The Nadir horde swept forward. Then thunder rumbled and a huge explosion erupted at the centre of the Nadir ranks. Everything was confusion as the charge faltered.
‘What happened?’ asked Druss.
‘Lightning struck them,’ said Hogun, removing his helm and unbuckling his breastplate. ‘It could happen here next – it’s all this damned metal.’
A distant trumpet sounded and the Nadir marched back to their tents. At the centre of the plain was a vast crater surrounded by blackened bodies. Smoke rose from the hole.
Druss turned and watched The Thirty enter the postern gate at Musif.
‘They knew,’ he said softly. ‘What manner of men are they?’
‘I don’t know,’ answered Hogun. ‘But they fight like devils, and at the moment that’s all I care about.’
‘They knew,’ Druss said again, shaking his head.
‘So?’
‘How much more do they know?’
*
‘Do you tell fortunes?’ the man asked Antaheim as they crouched together beneath the makeshift canvas roof with five others from Group Fire. Rain pattered on the canvas and dripped steadily to the stones below. The roof, hastily constructed, was pinned to the battlements behind them and supported by spears at the two front corners. Within, the men huddled together. They had seen Antaheim walking alone in the rain, and one of the men, Cul Rabil, had called him over, despite the warnings of his comrades. Now an uncomfortable atmosphere existed within the canvas shelter.
‘Well, do you?’ asked Rabil.
‘No,’ said Antaheim, removing his helm and untying the battle knot in his long hair. He smiled. ‘I am not a magician. Merely a man as you – all of you -are. My training is different, that is all.’
‘But you can speak without talking,’ said another man. ‘That’s not natural.’
‘It is to me.’
‘Can you see into the future?’ asked a thin warrior, making the sign of the Protective Horn beneath his cloak.
‘There are many futures. I can see some of them, but I do not know which will come to pass.’
‘How can there be many futures?’ asked Rabil.
‘It is not an easy concept to explain, but I will try. Tomorrow an archer will shoot an arrow. If the wind drops, it will hit one man – if the wind rises, it will hit another. Each man’s future therefore depends on the wind. I cannot predict which way the wind will blow, for that too depends on many things. I can look into tomorrow and see both men die, whereas only one may actually fall.’
‘Then what is the point of it all? Your talent, I mean?’ asked Rabil.
‘Now that is an excellent question, and one which I have pondered for many years.’
‘Will we die tomorrow?’ asked another.
‘How can I tell?’ answered Antaheim. ‘But all men must die eventually. The gift of life is not permanent.’
‘You say “gift”,’ said Rabil. ‘This implies a giver?’
‘Indeed it does.’
‘Which then of the gods do you follow?’
‘We follow the Source of all things. How do you feel after todays’ battle?’
‘In what way?’ asked Rabil, pulling his cloak closer about him.
‘What emotions did you feel as the Nadir fell back?’
‘It’s hard to describe. Strong.’ He shrugged. ‘Filled with power. Glad to be alive.’ The other men nodded at this.
‘Exultant?’ offered Antaheim.
‘I suppose so. Why do you ask?’
Antaheim smiled. ‘This is Eldibar, Wall One. Do you know the meaning of the word “Eldibar”?’
‘Is it not just a word?’
‘No, it is far more. Egel, who built this fortress, had names carved on every wall. “Eldibar” means “Exultation”, it is there that the enemy is first met. It is there he is seen to be a Man. Power flows in the veins of the defenders. The enemy falls back against the weight of our swords and the strength of our arms. We feel, as heroes should, the thrill of battle and the call of our heritage. We are exultant! Egel knew the hearts of men. I wonder did he know the future?’
‘What do the other names mean?’
Antaheim shrugged. ‘That is for another day. It is not good luck to talk of Musif while we shelter under the protection of Eldibar.’ Antaheim leaned back into the wall and closed his eyes, listening to the rain and the howling wind.