Lords of the Bow c-2

by Conn Iggulden

  At last he could not delay any longer. He seated himself across from Chen Yi, pressing his hands together to hide the way they shook.

  "I have paid my tithe to the tong," Lian said. "Was it short?"

  "It was not," Chen Yi replied. He took a moment to smooth the rainwater off his face, running his hand over his hair and flicking the drops onto the wooden floor. Lian's gaze followed them. "It is not that which brings me to you." Before Chen Yi could continue, Lian spoke again, unable to stop himself.

  "The workers, then? I used all the men I could, but two of those you sent would not work. The others complained that they did not carry their share. I was going to dismiss them this morning, but if it is your will that they remain…"

  Chen Yi could have been carved out of marble as he studied the master mason.

  "They are the sons of friends. They will remain, but that is not why I am here."

  The mason slumped slightly in his seat. "Then I do not understand," he said.

  "Do you have one who can take over the work of maintaining the wall?"

  "My own son, lord."

  Chen Yi sat very still until the mason looked up at him.

  "I am not a lord, Lian. I am a friend who must ask a favor."

  "Anything," Lian replied, tensing for the worst.

  Chen Yi nodded, pleased. "You will summon your son and tell him he must take over the work for a year, perhaps two. I have heard good reports of him."

  "He is a fine son," Lian agreed immediately. "He will listen to his father."

  "That is wise, Lian. Tell him you will be gone for that time, perhaps to find a new source of marble in a quarry somewhere. Make up whatever lie you wish, but do not leave him suspicious. Remind him the debts of the father are his while you are gone and explain the tithe he must pay to the tong if he wishes to work. I do not want to have to remind him myself."

  "It is done," Lian said. He was sweating, Temuge saw, a bright line of droplets appearing on his hairline. He saw the burly mason gather his courage to ask a question.

  "I will tell my wife and children the same, but may I know the truth?"

  Chen Yi shrugged, cocking his head to one side. "Will it change anything, Lian?"

  "No, lord. I am sorry…"

  "It does not matter. You will accompany these friends of mine out of the city. They need your expertise, Lian. Bring your tools and, when your work is done, I will see to it that you are rewarded."

  The mason nodded miserably and Chen Yi stood abruptly.

  "Speak to those you love, Lian, then come with me."

  The mason left the group alone and disappeared into the darkness of the house. Those who remained relaxed a little and Khasar wandered over to a silk hanging, using the material to dry the rain from his face and hair. Temuge heard the distant wail of a child as the man passed on what he had been told.

  "I do not know what we would have done if you had not been here to help us," Ho Sa said to Chen Yi.

  The master of the tong smiled slightly. "You would have blundered around my city until the soldiers caught you. Perhaps I would have come to watch the foreign spies impaled or hanged. The gods are fickle, but this time, they were with you."

  "Have you given thought to getting us out of the city?" Temuge asked. Before Chen Yi could respond, Lian returned. His eyes were red, but he stood tall and had lost some portion of his fear. He wore a coat of heavy waxed cloth against the rain, and over one shoulder was a rolled leather pack that he clutched as if it gave him comfort.

  "I have my tools," he said to Chen Yi. "I am ready."

  They left the house behind and once again Chen Yi sent a man ahead to watch for soldiers walking their patrols. The rain had lessened and Temuge saw the north star briefly through the clouds. Chen Yi had explained nothing, but they headed west along a road parallel to the wall and Temuge could only trot with them.

  In the darkness ahead, they heard a voice cry out and the group halted as one.

  "Keep your blades out of sight," Chen Yi hissed. Temuge swallowed nervously, hearing footsteps on the paved road. They waited for the man ahead to come back, but instead, they heard the tramp of iron-shod sandals and Chen Yi darted his gaze around, taking in possible routes of escape.

  "Stand still," a voice snapped out of the darkness. Temuge was close enough to see Chen Yi grimace.

  There were six soldiers in scaled armor, led by a man wearing a plumed helmet of hard bristles. Temuge groaned to himself at the sight of the crossbows they held. Chen Yi's men stood little chance of fighting their way through. He felt panic rise like acid in his throat and he started to back away without thinking. It was Khasar's iron grip that held him in place.

  "Where is your captain?" Chen Yi demanded. "Lujan can vouch for me." He saw that they held his man by the scruff of his neck. The man struggled in the grip, but Chen Yi did not look at him.

  The plumed officer frowned at the tone, stepping forward from his men.

  "Lujan is off-duty tonight. What business do you have to be running the streets in the dark?"

  "Lujan will explain," Chen Yi said. He licked his lips nervously. "He told me his name would let us pass."

  The officer glanced back at the hapless man being held by his neck.

  "I have not been told. You come back to the barracks and we will ask him."

  Chen Yi sighed. "No. No, we will not do that," he said. Chen Yi darted forward with a knife in his fist, punching it into the throat of the officer so that he fell back with a choking cry. The soldiers behind loosed their crossbows instantly, firing into the group. Someone cried out and then Chen Yi's men were among them, hacking their blades into the soldiers.

  Khasar drew the sword he had been given and roared at the top of his lungs. The bark of sound made the closest soldier take a step back, and Khasar knocked him down, stepping in close to hammer his forearm across the man's face. The impact took the soldier's feet out from under him, and Khasar lunged past, lost in a vicious whirl where he used elbows, feet, head: anything to bring his enemies to the ground. Those who had shot their bolts could only raise the bows to defend themselves. Khasar's blade smashed one of the weapons to pieces before he hacked the edge into a soldier's neck. In the darkness, he moved through them like a breeze, kicking at an exposed knee and feeling it break. The soldiers were clumsy in their armor and Khasar was faster, whipping round as he sensed every threat before it could come close. He felt someone grasp him from behind, trapping his sword arm. He smashed his head backwards, striking with his elbows, and was rewarded with a grunt of pain as his attackers fell away.

  Temuge shouted as one of the soldiers collided with him. He flailed wildly with his own sword, terror stealing his strength. Somewhere a bell began to ring. As he registered the sound, he felt himself being lifted and he screamed, falling silent when Ho Sa slapped his face.

  "Get up. It is over," Ho Sa snapped, embarrassed for him. Temuge gripped his arm as he rose, staring at the sight of Khasar surrounded by broken bodies.

  "You call these soldiers, Chen Yi?" Khasar said. "They move like sick sheep."

  Chen Yi stood stunned as Khasar casually shoved his sword into the chest of one who still moved, finding a place under the scales of armor before leaning his full weight on it. He could hardly believe how quickly the Mongol warrior had moved. His own guards were men picked for their skill, but Khasar had made them look like farmers. He found himself wanting to defend the soldiers of his city, much as he hated them.

  "There are six city barracks, each with five hundred or more of these sick sheep," he replied. "It has been enough."

  Khasar prodded one of the bodies with his foot. "My people will eat them alive," he said. He winced then and touched his hand to his collarbone. It came away stained with blood, quickly diluted in the rain so that it ran between his fingers.

  "You are cut," Temuge said.

  "I am too used to fighting in armor, brother. I let the blow through." In irritation, Khasar kicked the officer's helmet where it lay near his
feet, sending it skittering over the paving.

  Two of Chen Yi's men hung limp between their fellows, blood pooling into the puddles of rainwater. Chen Yi examined them, his fingers touching the bolts that stood out in their chests. He thought quickly, his plans in disarray.

  "No man can avoid the wheel," he said. "Let them lie here to be found. The Imperial officers will want bodies to show to the crowds tomorrow."

  The two dead men were released, sprawling on the stones. Temuge saw that others among them bore wounds and they panted like dogs in the sun. Chen Yi turned to him then, his anger becoming scorn.

  "You are safe for the moment, frightened one, but they will rip the city apart looking for us. If I do not get you out tonight, you will be here until spring."

  Temuge's cheeks burned in humiliation. All the group was staring at him and Khasar looked away. Chen Yi sheathed his blade and resumed the trot that would carry them to the walls. The runner had survived the bloody fight and he went ahead once more.

  The west gate was smaller than the one they had passed through on their journey from the river. Temuge despaired when he saw light growing ahead and heard shouting. Whichever citizen had rung a warning bell, the soldiers had roused themselves from their barracks and Chen Yi was hard pressed to avoid being seen. He headed for a dark building near the gate, hammering on the door to be let in. Temuge could hear the clatter of armored men coming closer as the door opened and they piled inside, slamming it quickly shut behind them.

  "Get men to the highest windows," Chen Yi told the one who had answered his knock. "Have them call down what they see." He swore under his breath then and Temuge did not dare speak to him. The sight of the ugly gash running the length of Khasar's collarbone stirred Temuge from his panic, and he asked one of Chen Yi's men for a needle and catgut thread. His brother watched with just the occasional grunt as Temuge stitched the skin in a ragged line. The blood and rain had cleaned it and he thought it would not fester. The action helped to still his thumping heart and prevented him from dwelling on the fact that they were being hunted at that very moment.

  One of the men above called down, his voice a harsh whisper as he leaned over a banister: "The gate is shut and barricaded. I can see perhaps a hundred soldiers, though most are on the move. Thirty hold the gate."

  "Crossbows?" Chen Yi asked, looking up at the man.

  "Twenty, maybe more."

  "Then we are trapped. They will search the city for us." He turned to Temuge. "I can no longer help you. If I am found, they will kill me and the Blue Tong will have a new leader. I must leave you here."

  The mason Lian had not fought with the others. Unarmed, he had stepped into the gutter as soon as the fight had started. It was he who answered Chen Yi, his voice rumbling in the shocked silence.

  "I know a way out," he said. "If you don't mind a little dirt on your hands."

  "Soldiers in the street!" the man above hissed down at them. "They are knocking on doors, searching the houses."

  "Tell us quickly, Lian," Chen Yi said. "If we are caught, you will not be spared."

  The mason nodded, his face grim. "We must go now. It is not far from here."

  Mutton-fat lamps burned and spat, casting a dim yellow light as Genghis faced a line of six kneeling men. Each of them had his hands bound behind his back. To a man, they showed the cold face, as if terror of the khan did not gnaw at them. Genghis strode up and down the line. He had been summoned from the bed of Chakahai and had risen with fury, even when he saw it was Kachiun who called his name in the darkness.

  The six men were brothers, ranging from the youngest who was barely more than a boy to mature warriors with wives and children of their own.

  "Each of you spoke an oath to me," Genghis snapped. His temper flared as he spoke and for an instant he was tempted to take the heads of all six.

  "One of you killed a boy of the Uriankhai. Let him speak and only one will die. If he does not, your lives are mine to take." He drew his father's sword slowly, letting them hear the sound. Outside the ring of lamps, he sensed the presence of a growing crowd, called from sleep by the prospect of seeing justice. He would not disappoint them. Genghis stood over the youngest of the brothers and raised the sword as if it weighed nothing.

  "I can find him, my lord," Kokchu said softly from the edge of the darkness. The brothers looked up to see the shaman enter the dim light, his eyes terrible. "I have only to lay my hand on each head to know the one you seek."

  The brothers were visibly trembling as Genghis nodded, sheathing his sword.

  "Work your spells, shaman. The boy was torn apart. Find me who did it."

  Kokchu bowed low and stood before the brothers. They did not dare look at him, though their frozen expressions were strained and quivering.

  Genghis watched in fascination as Kokchu pressed his hand lightly to the first man's head and closed his eyes. The words of the shaman's tongue erupted forth from him in a liquid roll of sound. One of the brothers jerked away and almost fell before struggling upright.

  As Kokchu lifted his hand, the first brother swayed, dazed and pale. The crowd outside the light had grown and hundreds murmured in the dark. Kokchu moved to the second man and took an indrawn breath, closing his eyes.

  "The boy…" he said. "The boy saw…" He stood very still and the camp held their breath to watch him. At last Kokchu shook himself, as if shrugging off a heavy weight. "One of these men is a traitor, lord. I have seen it. I have seen his face. He killed the boy to stop him telling what he saw."

  With one sharp step, Kokchu stepped to the fourth man in the line, the oldest of the brothers. His hand snapped out and his fingers writhed like bones in the man's black hair.

  "I did not kill the boy!" the brother shouted, struggling.

  "If you lie, the spirits will steal your soul," Kokchu hissed into the shocked silence. "Now lie again and show the lord khan the fate of traitors and murderers."

  The warrior was slack-faced with terror as he cried out, "I did not kill the boy. I swear it!" Under Kokchu's heavy hand, he convulsed suddenly and the crowd shouted in fear. They watched in horror as the man's eyes rolled up in his head and his jaw flopped open brokenly. He fell to one side, breaking the awful grip as he jerked and spasmed, his bladder releasing a great rush of steaming urine onto the frozen grass.

  Kokchu stood watching until the man was still, his eyes still showing white in the gleam from the lamps. The silence was immense, filling the camp. Only Genghis could break it and even he had to struggle to overcome the sense of awe and dread that gripped him.

  "Cut the bonds of the other men," he said. "The boy's death has been answered." Kokchu bowed to him then and Genghis dismissed the crowd to their homes to wait fearfully for the sun to return.

  GenghisLordsoftheBow

  CHAPTER 15

  A LARM BELLS RANG ACROSS B AOTOU as they hurried through the night, following Lian. Even the dark was lifting in places, as householders woke and lit lamps from every gate. They ran through pools of light where the rain showed as gold flecks, then on into blackness.

  The soldiers had not seen them leave, though it had been close. Lian clearly knew the area well and darted through tiny alleys behind the houses of the rich without hesitation. Most of the Imperial guards had turned out in the area of the gates, but they were working their way inwards to the center of the city, tightening their grip as they searched for the criminals who had killed their men.

  Temuge panted weakly as he struggled on. They were heading along the wall, though at times, Lian turned away from it to avoid open courtyards and street crossings. Khasar loped at his side, watching for soldiers. After the fight, he was smiling whenever Temuge looked at him, though Temuge suspected it was the smile of an idiot who could not imagine the consequences of being caught. His own imagination was brutal enough for both of them, and he cringed as he ran, imagining hot irons on his flesh.

  Lian halted near a quiet section of the wall. The antlike scurrying of soldiers had been left be
hind, but the warning bells had brought the people out to their doorways, peering fearfully at the running men.

  Lian turned to them, breathing heavily.

  "The wall is being repaired here. We can climb the ropes for the rubble baskets. You won't find another way out of Baotou tonight."

  "Show me," Chen Yi said.

  Lian glanced around him at the pale faces watching from every window in sight. He swallowed nervously and nodded, leading them to where they could lay their hands on the ancient stones of the city wall.

  Ropes lay coiled in the darkness and they could see the bulbous shapes of the soft baskets used to carry rubble up to the crest, where it was dumped into the core of the wall. Three of the ropes were taut and Chen Yi gripped one of them with a pleased exclamation.

  "You have done well, Lian. Are there no ladders?"

  "They are locked away at night," Lian replied. "I could break the locks easily enough, but it would delay us."

  "Then this will do. Take this one and show how it is done."

  The mason dropped his roll of tools to the ground and began climbing, grunting with the effort. It was difficult to judge the height of the wall in the dark, but it seemed huge to Temuge as he stared upwards. He clenched his fists in the darkness, desperate not to be humiliated again in front of Khasar. He would climb it. The thought of being lifted like a sack of hammers was too awful to contemplate.

  Ho Sa and Khasar went up together, though Khasar looked back at Temuge before starting to climb. No doubt he thought his weak brother would slip and fall on Chen Yi like divine retribution. Temuge stared furiously at him until Khasar grinned and climbed like a rat, making it look easy despite his wound.

  "The rest of you will wait here," Chen Yi murmured to his men. "I will go up with these, then return to you once they are safely down. Someone will have to pull the lines back from the other side."

  He handed a thick rope to Temuge and watched as the younger man began to ascend, pulling himself up the wall with shaking arms. Chen Yi shook his head in exasperation.