If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears, does it make a sound?
If a man dies unobserved, how will his death be chronicled?
‘Damn you, father,’ whispered Karnak. ‘Damn you!’
Laughter shook him. Tears followed. ‘Damn you!’ he bellowed.
The rock beside him shifted and Karnak froze, waiting for the crushing death. Light fell on his face and a ragged cheer went up from the men. Karnak squinted against the torchlight, then forced a grin.
‘You took your time, Gellan,’ he whispered. ‘I thought I’d have to dig myself out!’
22
Danyal lay back on the aft deck of the river barge, listening to the gentle lap of the waves against the hull. Some few paces to her left Durmast leaned on the rail, eyes scanning the river bank.
For some time she watched him, closing her eyes every time his shaggy head turned in her direction. For the last three days he had been either silent or surly, and whenever she glanced at him she found his glittering eyes focused on her. At first she had been irritated, but that had grown into fear, for Durmast was no ordinary man. Everything about him radiated power. In him was raw strength, and an innate savagery held in check by gossamer threads of reason and logic. All his life, she sensed, he had gained everything he desired by strength, or cunning, or calculated ruthlessness.
And he wanted her.
Danyal knew it- it was in his eyes, his movements, his lack of words.
There was little she could to to make herself less attractive. She had but the one tunic and that disguised her not at all.
Now he turned from the rail and approached her, looming in the darkness like a giant.
‘What do you want?’ she asked, sitting up.
He squatted beside her. ‘I knew you weren’t asleep.’
‘You want to talk?’
‘No … yes.’
‘Then talk. I’m not going anywhere.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘It means I’m a captive listener.’
‘You are not my captive. You can go or stay as you choose.’
He sat back and scratched his beard. ‘Why do you twist everything into confrontation?’
‘You bring out the worst in me, Durmast – put it down to that. How long before we disembark?’
Tomorrow. We’ll buy horses and be camped at Raboas by nightfall.’
‘And then?’
‘We’ll wait for Waylander – if he is not already there.’
‘I wish I could believe you,’ she said bitterly.
‘Why should you not?’
She laughed then and his hand shot out to grab her arm, dragging her to him. ‘You bitch!’ he hissed. In his eyes she saw insanity, the deadly madness of the beserker.
‘Take your hand off me,’ she said, fighting for calm.
‘Why? I like to smell your fear.’ He crushed her to him, holding her arms tight against her side. His face pushed against hers and she felt his breath against her cheek.
‘I thought you said you were no rapist,’ she whispered.
He groaned as he released her, pushing her from him.
‘You make my head swim, woman. Your every movement, every look, urges me to take you – you want me, I know you do.’
‘You misread me, Durmast. I want nothing to do with you.’
‘Don’t give me that! Women like you don’t stay long without a man. I know what you need.’
‘You know nothing; you are an animal.’
‘You think Waylander is different? He and I are two sides of the same coin. We are killers. Why should you lust for one and not the other?’
‘Lust?’ she sneered. That’s what you’ll never understand. Lust has little to do with it. I love him as a man and I want to be with him. I want to talk to him, to touch him.’
‘But not me?’
‘Who could love you, Durmast?’ she snapped. ‘You are obsessed with yourself. You think you fooled me with your talk of helping Waylander? You want the Armour yourself and you’ll sell it to the highest bidder.’
‘So sure, are you?’
‘Of course I am sure, I know you – you are physically strong, but morally you’re less than a sewer rat.’