Glen Cook - Reap The East Wind

His breathing became ragged. Deep inside him, something stirred. A shadow uncoiled. He shrieked. The darkness welled up. The world disappeared.

"Ethrian!" Sahmanan chafed his wrists, slapped his cheeks. "Wake up! Please?" She glanced toward the city. "They're almost here. I need somebody to tell me what to do."

Shih-ka'i stood at a stiff parade rest, ignoring the pain of his wounds. The Princess and her party entered the command center. He snapped to attention. His surviving commanders saluted. Mist eyed them, appalled. "What happened, Lord Ssu-ma?"

"We held, Mistress." Shih-ka'i studied her companions. Two men and a woman, of western stamp. The woman carried an infant. The younger man had the warrior look. His gaze did not rest. His lips were taut and pale. The older, thinner man looked angry. Shih-ka'i faced his Princess, his question implied.

"The wizard Varthlokkur," she said, indicating the older man. A chill scrambled down Shih-ka'i's spine. "His wife, Nepanthe, and their daughter."

Shih-ka'i bowed to the woman. "My Lady."

Mist said, "I'll have to translate."

Shih-ka'i nodded, considered the third man. The wizard's bodyguard?

"King Bragi of Kavelin," Mist said.

Shih-ka'i went rigid. His commanders stirred angrily. He admonished them with a gesture. "The Ragnarson of Baxendala and Palmisano?"

"The same."

One of the Tervola stepped forward... "Meng Chiao! Comport yourself. Mistress, because of this man he lost three brothers, four sons, and his legion." Shih-ka'i planted himself before Ragnarson. The westerner towered over him. He removed his mask, stared into the man's eyes. He saw no fear in those pools of blue. The man said something.

Mist translated. "He says you look like an honest soldier. The first he's seen among Tervola."

Shih-ka'i smiled, replied, "You'd find me more stubborn than Lord Ko." He awaited Mist's translation, asked, "Mistress, what is this?"

"These people were close to the Deliverer once. His grandfather. His mother. His godfather."

The commanders stirred again. "Mistress?"

"And he's my nephew by marriage. Lord Chin kidnapped him during the Pracchia thing. We thought he'd died. Somehow, he survived, made an alliance with your godling, and came after us, assuming we were behind his misfortunes."

Shih-ka'i paced. Finally, "What do you propose, Mistress?"

"That we go talk to him. That we shatter his illusions. That we steal away his cause for destroying the empire."

Shih-ka'i surveyed the visitors. "These people have no reason to help."

"They will. For their own reasons."

"Then let's try it. Pan ku. Bodyguards."

"Lord!" Pan ku saluted snappily, departed. He returned in minutes. "Ready, Lord."

Shih-ka'i explained, "The Deliverer has made it impossible to walk the streets unguarded."

The city was a ruin gutted by fire, shattered by blows from the skull-faced things. Every street boasted its heap of charred bones.

Mist said something. Ragnarson grunted, conceding awe at the devastation. The wizard betrayed no reaction at all. He had a big anger on. His wife seemed included in the flame of his ire. Shih-ka'i dropped back, doffed his mask, examined the baby. He expressed his approval with a smile. The woman responded in kind.

"Why is it so quiet?" Mist asked.

"The calm before the storm. He's resting."

"Could you have stopped him again?"

"I doubt it. This's our last cast of the dice."

They reached the gate. Soldiers swung it wide. Pan ku handed his master a stick with a white cloth attached. Shih-ka'i stepped out of the city. "Hold the guards here, Pan ku."

"Lord?"

"If the Princess, the wizard Varthlokkur, and I can't hold our own out there, there's no hope anyway."

"As you command, Lord." Pan ku wheeled, rushed inside, hurried to the ramparts, found a light baliista. He laid it with all the care his master gave preparation of a spell. The Deliverer would hear from Pan ku if he attempted any treachery.

Shih-ka'i walked toward the hummock where the woman was waking the Deliverer. He kept his stride purposeful. He would not betray his fear to these westerners.

The Deliverer rose, brushed his hair back, stared, went down. The woman knelt over him. He rose again, exuding arrogance. He gestured. A panther came round the hummock and curled at his feet. A bear appeared, seated itself at his right hand. A huge forest buffalo, its eyes wild, stationed itself to the woman's left.

Shih-ka'i told Mist, "Keep your eye on the woman." Then, "What's wrong with him?"

"He knows these people. He's imagining what they think of him."

"I see." He halted five steps from the Deliverer. A short leap for the panther, he reflected. He glared. This whining child had destroyed two armies?

Mist stopped when he did. Ragnarson and Varthlokkur followed suit. The woman with the infant did not. "Ethrian?" she said in her own tongue. "Ethrian? Look. This's your sister. Her name is Smyrena."

Torment filled the boy's eyes. He started blubbering. "Mama. I thought they killed you. I thought they killed you. They told me... "

Nepanthe shifted Smyrena to her left arm. Her right she slipped round the boy, pulling him against her shoulder. "It's all right. It's all right, Ethrian. It's over now. It's all right."

The air was still. The world was silent but for the boy's weeping. And yet, the hair and clothing of the woman in white stirred as if blown by a rising wind. Shih-ka'i glanced at Mist. "Mistress?"

"Not to worry. She's happy for him." Silent communication passed between the women. Mist nodded.

Something drifted down from the sky. It hovered behind the hummock. Shih-ka'i looked only once. "The Unborn," he murmured. He had heard of the thing. Its presence was more offensive than he had believed possible.

The woods buffalo snorted, loped away. The bear followed, breaking into a wild shamble. The panther rose elegantly, licked a paw, strolled toward the wilds. Nepanthe started walking her son toward the city.

Shih-ka'i glanced at Mist again. "It's over, Lord Ssu-ma. It's really over. Go ahead."

Mother and son passed him. He turned. The wizard and King kept pace as he followed. He glanced back, saw Mist and the woman trailing. The woman floated more than walked.

His tension drained away. He felt limp. Almost disappointed. He hadn't realized how tense he was...

It began suddenly. He did not know anything was wrong till his mother was hurled away, and he went rigid. A dark nimbus surrounded him.

The air crackled. Shih-ka'i had felt the same thing just before the disaster on the Tusghus. "Mistress! Princess!"

Varthlokkur flung himself forward, caught his woman before she fell. Ragnarson had sword in hand with almost magical quickness. He crouched, growling in his harsh western tongue.

Mist shrieked, "Ethrian! Stop!" Shih-ka'i heard echoes of the other woman in her voice.

He tackled the youth. The boy remained rigid. Shih-ka'i clamped his fingers round a stiff throat.

Something moved on Lioantung's wall. Bodyguards scrambled. The western King bellowed. His sword hammered the air above Shih-ka'i's head.

The youth bucked violently. Shih-ka'i bounced to his feet as the King plucked a broken spear from the earth, a ballista shaft diverted from its deadly arc. "I owe you, westerner." He faced the Deliverer.

Madness filled the boy's eyes. His mother wept against the wizard's chest. The boy's mouth slowly opened.

The woman in white stepped past Shih-ka'i. A faraway voice said, "Ethrian?... Oh, no! It's Him. The stone god has taken him."

"Impossible," Shih-ka'i snapped. "We destroyed him." He and Hsu Shen, Pan ku and Lord Kuo... Hadn't they?

Gently, Varthlokkur passed his wife to Ragnarson. There was some trust left there. He made a small gesture. The Unborn drifted closer.