The silver steel whiplashed his own sword aside and buried itself in his groin. He sank to the ground, his lifeblood pumping to the grass . . . and the souls of his men died with him.
Sunlight blazed through the darkness and The Thirty rose to their feet, amazed that life still flowed in their veins.
Acuas walked forward.
‘How?’ he asked. ‘How did you win?’
‘There is no mystery, Acuas,’ said Decado softly. ‘He was only a man.’
‘But so are you!’
‘No. I am Decado. The Ice Killer! Follow me at your peril.’
*
Decado lifted his helm and sucked in a deep breath of cool dawn air. Tenaka shook his head to clear the webs of fear still clinging there.
‘Dec!’ he called. Decado smiled and walked to him; the men gripped wrists in the warrior’s greeting. Ananais, Galand and Parsal joined them.
‘By all the gods, Dec, you look fine. Very fine!’ said Tenaka warmly.
‘And you, general. I am glad we were in time.’
‘Would you mind telling me,’ said Ananais, ‘just why all those warriors died?’
‘Only if you will explain about that mask. It’s ridiculous for someone as vain as you to hide such classical good looks.’
Ananais looked away while the others stood uneasily, the silence growing.
‘Will no one introduce me to our rescuer?’ said Valtaya, and the moment passed. The Thirty stood aloof as the conversation began, then split into groups of six and moved about collecting wood for camp-fires.
Acuas, Balan, Katan and Abaddon chose a position by a solitary elm. Katan started the fire and the four of them sat around it, seemingly silent and watching the dancing flames.
‘Speak, Acuas,’ pulsed Abaddon.
‘I am saddened, Abaddon, for our leader is not one of us. I do not mean that arrogantly, but our Order is an ancient one and always we have sought high spiritual ideals. We do not go to war for the joy of killing, but to die in defence of the Light. Decado is purely a killer.’
‘You are the Heart of The Thirty, Acuas. For you have always been emotionally charged. You are a fine man – you care . . . you love. But sometimes our emotions can blind us. Do not judge Decado yet.’
‘How did he kill the Templar?’ asked Balan. It was inconceivable.’
‘The Eyes of The Thirty and yet you cannot see, Balan. But I will not explain it to you. In time you will tell me. I believe the Source sent Decado to us, and I accepted him. Will one of you tell me why he is the leader?’
Dark-eyed Katan smiled. ‘Because he is the least among us.’
‘But more than that,’ said Abaddon.
‘It is his only role,’ said Acuas.
‘Explain, brother,’ asked Balan.
‘As a knight he could not communicate with us, nor travel with us. Every move we made would have been a humiliation for him. Yet we go to a war that he understands. As our leader, his lack of talent is counterbalanced by his authority.’
‘Very good, Acuas. Now let the Heart tell us where danger lies.’
Acuas closed his eyes and remained mind-silent for several minutes, focusing his concentration.
‘The Templars will respond. They cannot suffer this defeat at our hands and allow the deed to go unavenged.’
‘And?’
‘And Ceska has sent a thousand men to crush the Skoda rebellion. They will arrive in less than a week.’
Some thirty paces from their fire Decado sat with Tenaka, Ananais, Pagan and Scaler.
‘Come on, Dec,’ said Ananais. ‘How did you become the leader of a gang of warrior wizards? There must be a story to it.’
‘How do you know I am not a wizard?’ countered Decado.
‘No, seriously,’ whispered Ananais, glancing at the white-cloaked knights. ‘I mean, they are an eerie bunch. None of them is saying anything.’
‘On the contrary,’ Decado told him. ‘They are all talking – mind to mind.’
‘Nonsense!’ said Ananais, curling his fingers into the sign of the Protective Horn and holding his hand across his heart.
Decado smiled. ‘I speak truly.’ Turning, he called to Katan who joined them. ‘Go on, Ani – ask something,’ he ordered.