‘Later,’ she told him. ‘First tell me all.’
‘Oh, no,’ he said, sweeping her from her feet and carrying her into the square bedroom at the rear of the hall.
They made love for more than an hour; finally he lay back on the bolster and closed his eyes.
‘Now tell me,’ she said, raising herself on one elbow and looking down at him.
‘You know that if I was the sort of man to fall in love, it would be with you, Princess. You are strong, intelligent, courageous and quick-witted. And in bed …”
‘Yes, yes. I compliment you also. But tell me!’
‘And you are so single-minded. I admire that.’ Her face darkened. ‘All right, all right,’ he said, smiling. ‘The Earl has commissioned me to kill Chareos.’
‘And you would like me to do it for you?’
‘Well, I am getting old and tired.’
‘I noticed that,’ she said, sitting up. ‘And now I have work to do.’
‘Why was Tsudai here?’ he asked and she turned back to him, wondering if the concern in his eyes was genuine. Deciding it was not, she merely shrugged and stood.
‘How is it that you hear everything, Harokas? Are you a seer?’
‘No, I am a listener. And when Jungir Khan’s general rides across the Steppes I know it is not for exercise.’
‘He came to buy women, that was all.’
‘Now it is your turn to hold something back. Would you like him dead, Princess?’
‘No!’ she said sharply.
‘As you wish. But he hates you – you know that?’
‘He says he loves me.’
Harokas grunted and rolled from the bed. ‘He wouldn’t know the meaning of the word.’
‘And you do?’ she asked, slipping into her tunic.
‘Sometimes I think I do. What will you do about Chareos?’
‘I will send out riders today.’
‘Send the best, Princess.’
‘The heroes of Bel-azar will be dead by the end of the week.’
‘Perhaps,’ he said softly.
*
Despite its bleak appearance, the land leading to the Steppes was teeming with life and Kiall found himself fascinated by the wonder of the wild. He had spent his life in the valley and knew of the habits of deer and wild sheep, but out here there were creatures of rare beauty and their behaviour was sometimes both mystic and comical.
High above them on the fourteenth day of their journey he saw great birds with long, rectangular wings, swooping and spiralling in the sky. Recognising them as vultures – but of a type he had not seen before – he spurred his horse to ride alongside Finn, who was some half a mile ahead of the group.
Finn reined in and waited for the young man. ‘Is there a problem?’ asked the hunter.
‘No. I was watching the vultures. Does it mean something is dying?’
‘Not death,’ answered Finn, smiling. ‘Life. They circle like that to find a mate. Watch them closely and you will see the males gliding around the females. Gradually their actions will become like mirror images.’
The vultures soared and wheeled in breathtaking displays.
‘Such beauty from creatures of ugliness,’ whispered Kiall.
‘Why ugliness?’ countered Finn. ‘Because they feed on carrion? They clean the land, Kiall. In many ways they keep it beautiful.’
‘Why do they mate in winter? Does the cold not threaten the eggs?’
‘No,’ Finn replied. ‘When the female lays, she will sit upon the eggs for two months. After they hatch she will feed the young for a further four months. It is a long period for a bird.’
The questors rode on, crossing streams that rippled down from the mountains, swollen now with melted snow. Finn caught three large trout which they cooked for supper on the sixteenth day. He caught them with his hands, which impressed Kiall. The hunter shook his head. ‘No great skill, Kiall. Even for them it is the mating season,’ he said. ‘They settle down in grooves on the shallow stream-bed to lay their eggs. They remain still and, if a man is quick and certain, he can ripple his fingers against their sides and flick them from the water.’
As the days passed more and more wildlife was seen -great crested grebes on shallow lakes; coots; herons in their comical mating dances, leaping on stick-like legs to attract the females; huge black kites swooping, diving, meeting in the air.