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were twenty-four left out of the thirty that had come into the village. Behind
them lay nearly forty of Rilgon's men, both Blenar and Senar.
After about two hours the raiders paused for a short breather in a
particularly dense and deserted patch of forest. Blade sat down with a thud
and let the girl slide to the ground. She was still unconscious, but breathing
regularly, and circulation was obviously returning to her hands and feet. By
morning she might be able to walk.
Blade would have liked to ask a few questions about who his rescuers were,
where they were taking him, and why. But before he could get up enough breath
to say a word, the leader called everybody to his feet. Two of the warriors
picked up the girl between them, to relieve Blade. Then the whole party set
out again, this time veering sharply to the northwest, away from the river.
They marched, with only one more stop, until well after dawn. By then they
were deep into the forest, and there had been no sign of pursuit since they
left the first village. But the leader was still careful to hide the camp in
thick undergrowth and brush away his raiders' tracks for many yards back. Only
then did he unsling his own shield and weapons and pull off his helmet.
Blade was prepared to respect the leader for this. However, that did not mean
he was willing to keep from asking any of the pointed questions he had in
mind. Blade got the girl awake and gave her some water. Her name was Melyna,
and she had been taken prisoner in the ambush of a hunting party. She had
tried to adapt to Senar captivity as best she could, horrifying as it was, in
the hope of somehow being able to escape. But there had been no chance.
Finally she simply didn't care any more whether she lived or died. Hence the
rebellion and the death sentence from which Blade had rescued her.
When he had finished listening to Melyna, Blade rose and went over to where
the leader was sitting on the grass, rubbing his sword with oil from a small
copper vial. He looked up as Blade approached.
"Greetings, Blade. You have come to satisfy your curiosity on various matters,
have you not?"
Blade nodded emphatically. "Such as who you are, where you are from, where you
are taking me, and why."
The leader chuckled. "Indeed the first is easy. My name is Himgar. I am War
Councilor to the people living in the forests around the Purple River. I am in
fact to my people what Rilgon is to his. Who and what are you?"
Blade gave his usual story. Himgar listened, nodding with interest at various
points. "We had gathered from what Nugun told us that you were a mighty
warrior from a distant land. He "
"How is he?"
"Nugun? He was wounded in the shoulder in the attack by the river and fell
into the water. He wanted to rejoin you and die beside you. But then he
realized that you might be captured, and he should go to the Purple River and
tell the people there about you. In spite of his wound, he made the journey.
"He is not only unusually intelligent for one of the Senar, but incredibly
loyal. The fact that you had won such loyalty from one of the Senar was one of
the things that decided us to send a rescue party.
After that, it was simply a matter of marching and fighting. As you can see,
none of Rilgon's fighters, Senar or Blenar, can stand against us." The last
was not said boastfully, merely as a fact of life.
Blade nodded. "Then why have you not moved against Rilgon and destroyed him?"
Himgar shook his head wearily. "All of the Councilors would give up their
souls to the Spirit of Union gladly if we could do that. But we are less than
five thousand all together, and barely one out of four of these is a trained
and armored warrior. Rilgon could mass ten times that many within a few days,
and they would drag us down the way wolves drag down a stag. The Purple River
would be defenseless, our lands would be overrun, and the last hope of Brega
would perish with us."
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"How are you the last hope of Brega?" Blade neither could nor would
keep a slight note of skepticism out of his voice. He did not want to seem
too willing to join anybody, even someone as apparently brave and honest as
Himgar.
"We who worship the Spirit of Union dream of a world where men and women live
together in peace, neither despising and abusing the other, both working to
build and not to destroy."
"A dream indeed," said Blade. "You wish to rebuild your land as it was before
the disaster."
Himgar shot him a sharp look. "You are familiar with our history, then or at
least our legends?"
Blade nodded and explained how he had talked with Wyala and Nugun.
"You seem to understand the dream, then," said Himgar. "Is it perhaps because
in your homeland men and women live like that?"
"To some degree, yes," said Blade.
"Then perhaps you will understand why Rilgon must be defeated?"
"No, I do not." Blade actually suspected he did, but he wasn't going to give
Himgar an easy victory by admitting that right away.
"Rilgon seeks to march on the city of Brega with his followers, thousands of
Blenar and tens of thousands of Senar. He would destroy the city and all its
works, take all its land, enslave all its women, and divide them among his
followers."
"I know," said Blade. "He also thought I was worth a visit. He came down the
river on his barge to see me and offered me many women and much power if I
would serve him."
Himgar's nerves were not quite proof against that bold announcement. He
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