David Gemmell - The King Beyond the Gate

Tenaka held up his hand as he saw the smoke.

'It cannot be a grass fire,' said Ananais, shielding his eyes from the harsh sunlight.

'It's a village burning,' said Gal and, walking alongside. 'Such sights are all too common these days.'

'Yours is a troubled land,' said Pagan, dumping his huge pack on the ground at his feet and laying his saddlebags upon it. Attached to the pack was a bronze-edged shield of stiffened buffalo hide, an antelope horn bow and calf-hide quiver.

'You carry more equipment than a Dragon platoon,' muttered Ananais.

'Sentimental reasons,' answered Pagan, grinning.

'We'd best avoid the village,' said Scaler. His long hair was greasy with sweat and his lack of fitness was telling on him. He sat down beside Pagan's pack.

The wind shifted and the sound of drumming hooves came to them.

'Spread out and lie low,' said Tenaka. The companions ran for cover, dropping to their bellies in the grass.

A woman crested the top of a small hill, running at top speed, her auburn hair flowing behind her. She was dressed in a skirt of green wool and wore a brown shawl. In her arms she carried a small babe whose piping screams carried to the travellers.

As the woman ran on, she cast occasional panic-stricken glances over her shoulder. The haven of the trees was an eternity away as the soldiers cantered into view, but still she ran, cutting towards the hidden Tenaka.

Ananais swore and stood up. The woman screamed and veered left — into the arms of Pagan.

The soldiers reined their mounts and the leader dismounted. He was a tall man, dressed in the red cloak of Delnoch, his bronze armour burnished to a sheen.

"Thank you for your help,' he said, 'though we did not need it.' The woman was quiet now and in her despair she buried her head against Pagan's broad chest.

Tenaka smiled. There were twelve soldiers, eleven of them still mounted. There was nothing to be done except to hand back the woman.

Then an arrow flashed into the neck of the nearest rider and he pitched from the saddle. Tenaka's eyes flared in shock. A second arrow buried itself in the chest of another soldier and he too fell back, his horse rearing and hurling him from the saddle. Tenaka drew his sword, plunging it into the officer's back, for the man had turned as the arrows struck home.

Pagan pushed the woman from him and dropped to his knee, drawing the throwing-knives from his boots. They flew from his hands and two more soldiers died as they tried to control their mounts. Tenaka ran forward, leaping into the saddle of a riderless horse, scooping up the reins and heeling the beast forward. The seven remaining soldiers had drawn their weapons and two charged at Pagan. Tenaka's mount crashed into the remaining five and one horse fell, the others rearing and whinnying madly. As Tenaka's sword sliced down, an arrow whipped by him, taking a rider through the left eye-socket.

Pagan drew his shortsword, then dived left as the horses thundered by him, rolling to his feet once more as the riders dragged their mounts to a halt. Running forward, he blocked a wild slashing cut and buried his blade in the rider's side. As the man screamed and fell from the saddle, Pagan vaulted to the beast's back; then he hurled himself at the second rider, carrying the man clear of his horse. They fell heavily and Pagan broke the man's neck with a single blow.

Renya hurled aside her bow and, dagger in hand, ran from cover to where Tenaka, joined by Ananais, was battling the remaining soldiers. She leapt to a horse's back behind its rider and hammered her dagger between his shoulder-blades. The man screamed and tried to twist round but Renya punched him behind the ear. His neck snapped and he tumbled clear.

The last two soldiers turned their mounts and spurred them clear of the fray, riding back towards the hill. But Parsal and Galand stepped out in their paths and the horses reared, throwing one man from the saddle. The other clung on grimly until Galand's sword opened his throat. Parsal pulled his blade clear of the downed rider.

'I'll say this,' he called, grinning broadly. 'It's not been dull since we came back.'

Galand grunted. 'We're damned lucky, is all I'll say.' Wiping his sword on the grass, he gathered the reins of the two horses and walked back to the main group.

Tenaka hid his anger and called out to Pagan, 'You fight well!'

'I think it must be all the practice I am getting,' answered the black man.

'What I want to know is, who fired that arrow?' shouted Ananais.

'Forget it — it's done,' said Tenaka. 'Now we had best move from here. I suggest we ride back to the forest until nightfall. Now that we have mounts, we can make up the time.'

'No!' said the woman with the babe. 'My family. My friends. They're being butchered back there!'

Tenaka went to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. 'Listen to me. Unless I am mistaken these soldiers were part of a half-century, which means there are almost forty men in your village. It is too many — we cannot help you.'

'We could try,' said Renya.

'Be silent!' snarled Tenaka and Renya's mouth dropped open, but she said no more. He turned back to the woman. 'You are welcome to stay with us and we will come to the village tomorrow. We will do what we can.'

'Tomorrow will be too late!'

'It is probably already too late,' said Tenaka and she pulled away from him.

'I would not expect help from a Nadir,' she said, tears flowing. 'But some of you are Drenai. Please help me!'

'Dying will not help anyone,' said Scaler. 'Come with us. You escaped — so may others. And anyway, there is nowhere else for you to go. Come on, I will help you to a horse.'

The companions mounted and headed for the forest. Behind them the crows circled and wheeled.

That night Tenaka called Renya to him and they went from the camp-site and into the trees. No word had passed between them all afternoon.

Tenaka's manner was cold and distant. He walked to a moonlit clearing, then turned on the girl.

'You loosed that arrow! Don't ever act again without my order.'

'Who are you to order me?' she snapped.

'I am Tenaka Khan, woman! Cross me again and I will leave you behind.'

'They would have killed that woman and baby.'

'Yes. But because of your action we might all be dead. What would that have achieved?'

'But we are not dead. And we saved her.'

'Through luck. A soldier may need luck on occasion, but we would rather not have to rely on it. I am not asking you, Renya, I am telling you: you will not do it again!'

'I do as I please,' she said. He struck her open-handed across the face. She hit the ground hard, but rolled to her feet with eyes blazing, fingers curled into talons. Then she saw the knife in his hand.

'You would kill me, wouldn't you?' she whispered.

'Without a thought!'

'I loved you! More than life. More than anything.'

'Will you obey me?'

'Oh, yes, Tenaka Khan, I will obey you. Until we reach Skoda. And then I will leave your company.' She turned on her heel and strode back to the campsite.

Tenaka sheathed his dagger and sat down on a boulder.

'Still the loner, eh, Tani?' said Ananais, stepping from the shadows of the trees.

'I don't want to talk.'

'You were hard on her, and quite right too. But you went a little far — you wouldn't have killed her.'

'No. I would not.'

'But she frightens you, doesn't she?'

'I said I didn't want to talk.'

'True, but this is Ananais — your crippled friend who knows you well. As well as any man. You think that because we risk death there is no place for love? Don't be a fool — enjoy it while it's there.'

'I cannot,' said Tenaka, head bowed. 'When I came here, I could see nothing but Ceska. But now I seem to spend more time thinking of… you know.'