LEGEND by David A. Gemmell

As Rek gazed at the Earl of Dros Delnoch, he saw himself as others would see him. They were not to know of his inner doubts and would see only the image he had created.

So be it.

He left the hall and stopped the first soldier he met to ask him where Druss was to be found. Wall One, the soldier said, and he described the location of the postern gates. The tall young Earl set out for Eldibar as the sun sank; going through the town, he stopped to buy a small loaf of honey cake which he ate as he walked. It was growing darker as he reached the postern gate of Wall Two, but a sentry showed him the way through and at last he entered the killing ground behind Wall One. Clouds obscured the moon and he almost fell into the fire-pit that stretched across the pass. A young soldier hailed him and showed him the first wooden bridge across it.

‘One of Bowman’s archers, are you?’ asked the soldier, not recognising the tall stranger.

‘No. Where is Druss?’

‘I have no idea. He could be on the battlements, or you might try the mess hall. Messenger, are you?’

‘No. Which is the mess hall?’

‘See the lights over there? That’s the hospital. Past there is the store room; keep walking until you hit the smell of the latrines, then turn right. You can’t miss it.’

‘Thank you.’

‘It’s no trouble. Recruit, are you?’

‘Yes,’ said Rek. ‘Something like that.’

‘Well, I’d better come with you.’

‘There is no need.’

‘Yes, there is,’ said the man and Rek felt some­thing sharp in the small of his back. ‘This is a Ventrian dagger, and I suggest you just walk along with me for a short way.’

‘What’s the point of all this?’

‘First, someone tried to kill Druss the other day – and second, I don’t know you,’ said the man. ‘So walk on and we will find him together.’

The two men moved on towards the mess hall. Now that they were closer, they could hear the sounds from the buildings ahead. A sentry hailed them from the battlements; the soldier answered, then asked for Druss.

‘He’s on the wall near the gate tower,’ came the answer.

‘This way,’ said the soldier, and Rek climbed the short steps to the battlement walls. Then he stopped dead. On the plain thousands of torches and small fires illuminated the Nadir army. Siege towers straddled the pass like wooden giants from mountain wall to mountain wall. The whole valley was lit as far as the eye could see – it was like a view of the second level of hell itself.

‘Not a pretty sight, is it?’ said the soldier.

‘I don’t think it will look any better by daylight,’ said Rek.

‘You are not wrong,’ agreed the other. ‘Let’s move.’

Ahead of them Druss was seated on the battle­ments talking to a small group of soldiers. He was telling a wonderfully embroidered tall story which Rek had heard before. The punch line evoked the desired effect and the night silence was broken by the sound of laughter.

Druss laughed heartily with the men, then noticed the newcomers. He turned and studied the tall man in the blue cape.

‘Well?’ he asked the soldier.

‘He was looking for you, captain, so I brought him along.’

‘To be more precise,’ said Rek, ‘he thought I might be an assassin. Hence the dagger behind me.’

Druss raised an eyebrow. ‘Well, are you an assassin?’

‘Not recently. Can we talk?’

‘We appear to be doing just that.’

‘Privately.’

‘You start talking and I will decide how private it is to be,’ said Druss.

‘My name is Regnak. I have just arrived with warriors from the Temple of The Thirty and Virae, the daughter of Delnar.’

‘We will talk privately,’ decided Druss. The men wandered away out of earshot.

‘So speak,’ said Druss, his cold grey eyes fixed on Rek’s face,

Rek seated himself on the battlement wall and stared out over the glowing valley.

‘A little on the large side, isn’t it?’

‘Scare you, does it?’

‘To the soles of my boots. However, you’re obvi­ously in no mood to make this an easy meeting, so I will simply spell out my position. For better or worse, I am the Earl. I’m not a fool, nor yet a general – though often the two are synonymous. As yet I will make no changes. But bear this in mind . . . I will take a back seat to no man when decisions are needed.’