the mountains, although the way will be simpler from here. As long as we have some coin to spare, we should be able to get a roof over our heads tonight.’
The thought had them all powering on, striding ever downwards. Often they lost sight of the valley amongst the trees, oritdropped behind some rise while they rounded a forested bend, but finally they found themselves on flat ground that Samuel almost thought he would kiss.
The small village of Callerdum sat on the edge of Green Lake (which was actually quite clear, despite its name). There was a small Imperial presence in the town and they were quite nervous of any impending Paatin foray, especially since hearing the news that the towns in the lowlands had been overcome in the weeks before. They probably had little to worry about, for the time being at least, as the Paatin seemed only intent on taking settlements that fell between them and the heart of the Empire.
Still, the people were worried. Even here, they had heard the fate of some towns that had failed to surrender: they had been utterly destroyed. Vast numbers of villages and settlements had surrendered upon sight of any Paatin coming their way. Rumourhad itthat one small village had even surrendered themselves to what they thought was a Paatin emissary,butwho turned out to be only a travelling vagrant, filthy from his days on the road.
Once a settlement came under Paatin control, the desert people only had to leave a small group behind to oversee the local folk and,even then,they interfered little. As long as the inhabitants remained calm, there was nothing to fear and they knew the Paatin army would not be calledinto deal with them. Any Turian soldiers were allowed to remain to protect the townsfolk from brigands and so forth, on the condition that they lowered their Imperial colours. Being Turian, many had the notion to refuse, but here, so far from inner Turia and hope of reinforcement,thosewith the tiniest amount of sense knew they had little choice but to submit.
There was no pillaging or mistreatment of the common folk, and it did not seem at all like any kind of warfare that the people expected. The only other command from their Paatin occupiers was that sufficient food and resources be diverted into the supply trains that maintained their passing armies. Again, they did not take anything by force, but they simplydescribedwhat would happen if they suspected their commands were not being met. It seemed to be a successful tactic, for entire cities had fallen in this way, with barely a score of Paatin left behind to run the places.
Again, it was only rumour, but it was said that the Paatin were utterly intolerant to bribery. Several local lords near Kalid had attempted to bribe the Paatin into granting them favours in return for engineering a quick surrender of the towns, and these men had quickly found their heads on the tops of poles. It signalled that the Paatin were a people of honour and perhaps not quite so savage as they seemed; or perhaps it was merely a sign that they were intent on reaching Cintar as quickly as possible, and had little time for other distractions.
The party took time to bathe andscrapethe dirt from their bodies, eating their fill in the house of the local leader. They stayed a second night, under command of Daneel,for he was adamant their bodies would need further rest if they were to press on. No one was sure if he was sincere about this, or if it was only the rather high number of pretty girls that caused him to stay longer. Either way, they were tired and the rest did feel wellneeded.
Samuel found Horse on the second storey balcony of their lodging, which overlooked the lake. The sun was about to dip into the mountains they had just crossed and the daylight warmth was plummeting by the moment.
‘It’s a beautiful place,’ Samuel said, observing the tiny fishing boats dotted across the lake.
‘It reminds me of my home,’ Horse said serenely.
‘What kind of place is it?’
‘A small village-simple and carefree.’
‘Do you have a wife or family?’
‘Warriors have no interest in such things. It would be pointless. We cannot have children.’
‘Ah,’ Samuel said. ‘It is similar with magicians. Even though your fighting style imbues only small amounts of magic, it must be enough to bring about the change.’
‘We thought it was from the rigour of training. As you know, we have no knowledge of magic. If what you say is true, it has come about not from our own intention.’
‘Does everyone in your village train to be a warrior?’
‘Of course not. Then there would be none to bear children. Only the first-born of each family is offered to the weapon-masters. We know our family, but we are raised from childhoodin the Temple of Discipline. Genders are separated in the middle years, to avoid distraction.’
‘You teach your women to fight?’ Samuel asked with some surprise, and with more than a little interest.
‘Yes. We do not keep them banished into the homes and relegated to nursing children as you seem to here. They are a crucial part of our armies in Koia.’
‘But surely they cannot learn to fight the same as you. That would not be possible.’
‘As you say. You treat women strangely but in Koia, men and women are equal in every way. Do not underestimate any Koian woman, fighter or otherwise.’
‘Strange,’ Samuel said, musing over the matter. ‘Do you miss not having a normal life?’
‘This is my lot and I carry it with honour. It is a normal life to me. It does not seem too different from you being in your Order. Many times in history,we have saved our nation from marauders and the heroes of my bloodline are legend. I am sure that, even if Koia has fallen, my home still remains, high in the mountains and far from the worries of the lowlands. The spirit of my people is indomitable.’
‘Do you miss it?’
‘Of course, but I also understand that I will never return.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
Horse regarded him with all seriousness. ‘It is pointless to think of returning. Our fate has drawn us to this distant land and it is here we shall remain. You have noshipscapable of surviving the return journey to Koia and I feel that,even if you did, our path would follow a different route. Still, my home is what fills my dreams every night. It disturbs me to think that my body will fall here, far from my home, but that is also my lot. My fate is to protect She Who Has No Name. Now, I am the last of many, so the responsibility falls entirely on me. I cannot falter in this task.’
‘If you want to keep her alive for as long as possible, why don’t you just take her and hide somewhere. Why follow us when we are going to one of the most dangerous places in Amandia?’
‘Canyon is in charge. I have faith in his judgement. It is not only to protect her, but to allow her to be reborn at the correct time, in the correct conditions.’
‘And Canyon will decide that?’
‘He will.’
‘How can you invest so much faith in the man? Doesn’t it enter your mind that he could be misleading you?’
‘I am what I am. If I started to doubt his word, everything on which my life is built would tumble. It is unthinkable.’
‘Come then. You don’t need to be alone in protecting your god. We will help you. But I am still fascinated with your fighting skills. I have been thinking long about how I can follow in your footsteps, but I still don’t know where to begin. If you can show me even some of the simplest skills, it may be of value, should we need to defend ourselves.’
‘As I said, you already know enough to defeat the average foe. It seems pointless to start tutoring you from the beginning, and it would take more time than we have to even begin. Your nature is notto bea fighter. You are a magician and,if that is your way, you will only dilute yourself by trying to change.’
‘Magic is not as dependable as you think. There are many times when a magician must rely on his wits or simply run away, for lack of any other ability to defend himself. Come. Show me. Would this be effective?’ Samuel said, and demonstrated by stepping into Harvest Stance and thrusting his fist forwards. He felt foolish, but it was obvious he was not getting anywhere with talk alone.
Horse nodded his head. ‘Effective at breaking your own hand, yes. The principle is there, but if you strike like that,you will only hurt yourself. You must be firm to deliver the blow. Suppleness is for before the strike-to generate speed and to avoid being hit yourself. Often, the one who strikes first is the one who strikes last. Here, tighten your fist or the force will escape there and you will break it.’ He took the magician’s hand and pressed it into the correct shape. ‘Once you get stronger, you can reduce the point of contact to a single knuckle or fingertip-but do not try that yet. The result, if done properly, can be devastating to any foe,penetrating armour, breaking bones and internal
