people of Byora cast off their fear; they saw the child unafraid and knew they had no need of it. Fear weakens us, but without it no force in the Land can prevail over us!’
The crowd began to cheer and shout, stamping their feet and drowning out the preacher’s next words so he was forced to stop and quieten them before he could continue: ‘Be as the child, in all things. If darkness assails you, stand tall and meet it without fear. As children of a greater cause we shall face them, side by side and armoured by the child’s perfect peace.’ His voice lowered to almost a prayer, and the crowd went suddenly silent, rapt, as he finished, ‘With the blessing of the child, my brethren, we will march out and show them the resolve children of peace possess. Against that no spears can prevail.’
The crowd found their voices again, but now there were no wild calls or shouts; many had sunk to their knees and begun to keen wordlessly. Torl could not bring himself to follow their example. Instead, with his head bowed and hands clasped, he spoke the words of a prayer in his mind, first to Lord Death, then a grace to the Aspects of Vasle. From all sides the voices joined and slowly built into a chorus, a lament and entreaty that was primal. Torl felt it deep inside him.
When the mood finally broke and people started to move from where they stood, some returning to their labours, others to approach the preachers directly, Torl felt Macove put a hand on his arm and lean close in. ‘What was all that about?’ he asked quietly, the words almost lost in the resuming hubbub of daily life. ‘Is the child building an army?’
Torl shook his head and gestured for them to leave. He needed a drink after witnessing that. ‘No, my friend, it’s something more basic than an army.’ He glanced back at the centre of the square, where Cedei was now embroiled in conversation with one of the white-cloaked preachers. He decided to leave the man to it; infiltration was one of his skills, and he would be safe enough on his own. At the last town Cedei had spent an entire evening in the company of one such preacher, acting the convert and ever-keen to hear more of the child’s great works.
They had all left the town by the time the preacher was found dead in a whore’s bed with an opium pipe in his hand. Subtlety, it seemed to Torl, was the one thing not taught to the King’s Men, but the more he watched Ruhen’s preachers the more he wondered what outrageousness would be too much for the credulous, fearful masses.
‘A sacrifice,’ he said with a heavy heart. ‘Ruhen expects an invasion. He does not believe the Devoted can face us in the field, so he portrays King Emin as a monster and godless conqueror.’
‘And still he asks people to face us down?’ Macove’s breath caught as he realised the truth of it. ‘Oh Gods!’
‘Exactly,’ Torl said. ‘To meet Ruhen, the king’s armies will have to march through a river of innocent blood, cutting a path through unarmed fanatics as well as Devoted armies. Ruhen does not care how many we kill; his audience is the people beyond these parts. If we slaughter a hundred thousand of his followers, he will only laugh for we will be playing into his hands. We must hope the king puts a careful man in command of the army he is preparing.’ He sighed, feeling a chill of age and foreboding in his bones. ‘To reach our enemy we will have to confirm these people’s worst fears.’
CHAPTER 21
King Emin leaned forward and looked into Amber’s eyes. The Menin’s eyelids twitched as he came within grasping distance, but his hatred had been dimmed by the king’s return to Kamfer’s Ford. Emin might have commanded the army, but he hadn’t been in control of the one who’d torn Amber’s birthname away; that one had been working a revenge all of his own, and Amber didn’t know what to do about that.
The only one with reason enough to do what he’d done, Amber reflected. That why I don’t feel the same hate for him, or have I just used up all I had left?
‘You’ve been quiet a long time, Major,’ the king commented at last. ‘Do I need to repeat my offer?’
Amber slowly shook his head. They sat a private room in the tavern Amber had been quartered in — well, private once that scowling lump Forrow had cleared the other drinkers from it. Nai, Carel and Ardela were with them at the table, the necromancer scrutinising the floor for reasons Amber couldn’t find the strength to be interested in. ‘You’ll use your influence with the Chetse to secure us passage home if I persuade the legions holed up in Farrister to fight for you,’ Amber said. ‘Don’t see how I can persuade them if their commanders couldn’t.’
‘You are a man of renown, Major Amber — your word carries weight, I suspect. In any case, it isn’t all the troops in Farrister you need to persuade. My mages tell me many of the rank and file would like to take my offer.’
‘Your problem’s General Arek,’ Amber confirmed. ‘Man’s from the outer lands, as I recall; his family died years back.’
‘It seems he is resistant to any form of compromise. He would prefer to fight to the death, and take as many of us with him as he can.’
Amber sighed. ‘That surprises you? There’s nothing you can offer him.’
‘I was hoping sense might prevail. I had thought the Menin officers might feel a duty to their soldiers.’
‘You destroyed his life, his reason to live!’ Amber snapped. Forrow reached forward immediately, but the big Menin soldier ignored the hand on his shoulder. ‘What did you think was going to happen?’
‘That he wouldn’t be ruled by personal feelings,’ Emin retorted angrily. ‘If he wants his men to live, he’ll agree.’
‘And you think I can persuade him? I’ve barely met the man — and he’s got half a dozen officers who outrank me. Or are you hoping I’ll kill him and take command of the army?’
‘I hope you will sway him,’ King Emin said, standing. ‘You leave in the morning under escort. Their supplies are almost out, so if you care about saving any of them you should hurry.’
He marched out, not waiting for a response, and Forrow followed. The king’s bodyguard slammed the door behind him hard enough to shake the room, but once they were gone silence reigned. Amber stared at the vacant seat in front of him, exhausted by the idea of rejoining a Menin army again. He found it unreal to be even thinking of fitting into that structure again, however much he craved a return of order to his life.
‘Well?’ Carel said eventually. ‘You going to let them all die?’
‘War’s over — if they don’t see that, what can I do?’
‘That ain’t what I asked. Are you going to do your damnedest, or just pass on the message and pick up a shield?’
Amber glared at Nai.
The necromancer was unusually still and quiet; his hand twitched and Amber spied the edge of a tattoo under his sleeve.
Ah, that explains it then. Even the necromancer’s chosen a side in this war — we really must be coming to the end of things. Nai of the Brotherhood, eh? Whole Land’s gone over to madness.
‘I don’t get a choice there, do I, Nai?’
The man didn’t answer, but Amber continued anyway, scratching his cheek where Nai had marked him, ‘See, our friend with the odd feet there, he’s still got a hold over me — not just that dead man’s bag to keep me from killing him; he can do worse than that if I don’t come back as ordered. The rune he scratched on my cheek might have healed, but once a necromancer’s got his hooks in you there’s no escape.’
‘Oh stop fucking whining, boy,’ Carel snapped. He rapped the butt of his stick on the floor in irritation. ‘Your war ain’t done, whatever the king says.’
‘You think?’ Amber said with a snort. ‘Maybe Arek’s right then.’
‘Piss on Arek. The man’s a fool looking for a glorious death and he don’t care who he takes with him. One way or another you got to persuade him to take the king’s offer. You think you ain’t a part of this fight? That’s not what I heard from the last days of Scree.’
Amber frowned. ‘Dragged there on some fool’s errand, used as bait for King Emin and left to die by that damn vampire? You drunk again, old man?’
‘Pah, I heard it a different way: you worked as hard as any to save those refugees, the ones not taken by Azaer’s madness. You fought and bled on the barricade, leading from the front rather than looking to save your own
