(2) a prisoner of terrorists, (3) a usurper of the throne of Chenameg, (4) a successful army commander who won a victory at the headwaters of the Shouda How and (5) commander responsible for a minor military disaster in Tyte.
None of this is sufficient to make him a figure of note. But the outcome of his campaigning in Hok is about to change that entirely.. .
While Sarazin had been in X-zox, bloody fighting had taken place in Willow Vale. Tor's troops, who had cut off escape to the Eagle Pass for two hundred of Sarazin's men, had been drawn away by an urgent message from the south telling them that they were needed to fight off an invasion from Stokos. Thus Sarazin's two hundred never surrendered to Tor's men.
The 'invasion' from Stokos proved to be but a probe, easily beaten off by Tor's forces on the coast. Couriers brought news of this to Tor's four hundred men who were in the north of the Willow Vale, and they promptly turned back.
By this time, Sarazin's two hundred had retreated to the top of the Eagle Pass to link up with their fellows. They then defended that pass in a truly sanguinary battle. Losses on both sides were so heavy that each, taking fright, thought itself defeated, and retreated.
When Sarazin and his companions reached the Eagle Pass, corpses alone commanded the heights. Thodric Jarl made appropriate comments – most of them obscene – then Heth said goodbye and departed.
Once the peasant was out of sight, Jarl hacked savagely at a grey-haired corpse. Sarazin, nauseated by the stench, the blood, and Jarl's battle-grunting frenzy, turned away. Finally Jarl decapitated the corpse and put the head into a nose bag taken from a dead horse.
'Right,' said Jarl, shouldering the nose bag. 'Let's be going.'
Sarazin didn't ask what he wanted with the head. He didn't really want to know. So, with Glambrax trotting behind them, they began the descent to the marshland plains north of Hok.
By the time they got there, most of Sarazin's surviving soldiers had already started for home. A few of the sick, the lame and the lazy remained behind, feeding off the contents of abandoned supply wagons. Jarl interrogated them, made a number of uncomplimentary observations, then organised them for the march back to Selzirk.
'Let's leave the sick and chase after the main body of the army,' said Sarazin. 'If we catch them, we can turn them around. We could still secure the Eagle Pass.'
'No need,' said Jarl. 'Enough men have been killed already.'
'Are you afraid of bloodshed?' said Sarazin, amused to hear such apparently pacifical sentiments from the fierce- tempered Rovac warrior.
'You've lost enough men to make people believe you did some serious fighting' said Jarl. 'As things stand, you can claim victory, but if you lose more then people might suspect defeat.' 'But we are defeated!' said Sarazin.
'Not so,' said Jarl. You invaded Hok and, despite the machinations of the evil wizard Elkin, you dealt Tor's army a dreadful blow. All that is necessary is a mopping- up operation. That's the story you'll tell in Selzirk, anyway.'
Sarazin was bewildered. So Jarl knew Elkin was a wizard!
'How – how did you know Elkin was a wizard?' said Sarazin.
'He's not!' said Jarl. I'd have killed him out of hand if he was. But our story will make your name in Selzirk. It was mostly Elkin's invention, I must admit, but some of the finishing touches are my own.'
'Story?' said Sarazin, quite lost. 'What story? What are you on about?'
Jarl, obviously very pleased with himself, explained. Here is that story:
Sean Sarazin personally led the invasion of Hok, and did very well indeed until the evil wizard Elkin, a master of the Black Arts of the order of Ebber, sub- verted the will of his soldiers by sorcery most foul. When the troops had thus been brought to the brink of mutiny, Elkin lured Sarazin away by a further exercise of the same magic.
Soon, Sarazin, Jarl and Glambrax were prisoners in a dark and evil castle in the west of Hok. There they endured unspeakable tortures as Elkin tried to subjugate them entirely to his will. At last, however, the heroic Sean Sarazin broke loose, killed the wizard and hacked off his head.
'A second-rate fairy tale!' said Sarazin. 'Who's going to believe that?'
'Everyone,' said Jarl. 'After all, the killing was witnessed by myself and Glambrax both. Plus we have proof. The very head of the wizard himself. Admittedly, the features will be somewhat the worse for wear by the time we reach Selzirk, but there's no helping that.'
Sarazin remained doubtful, but agreed to tell things Jarl's way. As he did once they caught up with the main body of his fast-retreating troops.
To Sarazin's surprise, the men who had almost mutinied against him readily agreed that they had been under a wizard's spell. Some claimed to have seen auras of thunder and blood-rot entwined about the wizard's head. Some had heard his voice speak in the thunder. Many claimed they had suffered uncanny nightmares since.
Sarazin, shocked and bewildered by this, asked Jarl for explanations.
'Where is the puzzle?' said Jarl. 'Before you told them your story they were furtive mutineers fearful of prosecu- tion and the weight of military discipline. Now they're righteous victims of a magic of great evil – aye, and maybe heroes too.'
'But – but people can't just misremember like that!' said Sarazin.
'Can't they?' said Jarl. You'd be surprised what people can do when it suits them.' 'Are all my men liars then?' said Sarazin.
They none of them lie at all,' said Jarl. 'The only liars here are you, me and Glambrax. The rest merely believe what we tell them to believe. The brain is soft, Sean. Memory is soft. Both can be shaped by the will.'
'Perhaps,' said Sarazin. 'But I doubt that we'll shape belief in Selzirk so easily.' So said Sarazin. But a surprise was in store for him.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
The Watch: organisation responsible for maintaining law and order in the cities of the Harvest Plains. Has long been involved in a bitter (and bloody) rivalry with the army, which has more power and prestige, and gets better pay and pensions. Many of the Watch are so discontented with their lot that they are willing to support a coup if this promises to improve their careers.
While Sean Sarazin was campaigning in Hok, members of the Watch raided the Voat Library following an anony- mous tipoff. They found private papers belonging to Epelthin Elkin which revealed an astonishing story to the city. Elkin was a wizard! Not any wizard, but a wizard of Ebber.
A truly evil wizard, for his papers detailed monstrous plans to enslave Sean Sarazin in Hok, subvert the will of Sarazin's army, throw in his lot with the ogre Tor, then lead an invasion of the Harvest Plains.
When this was revealed, rumour ran rife in Selzirk, and the city was soon close to panic. There were reports that Tor had invaded with half a hundred legions of ores, ogres, trolls and mutants under his command, that Elkin marched with him and was rousing the dead from their graves to join the war, that the slaves had revolted, that the anar- chists of Tyte were marching from their swamplands to join the carnage.
Many worthy citizens fled the city.
Then, to the great relief of those who remained, Sean Sarazin returned at the head of his army with news of a great victory. He had defeated the evil wizard Elkin, had chopped off the wizard's head, and brought that head with him now as a trophy. His men had dealt Tor's army a devastating blow. The ogre himself was said to have been wounded in battle – perhaps fatally. The streets rang with cheers for Sean Sarazin.
Watashi!' screamed the mob, shouting his battle-name. 'Wa-wa-Watashi!'
He was famous. A popular hero who had won a victory worthy of the greatest warriors of legend. Jarl and Glambrax recounted time and time again the bloody details of the death of the evil wizard Epelthin Elkin. His men told of their successes in battle in every tavern in Selzirk.
Even Farfalla was impressed by her son's triumph. And Plovey zar Plovey, spokesman for the Regency, was – though he maintained his composure – severely shaken. He had not known Sean Sarazin had it in him. The young man was more dangerous than he had thought!
