ECHOES OF THE GREAT SONG by David A. Gemmell

Some 20 feet away was the woman who had come to Sadau’s home the night before. Her children lay close by, as did the toddler Ammon had rescued. All the victims had their chests ripped open.

Ammon forced himself to look at all the faces, deter­mined that he would never forget any part of this dreadful slaughter.

Then he dropped down to where the others waited. ‘I should have stayed at home,’ whimpered Sadau.

‘I do not think so,’ said Ammon. ‘Come, let us move on.’

The watercourse had once flowed under the southern wall, joining a tributary to the Luan. The three men moved out into the shadow of the outer wall. The land here was open, with little cover. If there were sentries upon the parapets the fleeing men would be seen as soon as they moved out. Remaining where they were throughout the day they crept away under cover of darkness.

Now, as he stood in the cave mouth, Ammon was still fighting for calm. His immediate desire was to find his army and march back to the city, bringing bloody retribution to the killers. But he knew that his men, though well trained, could not stand against the fire-clubs of the enemy. The need for revenge was immense and he struggled with it. Now was a time for cool thinking, he knew.

Anwar approached him. ‘You are very quiet, my king.’

‘I was thinking. They killed my people like cattle. I must find a way to make them pay.’

The old man looked close to exhaustion. His face was grey with fatigue. ‘Marshal your thoughts, sire, and remember my teachings. What is the first rule?’

‘Establish priorities,’ answered Ammon, with a smile.

‘Good. What is the first priority?’

‘Escape.’

‘And the next.’

‘Become strong. Find the army. Then establish a new chain of command. Summon the tribal chieftains, and create a force to win back my kingdom.’

‘Each in its turn, my lord. Concentrate on one problem at a time. Give it your full attention. There is a time for emotion, a time for action. But always there must be thought. What have we learned about the enemy?’

‘They are deadly, and they are evil,’ said Ammon, instantly.

‘More than that.’

Ammon considered the question, but could find no answer. ‘You must tell me, councillor.’

‘They have not come for conquest, lord, but for slaugh­ter. Had they wished to subdue the city they would have established curfews, brought in city leaders and put in place new laws. Instead they are simply murdering the inhabitants. For what reason I do not know. But death is their prime consideration. The question is, have they only attacked us? Or have other peoples suffered? Have they, for example, attacked the Avatars? Are their cities conquered? Before we can make any plan of action we need to know the scale of the invasion.’

Ammon nodded. ‘You are right, but these are questions for another day. You talk of establishing priorities, Anwar. The first priority for you is rest. Eat some of that bread, then sleep.’

‘We must get further away, lord,’ objected the old man.

‘And we will. But only after you have slept.’

Anwar sighed, then smiled. ‘I must confess that I am weary,’ he said. He shuffled to the back of the cave and lay down.

Ammon glanced up at the sky. ‘I have never been entirely convinced of the existence of a supreme being,’ he whis­pered. ‘But now would be a good time to convince me.’

‘Would you like some bread, lord?’ asked the little potter, moving alongside the king.

Ammon tore off a chunk and sat down, indicating that Sadau should sit beside him. The potter did so. ‘The woman you brought to your home, what was her name?’

‘Rula, lord.’

‘Do you believe in the Great God?’

‘Of course.’

‘Then say a prayer for her. She and her children were among those murdered as we hid.’

Sadau’s face crumpled, and tears fell from his eyes. ‘I am sorry, little man,’ said Ammon. ‘But it does seem I have saved your life again. Had you remained in your home you would have died with them.’

‘Why would anyone want to kill children?’ asked Sadau. ‘What did they gain from such a … such a crime?’