David Gemmell - The Swords of Night and Day

‘You are insane.’

‘I have already killed two,’ she pointed out.

‘True. One was shot before he realized you were there. The second was hanging on a rock face.

These creatures can tell where you are by scent alone. How will you hunt them down? How will you get close enough to pick them off? One mistake and they will be upon you.’

‘I do not make mistakes.’

‘So, now we move from insanity to arrogance. Everyone makes mistakes. It is part of life. I watched Alahir and his men go after a few Jiamads. The Legend people are great warriors and fearless. Three were killed. All it would take for you to die would be one misplaced arrow.’

‘I do not miss.’

‘There you go again. It took two shafts to kill the beast climbing below me. If he had been on level ground, and charging you, then that first miss would have seen it reach you and rip your arms off.’

‘I missed because I was trying to shoot around you.’ She sighed. ‘But there is truth in what you say.

So, tell me your plan?’

‘My plan? What plan would that be?’

Askari took a deep breath and stared at him hard. ‘You don’t want me to fight them, so what do you think we should do? At the moment they are looking to surround us. I know a way through the rock face, but that will only bring us out onto open ground again. There they can come at us in a group. So what do you advise?’

Stavut sighed. ‘I’d go for prayer, but I don’t think the Source likes me. Perhaps we could sit here and hope they go away.’

She laughed then, the sound rich and infectious. ‘Oh Stavut, were there ever any warriors in your family?’

‘I had an uncle who liked to get into arguments in taverns,’ he said. ‘Does that count?’

Askari leaned out over the ledge and scanned the ground below. Then she looked up. Clouds were gathering, but at that moment the moon was bright in the sky. ‘When the clouds cover the moon,’ she said, ‘I want you to follow me.’

‘And where would we be going?’

‘Into the cliff. There is an entrance further along the ledge. It leads to a series of caves and tunnels. I camp here sometimes.’

‘Will it be safe?’ he asked.

‘There are other entrances from above. However, the tunnels are narrow, and they can only come at us one at a time. I should be able to kill them as they seek us.’

‘Good. More killing. More terror.’

She laughed again. ‘Do not be so downcast, Stavi. It is lucky you brought me this bow. It is shorter and easier to use than my longbow. Especially in the confines of the tunnels.’

‘Are you not frightened at all?’ he asked.

‘What difference does it make? Would an increase in my fear bring us closer to safety? I am Askari.

These creatures do not scare me. Nothing that lives or breathes can escape death, Stavi.’

‘That is the second time you have called me Stavi. I prefer Stavut.’

‘Why? Stavi is more. . friendly.’

‘My mother called me Stavi. I do not see you in a maternal role.’

‘I see. What does your friend Alahir call you?’

‘He has taken to calling me tinker. I don’t like that either.’

‘Well, I shall call you Stavi — because I like the sound of it. I think it fits you well.’

A sudden darkness fell upon the cliff face. Askari stood and, taking Stavut by the hand, moved along the ledge to the right. It began to narrow. Within a short distance they were edging along a shelf of rock less than a foot wide. Stavut began to sweat. It dripped into his eyes. Askari squeezed his hand. ‘Not much further,’ she said. Stavut’s legs began to tremble, but he found the touch of her hand reassuring.

They inched on. He saw Askari glance up at the clouds. The moon was almost clear. Then they came to a crack in the rock face, no more than two feet wide. Askari edged into it. Stavut followed. Within it was pitch black.

‘Keep hold of my hand,’ she said. ‘We will need to move slowly.’ He could not see her. He could not see anything. Yet such was the relief at being away from the high ledge that he was relaxed as they made their slow way through the darkness. She stopped often, and subtly altered the line of their advance.

Stavut did not ask why. He just followed her into the cold, gloomy depths of the cliff. After a while they halted. ‘We will wait for moonlight,’ she whispered.

‘Moonlight?’

‘Yes. We need to climb again. Be patient. It will come.’

Stavut did not know how long they were standing together, but at last a faint light began to glow above them. He saw there was a crack in the rocks, and moonlight was seeping through it. He could just make out Askari’s face. She was standing alongside another sheer rock wall. ‘Up there,’ she whispered, ‘is another cave. I have tools there, and a few items we might find useful. It is an easy climb. You go first. I will follow and guide your feet as you climb.’

‘Gods!’ whispered Stavut. ‘Do we have to climb again?’

‘If you want to live,’ she said.

Stavut climbed. The rock face here was heavily pitted, and, as she had promised, the climb was not difficult. Towards the top, however, the holds were smaller. Askari braced herself beneath him, supporting his feet. Finally Stavut dragged himself onto yet another wide ledge. Askari came alongside him, then moved on, crawling along a narrow tunnel into a wider cave. Here there was another jagged opening in the wall, some fifteen feet up — a natural window through which moonlight shone. Weary now Stavut stumbled into the cave. There was wood here for a fire, and an old lantern stood on a shelf of rock. A quiver of arrows was lying nearby, and a long spear with a leaf-shaped iron head. There were also three blankets, and some clay pots.

‘Very homely,’ said Stavut.

Askari gestured for him to remain silent. Stepping in close she whispered in his ear, ‘Sound travels far in these caves. Let us keep our voices down.’

‘How many ways in?’ he replied, his lips close to her cheek.

‘Just the way we came. The Jiamads are too large to crawl through. You will be safe here. Get some rest. I shall scout.’ She pointed up to a narrow shelf of rock just below and to the left of the window in the cave wall. ‘Take a blanket and climb up there. I doubt your scent will carry to them from there.’

This seemed sound advice to Stavut. Taking her bow she returned to the entrance, dropped to her stomach and eased her way into the low tunnel. Stavut wandered across the cave to where the blankets lay. Then he glanced at the spear. Hefting it he practised a few stabbing motions. It would probably be useless against a Jiamad, but he felt more comfortable with it in his hands. Taking blanket and spear he returned to the far wall. At that point he realized he could not climb to his hiding place with the spear in his hands. Taking the blanket he tied it tightly round his waist. Then he slid the spear, haft first, between his shoulder blades and under the blanket. The spear was six feet long, which meant that the iron point jutted above Stavut’s head. Satisfied the blanket would hold the spear in place, he began to climb.

Everything went well until he tried to lever himself over the lip of the shelf. The jutting spear point scraped against the rock. Stavut had to bend and twist in order to tumble onto the ledge. The area he found himself in was no bigger than a large bed. The roof was low, and there was certainly no space to use a spear. It took an age to squirm around and untie the blanket, pulling the weapon loose. ‘Gods, you are an idiot!’ he told himself.

Skilgannon moved past the dead officer, and knelt beside the wounded villager. Harad came alongside.

‘This is Kinyon,’ he said.