Three young Nadir climbed down to where he stood and began to strip the dead of armour and weapons. Nuang clambered down also. ‘You think they will pull back?’
Druss shook his head. ‘They will look for another way in. We must get further back into the rocks, otherwise they’ll find a way to get behind us. How many were in the group that attacked you on the marches?’
‘No more than a hundred.’
‘Then the question remains: Where are the other two companies?’
Suddenly the Lancers charged again. The Nadir youngsters ran back and Druss stepped forward. ‘Come in and die, you whoresons!’ he bellowed, his voice booming and echoing in the rocks. The first of the Lancers sent his sabre in a hissing arc towards Druss’s throat, but Snaga flashed up to shatter the blade. The soldier hurled himself back, cannoning into two of his comrades. As Druss leapt at them, they turned and fled.
Nuang, sword in hand, appeared alongside Druss. Flames leapt up from the Nadir camp and Nuang cursed, but Druss chuckled. ‘Tents can be replaced, old man. It seems to me that your luck has changed for the better.’
‘Oh, yes,’ said Nuang bitterly. ‘I leap with joy at this change of fortune!’
Niobe lay on her stomach, staring down into the narrow cleft of black, basaltic rock. ‘Your friend is a very great fighter,’ she said, pushing her raven hair back from her face.
Sieben hunkered down beside her. ‘That is his talent,’ he admitted, annoyed at her admiring tone and the way her dark, almond-shaped eyes were focused on the axeman below.
‘Why did you not fight alongside him, po-et?’
‘My dear, when Druss starts swinging that dreadful axe the last place you want to be is beside him. Anyway, Druss always likes the odds to be against him. Brings out the best in him, you know.’
Niobe rolled to her elbow and gazed into his eyes. ‘Why is it you are no longer frightened, po-et? When we ran in here you were trembling.’
‘I don’t like violence,’ he admitted, ‘especially when it is directed towards me. But they won’t follow us in here. They are Lancers, heavily armoured; they are trained for cavalry charges on open ground. Their boots are metal-reinforced and high-heeled to keep the feet in the stirrups. They are entirely unsuited to scrambling over volcanic rock. No, they will pull back now, and try to catch us in the open. Therefore, for the moment, we are safe.’
She shook her head. ‘No-one is safe here,’ she told him. ‘Look around you, po-et. These black rocks are part of the Towers of the Damned. Evil dwells here. Even now there may be demons creeping towards us!’
Sieben shivered, but even in the fading moonlight he could see the amused gleam in her eyes. ‘You don’t believe that for a moment,’ he said.
‘Perhaps I do.’
‘No, you are just trying to frighten me. Would you like to know why the Nadir believe there are demons here?’ She nodded. ‘Because this area is – or once was – volcanic. It would have spewed fire, poisoned ash and red-hot lava. Travellers close by would have heard great rumblings below the earth.’ He swung round and pointed to the twin towers rearing towards the brightening sky. ‘Those are just cones of hollow, cooled lava.’
‘You don’t believe in demons?’ she asked him.
‘Aye,’ he said sombrely, ‘I do. There are beasts which can be summoned from the Pit – but they are like puppy-dogs when compared with the demons every man carries in his heart.’
‘Your heart has demons in it?’ she whispered, eyes widening.
‘Such a literal people,’ he said, shaking his head and rising. Swiftly he climbed down to where Druss was waiting with Nuang and several Nadir. He noted wryly how the Nadir stood close to the axeman, hanging on his words and grinning as he spoke. Only hours before they had been lusting to kill him. Now he was a hero to them. A friend.
‘What ho, old horse!’ Sieben called and Druss swung towards him.
‘What do you think, poet? Have we seen the last of them?’
‘I believe so. But we had better find another way out of these hills. I wouldn’t want to be caught by them on open ground.’