Belisarius was close enough now for Damodara to make him out clearly. That, Damodara believed in. That, and the reality of the Rajput standing next to him in the shade of the pavilion. He believed in horsemen riding across stony ground, under the light of a mid-morning sun. He believed in the sun, and the rocks, and the cool breeze. He believed in the food resting on platters at the center of the low table in the pavilion. He believed in the wine which was in the beaker next to the food, and he believed in the beaker itself.
None of those things were perfect. Even the sun, on occasion, had spots. And they were very far from being certain, beyond the next few hours. But they were real.
Damodara was Malwa. Practical. Yet he had discovered, as so many practical men before him, that being practical was a lot harder than it looked. So, for a moment, he envied Sanga’s certainties.
But only for a moment. Humor came to his rescue. Damodara had a good sense of humor. Practical men needed it.
“Well, we can’t have that!” he proclaimed. “A commander should have a bodyguard.”
Damodara turned his head and whispered something to Narses. The eunuch nodded, and passed the message to the young Rajput who was serving as their attendant in the pavilion. A moment later, the youth was on his horse and cantering toward the Rajput camp a short distance away.
* * *
And so it was, by the time Belisarius drew up his horse before the small pavilion in which the parley would be held, that he discovered he would have a bodyguard after all.
Valentinian helped him down. The cataphract was not wearing any armor, beyond a light Rajput helmet, but he was carrying a sword slung from a baldric. And, of course, knives and daggers. Belisarius could see three of them, thrust into a wide sash. He did not doubt there were as many more, secreted away somewhere. Most men counted wealth in coins. Valentinian counted wealth in blades.
“How are you feeling?” asked Belisarius.
Valentinian’s narrow face grew even more pinched. “Not too well, sir, to be honest. I stopped seeing double, at least. But my head still hurts, more often than not, and I don’t have much strength back.”
Valentinian glanced at the Malwa sitting in the open pavilion. They were out of hearing range. Damodara had politely allowed Valentinian to meet Belisarius alone.
“I’ll do my best,” he whispered, “if there’s any trouble. But I’ve got to warn you that I’m not my old self. Not yet, anyway.”
Belisarius smiled. “There won’t be any trouble. And if there is, we’ll have Sanga to protect us.”
Valentinian grimaced. “Pity those poor bastards. God, that man’s a demon.” Gingerly, he touched the light helmet on his head. “I don’t ever want to do that again, I’ll tell you for sure. Not without him tied up, and me using grenades.”
Again, Valentinian glanced at the enemy in the pavilion. This time, however, it was a look of respect rather than suspicion.
“I’ve been well treated, general. Pampered like a lord, if you want to know the truth. Sanga himself has come to visit me, any number of times. Even Damodara.” A look of bemusement came to his face. “He’s actually a friendly sort of fellow, the fat little bugger. Odd, for a Malwa. Even got a sense of humor. Pretty good one.”
Belisarius shrugged. “Why is that odd? The Malwa are humans, Valentinian, not gods.” Belisarius gave his own quick glance at the pavilion. “Which is the reason, when the dust settles, that the new gods will find Malwa has failed them. They’re trying to make perfection out of something which is not only imperfect by nature, but must be. Only imperfect things can grow, Valentinian. Striving for perfection is as foolish as it is vain. You can only create a statue—a thing which may look grand, on a pedestal, but will not stand up so well on the field of battle.”
Belisarius brought his eyes back to Valentinian. “You swore an oath, I assume.”
Valentinian nodded. For a moment, he seemed uncomfortable. Not ashamed, simply . . . awkward, like a peasant in the company of royalty. Men of Valentinian’s class and station did not swear solemn oaths with the same practiced ease that nobility did.