David Gemmell - The Legend of the Deathwalker

The leader of the Curved Horn contingent, a middle-aged warrior named Bartsai, sent for the other leaders and they gathered at noon within his tent: Lin-tse of the Sky Riders, Quingíchin of the Fleet Ponies, andàKzun, the shaven-headed war chief of the Lone Wolves. They sat in silence as the rider told of what he had seen — a Gothir army on theàmarch, killing all Nadir in their path.

'Itàmakes no sense,' said Kzun. 'Why have they made war upon the Curved Horn?'m

'And why is their army heading for this valley?' put in Lin-tse.

'Perhaps more importantly,' said Quing-chin, 'we should be asking ourselves what we intend to do. They are less than two days from us.'

'Do?' queried Bartsai. 'What can we do? Do you see an army around you? We have fewer than one hundred and twenty men.'

'We are the guards of the Sacred Shrine,' said Lin-tse. 'Numbers mean nothing. Were we but four, we should fight.'

'You speak for yourself!' snapped Bartsai. 'I see no point in throwing away our lives. If there are no warriors here then the gajin will pass by the Shrine. There is nothing here for them, save the bones of Oshikai. No treasures, no plunder. Therefore we keep the Shrine safe by fleeing.'

'Pah!' sneered Lin-tse. 'What more could be expected from a Curved Horn coward?'

Bartsai surged to his feet, snatching a curved dagger from his belt as Lin-tse reared up, reaching for his sabre. Quing-chin jumped between them. 'No!' he.shouted. 'This is madness!'

'I will not be insulted in my own tent,' shouted Bartsai, glowering at the taller Lin-tse.

'Then do not talk of flight,' said Lin-tse, slamming his sabre back into its scabbard.

'What else is there to talk of?' asked Kzun. 'I do not wish to run from gajin . Neither do I wish to throw away the lives of my men needlessly. I have no love for the Curved Horn, but Bartsai is a warrior who has ridden in many battles. He is no coward. Neither am I. What he says is true. Whatever their purpose, the gajin are looking to kill Nadir. If there are none of us here, they must move on. We should draw them further into the steppes, away from water. Their horses will die there.'

The tent-flap opened and a small man stepped inside. He was old and wizened, and wore a necklace of human finger-bones.

'Who are you?' asked Bartsai warily, aware from the bones that the man was a shaman.

'I am Nosta Khan.' Moving forward he sat between Kzun and Bartsai. Both men moved sideways, making more room for him. 'You now know the threat facing you,' said the shaman. 'Two thousand Gothir warriors, led by Gargan Nadir Bane, are marching upon this holy place. What you do not know is why, but I shall tell you. They come to destroy the Shrine, to raze the walls, take the bones of Oshikai and grind them to dust.'

'For what purpose?' asked Kzun.

'Who can read the minds of the gajin ?' said Nosta Khan. 'They treat us like vermin, to be destroyed at their whim. I care nothing for their reasons, it is enough that they are coming.'

'What do you advise, shaman?' asked Lin-tse.

'You must appoint a war leader, and resist them with all your might. The Shrine must not fall to the gajin .'

'Stinking round-eyed vermin!' hissed Kzun. 'It is not enough that they hound us and kill us. Now they wish to desecrate our holy places. I will not suffer this. The question is, which of us should lead? I do not wish to sound arrogant, but I have fought in thirty-seven battles. I offer myself.'

'Hear me,' said Quing-chin softly. 'I respect every leader here, and my words are not intended to cause insult. Of the men here in this tent only two could lead, myself and Lin-tse, for we were both trained by the gajin and we well know the ways of the siege. But one among us here is a man who understands the strategies of gajin warfare better than any other.'

'Who is this. . hero?' asked Bartsai. Quing-chin turned towards Lin-tse. 'Once he was named Okai. Now he is called Talisman.'

'And you believe this man can lead us to victory?' put in Kzun. 'Against a force twenty times our number?'

'The Sky Riders will follow him,' said Lin-tse suddenly.

'As will the Fleet Ponies,' added Quing-chin. 'What tribe is this man from?' Bartsai asked. 'Wolfshead,' Lin-tse told him. 'Then let us go to him. I wish to see him myself before I commit my men to him,' said Bartsai. 'In the meantime I will send out riders, for there are many Curved Horn villages close by. We will need more fighters.'

Zhusai had endured a troubled night, with strange dreams filling her mind. Men were dragging her through a twisted landscape, chaining her in a dark, gloomy chamber. Names were screamed at her: 'Witch! Whore!' Blows struck her face and body.

She had opened her eyes, her heart hammering in panic. Jumping from her bed she had run to the window, throwing it open and breathing deeply of the cool night air. Too frightened to return to sleep, she had walked out into the open yard before the Shrine. Talisman and Gorkai were sitting there as she approached and Talisman rose. 'Are you well, Zhusai?' he asked, taking her arm. 'You are very pale.'

'I had a terrible dream but it is fading now.' She smiled. 'May I sit with you?'

'Of course.'

The three of them had discussed the search for the Eyes of Alchazzar. Talisman had checked the Shrine Room thoroughly, scanning walls and floor for hidden compartments, but there were none. Together with Gorkai he had even lifted the stone coffin lid and examined the dried bones within. There was nothing to be found, save a lon-tsia of heavy silver bearing the heads of Oshikai and Shul-sen. 'He had left it with the bones and carefully replaced the lid.

'Oshikai's spirit told me the Eyes were hidden here, but I cannot think where else to look,' said Talisman.

Zhusai stretched herself out beside the men, and drifted to sleep. .

A slim man with burning eyes pushed his face into her own, biting her lip until it bled. 'Now you die, witch, and not before time.' She spat in his face.

'Then I shall be with my love,' she said, 'and will never have to look upon your worthless face again!' He struck her then, savagely, repeatedly. Then he grabbed her hair. 'You'll never see him this side of eternity.' Holding up his hand he showed her five small golden spikes. 'With these I shall put out your eyes, and pierce your ear-drums. The last I will drive through your tongue. Your spirit will be mine, throughout time. Chained to me, as you should have been in life. Do you want to beg? If I cut you loose will you fall down on your knees and swear loyalty to me?'

Zhusai wanted to say yes, but the voice that came from her mouth was not hers. 'Swear loyalty to a worm? You are nothing, Chakata. I warned my Lord of you, but he would not listen. Now I curse you, and my curse will follow you until the stars die!'

Her head was dragged back. His hand came up, and she felt the glittering spike push into her eyeball. .

With a cry of pain, Zhusai woke to find Talisman sitting beside her bed. 'How did I get here?' she asked. 'I carried you. You began speaking in Chiatze. It is not a tongue with which I am familiar; it changed your voice incredibly.'

'I had the dream again, Talisman. It was so real. A man. . many men. . took me to a dark chamber, and there they put out my eyes. It was horrible. They called me a witch and a whore. They had. . I think. . murdered my husband.'

'Rest,' said Talisman. 'You are distraught.'

'I am distraught,' she agreed, 'but. . I have never experienced a dream like this one. The colours were so sharp, and. .' Gently he stroked her head and, exhausted, she slept again. And this time there were no dreams.

When she awoke she was alone, and bright sunlight filled the room. There was a jug of water and a basin on a table by the window. Rising from the narrow bed she took off her clothes, filled the basin, added three drops of perfume from a tiny bottle and washed her face and upper body. From her pack she took a long tunic of white silk; it was crumpled, but clean. Once dressed, she washed the clothes she had been wearing the previous day and laid them over the window-sill to dry. Bare-footed she left the room, walked down the narrow wooden stairs and emerged into the courtyard below.