pillow. The dawn sun was shining through the window. Lifting her arm, Talisman eased himself from the bed and stood. She awoke. 'How are you feeling, my Lord?' she asked him.
'I am well, Zhusai. You are very skilled.'
'Love is magic,' she said, sitting up. She was naked, the sunlight turning her skin to gold.
'Love is magic,' he agreed, dragging his gaze from her breasts. 'You did not dream of Shul-sen?'
'I dreamed only of you, Talisman.'
Pulling on his shirt and jerkin he looped his sword-belt over his shoulder and left the room. Gorkai was waiting below.
'Two riders coming,' he said. 'Could be Gothir scouts. One carries a great axe. You want them dead or alive?'
'Let them come. I have been expecting them.'
Druss reined in the mare before the western wall and stared hard at the jagged crack that ran down it. 'I have seen better forts,' he told Sieben.
'And friendlier welcomes,' muttered Sieben, staring up at the bowmen who stood on the ramparts, aiming down at them. Druss grinned and tugged on the reins and the mare walked on. The gates were old and half-rotted, but he could see that the hinges had been recently cleaned of rust. The ground was scored under both gates in deep semi-circles, showing they had been closed recently.
Touching heels to the mare, he rode into the compound and dismounted. He saw Talisman walking towards him. 'We meet again, my friend,' he said. 'No robbers this time hunting you?'
'Two thousand of them,' Talisman told him. 'Lancers, infantry and archers.'
'You had better set some men to soak those gates,' said Druss. 'The wood is dry. They'll not bother to smash them. They'll set fire to them.' The axeman cast his experienced eye over the defences, impressed with what he saw. The ramparts had been restored, and a fighting platform raised beneath the crack in the western wall. Rocks and boulders were set on each rampart, ready to be hurled down on advancing infantry. 'How many men do you have?'
'Two hundred.'
'They'll need to be fighters.'
'They are Nadir. And they are defending the bones of the greatest Nadir warrior of all time. They will fight. Will you?'
Druss chuckled. 'I love a good fight, boy. But this one isn't mine. A Nadir shaman told me there were jewels here - healing jewels. I need them for a friend.'
'So I understand. But we have not found them yet. Tell me, did this shaman promise you the jewels?'
'Not exactly,' admitte
d Druss. 'He just told me they were here. Do you mind if we search?'
'Not at all,' said Talisman. 'I owe you my life, it is the least I can do.' He pointed to the main building. 'That is the Shrine of Oshikai Demon-bane. If the jewels are anywhere they are hidden there. Nosta Khan - the shaman you spoke of - has searched with spells, but he cannot find them. For myself I summoned the spirit of Oshikai, but he would not divulge their whereabouts. Good luck, axeman!'
Hoisting his axe to his shoulder, Druss strode across the compound with Sieben beside him. The Shrine was dimly lit, and the axeman paused before the stone sarcophagus. The chamber was dust-covered, and empty of adornments.
'It has been plundered,' said Sieben. 'Look at the pegs on the wall. Once they would have carried his armour and his battle flag.'
'No way to treat a hero,' said Druss. 'Any idea where to look?'
'Inside the sarcophagus,' said Sieben. 'But you'll find no jewels there.'
Druss laid his axe aside and moved to the coffin. Grasping the stone lid, he tensed his muscles and heaved. The stone groaned and grated as he slid it aside. Sieben looked in. 'Well, well,' he said.
'Are they there?'
'Of course they are not there,' snapped Sieben. 'But the corpse is wearing a lon-tsia exactly like the one we found on the woman.'
'Nothing else?'
'No. He has no fingers, Druss. Someone must have hacked them away to get at his rings. Put the lid back.'
Druss did so. 'What now?' he asked.
'I will think on it,' said the poet. 'There is something here that is not right. It will come to me.'
'Make it soon, poet. Otherwise you may find yourself at the centre of a war.'
'A charming thought.'
The sound of horses' hooves came from the compound. Druss walked to the door and stepped into the sunlight. Sieben followed him in time to see Nuang Xuan leap from his pony, his people streaming in through the gates behind him.
'I thought you were heading away from here,' called Druss. The Nadir leader hawked and spat.
'So did I, axeman. But some fool set a fire in our path and we had no choice but to flee from it. When we tried to cut across to the east we saw a column of Lancers. Truly the Gods of Stone and Water hate me.'
'You're still alive, old man.'
'Pah, not for much longer. Thousands of them, there are - all heading this way. I will let my people rest for tonight.'
'You are a bad liar, Nuang Xuan,' said Druss. 'You have come here to fight - to defend the Shrine. It is no way to change your luck.'
'I ask myself, is there no end to Gothir malice? How does it benefit them to destroy that which we hold dear?' He drew in a deep breath. 'I shall stay,' he said. 'I will send the women and children away, but I and my warriors will stay. And as for luck, axeman, to die defending a sacred place is a privilege. And I am not so old. I think I will kill a hundred by myself. You are staying, yes?'
'It is not my fight, Nuang.'
'What they are planning to do is evil, Druss.' He gave a sudden, gap-toothed grin. 'I think you will stay too. I think the Gods of Stone and Water brought you here so that you could watch me kill my hundred. Now I must find the leader here.'
Sieben walked to where Niobe was standing in the shade. She was carrying a canvas pack, which she had dropped to the ground at her feet. Sieben smiled. 'Missed me?' he asked.
'I am too tired for love-making,' she said tonelessly.
'Ever the Nadir romantic,' said Sieben. 'Come, let me get you some water.'
'I can fetch my own water.'
'I am sure that you can, my lovely, but I would cherish your company.' Taking her hand he led her to the table in the shade. Stone jugs had been filled with water and there were clay cups upon the table. Sieben filled one and passed it to her.
'Do men serve women in your land?' she asked.
'One way or another,' he agreed. Niobe drained the cup and held it out to him, and Sieben re-filled it.
'You are strange,' she said. 'And you are no warrior. What will you do here, when the blood spills?'
'With luck I won't be here when the fighting starts. But if I am . . .' He spread his hands. 'I have some skill with wounds,' he told her. 'I will be the Fort Surgeon.'
'I too can stitch wounds. We will need cloth for bandages, and much thread. Also needles. I will gather these things. And there must be a place for the dead, otherwise they stink, bloat, split and attract flies.'
'How nicely phrased,' he said. 'Shall we talk about something else?'
'Why for?'
'Because the subject is . . . demoralizing.'
'I do not know this word.'
'No,' he said. 'I don't think you do. Tell me, are you frightened at all?'
'Of what?'
'Of the Gothir.'
She shook her head. 'They will come, we will kill them.'
'Or be killed by them,' he pointed out.
She shrugged. 'Whatever,' she said grimly.
'You, my dear, are a fatalist.'
'You are wrong. I am of the Lone Wolves,' she said. 'We were to be Eagle Wing tribe, under Nuang. Now there are not enough of us, so we will become Lone Wolves again.'
'Niobe of the Lone Wolves, I adore you,' he said, with a smile. 'You are a breath of fresh air in this jaded life of mine.'
'I will only wed a warrior,' she told him sternly. 'But until a good one approaches me I will sleep with you.'
'What gentleman would spurn such a delicate advance?' he said.
'Strange,' she muttered, then walked away from him.
Druss strolled across the compound. 'Nuang says he's tired of running. He and his people will stay here and fight.'
'Can they win, Druss?'
'They look like a tough bunch, and Talisman has done well with the defences.'
'That doesn't answer the question.'
'There is no answer,' Druss told him. 'Only odds. I wouldn't bet a half-copper on their holding for more than a day.'
Sieben sighed. 'Naturally this does not mean we'll do something sensible - like leave?'
'The Gothir have no right to despoil this Shrine,' said Druss, a cold look in his grey eyes. 'It is wrong. This Oshikai was a hero to all the Nadir. His bones should be left in peace.'
'Excuse me for stating the obvious, old horse, but his tomb has already been plundered and his bones hacked around. I think he's probably past caring by now.'
'It is not about him, it's about them,' said Druss, indicating the Nadir. 'Despoiling the Shrine robs them of their heritage. Such a deed has no merit. It is born of spite and I can't abide such things.'
'We're staying, then?'
Druss smiled. 'You should leave,' he said. 'This is no place for a poet.'
'That is a tempting thought, Druss, old horse. I may just do that - as soon as we sight their battle flags.'
Nuang called out to Druss and the axeman strode away. As Sieben sat at the table, sipping water, Talisman walked across to him and sat down.
'Tell me of the friend who is dying,' he said. Sieben explained all that he knew about the fight that had left Klay crippled, and Talisman listened gravely.
'It is right,' he said, 'that a man should risk all for friendship. It shows he has a good heart. He has fought in many battles?'
'Many,' said Sieben bitterly. 'You know how a tall tree attracts lightning during a storm? Well, Druss is like that. Wherever he is battles just seem to spring up around him. It really is galling.'
'Yet he survives them.'
'That is his talent. Wherever he walks, Death is close behind.'
'He will be most welcome here,' said Talisman. 'But what of you, Sieben? Niobe tells me you wish to be our surgeon. Why should you do this?'
'Stupidity runs in my family.'
Lin-tse sat on his pony and scanned the pass. To his right rose the sheer red rock-face of Temple Stone, a towering monument to the majesty of nature, its flanks scored by the winds of time, its shape carved by a long-forgotten sea that had once covered this vast
land. To Lin-Tse's left was a series of jagged slopes, covered with boulders. The enemy would have to pass along the narrow trail that led down beside Temple Stone. Dismounting, he ran up the first slope, pausing at several jutting rocks. With enough men, and enough time, he could dislodge several of the larger boulders and send them hurtling down on to the trail. He thought about it for a while.
Running back to his pony, he vaulted to the saddle and led his small company on, deeper into the red rocks. Talisman needed a victory, something to lift the hearts of the defenders.
But how? Talisman had mentioned Fecrem and the Long Retreat - that had involved a series of lightning guerrilla raids on enemy supply lines. Fecrem was Oshikai's nephew, and a skilled raider. Red dust rose in puffs of clouds beneath the ponies' hooves and Lin-tse's throat was dry as he leaned in to his mount, urging the stallion up the steep slope. At the crest he paused, and dismounted once more. Here the trail widened. A long finger of rock jutted from the left, leaning towards a cluster of boulders on the right. The gap between was about eighteen feet. Lin-tse pictured the advancing line of Lancers. They would be travelling slowly, probably in a column of twos. If he could make them move faster at this point. . . Swinging in the saddle, he scanned the back trail. The slope behind him was steep, but a skilled horseman could ride down it at a run. And the Lancers were skilled. 'Wait here,' he told his men, then dragged on the reins. The pony reared and twisted, but Lin-tse heeled him into a run and set off down the slope. At the bottom he drew up sharply. Dust had kicked up behind him, like a red mist over the trail. Lin-tse angled to the right and moved on more cautiously. Away from the trail the ground was more broken, leading to a crevice and a sheer drop of some three hundred feet. Dismounting again, he moved to the lip of the chasm, then worked his way along it. At the widest point there was at least fifty feet between the two edges, but it narrowed to ten feet where he now knelt. On the other side the ground was angled upwards, and littered with rocks. But this led to a wider trail, and Lin-tse followed it with his eyes. It would take him down to the western side of Temple Stone.