The Emperor and the Temple Ch. 20

Taneric had his men ride hard after leaving The Badger, and by noon on the second day they arrived at the plain that surrounded the City of The Goddess. There was a pleasant spot where the river emerged from the trees before winding its way across grasslands toward the City walls and, tired from the long ride, the warriors stopped there to water their horses in the shade, as many had done before them. Indeed, in this very same place the Old Queen's defeated army had rested after the Battle of The Tajorg Valley, only to be quickly disturbed by the Sons of The North, hard on their heels. Some of those very men, and perhaps also their offspring, now lined the battlements of the city, side by side with former enemies, helmets and shields flashing in the summer sun.

"Well, High Priest," said Taneric to his prisoner jovially, slapping him on the back. "I'll warrant you never expected to see such a fine sight on this day, did you?"

And the scene before them was indeed striking. Beyond the tall outer walls of the City, the five towers of the Temple rose, symbols of the Goddess flashing gold at the pinnacle of each, hundreds of feet above the streets below. The High Priest grunted and spat in its direction, causing Taneric to laugh all the more heartily.

"That's the spirit, High Priest! Enjoy the view from outside for as long as you can, for soon you____"

"Prince Taneric! Prince Taneric!" came a cry from one of the men at the riverside. "Look to the south! By Wodh!! Look to the south!!!"

At first Tak squinted into the sun, able to see immediately that something was very wrong with the scene before him, but not discerning any detail until his eyes could adjust. It seemed that a great body of water had washed over the southern plain, for everywhere there was movement, and the sunlight seemed to reflect from its surface towards Tak and his warriors, watching from the northern treeline. And then, with horror, they realised that it was not water, but a multitude of men that they beheld, and that the reflection was from their armour. There were thousands of them. No, not thousands; tens of thousands! And yet more were coming. From the southern road they emerged in units of hundreds at a time, some marching, some on horseback, spreading across the plain to face the City, already exceeding its width, units forming companies, companies forming legions, legions forming an army the like of which had never been seen before in the lands of the North, or those of Casbur, or of Cargia, or of the City.

A legion of horse cavalry was closest to Taneric and his companions; perhaps less than one thousand paces away, forming the easternmost wing of the huge army. And for a moment, he considered giving the command for his men to sink back into the trees, out of sight. But then it dawned on him that soon the path to the City would be completely blocked, for there could be no doubt that a full encirclement was under way. And within moments the decision was made for him, as there was commotion within the enemy cavalry, a bugle sounded, and the entire legion began to move; initially at a trot and then breaking into a gallop. Taneric and his companions had been seen!

"Mount up!" screamed Tak. "To the North Gate! Ride for your lives!"

He leapt onto his horse and grabbed the High Priest's reins, urging his mount forwards. They broke from the trees at a gallop; thirty five of them all told, between the King's Guardsmen and the High Priest's erstwhile followers. Soon they formed a ragged line, with Tak and the High Priest at the centre and others scattered left and right, but all with their heads down, focussed only on the gates in the distance, riding as fast as their steeds could take them. Tak risked a look to his left and saw that the chasers did not ride directly towards the Sons of The North, but instead chose an angle across the plain, attempting to intercept them before they could reach the gate. With each second, the gap between the two groups got less, but Tak knew he must resist any temptation to bear right, increasing the distance between them.

"Ride straight!" he called out to his men. "Look only at the gate before you!"

He glanced again at the enemy horsemen, not two hundred paces away now, seemingly on a parallel course, a blur of silver and blue, armour and feathers, banners and lances. In front of him the North Gate began to open, and he fancied he saw Ashala there, on the ramparts above it, her red robes in sharp relief against the blue of the sky.

"Hold on, High Priest!" he shouted, "I would not wish to lose you now."

And then they were through and the gate was being closed behind them, just seconds before the first of the enemy reached it. Tak jumped from his horse and ran up the steps to the battlements, finding Ashala and Hanja there beside a cluster of City Guards with bows at the ready. Below him he saw the horsemen that had chased them, and he was at last able to take a good look at them.

"Where is Kamhet? I want Kamhet!" he yelled, and a Guardsman went scurrying off towards the palace, where the Lady Cillah had been provided lodgings.

The Emperor's cavalry had been scattered by the charge across the grasslands and by its arrival at the walls of the City. But now it quickly organised into a wide column, banners to the fore, at a distance of about one hundred and fifty paces from the watching defenders.

"Shall we feed them some arrows, Prince Taneric?" asked a sergeant of the City Guard, but Taneric waved him away.

"Save them for when the battle properly begins!" he gasped, still breathless from the chase across the plain. "Look Ashala, Hanja, what a pretty army! Do you not agree? And so well drilled! I wish that Peto and Kasmine were here to see it."

But as Tak spoke he knew that Kasmine, at least, might very soon be seeing a sight such as this, but from the walls of Casbur rather than the City of The Goddess.

The horse legion began to move, in perfect formation, riding a circle all the way around the City of The Goddess, inviting defenders on the ramparts to view them, to be awed by them. All told, there must have been three thousand of them, breastplates shining in the sun, lances raised, each point trailing long thin ribbons of silver and blue in the light summer breeze. And when they had completed their parade, and lined up once more before the North Gate, the front rank parted and from their midst came a single rider; a young woman in a contoured breastplate of gold above a short leather kilt, firm tanned thighs exposed above her boots. She pulled a jewelled helmet from her head and threw it down contemptuously, shaking dark locks of long hair out over her shoulders. And then, seizing a javelin from a warrior beside her, she set out alone towards the gate at a gallop, lifting herself in the stirrups. As the horse reached the gate it reared up and she hurled the weapon into the great oak doors where it was impaled, the shaft vibrating from the force of the strike. She glared defiantly up at the men above, daring them to come and face her, and Tak fancied that his eyes met hers for a few seconds and time stood momentarily still. But then she raised a bare arm in a gesture - perhaps obscene in her own land - and her men raised an enormous cheer behind her. And then she was gone, and her legion too, heading back across the plain to join the rest of the Emperor's army, formed up south of the City.

"Well, I believe the challenge has been issued," said Tak to those around him. But now he saw that the Lady Cillah had arrived, and with her was Kamhet, looking as noble as the day Tak had first seen him, on the battlements of the Citadel above Casbur, the night of Zantina's coronation.

"Welcome Kamhet," he said. And then he added, perhaps cruelly, "I see that slavery agrees with you. Did you see that legion, my friend? And that lady? Who was that?"

"That was The Eagle Legion, Prince Taneric, one of the Emperor's finest. It has never been defeated in battle."

"And the woman?"

"Kailyn, the Emperor's daughter, and my____"

"Kamhet!" shouted Lady Cillah.

"Leave him be!" said Taneric harshly. "Or should I send you back south to fend for yourself?"

"Tak!" cried Hanja. "Do not speak to my mother like that! She is a woman of the Goddess and deserves your respect."

But Taneric would not let the issue lie, and instead turned to Kamhet, clutching him, almost throwing him down.

"What were you about to say, Kamhet? Tell me! Or I will have you taken to the Old Queen's dungeons below the palace, where devices exist that will make you talk soon enough."

But Kamhet said nothing, defiantly staring into Taneric's eyes.

Hanja now stepped forward and took Tak's arm, saying, "Tak, if Priestess Javka could not break Kamhet that day on Lero, I doubt a couple of thugs from the King's Guard will fare any better."

She pulled him to her, kissing his brow and calming his temper, and she whispered in his ear, "And besides, Tak, it is not the way of the Goddess. Calm Tak, calm! Never lose the Goddess! Come to me later and I will help you find Her! But now stay calm and strong in front of your men!"

Tak sighed and released the grip that he still held on Kamhet. "It matters not," he said. "I know exactly who you are, my friend. You should not have given your sword to Peto that night in Casbur. He found a scribe from the south to translate the words upon its blade. I am sorry, Kamhet. I believe you to be an honourable man, but you know what I must do. With your father's army at our gate I can no longer allow you your freedom."

He turned to the warriors beside them on the ramparts and said, "Lock him up! And take also Vosgir's High Priest of Wodh whom you will find below!"