DAVID A. GEMMEL. SWORD IN THE STORM

Conn nodded. ‘And now a new race has come, with swords of iron.’

‘Exactly. And in a few hundred years some other powerful tribe – or groups of tribes – will descend upon the gentle, peace-loving people of Stone. Then a young man, just like you, will rail against the evil of it.’

‘As he should,’ said Conn. ‘A man should be ready to fight for his land, his people, and his culture. What are we if we don’t? When the wolf attacks our herds, we kill the wolf. We fight to defend what is ours. That is what makes us men.’

‘Indeed it is,’ agreed Banouin. ‘But before there were men it was the wolf who kept the herds strong. By killing the weak and the old, by controlling the numbers so that the herds did not grow so large that they ate all the grass. Nature in balance, Connavar.’

Conn laughed aloud. ‘If I take what you suggest to its logical conclusion then when a robber comes to my home I allow him to take all that is mine. I do nothing. I let him rape my wife, slay my children and steal my belongings. This is not a philosophy I can embrace.’

‘Nor I,’ said Banouin. ‘But now we come to the crux of the question. I am not saying do not fight. I am saying do not hate. It is not war that leads to murderous excesses, but hate. Whole villages, cities, peoples wiped out. Hatred is like a plague. It is all-consuming, and it springs from man to man. Our enemies become demons, their wives the mothers of demons, their children infant demons. You understand? We tell stories of our enemies eating babes – as was done with the people. Our hearts turn dark and, in turn, we visit a terrible retribution upon those we now hate. But hatred never dies, Conn. We plant the seeds of it in every action inspired by it. Kill a man, and his son will grow to hate you and seek revenge. When he obtains that revenge your son will learn to hate him. Can you see what I am saying?’

‘No,’ admitted Conn. ‘It is necessary to hate one’s enemies. If we don’t hate them, how can we kill them?’

Banouin sighed, and Conn could see he was disappointed. They sat in silence for a while, and ate the stew. Banouin cleaned the dishes and returned them to the pack. Conn spread his blankets and lay down by the fire.

The little merchant sat beside the blaze for a while. ‘There are only three ways to deal with an enemy,’ he said. ‘Destroy him, run away from him, or befriend him. The man who has come to hate you will never befriend you.’

Then he too lay down, and pulled his blanket over him.

Conn rolled over and looked at the wall paintings in the flickering light of the fire.

The one abiding truth he did know was that the strong would always conquer the weak.

When the Stone army comes, he thought, the Rigante will be strong.

Eight days later the travellers reached the outer borders of Gath land. To the north-west were the high settlements of the Ostro. ‘We will visit them on our return,’ said Banouin. ‘It will be good experience for you. The Ostro are born to trade, and like nothing better than to haggle for hours for the finest prices.’ The smile faded from his face and he drew in a deep breath. ‘But for now we must endure the lands of the Perdii.’

Ahead of them lay the wide expanse of the Perdii river, and beyond it a range of high, wooded hills. It was mid-afternoon as the riders rode their weary ponies down to a settlement on the riverbank. Across the fast-flowing water, moored to the far bank was a flat-bottomed ferry. There was no sign of a ferryman. Conn transferred his gaze to the settlement. The eleven homes at the riverside were crudely and carelessly constructed, some from green timbers that had warped as they dried, leaving great gaps that had been plugged by clay. Beyond them was a more solid log-built structure with a sod roof. Here there was a paddock. Banouin rode to it, slid open the rail bar, and led the ponies inside. As Conn dismounted Banouin moved in close. ‘The men here are not to be trusted,’ he said. ‘There are robbers and thieves among them. Tempers are always short. Follow my lead and be careful what you say and do.’

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