‘You are a long way from home, Yu Yu Liang. Is it your ambition to be a robber?’
‘No! I want to be a hero. A great fighter. I want to strut through the market towns and hear people say, “There he is. That’s—”‘
‘Yes, yes,’ said the Rajnee, ‘Yu Yu Liang. Well, all journeys begin with a single step, and at least you have mastered the strutting. Now I suggest you follow me.’ With that he walked away.
Yu Yu sheathed his sword, and looped the baldric over his shoulder. Then, grabbing the carrysack containing his meagre possessions, he ran to catch up with the departing Rajnee.
The man said nothing at first, as Yu Yu marched along beside him, but after walking for almost an hour the Rajnee paused. ‘Beyond those trees is the camp of my master, the merchant Matze Chai.’ Yu Yu nodded sagely and waited. ‘Should anyone recognize you what will you tell them?’
Yu Yu thought about this for a moment. ‘That I am your pupil, and you are teaching me to be a great hero.’
‘Are you an imbecile?’
‘No, I am a ditch-digger.’
The Rajnee turned towards him and sighed. ‘Why did you come to this land?’ he asked.
Yu Yu shrugged. ‘I don’t really know. I was heading west when I found the sword, then I decided to swing north-east.’
Yu Yu felt uncomfortable under the man’s dark gaze and the silence grew. ‘Well,’ he said, at last, ‘what are you thinking?’
‘We will talk in the morning,’ said Kysumu. ‘There is much to consider.’
‘Then I am your pupil?’
‘You are not my pupil,’ said Kysumu. ‘If you are recognized you will tell the truth. You will say you are not a robber and that you were merely travelling with them.’
‘Why was I travelling with them?’
‘What?’
‘If they ask.’
The Rajnee took a deep breath. ‘Just tell them about your desire to strut.’ Then he strode away towards the campfires.
Chapter Four
The first of the outlaws drifted back to the fading campfire, moving in warily, terrified that the grey-robed Rajnee would be hiding somewhere close by, ready to leap out and rip their lives from them with his wickedly curved sword. They had seen Rukar’s body opened from shoulder to belly, his entrails spilling out, and had no wish to share his grisly fate.
Satisfied that the swordsman had gone, one of the men gathered up some dead wood, throwing it on to the fire. Flames licked out, the light spreading.
‘What happened to Yu Yu?’ said another man, searching the ground for signs of a struggle.
‘He must have run,’ said another. ‘There’s no blood.’
Within an hour nine men had gathered around the fire. Three were still hiding out on the plain. It was growing colder, and a fine mist had begun to seep across the land, swirling like pale smoke.
‘Where did you hide, Kym?’ someone asked.
‘There are some ruined walls. I lay down behind one.’
‘Me too,’ said another. ‘Must have been a big settlement here once.’
‘It was a city,’ said Kym, a small man with sandy hair and buck teeth. ‘I remember my grandfather used to tell stories about it, great stories. Monsters and demons. Wonderful stuff. Me and my brother used to lie in bed and listen to them. We’d be terrified.’ The man laughed. ‘Then we wouldn’t be able to sleep and our mother would start shouting at Grandfather for scaring us. Then the following night we’d beg him to tell us more.’
‘So what was this place then?’ asked Bragi, a stoop-shouldered figure with thinning black hair.
‘It was called Guanador, I think,’ said Kym. ‘Grandfather said there was a great war and the entire city was destroyed.’
‘Where did the monsters come in?’ put in another man.
Kym shrugged. ‘There were magickers, and they had great black hounds with teeth of sharpened iron. Then there were the man-bears, eight feet tall with talons like sabres.’
‘How come they got beat, then?’ asked Bragi.
‘I don’t know,’ said Kym. ‘It’s only a story.’
‘I hate stories like that,’ said Bragi. ‘Don’t make any sense. Who beat ’em, anyway?’