Song Xiu killed two warriors, then darted through the gap. Kysumu ducked under a slashing blade, disembowelled the wielder, then ran after him. But before they could reach the gateway a group of Kriaz-nor cut them off. Back to back Kysumu and Song Xiu struggled to defend themselves. The remaining Riaj-nor swept forward to aid them. Many were killed.
Only a dozen made it, forming a defensive circle. They were exhausted now.
‘It would take no more than one – maybe two blades,’ said Song Xiu, during a momentary lull in the fighting. He swore and cast an angry glance at the stone arch. They were so close now that their faces, and those of their enemies, were bathed in blue light. One warrior tried to fling his sword over the heads of the Kriaz-nor. It spun towards the gateway, but an enemy warrior leapt and caught it by the hilt. The blade shivered and broke.
Song Xiu stared venomously at the remaining Kriaz-nor, who were standing now some ten feet away. They were equally weary. ‘One last charge,’ said Song Xiu. A movement caught Kysumu’s eye. He glanced to the left.
Low to the ground, moving behind a ruined wall, was a crawling figure. Kysumu saw the edge of a wolfskin jerkin. Suddenly Yu Yu Liang surged to his feet, sprinting towards the gateway. The three Kriaz-nor stationed there ran to block his way.
Yu Yu leapt at them, his sword cleaving through the air.
‘Now!’ shouted Song Xiu.
The Riaj-nor charged. Kysumu lost sight of Yu Yu and joined Song Xiu and the others. They threw themselves at the enemy. The Kriaz-nor did not give ground, nor could the weary attackers force them back.
The battle was being fought as if in a dream, the movements of the warriors slow and sluggish. Finally both sides fell back and stared malevolently at each other. There were only eight attackers still standing, and fourteen Kriaz-nor.
In the lull Kysumu looked around for Yu Yu. He knew what he would see.
His body lay close to the gateway. His sword arm had been severed. The Rajnee blade lay beside it. Kysumu felt sick with grief. Then he saw the body twitch. The Kriaz-nor guarding the gateway had moved forward to stand with their comrades. None of them could see Yu Yu.
Kysumu watched as Yu Yu rolled to his side. There was a ghastly wound in his belly, and his entrails had spilled out. Even so, he began to crawl, leaving a bloody smear upon the rocks. Reaching out with his left hand, Yu Yu gathered up the fallen sword. He groaned as he did so. One of the Kriaz-nor swung round. Yu Yu flung the blade into the gateway.
There was a searing burst of brightness, accompanied by a high-pitched hum that made the ground vibrate. The blue lightning ceased to crackle. Instead a silver sheen covered the gateway.
The Kriaz-nor turned suddenly and raced towards the arch. Thirteen made it through, but as the last warrior crossed it the silver became grey rock. At first it seemed that the warrior had merely stopped in the gateway, but then his body slid down the stone and flopped to its back. He had been cut in half.
Kysumu ran to where Yu Yu lay. Gently he turned him. Yu Yu’s eyes were open.
‘Oh, my friend,’ said Kysumu, tears flowing, ‘you closed the gateway.’
Yu Yu could not hear him, and Kysumu gazed down into the dead face. He hugged Yu Yu to him and sat rocking back and forth. Song Xiu moved to his side and sat down. For a while he was silent as Kysumu wept. Then he spoke. ‘He was a good man,’ he said.
Kysumu kissed Yu Yu’s brow, then laid him back on the ground. ‘It makes no sense to me,’ said Kysumu, brushing away his tears. ‘He could have lived. He didn’t want to be the pria-shath. He didn’t want to fight demons and die. So why? Why did he throw away his life?’
‘He did not throw it away, human. He gave it. For you, for me, for this land. Why do you think he was chosen? If the Source had wanted the best swordsman he might have picked you. But He didn’t. He wanted a man. An ordinary man.’ Song Xiu chuckled. ‘A ditch-digger with a stolen sword. And look what that ditch-digger achieved.’