The Quest

weight. After much devoted practice she was able to send out an arrow to the mark at two hundred paces.

Meren, Hilto and Nakonto were all inveterate gamblers and laid wagers on the girls when they shot against each other. They urged on their favourite, and haggled over the allowances given to Sidudu. Because Fenn had been using the bow for so much longer than Sidudu, they made her shoot from longer range. At first this was agreed at fifty paces, but gradually it became shorter as Sidudu's skill increased.

One morning they were holding another tournament in the clearing, Meren and Sidudu teamed against Hilto and Fenn. The competition was keen and the banter raucous when out from among the trees rode a stranger on an unfamiliar horse. He was dressed like a field worker, but he rode like a warrior. At a quiet word from Meren they nocked fresh arrows and stood ready to defend themselves. When the stranger saw their intention he reined in his mount and pulled aside the headcloth that covered his face.

'By Seth's dung-smeared buttocks!' Meren exclaimed. 'It's That.' He hurried forward to greet him. 'Colonel, something is amiss. What is it?

Tell me at once.'

'I am pleased to have found you,' That told him. 'I have come to warn you that we are in great danger. The oligarchs have issued a summons for all of us to appear before them. Onka and his men are hunting for us everywhere. At this very moment they are searching every house in Mutangi.'

'What does this mean?' Meren asked.

'Only one thing,' That told him morosely. 'We have come under suspicion. I believe Onka has denounced me as a traitor. Which, of course, by Jarrian standards, I am. He found the bodies of the trogs you killed when you rescued Sidudu, which infuriated him because now he is certain that you are hiding her.'

'What proof has he?'

'He needs none. He is closely related to Lord Aquer. His word is enough to condemn us all,' That replied. 'The judgement of the oligarchs is certain. We will be interrogated under torture. If we survive that, we will be sent to the quarries or the mines … or worse.'

'So now we are all fugitives.' Meren did not seem worried by the prospect. 'At least the pretence is over.'

'Yes,' That agreed. 'We are outlaws. You cannot return to Mutangi.'

'Of course not,' Meren said. 'There is nothing there that we need. We

have the horses and our weapons. We must take to the forests. While we wait for Taita to return from the Cloud Gardens we will make the final preparations for our flight from this accursed place back to our very Egypt.'

'We must leave at once,' That concurred. 'We are much too close to Mutangi. There are many places in the remote hills where we can hide. If we keep moving, Onka will be hard put to catch up with us.' They mounted and rode eastwards. By late afternoon they had covered twenty leagues. As they climbed into the foothills of the range of mountains below the Kitangule Gap a herd of large grey antelope with long spiral horns and huge ears broke cover and ran across their front. Immediately they unslung their bows and gave chase. Fenn, on Whirlwind, was the first to catch up with them and her arrow brought down a fat, hornless female.

'Enough!' Meren cried. 'There is plenty of meat on it to last us for days.' They allowed the rest of the herd to escape and dismounted to butcher the carcass. As the sun set, Sidudu led them to a stream of clear sweet water. They bivouacked beside it and grilled antelope chops over embers for dinner.

As they gnawed the bones, That reported to Meren on the most recent disposition of the forces loyal to the rebel cause. 'My own regiment is the Red Standard, and all the officers and men will come over to us when I call them to arms. I can also rely on two divisions of the Yellow Standard, which is commanded by my colleague Colonel Sangat. He is one of us. Then there are three divisions of troops who are responsible for guarding the prisoners and captives working in the stopes of the mines. They have had first-hand experience of the brutality and inhumanity with which the captives are treated. They await my orders.

As soon as we begin the struggle they will release their charges, arm them and bring them by forced march to join us.' They went on to discuss the mustering point, and eventually decided that each unit must make independently for the Kitangule Gap, where they would all come together.

'What force will the Jarrians be able to deploy against us?' Meren asked.

'Although they will outnumber us ten to one, it will take the oligarchs many days to muster their troops and march against us. As long as we can achieve initial surprise and a head start on the pursuit our forces will be of sufficient strength to fight a rearguard action as far as the boatyards at the head of the Kitangule river. When we get there we will seize the

craft we need. Once we are on the river it will be an easy run downstream to the great Nalubaale lake.' He paused and looked shrewdly at Meren.

'We can be ready to leave within ten days.'

'We cannot leave without the Magus Taita,' Meren said quickly.

'Taita is one man,' That pointed out. 'Hundreds of our own people are in danger.'

'You will not succeed without him,' Meren said. 'Without his powers you and all your people will be doomed.'

That thought about it, frowning morosely and pulling at a strand of his bristling beard. Then he seemed to reach a decision. 'We cannot wait for him for ever. What if he is already dead? I cannot take the risk.'

'Colonel ThatI' Fenn burst out. 'Will you wait for Taita until the rise of the harvest moon?'

That stared at her, then nodded curtly.' But no longer. If the magus does not come down from the mountain before then, we can be sure he never will.'

'Thank you, Colonel. I admire your courage and good sense.' Fenn smiled sweetly at him. He mumbled with embarrassment and looked into the flames. She went on remorselessly, 'Do you know about the girls in the Temple of Love, Colonel?'

'Of course I know there are temple maidens, but what of it?'

Fenn turned to Sidudu. 'Tell him what you told us.'

That listened with mounting horror to Sidudu's account. By the time she had finished, his expression was bleak. 'I had no inkling that atrocities such as these were being perpetrated on our young women. Of course I knew that some of the girls were being taken to the Cloud Gardens.

Indeed, I escorted some, but they went willingly. I had no idea that they were being sacrificed to the goddess, or that cannibal rites were being conducted on the mountain.'

'Colonel, we have to take them with us. We cannot leave them to the Jarrians,' Meren broke in. 'I have already sworn an oath that I will do everything in my power to set them free and take them with us when we escape from Jarri.'

'Here and now I make that same oath,' That growled. 'I swear in the name of all the gods that I will not leave this land until we have freed those young women.'

'If we must wait until the harvest moon how many more will be sent up the mountain before then?' Fenn asked.

The men were silenced by her question.

'If we act too soon, we will lose the element of surprise. The Jarrians will immediately unleash all their forces upon us. What do you propose, Fenn?' It was That who had spoken.' ¦ 'Only the girls with child are sent up the mountain,' Fenn pointed out.

'From my own observation I know that is true,' That admitted. 'But how does that help us? We cannot prevent them conceiving if they are being treated as playthings by many men.'

'Perhaps we cannot prevent it, as you say, but we can halt the growth of an infant.'

'How?' Meren demanded.

'As Taita did for Sidudu, with a potion that induces miscarriage.' The men thought about what Fenn had said, until Meren spoke again.

'Taita's medical bag is in the house at Mutangi. We cannot return to fetch it.'