Yet, if they did not at least try, then Kiall would have branded himself both a liar and a braggart.
Kiall slept fitfully into the day. Soon after dusk the questors set off, avoiding skylines, keeping to the low ground. At last Okas led them up a winding deer trail and halted within a clearing surrounded by poplar trees. There he dismounted and moved off to the brow of a low hill. Chareos and the others joined him there and found themselves overlooking a large settlement. A tall stockade wall was built around the town, with four wooden turrets at each corner. Inside there were some sixty dwellings and a long hall. Guards paced the battlements, and lanterns were hung over the gates.
‘It’s more like a cursed fortress,’ said Beltzer.
‘We’re not here to attack it,’ Chareos told him.
‘Thank the gods for that,” said Beltzer.
Chareos studied the layout of the buildings and the movements of the people within the town. It was just after dawn and few of the town dwellers could be seen. Two women carrying wooden buckets on yokes walked to the rear of the stockade and out through a side exit. Chareos focused his attention on this; it was shaped as a portcullis, with a heavy metal block that was raised by turning two spoked wooden wheels situated on the battlements.
Chareos eased his way back from the skyline and joined the others.
‘I can see no way for us to gain entry without being seen,’ he told them, ‘unless we have someone on the inside.’
‘Who?’ asked Beltzer.
‘I’ll go myself,’ proposed Chareos.
‘No,’ said Kiall. ‘It makes no sense to send our leader into peril. What would the rest of us do if you were taken? No, I will go.’
‘What will you tell them, boy?’ chortled Beltzer. ‘That you’ve come for your lady and they’d better surrender her or else?’
‘Something like that,’ said Kiall. He pushed himself to his feet and walked to his horse. Swiftly he emptied his saddlebag of gold, keeping only a single red gold ring, then he returned to the group. ‘I shall tell their leader, whoever he is, that I am willing to buy back the women taken. If he is agreeable, I will signal you from the ramparts; I will raise my right arm and wave. If I think there is treachery in the air, I will raise my left.’
‘What are we supposed to do then, general?’ sneered Beltzer. ‘Storm the citadel?’
‘Be silent, you oaf!’ snapped Chareos. ‘So far the plan is sound. At midnight Finn and I will be at the southern wall. If you have not signalled in that time, we will come in and look for you. Be careful, Kiall. These men are killers. Life means nothing to them.’
‘I know,’ Kiall replied. As he walked to his horse and mounted, Okas’ voice came into his mind.
‘I will be with you, seeing through your eyes.’
He smiled at the Tattooed Man and touched heels to his horse.
The sun was bright as he headed down the grass-covered slope towards the settlement. Looking up at a sentry who had notched an arrow to his bow, Kiall waved and smiled. The gates loomed and he rode through. Sweat trickled to his back and he could not bring himself to look up at the archer. He guided the mount to a hitching-rail and dismounted. There was a well nearby and he hauled up the bucket and drank from a rusty iron ladle.
He heard the sound of moving men and turned slowly to see four guards approaching him with swords drawn. He spread his hands. ‘There is no need for violence, my friends. I am here to buy a woman – maybe two.’
‘Let’s feel the weight of your gold,’ answered a tall man.
Kiall dipped his hand into his pocket and came up with the ring. He tossed it to the man, who examined it closely.
‘Very nice,’ he said. ‘And the rest?’
‘Hidden until we complete our business.’
‘Hidden eh? Well, I know a few tricks that always make a man sing out his secrets.’
‘I am sure that you do,’ said Kiall. ‘Now take me to whoever is the leader here.’