David Gemmell - The King Beyond the Gate

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After forty years Tenaka Khan had learned the meaning of the word.

His eyes opened. The leader stood very still, watching him; he had seen men in a state of trance many times, and always it brought a sense of awe, and a feeling of sadness that he could never experience this himself.

Tenaka smiled. 'Follow me,' he told the man, 'and I will give you the world.'

'Are we to be wolves?'

'No. We are the Nadir Rising. We are the Dragon.'

At dawn the forty men of the Notas, less the three outriding sentries, sat in two lines outside Tenaka's tent. Behind them were the children: eighteen boys and three girls. Lastly sat the women, fifty-two of them.

Subodai stood apart from the group, baffled by this new turn of events. There was no point to it. Who would wish to start a new tribe at the dawn of a civil war? And what could Tenaka possibly gain from this shoddy band of goat-breeders? It was all beyond the Spear warrior; he wandered into an empty tent and helped himself to some soft cheese and a loaf of gritty black bread.

What did it matter?

When the sun was high he would ask Tenaka to release him from his bond, take his six ponies and ride home. Four ponies would buy him a fine wife and he would relax for a while in the western hills. He scratched his chin, wondering what would happen to Tenaka Khan.

Subodai felt strangely uncomfortable at the thought of riding away. Few were the moments of original interest in the harsh world of the Steppes. Fight, love, breed, eat. There was a limit to the amount of excitement these four activities could generate! Subodai was thirty-four years old and he had left the Spears for a reason none of his peers could understand:

He was bored!

He moved out into the sunlight. Goats were milling at the edge of the camp-site near the pony picket line, and high above a sparrowhawk circled and dived.

Tenaka Khan stepped out into the sunlight and stood before the Notas — arms folded across his chest, face impassive.

The leader walked towards him, dropped to his knees, bent low and kissed Tenaka's feet. One by one every member of the Notas followed him.

Renya watched the scene from within the tent. The whole ceremony disturbed her, as did the subtle change she sensed in her lover.

The previous night, as they lay together under fur rugs, Tenaka had made love to her.lt was then that the first tiny sparks of fear had flashed in her subconscious. The passion remained, the thrill of the touch and the breathless excitement. But Renya sensed a newness in Tenaka which she could not read. Somewhere inside him one gate had opened and another closed. Love had been locked away. But what had replaced it?

Now she gazed at the man she loved as the ceremony continued. She could not see his face, but she could see the faces of his new followers: they shone.

When the last of the women backed away, Tenaka Khan turned without a word and re-entered the tent. Then the sparks within Renya became a fire, for his face reflected what he had become. He was no longer the warrior of two worlds. His Drenai blood had been sucked from him by the Steppes and what was left was pure Nadir.

Renya looked away.

By midday the tribesmen had seen their women dismantle the tents and pack them on wagons. The goats were rounded up and the new tribe headed north-east. Subodai had not requested to be free of his bond and he rode beside Tenaka and the Notas leader, Gitasi.

That night they camped on the southern slopes of a range of wooded hills. Towards midnight as Gitasi and Tenaka talked by a camp-fire, the pounding of hooves sent tribesmen rolling from their blankets to grab at swords and bows. Tenaka remained where he was, seated cross-legged by the fire. He whispered something to Gitasi and the scarred leader ran to his men, calming them. The hoofbeats grew louder and more than a hundred warriors rode into the camp, bearing down on the fire. Tenaka ignored them, calmly chewing on a strip of dried meat.

The horsemen dragged on their reins. 'You are in the land of the Wolfshead,' said the lead warrior, sliding from the saddle. He wore a helm of bronze, rimmed with fur, and a lacquered black breastplate edged with gold.

Tenaka Khan looked up at him. The man was close to fifty years old and his massive arms were criss-crossed with scars. Tenaka gestured to a place by the fire.

'Welcome to my camp,' he said softly. 'Sit and eat.'

'I do not eat with Notas,' said the man. 'You are on Wolfshead land.'

'Sit down and eat,' said Tenaka, 'or I shall kill you where you stand.'

'Are you a madman?' asked the warrior, taking a firmer grip on the sword in his hand. Tenaka Khan ignored him and, furious, the man swung the sword. But Tenaka's leg shot out, hooking his feet from under him, and he fell with a crash as Tenaka rolled to his right with his knife flashing in his hand. The point rested gently on the warrior's throat.

An angry roar went up from the riders.

'Be silent among your betters!' bellowed Tenaka. 'Now, Ingis, will you sit and eat?'

Ingis blinked as the knife was withdrawn. He sat up and recovered his sword.

'Bladedancer?'

'Tell your men to dismount and relax,' said Tenaka. 'There will be no bloodshed tonight.'

'Why are you here, man? It is insane.'

'Where else should I be?'

Ingis shook his head and ordered his men to dismount, then turned back to Tenaka.

'Saddleskull will be confused. He will not know whether to kill you or make you a general.'

'Saddleskull was always confused,' said Tenaka. 'It surprises me that you follow him.'

Ingis shrugged. 'He is a warrior, at least. Then you have not come back to follow him?'

'No.'

'I will have to kill you, Bladedancer. You are too powerful a man to have for an enemy.'

'I have not come to serve Knifespeaks.'

'Then why?'

'You tell me, Ingis.'

The warrior looked into Tenaka's eyes. 'Now I know you are insane. How can you hope to rule? Saddleskull has eighty thousand warriors. Knifespeaks is weak, with only six thousand. How many do you have?'

'All that you see.'

'How many is that? Fifty? Sixty?'

'Forty.'

'And you think to take the tribe?'

'Do I look insane? You knew me, Ingis; you watched me grow. Did I seem insane then?'

'No. You could have been. .' Ingis cursed and spat into the fire. 'But you went away. Became a Lord of the Drenai.'

'Have the shamen met yet?' asked Tenaka.

'No. Asta Khan has called a council for tomorrow at dusk.'

'Where?'

'At the tomb of Ulric.'

'I shall be there.'

Ingis leaned in closer. 'You don't seem to understand,' he whispered. 'It is my duty to kill you.'

'Why?' asked Tenaka calmly.

'Why? Because I serve Saddleskull. Even sitting here talking to you is an act of betrayal.'

'As you pointed out, Ingis, my force is very small. You betray no one. But think on this: you are pledged to follow the Khan of Wolves, yet he is not chosen until tomorrow.'

'I will not play with words, Tenaka. I pledged my support to Saddleskull against Knifespeaks. I will not go back on it.'

'Nor should you,' said Tenaka. 'You would be less a man. But I also am against Knifespeaks, which makes us allies.'

'No, no, no! You are against them both, which makes us enemies.'

'I am a man with a dream, Ingis — the dream of Ulric. These men with me were once Doublehair. Now they are mine. The burly one by the far tent is a Spear. Now he is mine. These forty represent three tribes. United, the world is ours. I am an enemy to no one. Not yet.'

'You always had a good brain and a fine sword-arm. Had I known you were coming, I might have waited before pledging my force.'

'You will see tomorrow. For tonight — eat and rest.'

'I cannot eat with you,' said Ingis, rising. 'But I will not kill you. Not tonight.' He strode to his pony and climbed into the saddle. His men ran to their mounts and with a wave Ingis led them out into the darkness.