‘Ulric must realise by now that he has a battle on his hands.’
‘He knew that anyway,’ answered Druss. ‘It won’t worry him yet.’
‘I don’t see why not, it worries me,’ said Rek, rising as Virae joined them with Menahem and Antaheim. The three members of The Thirty left without a word and Virae sat beside Rek, hugging his waist and resting her head on his shoulder.
‘Not an easy day,’ said Rek, gently stroking her hair.
‘They looked after me,’ she whispered. ‘Just like you told them to, I suppose.’
‘Are you angry?’
‘No.’
‘Good. We have only just met and I don’t want to lose you yet.’
‘You two ought to eat,’ said Druss. ‘I know you don’t feel like it, but take the advice of an old warrior.’ The old man stood, glanced back once at the Nadir camp and walked slowly towards the mess hall. He was tired. Almighty tired.
Ignoring his own advice, he skirted the mess hall and made for his room at the hospital. Inside the long building he paused to listen to the moans from the wards. The stench of death was everywhere. Stretcher-bearers pushed past him bearing bloodied corpses, orderlies hurled buckets of water to the floor, others with mops or buckets of sand prepared the ground for tomorrow. He spoke to none of them.
Pushing open the door of his room, he stopped. Caessa sat within. ‘I have food for you,’ she said, avoiding his eyes. Silently he took the platter of beef, red beans and thick black bread and began to eat.
‘There is a bath for you in the next room,’ she said as he finished. He nodded and stripped off his clothing.
He sat in the hip bath and cleaned the blood from his hair and beard. When cold air touched his wet back, he knew she had entered. She knelt by the bath and poured an aromatic liquid into her hands, then began washing his hair. He closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of her fingers on his scalp. Rinsing his hair with warm fresh water, she rubbed it dry with a clean towel.
Back in his room, Druss found that she had laid out a clean undervest and black woollen trousers and had sponged his leather jerkin and boots. She poured him a goblet of Lentrian wine before leaving. Druss finished the wine and lay back on the bed, resting his head on his hand. Not since Rowena had a woman tended to him in this fashion, and his thoughts were mellow.
Rowena, his child bride, taken by slavers soon after the wedding at the great oak. Druss had followed them, not even stopping to bury his parents. For months he had travelled the land until, at last, in the company of Sieben the Poet, he had discovered the slavers’ camp. Having found out from them that Rowena had been sold to a merchant who was heading east, he slew the leader in his tent and set out once more. For five years he wandered across the continent, a mercenary, building a reputation as the most fearsome warrior of his time, becoming at last the champion of Ventria’s God-king, Gorben.
Finally he had found his wife in an eastern palace and had wept. For without her he had always been only half a man. She alone made him human, stilling for a while the dark side of his nature, making him whole, showing him the beauty in a field of flowers, where he looked for perfection in a blade of steel.
She used to wash his hair, and stroke the tension from his neck and the anger from his heart.
Now she was gone and the world was empty, a shifting blur of shimmering grey where once had been colours of dazzling brightness.
Outside a gentle rain began to fall. For a while Druss listened to it pattering on the roof. Then he slept.
Caessa sat in the open air, hugging her knees. Had anyone approached her, they could not have seen where the rain ended and the tears began.
22
For the first time all members of The Thirty manned Eldibar as the Nadir massed for the charge. Serbitar had warned Rek and Druss that today would be different: no bailistae bombardment, merely an endless series of charges to wear down the defenders. Druss had refused all advice to rest for the day and stood at the centre of the wall. Around him were The Thirty in their silver steel armour and white cloaks. With them was Hogun, while Rek and Virae stood with the men of Group Fire forty paces to the left. Orrin remained with Karnak on the right. Five thousand men waited, swords in hands, shields buckled, helms lowered.