David Gemmell - Quest for Lost Heroes

The general walked out into the sunlight, where he stood for a while listening to the sounds of grunting men and the low moans which came from the once proud princess. Then she screamed, long and piercing. Tsudai allowed himself a smile. He had waited a long time for this moment. Four years since the haughty princess Tanaki had first spurned his offer of marriage. He had given her a second chance mere months before. Now she would begin to understand the depth of his hatred. The scream sounded again. More animal than human, he thought. Curious how so much despair could be carried in a sound with no words. .

The screams drifted on the breeze, carrying high into the mountains. 'Dear Gods, what are they doing to her?' said Kiall.

'What the Nadir always do,' hissed Beltzer. 'They're raping her. My guess is they'll kill her soon after.'

'Shame,' commented Harokas. 'Good-looking woman.'

'We must do something,' said Kiall, pushing himself to his feet. Chareos grabbed his belt, hauling him back.

'Good idea,' agreed Beltzer. 'Why don't we saddle up and charge all three hundred of them? Grow up, Kiall. She's finished.'

'Kiall is right,' said Okas softly.

Beltzer turned to him, his jaw dropping. 'You think we should charge them?'

'No, my friend. But she is part of this. . this quest. I know it. I feel it.'

'We're here to rescue a farm girl,' said Beltzer.

'Not any more,' said Okas.

'What do you mean?' asked Chareos.

Okas rubbed his tired eyes. 'It is coming together now, my friends. All the threads. And I can see them. The girl Ravenna was sold to Jungir Khan. He has bedded her, and it is she who now carries his child. He has made her the Kian of Wolves, the Queen. You are seeking to steal the Nadir Queen.'

Beltzer began to laugh. 'Better and better. In that case we should charge them. It'll be good practice for when we take on the entire Nadir army!'

'The woman down there is Tenaka Khan's daughter, Jungir's sister. She will know the palace. She will be of great help to us,' Okas said.

'Help?' said Chareos. 'We can't go on with this. It is madness now to even consider it."

There is more to this quest than you realise, Chareos Blademaster,' Okas continued. 'Far more. Can you not see it? The dream of Bel-azar, the ghost of Tenaka Khan? It is all part of a great whole.'

'What part?' asked Finn, kneeling by the Tattooed Man.

'The child,' answered Okas. 'He will be born early. . twelve weeks from now. The stars show that he will be great king, perhaps greatest who ever lived. He will be blood-line of Ulric and Tenaka Khan, and of Regnak, Earl of Bronze. He will be warrior and statesman. As Nadir Khan, he will take his armies across the world.'

'Are you saying we should kill the babe?' Beltzer asked.

'No. I am saying you should continue with this quest — and see where it leads.'

'It will lead to death — for all of us,' declared Chareos. 'We are no longer talking of buying or stealing back a farm girl. We are talking about the Nadir Queen!'

'Let me speak,' said Kiall softly. 'You are right, Chareos, it is all too… too overpowering. May I then suggest we take one step at a time? Let us first think of a way to rescue Tanaki. After that we can decide what to do.'

Chareos sighed and shook his head. 'We are six men in an alien land. And you want us to consider a plan to steal a prisoner from three hundred of the fiercest warriors in the Nadir nation? Well, why not? How many ways can a man die?'

'You don't even want to consider that question,' said Harokas. 'In Nadir hands a prisoner could be killed slowly over a score of days, with each painful day worse than the last.'

'What a sack of comforts you are,' snapped Beltzer.

'The sun is going down,' said Finn. 'If we are going to get the girl, then tonight will be our best chance. Especially if the main force camps outside the walls. Then all we have to do is get down there, sneak past them, climb the walls, kill anyone inside and carry the girl out.'

'Oh, that's all?' Beltzer sneered. 'And I know who gets to carry the bitch? It's me, isn't it?'

'Correct,' admitted Finn.

Til come with you,' said Harokas. 'I rather like the woman. You don't mind if I stick close to you, do you, Chareos?'

'Not at all. But stay in front of me, Harokas.'

Chareos knelt on the hillside as the sun faded into dusk. The Nadir warriors had dragged the girl out into the open and dropped her naked body in the dust of the square. She was limp as a doll. Two of the men then hauled her up, lifting her on to the auction platform and bending her over the block. Chareos averted his eyes and switched his gaze to the riders beyond the town. They had settled down in the open, setting camp-fires. The general and four of his men had entered the long hall, which left seventeen men inside the town.

Too many. .

Kiall brought Chareos a meal of dried meat and fruit, then sat in silence beside him.

What am I doing here? thought Chareos. What is this madness? The woman means nothing to me, this quest is of no consequence. What will it matter to the world in a thousand years if another Nadir Khan is born? He gazed down at the still, white form draped over the auction block and the men bearing down on her.

'Do you have a plan?' whispered Kiall. Chareos turned to the pale-faced young man.

'Do you think me some god of war, Kiall? We can get in — possibly without being observed. But then there will be seventeen against seven — six if you discount Okas, who is no warrior. Now, let us assume we could defeat all seventeen, could we do it silently? No. Therefore the other warriors outside would be alerted. Can we defeat three hundred? Even you will know the answer to that.'

'Then what do you suggest?'

'I don't know, boy!' snapped Chareos. 'Go away and let me think!'

The sky darkened, the moon shone bright. Idea after idea drifted into Chareos' mind, there to be examined, dissected, discarded. Finally he called Finn to him and outlined his thoughts. The hunter listened, his face impassive.

'Is this the only way?' he asked, at last.

'If you can think of a better plan, I'll go along with it,' answered Chareos.

Finn shrugged. 'Whatever you say, Blademaster.'

'I say we should all go home and forget this nonsense,' said Chareos, forcing a smile.

That would win my vote,' admitted Finn. 'So why don't we?'

Chareos shrugged and pointed down to the moonlit town, where the naked form of Tanaki was tied to the auction block.

'We don't know her,' said Finn softly.

'No, we do not. But we have seen her suffering. Do I sound as na'i've and romantic as Kiall?'

'Yes, but that is no bad thing, my friend. I share your view. Evil will never be countered while good men do nothing.'

'Then we are a pair of fools,' declared Chareos, and this time the smile was genuine. Finn reached out his hand and Chareos took it.

'Win or lose, we achieve nothing that the world would understand,' said Finn.

'But then the world does not matter,' answered Chareos, rising.

'Indeed it does not,' Finn replied. 'It is good to understand that.'

It was close to midnight when Finn and Maggrig rode from the camp. Chareos, Harokas, Kiall and Beltzer slowly made their way down the slope towards the stockaded town. Okas remained in the woods, squatting cross-legged, his eyes closed. He began to chant softly and a mist rose from the grass, swirling out to cloak the four warriors as they moved into the open.

The mist rolled on and down like a ghostly blanket, shimmering in the moonlight. Chareos reached the rear wall of the stockade and located the iron portcullis. Beltzer moved alongside.