The Hidden City

reach.’
    ‘Soon, Order. Soon.’ Krager held out his tankard. ‘In the meantime, why don’t we have another?’
    Ekrasios and his party of Delphae reached Norenja late in the afternoon on a murky day when heavy clouds hung low over the treetops and there was not a breath of air moving. Ekrasios took his boyhood friend, Adras, and crept forward through the tangle of brush and vines to the edge of the clearing to survey the ruin.
    ‘Thinkest thou that they will offer resistance?’ Adras asked quietly.
    ‘That is difficult to predict,’ Ekrasios replied. ‘Anakha and his companions have advised that these rebels are poorly trained. Methinks their response to our sudden appearance will depend on the character of their officers. Better that we leave them a clear path to the surrounding forest. Should we encircle them, desperation will impel them to fight.’
    Adras nodded. ‘They have made some effort to repair the gates,’ he said, pointing at the entrance to the city.
    ‘The gates will pose no problem. I will instruct thee and our companions in the spell which doth modify the curse of Edaemus. Those newly-made gates are constructed of wood, and wood is as susceptible to decay as is flesh,’ He looked up at the dirty grey clouds. ‘Canst thou make any estimate as to the time of day?’
    ‘No more than two hours until dusk,’ Adras replied.
    ‘Let us proceed then. We must find yet another gate to provide means of escape for those whom we would confront this night.’
    ‘And if there be none other?’
    ‘Then those who would escape must find their own way. I am reluctant to unleash the full force of the curse of Edaemas. Should necessity compel me to it, however, I will not shrink from that stern duty. Should they flee, well and good. Should they choose to stay and fight, we will do what we must. I do assure thee, Adras, that when tomorrow’s sun rises, none living shall remain within the walls of Norenja.’
    ‘Good God!’ Berit exclaimed, peering over the edge of the dry gully at the huge soldiers in close-fitting armor running westward across the sun-baked gravel. ‘They’re monsters.’
    ‘Keep your voice down,’ Khalad cautioned. ‘There’s no way of knowing how good their ears are.’
    The strange, bestial soldiers were larger than Atans, and their burnished steel breastplates fit their torsos snugly, outlining each muscle. They wore helmets adorned with fanciful horns or wings, and the visors of those helmets were individualized, evidently forged to fit each warrior’s face. They ran westward in a sort of ragged formation, and their hoarse gasping was clearly audible even at this distance.
    ‘Where are they going?’ Berit demanded. ‘The border’s off in the other direction.’
    ‘That one who’s trailing along behind the others has a broken-off javelin sticking out of him,’ Khalad replied. ‘I’d say that means that they’ve come up against Tikume’s Peloi. They’ve already been to the border, and now they’re coming back.’
    ‘Back to where?’ Berit was baffled. ‘Where can they go? They can’t breathe here.’
    Khalad cautiously poked his head above the rim of the gully and squinted out across the rocky desert. ‘They seem to be going toward that cluster of hills about a mile to the west.’ He paused. ‘Just how curious are we feeling today, Berit?’
    ‘What have you got in mind?’
    ‘This gully comes down out of those hills, and if we follow it and keep our heads down, they won’t see us. Why don’t we drift off toward the west? I’ve got a strong feeling that we might find out something important if we tag along behind those fellows.’
    Berit shrugged. ‘Why not?’
    ‘That’s really not a very logical answer, Berit. I can think of a half-dozen reasons why not.’ Khalad squinted at the panting soldiers lurching across the desert. ‘Let’s do it anyway, though. For some reason, I think we should.’
    They slid back down into the gully and led their horses along the dry watercourse toward the west. They moved quietly along the bottom of the wash for about a quarter of an hour. ‘Are they still out there?’ Berit whispered.
    ‘I’ll look.’ Khalad carefully climbed back up the steep bank to the rim of the gully and eased his head up far enough to look. Then he slid back down again. ‘They’re still staggering toward the hills,’ he reported. ‘This gully starts getting shallower on up ahead. Let’s leave the horses here.’
    They crept