away half of his face, and then stabbed him through the heart. I have seen the reports of this Ironmask. The wearing of the mask is merely a conceit. His face is not mutilated, merely discoloured.’
‘His body was never found. Supposing he was healed, Majesty? There are reports of a temple in Pelucid, and a priestess who can work miracles.’
‘These are not reports. They are rumours. Myths. Like flying lizards, and winged horses.’
‘The man whose name we do not speak almost defeated us. If he still lives he is a threat to everything you are trying to build. It may even be that the recent attempts on your life can be traced back to him.’
‘Now you are making me uneasy!’ she snapped. ‘I do not believe the dead can return to haunt me.’
‘No, Majesty. Nor would I — had I been able to find his body. But if you did not instruct Servaj Das to murder Skilgannon, and no-one in our embassy did so, then Ironmask is the only other link. That being the case the question is: why would Ironmask seek the death of Skilgannon, a man he does not know, and who is no threat to him?’
‘Where is Skilgannon now?’
‘Still in Mellicane, but he is preparing to journey north. I have a report from contacts in the Drenai embassy that he intends to travel with the warrior Druss. They are going to Pelucid. Druss intends to kill Ironmask.
Why Skilgannon travels with him is a mystery. The Datians are also sending a force to Pelucid. They want to capture Ironmask themselves.
Apparently several of his victims were prominent Datian nobles.’
‘Then I suspect the mystery will be resolved before long,’ said Jianna.
‘Until it is, Majesty, we need to be careful for your safety. No unnecessary risks. If the man we do not name is still alive then the danger to you is very real.’
‘I do not take
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
DIAGORAS HAD PLOTTED THE ROUTE WITH CARE, AND CARRIED
COPIES of maps that showed the mountains, rivers and passes north of Mellicane. By the third day of travel he had begun to enjoy himself. In his saddlebag were copious notes on the positions of villages where they could obtain supplies, the names of headmen to be offered gifts, and details of areas of likely danger. These mostly lay in the mountainous regions close to Pelucid where bands of robbers were known to have hideouts. Diagoras had gathered all known information on the man Shakusan Ironmask. This did not amount to much, though one piece of news interested Skilgannon.
Three years before, when Ironmask had first appeared in Mellicane, he had fought a duel. According to the report he used curved swords, which were contained in a single scabbard. The report also said he was a man of prodigious strength, noting that one blow cut through his opponent’s breastplate and the chain mail beneath. A second cut had beheaded the victim.
The first day of travel had been taken at leisure. The horses Skilgannon had acquired had indeed been undernourished and, though of good stock, were weak. They needed resting often. In the few days they had been kept at the Drenai compound Diagoras had ordered them grain-fed and gently exercised, but they were still far from fit. By the third day of travel they were already growing stronger.
The twins, Jared and Nian, had met them on the road on the morning of the second day. Both were riding shaggy hill ponies, tough beasts and surly. They would snap at the taller cavalry horses if any rider was foolish enough to come close to them. The brothers took to riding close to the two-wheeled supply wagon, driven by Druss.
As he rode Diagoras would often glance at Garianne. She rode a grey mare, and kept herself a little apart from the company, even at night when they camped. She would sit alone, and occasionally be seen talking to herself. The youth Rabalyn often rode alongside Diagoras, asking constant questions. His joy at being invited on the journey was untainted by any fear of the consequences. He loved to ride, and in the evenings would spend an hour tending to his horse, brushing its back, or stroking its neck.
Rabalyn was a natural rider, and would one day be a fine swordsman, Diagoras mused. He had good balance and fast hands. He was also a quick learner.
By the fourth day the land began to rise as they neared the foothills of a western range of peaks. These were the iron-rich Blood Mountains. The landscape was rugged and beautiful, with shimmering, ever changing colours. The morning sunlight glistened upon the red mountains, causing them to glow like old gold. Towards noon dark shadows appeared on the slopes, jagged and sharp. By dusk, with the sun setting behind them, the mountains lost their richness, becoming grey and forbidding.
As they camped that night Druss rose from the campfire and walked back to the wagon, stretching himself out on the ground and falling asleep.
Diagoras sat with Skilgannon and the others. ‘There is a tribal chieftain who controls the passes here,’ he said. ‘His name is Khalid. Apparently he is part Nadir, and has around fifty fighting men. My understanding is that the charge he levies is a small one. However, that was when the King and his soldiers were an ever present threat to his authority. It is impossible to say how he will react now.’
‘How soon before we reach the pass?’ asked Skilgannon.
‘By noon tomorrow, I would think,’ Diagoras told him.
‘I will ride ahead and negotiate with him,’ said Skilgannon.
‘Be careful,’ Diagoras warned him, ‘the people here are very poor, but very proud.’
‘Good advice,’ said Skilgannon. ‘I thank you. What else is known of Khalid?’
Diagoras looked back to his notes. ‘Very little. He is around sixty years of age, and has no sons still living. He has outlived them all. He pays no taxes. Apparently, some twenty years ago, he and his men joined with the King’s forces and defeated an invading force from Sherak in the north. For that he was awarded these lands, free of tribute. It was no more than a gesture, since these mountains would provide little in the way of tax revenue.’
‘What is the toll?’
‘Two copper coins a head, and one copper for all pack animals or horses.’
They talked on for a while. The twins said little, and Garianne nothing at all. Eventually Diagoras rose from the campfire and strolled to the top of a hill where he sat staring out over the mountains. Rabalyn joined him there. ‘Would you like to fence for a while?’ the lad asked.
‘No, it is too dark. There would be a risk of accidental injury. Tomorrow morning, before we set off, we’ll practise a little.’
‘What was it like at the battle of Skein?’
‘Brutal, Rabalyn. I do not wish to speak of it. Many of my friends died there.’
‘Were you honoured when you got home?’
‘Yes, we were honoured. We were the heroes of the hour. It is a phrase that has real meaning, Rabalyn. For a few days we were the toast of the capital. Then life returned to normal and people found other things to amuse them. Those soldiers who survived Skein, but were crippled, were promised twenty gold raq each, and a handsome pension for life. They never received the gold. Now they struggle to survive on six copper coins a month. Some are even beggars now. Druss helped many of them. He turned over lands he owns to house some of them, and the profits from his farms go to feed veterans.’
‘Is he rich then? He doesn’t look rich.’
Diagoras laughed. ‘His wife Rowena was a shrewd woman. When Druss returned from his wars he was usually laden with gifts from grateful princes. She used the gold he won to acquire property, and to invest in merchant enterprises. If he chose, our friend Druss could build a palace and live in luxury.’
‘Why doesn’t he?’
‘I can’t answer that, lad. Save to say that he has no use for wealth. He is lonely, though.
‘I like him,’ said Rabalyn. ‘He gave me his code. I shall live by it. I gave my promise.’
‘I know that code. It is a good one. It is dangerous, though, Rabalyn. A man like Druss can live by it,
