'How does Heth like to be addressed?' said Sarazin anxiously. 'As Lord Heth? King Heth? Lord Emperor Heth?' 'Don't worry about that,' said Jarl firmly. 'Remember what I told you. Heth is not ruler in his own right. He does but hold Hok in trust for a greater ruler.'
Sarazin was scarcely reassured, but put a brave front on it regardless as Jarl led him into Heth's quarters. There they found the man himself seated on a goatskin-padded chair, sharpening a sword. He looked up as they entered. He was a big man. Blond. And, to Sarazin's eye, undistinguished. 'Hello, Sean,' he said. 'Hello… Heth,' said Sarazin uncertainly. 'Don't you remember me?' said Heth. 'Should I?' said Sarazin. 'I was your prisoner once.'
Sarazin began to sweat. Not another person with a grudge against him!
'I've had many people technically my prisoner,' said Sarazin. 'Anarchists in Tyte, though if I remember cor- rectly there were but two of them, and both lepers. But, after a battle by the banks of the Shouda How-' 'I was your prisoner in Hok,' said Heth. Sarazin stared at him. Then:
'Not… not the commander?' said Sarazin. 'The com- mander of the Eagle Pass? Tor's minion.' 'The same,' said Heth.
And now, of course, it all came flooding back. The capture of Heth when Sarazin's men stormed the Eagle Pass when they first invaded Hok. Heth forced to march with Sarazin and his companions to the Eastern Passage Gate. Heth compelled to travel with them to X-zox. Heth forced to swear… To swear…
You swore an oath,' said Sarazin slowly. 'An oath of fealty, was it not? The words… the exact words…' The exact words escaped him.
'I swore lifelong loyalty to you,' said Heth. 'I swore that if King Tor died then I'd follow you forever, to death and beyond. And Tor is dead. So… welcome to your kingdom, Lord Sarazin!'
CHAPTER SEVENTY
Then Sean Sarazin was plunged into one of the busiest times of his life. While Jarl planned the defence of X- zox with help from Fox (but with no help from Heth, a willing fighter but no military genius) Sarazin got to work.
First he had to absorb at least the bare outlines of Hok's recent history so he could properly understand his position. As Sarazin already knew, the ogre Tor had once been king of Stokos. When driven from his kingdom by the worshippers of a new religion – that of the Flame – Tor had eventually settled in Hok.
Half-hearted attacks by the Harvest Plains had failed to dislodge Tor from Hok. Then the ogre had launched a campaign to recapture Stokos from the adherents of the Flame. Unfortunately, the Flame worshippers had leagued with pirates, and had defeated Tor and had killed him.
Not all of Tor's men had died with their king. Some, notably Heth, had retreated back to Hok. Heth, the most senior of Tor's surviving officers, had done a deal with Epelthin Elkin, who had let him rent most of the Lesser Tower and use it as a castle. Thanks to Elkin's assistance, Heth had eventually become master of all the various refugees who had taken up residence in Hok.
After Tor's death, Stokos itself had been ruled by the pirates of the Greater Teeth. However, the strength of the pirates was broken at Androlmarphos, when the water thieves – then allied to Elkor Alish – had suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of Morgan Hearst.
The pirates thereafter proved unable to dominate Stokos.
The result had been civil war. The losing faction – which included many pirates – had withdrawn to Hok. The adherents of the Flame had finally won a conclusive victory, establishing themselves once again as rulers of Stokos. As a matter of principle, those victors had long wished to destroy Heth and all his followers.
For Heth was a sometime henchman of the evil ogre Tor, and a sworn enemy of the Hame. Heth's men were for the most part ogre-followers, or pirates, or religious dissidents, or escaped criminals, hence richly deserved death as far as the rulers of Stokos were concerned.
To Stokos, the destruction of Heth and all his people was a matter of religious duty. And Heth's people were now Sarazin's people.
Once Sarazin had finished his history lessons, he had to go forth and meet those people, to show himself, to make speeches, to accept oaths of fealty, to raise morale and rouse hopes in his troops. He proclaimed – and the claim was true – that the rule of the Flame on Stokos was not unanimously accepted.
'Many hate this religion,' said Sarazin, an instant expert on the subject thanks to detailed briefings from Heth and others. 'If we can break the strength of Stokos in battle then there are many on the island who would rally to our banner if we dared invasion.' So spoke Sarazin.
But knew the breaking of the strength of Stokos might prove well beyond his capabilities.
Six days after Sean Sarazin learnt that he himself was the true ruler of Hok, warriors from Stokos struck at the Eastern Passage Gate. At the time, Sean Sarazin was defending the gate. Thodric Jarl was supervising the fortification of the Lesser Tower itself while Fox was lecturing junior commanders from his sickbed.
The raiders from Stokos did not come in great numbers, for this was not a full-scale invasion. Such an invasion would follow shortly, but this was but a probing raid – a reconnaissance in force. The raiders were charged with establishing: (a) whether Sean Sarazin had reached Hok alive; and, if he had, whether Jaluba could be used as a hostage to compel his surrender; and if the Words revealed by the wench Jaluba would truly open the Passage Gates.
The raiders landed unopposed on the coast of the Willow Vale, for Hok lacked the strength to fortify and defend that shore. Observed at a distance by scouts, the raiders marched inland to the Eastern Passage Gate. Short of that gate they were stopped by defenders under the command of Sean Sarazin.
Lord Sarazin consented to parley with the raiders in front of the hastily erected earthworks which now guarded the Eastern Passage Gate. He told them to be gone. And, when Jaluba was produced, weeping and wailing, he told them they could butcher the bitch and eat her for all he cared.
Sudden responsibility and the prospect of death at the hands of a remorseless enemy had brought out the harshest aspects of Sean Sarazin's character. And he was truly furious with Jaluba. For, if she had only kept her mouth shut, the enemy would not have learnt the secrets of the Words, and would not be standing in armed strength before his gates.
Rebuffed, the enemy retreated. But Epelthin Elkin, standing beside Sean Sarazin during the parley, had read them, and warned Sarazin to expect a night attack. For the enemy, while they had the answers to questions (a) and (b), still lacked an answer to (c).
'A mind search tells me they have the Words for cer- tain,' said Elkin. 'They know how to command the gates and indeed to open the Lesser Tower itself. But as yet they cannot be certain that they know. Therefore they will attack tonight, pressing their assault to the Eastern Passage Gate to test it with a Word.'
Sarazin tried to think of something intelligent to say, failed, and so contented himself with saying the obvious:
Then we must keep them from the gate. Can you help us?'
'By night,' said Elkin, 'I will conjure an illusion for your troops.' 'What illusion?' said Sarazin.
'Our own troops will see the enemy glowing scarlet in the dark. The enemy will not share the illusion, hence will think themselves night-shrouded.' 'Is that the best you can do?' said Sarazin.
That,' said Elkin heavily, 'will be a sore trial of strength. It will suffice to exhaust me for a month.' Sarazin hoped he was exaggerating.
That night, while Sean Sarazin waited for the enemy to attack, he realised he was not afraid at all. But then, he had little cause to be. His position was strong; he had experienced troops under his command; he had a wizard fighting on his side.
When the enemy finally attacked, they were massacred. Elkin did as he had promised. Sarazin's men saw the enemy glowing scarlet in the night. Many were shot by archers as they crept towards Sarazin's position, thinking them- selves invisible in the dark.
Soon the enemy retreated, and Sean Sarazin thought the battle won. But the enemy attacked again. And a third time. A fourth. A fifth. That night, Sarazin learnt some- thing about the nature of religious fanaticism.
However, by the time dawn came, the enemy's strength had been truly broken, and the enemy were in full retreat. Calmly, Sarazin ordered the pursuit. He led that pur- suit himself, hoping to kill out every single enemy
