He was suddenly seized by strong arms that tore the axe from his grip, secured him, and covered his muzzle before he could speak. The minotaurs with the kender did not even notice the swift and silent scuffle behind them. There was no one now who could save Delbin from becoming the high priest's prisoner.
A hard female voice whispered in his ear, 'Kaziganthi, you are summoned before your patriarch.'
Patriarch?
He had been captured by his own clan? Kaz felt like a fool. Of course they would have been in the audience. Possibly even the patriarch himself.
'Give your word of honor and we shall let you walk. Refuse and we shall be forced to bind you hand and foot and drag you. We haven't much time, so you'd better make up your mind fast.'
She meant what she said, especially about dragging Kaz. The clan of Orilg did not make empty threats. Kaz quickly nodded.
The minotaurs relaxed their grips, though at least one blade grazed his back. Kaz glanced around him. The others were all young, strong, and lean. He could have taken two, possibly three captors, but the clan had surrounded him with six, which was something of an honor, he supposed.
Able to speak again, Kaz said, 'Listen to me! There is a kender with those two! It's important that we rescue him! The high priest must not get his hands on that-'
'We've orders concerning only you, Kaziganthi. The patriarch saw you flee the arena and desires to speak to you.'
'The kender is my-'
'Your word's been given. Resist and we'll have to act accordingly, Kaziganthi.'
He had no real choice. Kaz glanced at the receding figures. It was already too late. The State Guard had carried Delbin off into the crowds. It was fortunate that only his clan had so far caught up with Kaz.
I'll get you out, Delbin, he silently promised. I'll teach Jopfer to regret his scheming.
Another thought occurred to him. Ganth and the others. As far as he knew, they were still inside. He turned back to the female. 'The others-'
'We've been ordered only to bring you. Now move on before someone notices who you are. If they recognize you, we can't help you.'
He almost laughed. He had escaped, only to be captured just outside the circus. Now not only was Delbin lost to him, but so were the others.
'All right, then,' Kaz growled. 'Let's go see old Dastrun. Maybe it is time I had a few words with him.'
For the first time, he managed to disconcert the female. He could tell by her expression. Looking at the others, she commanded, 'Keep an eye on him at all times, but make it look casual.' To Kaz she added, 'Don't fight us, Kazi-ganthi. We are clan, remember.'
'Does Dastrun remember that?'
There was no reply. The female started off, as did the others. It made for a long and sobering march to the clan house.
'So this is how you spread the glory of Clan Orilg,' Dastrun commented.
Kaz had always recalled Dastrun as a wiry sort, and in the years since he had last seen the elder minotaur, Dastrun had grown even more wiry, almost emaciated. His fur was nearly white. Yet there was strength in those limbs and voice, despite the signs of old age. He had to admit that the robed figure seated on the chair was very much the image of a clan patriarch. He even might have respected Dastrun despite their differences if only the patriarch had not been chosen for his position by the emperor, possibly at the high priest's urging.
The patriarch was seated on a high-backed throne placed at the top of a short dais. Seated on each side of the huge chamber to which Kaz had been brought were other elders of the clan. Standing along the walls were guards. Kaz and his captors were the only others in the meeting hall. Dastrun was trying keep Kaz's presence a secret as long as was possible. Whether that strategy would succeed, the prisoner could not say.
'No, this is how I try to live,' Kaz finally remarked. 'This is how I uphold the honor of Orilg.'
Dastrun sighed. 'The same old Kaz. You were always one who would not bend when it was best to do so. Your sense of honor, your
Kaz stared at the minotaurs gathered in the chamber. Most of them he recognized as followers of Dastrun. Some, he was pleased to see, were from parts of the clan that would never, ever, accept the elder as a legitimate patriarch. In their eyes, there were some traditions that should not have been flouted.
'All I ask is to be left alone.'
'You were left alone.'
'Only when it was convenient, Dastrun. Only when it was convenient.'
The patriarch waved the matter away. 'I came to the arena to see if you would at least die with your honor intact. You could not even do that. When I saw that you intended to flee, I commanded Fliara to keep watch for you. I knew she would understand your thinking.'
'Fliara?' Kaz froze, then slowly turned to study the younger female. 'Fliara?'
Her acknowledgment was formal, nothing more. 'Brother.'
'Fliara.' She was his youngest sibling and had been little more than a baby when he had last seen her. Fliara had often tagged along behind him, watching with great interest what her eldest brother did. Now she seemed not to care. 'Why didn't you say anything to me?'
'The patriarch had commanded me not to reveal myself unless you recognized me.' If she felt any emotion, it was well concealed by her indifferent expression. 'You did not.'
She looked away as she finished speaking.
'Our father was back there.'
Her eyes darted to Dastrun, then to Kaz. With clipped words, Fliara quietly said, 'I know.'
'Fliara understands that her duty to the clan outweighs all else. Family is important, as Sargas teaches, but it must not be forgotten that the clan is the greatest of our families. One individual may be lost, but the integrity of the clan must be maintained. Without it, all that has been built since Orilg became patriarch will collapse.'
Kaz found himself wondering if Dastrun knew about the clan-in-the-making Kaziganthi. What would the elder say about that?
'I've striven to keep Orilg strong. You've not been here much the past decade.' The tone was almost accusatory. 'Things have changed, especially in the past couple of years. Attitudes have changed. The way things are done has changed. To survive and prosper, Orilg has had to make some changes, too.'
'Yes, I've noticed,' Kaz commented, purposely ignoring the look of disapproval on Dastrun's features. One simply did not interrupt the patriarch. It just was not done. 'Some traditions change as well, things like how the young are trained, what honor means, and how those who rule are chosen.'
'I could have turned you directly over to the State Guard,' the patriarch pointed out, still angry at being interrupted. 'It is what my duty to the glorious minotaur empire demands.'
'Should we leave now, then? Since I'm going to be handed over to them when you're done trying to excuse yourself, we may as well get going.'
Dastrun started to rise. 'You impudent-' Then his anger suddenly dissipated, leaving an older, world-weary figure who looked away and sighed deeply in frustration. Kaz actually found himself sympathizing, briefly, with this vulnerable Dastrun behind the mask.
'Tell him what's been decided, Dastrun,' said a clan elder on one side of the chamber. Kaz peered curiously at the new speaker, vaguely recognizing the squat, wrinkled visage as a former tutor of his, a sword master. He was still formidable, though lacking one arm.
'I will, I will.' Regaining some of his composure, the patriarch eyed Kaz. 'There's been some… discussion, concerning how best to deal with your presence-'
'Send me home.'
'That would not be easy. Kaziganthi, you don't realize just what you've become here. You don't realize that you've become a symbol. You don't realize just how many stories of your… recklessness… have reached Nethosak. Most of the stories are sheer nonsense, of course…'
Kaz snorted, then added, 'Of course.'
'But such tales grow in credence the more they are repeated. You've done more to disrupt the course of destiny here than the years under the rule of the Dark Lady's warlords.'
