‘What can we do?’ asked Talisman.
‘Find out what she wants,’ Gorkai advised.
‘Supposing she just wants me?’ asked Zhusai. ‘My life?’
‘Why have you not spoken to your own shaman?’ asked Gorkai. ‘His knowledge is greater than mine in these matters.’
‘I won’t have him near me,’ said Zhusai, her voice breaking. ‘Not ever. I don’t trust him. He . . . would want her to kill me. She is Shul-sen, the Mother of the Nadir people. A witch. She has power and he would seek to use it. I have nothing.’
‘I have not the skill to deal with this, Talisman,’ said Gorkai. ‘I can cast no spells.’
Talisman took hold of Zhusai’s hand. ‘Then it must be Nosta Khan. Fetch him.’
‘No!’ shouted Zhusai, struggling to rise. Talisman held her tightly, pulling her in to his chest.
‘Trust me!’ he urged her. ‘I would let no harm come to you. I will watch Nosta Khan carefully. If there is danger, I will kill him. Trust me!’
Her body jerked in a wild spasm, and her eyes closed momentarily. When they opened all fear was gone. ‘Oh, I trust you, Talisman,’ she said softly. He felt her shoulder draw back, and some sixth sense made him pull away from her – just in time to see the knife-blade. Throwing up his right arm he blocked the blow, and slammed his left fist into her jaw. Her head snapped back and she slumped to the bed. Retrieving his knife from her limp hand, he flung the weapon across the room.
Nosta Khan entered. ‘What happened here?’ he asked.
‘She took my knife and tried to kill me. But it was not Zhusai. She is possessed.’
‘Your servant told me. The spirit of Shul-sen seeks release. You should have come to me before, Talisman. How many more secrets do you keep from me ?’
Without waiting for an answer he moved to the bed. ‘Tie her hands behind her back,’ he ordered Gorkai. The warrior glanced at Talisman, who gave a curt nod. Using a slender belt of cord Gorkai lashed her wrists together, then he and Nosta Khan lifted her, propping her back against the bed pillows. From an old pouch that hung at his belt, Nosta Khan drew a necklace of human teeth which he tied around the unconscious woman’s neck. ‘From this moment,’ he said, ‘no-one is to speak.’ Placing his hand upon her head, he began to chant.
It seemed to the two watching men that the temperature in the room was dropping, and a cold wind began to blow through the window.
The chant continued, the sound rising and falling. Talisman did not know the language used — if language it was – but the effect within the room was astonishing. Ice began to form on the window frame and walls, and Gorkai was shivering uncontrollably. Nosta Khan showed no sign of discomfort. He fell silent, then drew his hand back from Zhusai’s brow. ‘Open your eyes,’ he commanded, ‘and tell me your name.’
The dark eyes slid open. ‘I am . . .’ A smile formed. ‘I am she who was blessed above all women.’
‘You are the spirit of Shul-sen, wife to Oshikai Demon-bane?’
‘I am she.’
‘You are dead, woman. There is no place for you here.’
‘I do not feel dead, shaman. I can feel my heart beating, and the rope around my wrists.’
‘The form is one you have stolen. Your bones lie in a chamber of volcanic rock. Or do you not remember the night of your death?’
‘Oh, I remember,’ she said, her lips thinning, her eyes glittering. ‘I remember Chakata and his spikes of gold. He was human then. I can still feel the pain as he slowly pushed them home, deep enough to blind but not to kill. I remember. Oh, yes, I remember it all. But now I am back. Release my hands, shaman.’
‘I shall not,’ said Nosta Khan. ‘You are dead, Shul-sen – as your husband is dead. Your time is gone.’
She laughed then, the sound filling the room. Talisman felt the terrible cold bite into his bones. Beside him Gorkai could scarcely stand, and was now trembling and shaking. The laughter died away. ‘I am a witch with great powers. Oshikai knew that and he used me well. I know from the memories of the girl that you are facing an army, shaman. I can help you. Release me!’