‘Do not underestimate yourself, Pendar. Soldiering is about acquired skills. You have a keen mind and you will learn. Stick close to me. Observe the routines. It will come to you. You have already made a beginning. You led that charge well. My thanks for that. It was bravely done.’
Pendar smiled. ‘A timely compliment, Talaban.’ The Vagar relaxed, and scanned the battle site. ‘So this is what it is like to be a warrior,’ he said. ‘I cannot say it has much to recommend it. There is a stench to the air that is gathering flies.’
‘When men die in combat their bowels open,’ said Talaban. ‘There are so many songs about battles and heroes and not one mentions the stench. I think few of the song writers ever fought in one.’ He sat down beside the Vagar. ‘Are you feeling better?’
‘Yes. What now?’
‘We send the badly wounded back to Egaru and we push on to kill as many Almecs as we can. Would you prefer to go back? There is no disgrace in it. I will commend you in my report.’
‘I don’t think my grandmother would appreciate that,’ said Pendar. ‘She is grooming me for political office. She thinks that a hero will be well received by the people.’
‘She is not wrong.’
‘She rarely is. She’s a tough woman, and single-minded.’
Touchstone strolled to where the two men were sitting. ‘I go to clifftop,’ he said. ‘Kill watcher. Meet later, yes?’
‘Be careful,’ warned Talaban. ‘We leave in one hour.’ Touchstone smiled and loped away.
‘I watched him kill four men with that small axe,’ said Pendar. ‘It was terrifying.’
‘He is from a warrior people. They believe that battle is the only route to greatness.’
‘And this is greatness?’ said Pendar, gesturing towards the dead.
‘No,’ said Talaban. ‘This is savagery, and the antithesis of everything civilization stands for. But in some respects Touchstone’s people do understand truths we have long forgotten. Only in strife do we grow. What you have learned today, in a few brief moments, no book or song or teacher could ever have imparted to you. You sat upon your horse in the mouth of the pass and you faced death. Then you overcame your fear and you charged. Have you ever felt so alive?’
‘No, never,’ admitted the Vagar. ‘And yet it was still appalling.’
‘Yes, it is. All these dead men – Almec, Avatar and Vagar – could have led useful productive lives. Now they are meat for scavenging birds. If your grandmother is right, and you move into political life, you can take what you have learned here and use it to benefit your people. In my long life I have grown to realize that all men sway between being base and noble. They make decisions daily that draw them one way, then the other. Leaders should inspire nobility of spirit. Today you have seen much that is base and more that was noble. You will either be a better or a worse man for it. I think you will be a better man. Now pick up your sword. I think it is time for a few basic lessons.’
It had been a long day and Sofarita was bone-weary as she returned to the house. Questor Ro was sleeping; all but one of his servants had retired to their beds. Old Sempes was waiting for her as she arrived.
‘Would you like some food, lady?’ he asked. ‘Or perhaps I could prepare you a bath?’
‘No, thank you. I think I will just sleep,’ she said. She slowly climbed the stairs. Her knees and hip joints ached as she did so, yet another indication of the advancing crystallization of her limbs. She paused at the top of the stairs, then pushed on to her room. It was a small, westerly-facing bedroom with a wide arched window and a small balcony beyond. Through it she could see the stars shining above the glittering ocean.
Too tired to disrobe she kicked off her shoes, pulled back the blankets and lay down. The pillow was soft and inviting, but she did not drift away into sleep.
It was eight days since Talaban had ridden from the city with his men. She had observed his first encounter with the Almecs and found herself terrified that he might be killed. He was occupying a great deal of her thoughts now. There was something about him that reached out to her. She could not identify it. He had fought four skirmishes since then, lightning raids on Almec columns, and was now heading for his rendezvous with the Serpent, which Methras had sailed up the Luan estuary.
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