The fourth man was running towards Renya, sword raised. She stood still, watching him without interest.
Tenaka hurled the hunting-knife, which hit the man hilt-first at the base of the helm. Unbalanced, the warrior tumbled in the snow, losing his grip on his sword. Tenaka ran forward as he scrambled to rise, then threw himself on the man's back and he pitched forward once more, his helm tumbling from his head. Tenaka grabbed his hair, tugging the head back, then took hold of the man's chin and wrenched it to the left. His neck snapped like dry wood.
Recovering his knife, Tenaka wiped it clean and replaced it. He scanned the clearing. All was silent.
'Nadir we,' he whispered closing his eyes.
'Shall we go?' asked Renya.
Puzzled, he took her arm, gazing down into her eyes.
'What is the matter with you? Do you want to die?'
'No,' she said absently.
"Then why did you just stand there?'
'I don't know. Shall we go?'
Tears welled in her night-dark eyes, spilling to her cheek, but her pale face remained impassive. Reaching up, he smoothed a tear from her skin.
'Please don't touch me,' she whispered.
'Now you listen to me. The old man wanted you to live; he cared for you.'
'It doesn't matter.'
'It mattered to him!'
'Does it matter to you?' The question caught him cold, like a blow. He absorbed it and searched himself swiftly for the right answer.
'Yes, it does.' The lie came easily, and only when it was spoken did he realise it was not a lie.
She looked deeply into his eyes, then nodded.
'I will come with you,' she said. 'But know this: I am a curse to all who love me. Death haunts me, for I should never have tasted life.'
'Death haunts everyone, and never fails,' he said.
Together they walked to the south, stopping by the stone dragon. Icy rain had stung her flanks, giving her a diamond sheen. Tenaka's breath caught in his throat as he gazed upon her face — the water had run to the ruined fangs of her upper mouth, forming new teeth of sparkling ice, renewing her grandeur, restoring her power.
He nodded, as if hearing a silent message.
'She is beautiful,' said Renya.
'Better than that,' said Tenaka softly, 'she is alive.'
'Alive?'
'In here,' he answered, touching his heart. 'She is welcoming me home.'
Throughout the long day they pushed on towards the south. Tenaka said little, concentrating on the snow-hidden trails and keeping a wary eye for patrols. He had no way of knowing if the four soldiers were the full complement of hunters, or whether there were several groups pursuing the girl.
In a strange way he did not care. He forced the pace, rarely looking back to see if Renya was struggling. When he did pause, to check out skylines or scan stretches of open ground, she was always just behind him.
For her part Renya followed quietly, eyes fixed on the tall warrior, noting the sureness of his movements and the care with which he chose the route. Again and again two scenes played in her mind: the naked dance in the deserted gymnasium, and the dance of death with the soldiers in the snow. One scene overlaid the other. . blending, merging. The same dance. The movements were so smooth, almost liquid, as he leapt and turned. The soldiers by comparison seemed ungainly, disjointed, like Lentrian puppets with knotted string.
And now they were dead. Did they have families? Probably. Did they love their children? Probably. They had walked into that clearing as confident men. And yet, in a matter of icy moments, they were gone.
Why?
Because they chose to dance with Tenaka Khan.
She shivered. The light was failing and long shadows crept from the trees.
Tenaka chose a site for his fire against a jutting of rock, sheltered from the wind. It was set in a hollow surrounded by gnarled oaks and the fire was well-screened. Renya joined him, gathering dead wood and stacking it carefully. A sense of unreality gripped her.
All the world should be like this, she thought, ice-covered and cleansed: all plants sleeping, waiting for the golden perfection of spring; all evil withering under the purifying ice.
Ceska and his demon-spawned legions would fade away like the nightmares of childhood and joy would return to the Drenai, like the gift of dawn.
Tenaka removed a pot from his pack and placed it on the fire, scooping handfuls of snow into the container until it was half-full with warming water. Then, from a small canvas sack he poured a generous mixture of oats into the liquid, adding salt. Renya watched him in silence, fixing her gaze on his slanted violet eyes. Once again, sitting with him by the fire, she felt at peace.
'Why are you here?' she asked.
'To kill Ceska,' he replied, stirring the porridge with a wooden spoon.
'Why are you here?' she repeated.
Moments passed, but she knew he was not ignoring her and waited, enjoying the warmth and the closeness.
'I have nowhere else to go. My friends are dead. My wife… I have nothing. The reality is that I have always had. . nothing.'
'You had friends… a wife.'
'Yes. It's not easy to explain. There was a wise man once, in Ventria, near where I lived. I spoke with him often about life, and love, and friendship. He chided me, made me angry. He talked about clay diamonds.' Tenaka shook his head and lapsed into silence.
'Clay diamonds?' she asked.
'It doesn't matter. Tell me about Aulin.'
'I do not know what he planned to tell you.'
'I accept that,' he said. 'Just tell me of the man.' Using two sticks he lifted the pot from the flames and set it on the ground to cool. She leaned forward, adding fresh wood to the fire.
'He was a peaceful man, a Source priest. But he was also an Arcanist and liked nothing better than to scour the land for relics of the Elders. He gained a name for his abilities. He told me that when Ceska first came to power he supported him, believed all the promises about a better future. But then the terror began. And the Joinings. .'
'Ceska always loved sorcery,' said Tenaka.
'You knew him?'
'Yes. Go on.'
'Aulin was one of the first to explore the Graven site. He found the hidden door below the forest and the machines that lay there. He told me his research proved the machines had been created to heal certain diseases suffered by the Elders. But instead of using them in this fashion, Ceska's adepts created the Joinings. At first they were used only in the arenas, tearing each other to pieces to thrill the crowds; but soon they began appearing on the streets of Drenan wearing armour and the markings of Ceska's guard.
'Aulin blamed himself and journeyed to Delnoch, ostensibly to examine the Chamber of Light beneath the Keep. From there he bribed a sentry and tried to escape through Sathuli lands. But the chase began and we were forced south instead.'
'Where do you come into the story?' he asked.
'You did not ask about me, but about Aulin.'
'I am asking now.'
'May I have some porridge?'
He nodded, tested the pot and handed it to her. She ate in silence and then passed the remains to Tenaka. Finishing the meal, the warrior leaned back against the cold rock.
'There is a mystery around you, lady. But I will leave it lie. The world would be a sad place without mysteries.'
'The world is a sad place,' she said, 'full of death and terror. Why is evil so much stronger than love?'
'Who says that it is?' he responded.
'You have not been living among the Drenai. Men like Aulin are hunted down like criminals; farmers are butchered for failing to reach absurd crop levels; the arenas are packed with baying crowds who laugh while animals rip and tear women and children. It is vile! All of it.'