Shocked, Yen Olass looked away.
Tried not to hear.
Haveros was dead and disembowelled. But Chonjara was not finished yet. Slicing away ropes of hanging gut, he cut into his enemy's flesh. Tore away the last clothing. Exposed his enemy's sex, and bunched the balls and the slack cock in his hand, intending to-
'No,' said Lord yUagrace, pulling him away.
'What are you doing here?' yelled Chonjara.
He pushed Lord Alagrace aside, and turned back to-
'No,' said Lord Alagrace, restraining him.
Chonjara turned on him, grabbed him by the throat.
'You senile old fuck, I'll-’
He gave a shrill whinny of pain as Lord Alagrace drove his knee home. As Chonjara went down, bent over his agony, concentrating on mastering his pain, he saw the faces of the soldiers. Silent. Restrained. Some… appalled?
'What did you think we were doing?' said Chonjara, forcing the words out, each syllable hissing with pain. 'Dancing?’
Nobody replied.
'Cut him down,' said Lord Alagrace. 'You – clutch up those men and go and cut some timber. We've got a funeral to make ready.’
The men he gave his orders to hesitated. Some were not sure whether they wanted Chonjara as their commander, thinking he might be mad. But none had much confidence in Alagrace.
'They're not sure whether to obey you, old woman Alagrace,' said Chonjara, managing something like a grin. 'I don't think they will. Seize him!’
There was a fight then, as some men made to grab Lord Alagrace, and others resisted them. Yen Olass nudged Resbit, who nodded, and they began to slink away to the south. After a moment, Draven followed them, with Jalamex in tow. Then, as the brawl escalated, the Princess Quenerain followed, tagging along behind.
Karahaj Nan Nulador, standing apart from the fight, saw them go, but said nothing. It was Shant and Mation, the boys from Estar, who raised the alarm, shouting one of the few words of Ordhar they had managed to pick up:
'Look! Look!’
The soldier Saquarius was the first to turn and see what was happening. The Princess Quenerain was just disappearing into the undergrowth to the south.
'Our women!' roared Saquarius. 'Our women are escaping!’
The brawl broke apart, and the men, in a mob, went roaring down the riverbank, yahooing in high excitement. Chonjara, Alagrace,' Karahaj Nan Nulador and a few bruised and bleeding soldiers stayed behind.
'Pax,' said Lord Alagrace, offering.
'You're finished,' said Chonjara. 'And you know it. I've no need for a truce.’
Lord Alagrace bowed his head.
'I will conform to your commands,' he said, surrendering.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The escapers were caught, dragged back to camp, roughed up a little, and tied up to improvised torture posts. A big bonfire was lit. Chonjara had an extra ration broken out and shared around. Some of the soldiers produced a little wine or hard liquor which had been stored away in the bottom of their packs. A festive atmosphere prevailed.
Yen Olass and Resbit had been tied up near each other. They did not yet know whether they were going to be raped or torn to pieces or beaten to death or what.
'Whatever they do,' said Yen Olass, 'Scream loudly.’
'Yes?' said Resbit.
'Men get angry if they think they can't hurt you.’
'Don't worry, Yen Olass, I'll scream.’
Yen Olass watched some men gambling. For fun? For wine? For food? Or for the privilege of being the first to do something to her body? She heard Resbit sniff. Hot tears started out from her own eyes.
Someone was climbing out of the river.
Yen Olass blinked tears out of her eyes and tried to focus. It was only Karahaj Nan Nulador. He was carrying a sword. Chonjara had sent his bodyguard into the river to find the sword Haveros had dropped, and now Nan Nulador had succeeded. From the way he walked, Yen Olass could tell he was exhausted. The water was cold, and he had been in it a long time.
She watched the men, wondering what they would do to her first. She resolved to submit, to obey, and to give them the satisfaction of hearing her scream. Anything else would only make it harder on all of them – including Resbit.
'Hello, beautiful woman,' said a voice behind her. 264
r A man's voice.
A man's hand touched her cheek.
'Fash on-steh!' said Yen Olass, spitting out the obscenity then trying to bite the hand.
So much for her good resolutions.
The man laughed, then sliced away the strips of fibrous bark which a frugal soldier had used instead of rope to tie her to the torture post. Free, she found no strength in her hands to fight with, no strength in her feet to run with. No strength, at first, to stand with. But the man caught her and held her, then said:
'Cut my daughter free.’
A warrior moved to obey. Yen Olass saw that both his cheeks had been cut away, and this helped her remember him: she had seen him last in Favanosin.
The men of the camp now looked up from their gambling, their eating, their drinking, their jokes, their laughing, and studied the small party of strangers which had slipped out of the forest, reaching the prisoners before anyone was aware of their presence.
Silence; settled over the gathering. Then one man advanced to greet the newcomers. Yen Olass, her strength recovering now that bonds no longer restricted her circulation, released herself from the arms of the Lord Emperor Khmar and went to help Resbit. Khmar stood alone, watching the man who approached – a strange figure, his hair shaved off, his body stripped to the waist and smeared with charcoal.
The man halted, and made reverence.
'Greetings, my lord.’
'And to you, greetings, sal Pentalon Sorvolosa dan Alagrace nal Swedek quen Larsh,' said Khmar, freighting every word with sarcasm. 'How do you account for your appearance? Are the High Houses of Sharla once more setting a new trend in fashion for the empire?’
'My lord,' said Lord Alagrace, 'we've been having some… some…’
He faltered.
'Some fun, perhaps?' said Khmar, muscling forward. 'And my daughter was part of this fun? Alagrace, the Red Emperor does not take pleasure in seeing the flesh of his flesh tied to a torture post.’
'Times… times have been difficult.’
'So I understand. Chonjara! Get yourself out here! Now!’
Reluctantly, Chonjara came forward to greet his emperor.
'I left Lake Armansis with fifty men,' said Khmar. 'As you see, I'm here with ten. The green animals are formidable. Three of my survivors are wounded. Have them seen to. Put out perimeter guards. Get your men to work. Rocks and tree trunks. A wall round this place by nightfall. And you – you'll meet my justice later.
'My lord,' said Chonjara.
And Chonjara and Lord Alagrace withdrew, and began to shout orders, to make sure that the emperor's bidding
