Hugh Cook - The women and the warlords

'About a dozen,' said Yen Olass. 'And the same number of women.’

'You'll all be dead by nightfall,' said Hearst.

'By nightfall, we'll be safely at sea,' said Yen Olass. 'Losh Negis-’

'Who?’

'The Ondrask here,' said Yen Olass. 'There was a banquet last night. Afterwards, he went to Draven's ship, anchored just downriver from Garabatoon. He'd offended the emperor, and did not think it safe to spend the night in Castle Celadric. They spent part of the night plotting. Today, while we seize Celadric, Draven's men will be raiding the marketplace at Garabatoon, to release Watashi and the others.’

'A handful of pirates versus a whole town?' said Hearst. 'That's ridiculous!’

' 'Draven's got sixty men,' said Yen Olass. 'Some of them have got Collosnon armour. They can pose as Celadric's soldiers.’

'They'll need more than a little amateur acting to cheat the mob of its victims,' said Hearst.

'They're going to burn down the town,' said Yen Olass. 'Start a few fires, and people will be running in all directions – most of them drunk. Draven isn't stupid, you know. Probably there'll be so much confusion that nobody will notice the prisoners are gone until this time tomorrow.’

'Celadric will be missed sooner.’

'Yes, but nobody will know where he's gone. We'll grab him, stuff him into a sack – a wet sack, with dirt and worms and rotten apples in it – then smuggle him down the river in a boat. With someone sitting on him. No, with two people sitting on him! Then we'll put him on Draven's ship.’

'How do you know you can trust the pirate?' said Hearst.

T don't know if I can trust him at all,' said Yen Olass simply. 'But I don't have much choice. My child's on his ship.’

'Which child is that?’

'What do you mean, which child? Monogail, of course, you ignorant-’

'Monogail! But how-’

'Nan Nulador, that's how. He grabbed her for Celadric. 421

What're your dungeons made of, huh? Ricepaper, perhaps?’

'Where's Nan Nulador now?' said Hearst.

T was put to the necessity of killing him,' said Yen Olass, 'So I could make good my escape.’

'Really? And tell me, how did you escape?’

T can walk through walls,' said Yen Olass, not wishing to confess to Hearst that she had been kidnapped and spirited out of the castle by a Yarglat tribesman in the Ondrask's employ.

'That's a very clever trick,' said Hearst. 'You must show it to me one day.’

'One day I will,' said Yen Olass.

'But only if you abandon your crazy scheme to kidnap Celadric,' said Hearst. 'Otherwise you won't live to see nightfall, let alone one day, whenever that may be.’

'Hey, it's not my crazy scheme. It's all these crazy men who thought it up. If you want to argue, you argue with them.’

'I'm not going to argue,' said Hearst. 'I'm going to sleep. Wake me up when it's all over.’

T haven't finished explaining things to you yet!' said Yen Olass.

'Goodnight,' said Hearst.

And, true to his word, he laid his head down and went to sleep – or pretended to.

'What does he say?' asked Chonjara, who had been unable to follow this conversation.

'He says he's not going to fight for us,' said Yen Olass. 'He's going to sleep instead.’

'He'll feel better when he's rested,' said Chonjara. 'In fact… so will I. Wake me if anything happens.’

And he too laid himself down, and, with the ease of a professional soldier, went to sleep.

Towards noon, the Lord Emperor Celadric came to the Ondrask's raft with his brother Meddon and a mob of fighting men. Some of the soldiers were Meddon's; some were members of Celadric's personal bodyguard, which he had now withdrawn from the womanhunt.

Hearst, Yen Olass and Chonjara watched through cracks in the bamboo walls as the troops came aboard. There was no need for a council of war: they were obviously badly outnumbered. They would not be kidnapping Celadric today.

Losh Negis came into the cabin and silently handed out ceremonial masks, which would obscure their identity if anyone was rude enough to challenge the cabin's privacy. Along with ten of the Ondrask's men, they waited, hoping Celadric and Meddon would not stay too long. Outside, the rest of the Ondrask's people – most of them women – began serving the guests.

With so many people crowded into the cabin and warm sunlight beating down, it was hot. Yen Olass, sweating behind a horsehide mask, peered through a crack in the wall. What she saw was mostly legs, none of which took her fancy.

Outside, the Ondrask was now confronting Celadric, who had brought him a gift.

'What is it?' said Losh Negis, taking the elaborately carved casket his emperor handed him.

'Open it,' said Celadric with a smile.

So Losh Negis opened the casket, and discovered a knife reclining on velvet. A very beautiful knife.

'Do you know what it's for?' said Celadric gently.

'No,' said Losh Negis.

'It's to kill yourself with,' said Celadric, in his oboe-smooth voice. 'Your behaviour last night was less than acceptable. You must understand that such behaviour has consequences.’

Losh Negis hesitated.

Celadric turned to Meddon and said:

'Kill him.’

'With pleasure,' said Meddon, drawing his sword. 423

Losh Negis dropped the casket and fled. He hurled himself against the door of the cabin, which burst open. He crashed to the floor amongst the bodies inside.

'Eagles!' shouted Meddon.

And in a trice, blades were out and blood was flying. Celadric came running in after Losh Negis. He had been slashed across the face. His panic was masked with blood. Outside, his men were being butchered by Meddon's bravos.

The fight on the raft was brief. Taken by surprise, Celadric's men were easy meat. Most of them, in keeping with the spirit of a river festival, had come unarmed. Meddon, victorious, entered the cabin and looked around. There were fifteen people inside. Every one of them was now wearing a horsehide mask.

'Losh Negis,' said Meddon, 'I've got no quarrel with you. Give me my brother – or my brother's head.’

Losh Negis took off his mask.

'Ah, there you are,' said Meddon. 'Which one's my brother? Come out, Celadric. You can't hide forever!’

'That one,' said Losh Negis, pointing Meddon to the far corner.

'This is treason!' shouted Celadric, tearing off his mask.

'But of course,' said Meddon mildly, advancing on his brother. 'It's your own fault. You shouldn't have had York murdered last night.’

'That woman did it! I never-’

'Skak!' shouted Meddon, less mild as he moved in for the kill.

The next moment he was down on the deck, struggling. Half a dozen men had jumped him as he moved in for the kill.

'Call off your men,' said Chonjara. 'Let me go,' said Meddon, 'Or you're dead.' Chonjara sliced off one of his fingers. 'Call off your men,' said Chonjara, 'or I'll take your nose off next.’

'Faravaunt!' shouted Meddon, using a code word which meant nothing to anyone inside the cabin." To his men, it meant retreat. Instead, they crowded into the entrance. 'Sir-’

'Get out of here, you swine-gutter filth! They're going to cut me to pieces! Go! Horse off!’

Reluctantly, Meddon's men retreated. Hearst took an axe, and, masked, went outside and cut the anchor ropes. The raft began to drift downriver.

'Are they all gone?' said Chonjara.

'They're all gone,' said Losh Negis.

'Good,' said Chonjara.

And he cut Meddon's throat.

Downstream, smoke was rising to the sky as Garabatoon began to burn.

They sailed first to the Greater Teeth, and it was there that Yerzerdayla helped Yen Olass put the finishing touches to her plan for taking over the Collosnon Empire.