David Gemmell - Waylander III - Hero In The Shadows

'Indeed. It amazes me that he did not.'

'Would you have run?' asked Waylander, quietly.

'No. But, then, I am Rajnee.'

'Tonight I saw a frightened man, with a shining sword, battling demons to protect a friend. What would you call him?'

Kysumu smiled, then offered a deep bow. 'I would say he has a Rajnee heart,' he said simply.

The two men sat together in silence for another hour, each lost in his own thoughts. Slowly the sky lightened, and birdsong filled the air. Waylander leant back in his seat, weariness heavy upon him. He closed his eyes and dozed. Immediately he fell into dreams, swirling colours that drew him down.

He awoke with a start as the red-robed priestess moved out on to the terrace. 'Is he dead?' he asked.

'No, he will recover, I think.'

'Then you found all the . . . eggs?'

'I had help,' she said, seating herself alongside him. 'His soul was being guarded, and power flowed from within him.'

'Qin Chong,' said Kysumu softly.

Ustarte glanced across at him. 'I do not know the name of the spirit. I could not commune with him.'

'It was Qin Chong,' said Kysumu. 'In legend he is named as the first of the Rajnee. He appeared to Yu Yu in the ruins. But not to me,' he added wistfully.

'Nor me,' she said. 'What can you tell me of him?'

'Very little. His deeds are lost among fables, oral tales expanded upon or invented. Depending which story you read, he fought dragons, evil gods, giant worms beneath the earth. He had a sword of fire called Pien'chi, and he was known as the Potter.'

'Do the legends say how he died?'

'Yes, in a dozen different ways, by fire, by sword, dragged down into the sea. One story has him walking down into the underworld to rescue his love, and never returning. Another even has him sprouting wings and soaring to the heavens. One has the gods appearing at his death and turning him into a mountain to watch over his people.'

Ustarte fell silent. 'Perhaps Yu Yu can tell us more when he wakes.'

'I would like to hear more of these Kraloth,' said Waylander. 'What are they?'

'They are meld-hounds,' Ustarte told him. 'Artificial creations born of dark magic. They are very powerful, and ordinary weapons cannot harm them . . .' she looked into his eyes and gave a wan smile '. . . unless they pierce the skull or the upper neck. As you know, their bite brings a painful death. They are led by a Bezha – a Houndmaster.'

'I caught a glimpse of him,' said Kysumu, 'but only the eyes.'

'He would have been wearing the robe of night,' Ustarte told him. 'It is true-black and reflects no light. The eye, therefore, cannot see it.'

'Why are they here?' asked Waylander.

'They are the advance guard of two terrible enemies. My followers and I had hoped to prevent their coming. We failed.'

'What enemies?' put in Kysumu.

'Anharat's demons – and the sorcerers of Kuan-Hador.'

'I have read the legends of Anharat,' said Kysumu. 'The Lord of Demons. I recall he was cast from the world after a war. I believe he had a brother who aided humankind.'

'The brother was Emsharas,' said Ustarte, 'and it is true that he sided with humanity. Great were the heroes who fought against Anharat. Mighty men, men of principle and courage. These were the men of Kuan-Hador.'

'I do not understand,' put in Kysumu. 'If these men were heroes, why do we fear their return?'

'Man never learns lessons from the past,' she said. 'It is his curse. My people and I have been trying to discover some evidence of the Great War. What we have found is that there was not one war but two. The first – let us call it the Demon War – saw great horror and devastation. Only when Emsharas aided the humans did the tide begin to turn. But that aid carried within it the seeds of Kuan-Hador's downfall. In order to defeat the enemy the rebel demon lord, Emsharas, gave the lords of Kuan-Hador instruction in the most arcane secrets of meld-magic. Warriors were enhanced, blended with the power of beasts; panthers, lions, wolves and bears. And they won. Anharat's demon legions were expelled from the world. Kuan-Hador was mankind's saviour.'

'How then did they become evil?' asked Kysumu.

'By taking one small step at a time towards the dark,' she answered. 'For a little while the world knew peace and tranquillity, under the city's benevolent rule. The people of Kuan-Hador were proud of what they had achieved. Yet it had cost them greatly. They asked other nations to help bear that cost, and huge amounts of gold and silver were despatched to the city. The following year they asked for more. Several nations refused. The proud lords of Kuan-Hador decided that this refusal was an affront to the world's saviours, and sent their armies to plunder those nations. Kuan-Hador had moved from benevolent rule to tyranny. They had saved mankind, therefore – so they believed – they had earned the right to rule. Nations that rose against them were considered treacherous, and were crushed mercilessly by the Kriaz-nor, the meld-legions.

This was the beginning of the second war – what is now termed the Great War. At first it was man against man. Kuan-Hador was powerful, yet it was but a city state and its resources were finite. By this time Emsharas was gone from the world, but his descendants aided the rebels. Slowly they began to force back the Kriaz-nor legions. In desperation the rulers of Kuan-Hador allied themselves with Anharat, opening portals to allow his demon warriors to return to the world.' She fell silent and stood staring out over the bay.

'Yet they were still defeated,' said Kysumu.

'Yes, they were,' she said softly. 'The rebels created their own legions – the Riaj-nor, men of noble hearts and great courage, wielding weapons of power. The Rajnee are the last embers of that fine order, and it seems, Kysumu, that of them all only you have been drawn here. Where once were legions there is now only a single warrior and a wounded labourer.' She sighed, then continued her tale. 'The Great War ended here, the survivors of Kuan-Hador retreating through a portal to another world. The city was destroyed by fire, and a sorcerer – or, perhaps, a group of sorcerers – laid powerful spells upon the portal, sealing it against the return of the enemy. These spells have endured the passing of the centuries. Now they are fading. The gateway will soon open fully, allowing legions of Kriaz-nor to invade this land. At the moment it is merely flickering, and only a few can cross. The sorcerers who once protected it are long dead, as are the original Riaj-nor. There is now no power in this world to defeat them if they come in force, which is why I had hoped to replicate the original spell and cast it once more. But there are no clues to be found. There are riddles, verses and garbled legends, none of which is helpful. My last hope now rests with Yu Yu and the spirit of Qin Chong.' She swung to Kysumu. 'It seems that the Rajnee swords retain their magic. Why, then, are more of your comrades not here to fight?'

'Few now hold fully to the old ways,' he said, sadly. 'Most Rajnee are now merely bodyguards, seeking to earn riches. They will not heed the call of the swords, nor journey to foreign lands.'

'And what of you, Grey Man?' she asked. 'Will you fight the demon lords?'

'Why should I?' he countered, his voice edged with bitterness. 'It is just another war – just another group of greedy men seeking to take what does not belong to them. And they will hold it for just so long as they are strong enough to resist the next group of greedy men who desire to take it from them.'

'This one is different,' she said softly. 'If they win, the world will know the nature of true terror. Children dragged from their mothers' arms to be melded into beasts, or have their organs removed in order to prolong the lives of the rulers. Thousands butchered in the name of arcane science. Magic of the most horrific kind will become commonplace.'