The arrows smoked their way into the brush where the horses were tied. As he expected, it didn't take but a few seconds before the brush burst into a rapidly burning flame. The horses shied away from the licking flames and Casca picked new targets. A snoring, sleeping Hun. This time he drew the string all the way back to his ear and the arrow pinned the sleeping man to the earth. He got off two more shots before the whinnying of the horses, combined with the screaming of one of the Huns he had shot, roused the rest of the sleepers. They stumbled to their feet, red-eyed and hung over, reaching for their weapons in confusion. He shot another in the groin, the flat- bladed arrow taking off one testicle.
'Shit,' he cursed. He had been aiming at the man's stomach. The horses broke and began to shy away from the flames, but they weren't running. So he took the time to send a couple of shafts into the nearest of the animals' rear ends. This served to give the rest of them the needed impetus to break and run, as did the Huns on their twisted legs, looking for cover and trying to locate their enemy. Casca took one more out with a lucky shot that hit the man squarely between the shoulder blades and exited at hands-length out the front of his chest. By then, he'd had to dodge a couple of arrows himself. He had the advantage of being on the high ground or they probably would have nailed him right off. They were, he admitted, all damned better bowmen than he was.
Yelling down to them, he spoke in the language of Chin. One called back to him, 'What is it that you want and who are you that hides from us likea pariah dog? Come down and fight.'
Casca grinned, his eyes never leaving the Huns in the rocks. 'I'm glad to see at least one of you has the ability to speak in more than grunts, grunts that are the natural tongue of your tribes. What I want is to make a deal.'
The Hun leader yelled back. 'I'm listening.'
'Unless you bowlegged little bastards would be fond of walking out of this place and across the desert, I would suggest that you give my offer careful consideration.'
'Why should we listen to you? We have you outnumbered and it would be just a matter of time before you're laid out to be properly butchered.'
'Normally, that would be true, you ugly little bastard, but not right now. If you won't deal with me, then I'm going to leave you here, take my horse, and go after yours and kill them all. Thatwill guarantee that you will leave your bones on the trail with no one to sing your death song except the flies.'
The Huns below realized that what he said was true. He would have the advantage and from what he had just done, there was no doubt that he would do exactly as he said. And it was a long way to the felt yurts of their tribes.
'What is your offer?'
'Let the captive go. Give him a full skin of water and another of good food from his own supplies. Once he is in the clear, we'll leave. Your horses will return before long. They have to come back to drink sometime so you'll just have to wait a little while for them. By then I'll be long gone and you can continue your journey with more horses then you started with. Is that fair enough?'
The Hun below thought about it for a moment. He really had no other choice. 'So be it. We'll let you have the Yueh Chih pup and the water and food. But no weapons for him. That would increase your advantage too much.'
'I agree,' called back Casca. 'Send him on up.'
Keeping a wary eye on the rocks, one of the Huns slid and waddled over to the Yueh Chih warrior and freed him from his bonds. The young man had heard all that had transpired between the Huns and his hidden ally in the rocks above. He wasted no time in getting a skin of water and a sack of food from the pile of looted goods. He looked longingly at his personal weapons but made no move towards them. Throwing his load on his shoulders, he rapidly began to climb up to his protector's perch. A scarred hand reached out to help and pulled him up to safety. A strong shove and he was clear of the ledge.
Casca gave a curt, 'Get your ass to the back and down the ridge. I have a horse there. Give him some water and we'll get our butts out of here while we have the chance.' He called back to the Huns, 'Now, you girls just be patient. If I see just one inch of your scabby hides away from the water-hole, I'll kill the horses.'
He backed away, still careful not to give the Huns a bow shot. By the time he'd made his way back to his horse the young warrior had allowed the animal to sip a large measure of their water supply, and the fluid already had imparted a little life to his lackluster eyes. But it still lacked the strength to carry a double load, so they moved out on foot. Casca leading, they half-walked, half-trotted away from the hole, following the tracks of the panicked horses. After about an hour, and another dose of water followed with a handful of grain from the food sack, Casca's horse was ready to be ridden, but still only by one. The youngster held onto the tail and they were still moving in this manner when they came on the first of the horses resting in the shade of some boulders. The Yueh Chih warrior gave a low whistle and the beast stayed put until the young man gained its reins. It was his own horse. As the youngster swung up into his saddle, Casca asked him, 'What is your name? It wouldn't be Jugotai by any chance?'
The youngster whipped his head around, the scalplock flying. 'No, I am Shuvar, son of Jugotai. Do you know my father?'
Casca laughed a deep chuckle. 'Aye, boy, Iknew him when he was no older than you, many years ago.'
The two rode together, rounding up all the horses they could find. Two mounts evaded them but they moved on, herding the horses before them. Shuvar questioned Casca, 'Aren't you going to leave them for the Huns as you promised?'
Casca shook his shaggy head. 'No way. We missed two and I hate to leave them behind. One thing you learn in life, if you live as long as I have, and that is to never give a barbarian an even break. If we let them get back their mounts they would come after us, or go and kill someone else. Besides, they still have a chance to survive.'
When they made camp that night, Shuvar responded to Casca's questions about his reasons for being so far from Kushan's borders. Shuvar told him he was to deliver a message to Chin that they had word the Huns were on the march again. The hordes were gathering together with new allies, including the Mongol tribes, for an all-out assault on Chin. For a while Casca thought about returning with Shuvar, but decided to go on his way. There would be little he could do now and the wheel of time had turned too far for him to go back. With the dawn he bid farewell to Shuvar, gave him his bow and his remaining arrows, three of the horses, and most of the supplies. He would be closer to a place to replenish them than would be the dashing young warrior, who would be crossing the hell that Casca had just traversed.
The youngster wheeled his animals around for the long journey to the first imperial outposts at HoTien. Before the youngster left he cried out, 'I forgot to ask your name, to tell my father who it was that saved his son.'
The scar-faced man smiled broadly. 'Tell him it was the Roman, Casca, who still lives and walks the earth.'
Shuvar's mouth dropped in astonishment. 'Hail, Roman! My father told me of your journeys together. But I thought you would surely be a much older man.'
The Roman laughed again. 'I am young, Shuvar, I am.'
'Ride fast and ride well.'
Casca waved his sword arm in salute and turned to herd his share of the horses on down the trail leading to Sogdiania and Parthia.
TWO
A week after leaving Shuvar he crossed the Jaxartes river, still keeping to the north of Sogdiana's boundaries. Not until he reached the Oxus did he encounter patrols of armored men. These he gave a wide berth to, staying to himself.
From an occasional caravan he'd heard of the state of the world as they knew it. The Sassanids, he learned, had risen to new heights of power. Since they had replaced the Parthian Kings, their empire had made almost a complete return to a pure Persian influence, though they still made use of theCataphracti and the heavy infantry of their predecessors.
Shuvar had not had time to tell him that even Kushan was under the sovereignty of the Sassanid King and
