King Of Zunga

«Zungan warriors are learning many new things,» said Blade. «They will be much more dangerous because of this. The warriors who ran away will be back someday soon, with many companions. And then it will be the Rulami-«he nearly added «-and the Kandans,» but stopped himself in time «-who run away or die.»

Sarnila's head popped out of the neck of her robe. «That is good. I do not like the Rulami.»

Blade looked at her. «I thought the Rulami treated their women well. Why do you not like them?»

«They treat their women well. The women of the Rulami have great power, from Queen Roxala on down. But they do not treat other people or other people's women at all well. There was a time when they even made slaves of the women of Kanda, the way they do now with the Zungans. The Rulami are very proud and haughty, and in their eyes all should go down in the dust and kiss their feet.»

Blade was taking mental notes at a furious clip. He would not need to spend any time deepening the animosity between Kanda and Rulam, if she was telling the truth. It already ran deep enough, as deep as he could hope for. His job would be to find some way of exploiting it. A job that he could do, he reminded himself, only if he escaped. He resolutely shut his ears to the noise he was making, and kept working with the file.

Soon the staple holding his right foot was gone, and the one on the left was cut half through. He was begi

Sarnila froze, and her mouth opened in a soundless scream of terror. Blade did not and could not pay any attention to her. His reflexes and training took over. With a tremendous flesh-gouging lunge he jerked the remaining chain. The half-filed staple snapped. Blade sprang off the bed, clutching the file in his hand. Then he darted across the room and flattened himself against the wall, behind where the opening door would swing. If the people outside opened it just far enough… Now he jerked a beckoning thumb at Sarnila, but she was too paralyzed with terror to move a step. He was calculating if he would have the time to step over and grab her, when the door squealed and groaned open.

Half a dozen Kandan soldiers with the High Priest at their head stamped into the room in a crash of booted feet and a clank of armor and weapons. They took two steps, then stopped at the sight of the empty bed and Sarnila standing numb with fright beside it. For a moment they were as paralyzed as she was. In that moment, Blade moved.

He came out from behind the door in two silent steps and sprang at the High Priest, stabbing with the file toward the exposed back of the man's thick neck. But a soldier standing just behind the High Priest started to turn as Blade struck. Blade could not halt his stroke; the file clanged off the man's helmet. The soldier staggered and fell against the High Priest, who spun around with surprising agility for a man his size and weight.

«You!» he gasped as he saw Blade. Then he hoisted up his robes and dashed for the door. The soldiers flung themselves out of his way, then re-formed behind him to block Blade's path. They were smiling. After all, there were a half dozen of them with swords, and only one of him, with nothing but a file.

Not for long. A soldier lunged at Blade, and he brought the file down on the man's arm so hard the sword dropped from his hand. Blade dove for it, straight-arming the man in the groin as he also sought to retrieve his weapon. He snatched up the sword and returned it to its previous owner-in the thigh, just below his armor. Then he flipped the sword sideways at a sword arm rising for a stroke, and another sword clattered on the floor, held in a severed hand. The four intact soldiers backed off, staring with dawning fear at the giant naked figure of Blade.

He plunged into their ranks again, beating down two thrusts but not killing or wounding this time. He snatched the statue-like Sarnila off her feet and tucked her under one arm. She was light enough so that he could carry her that way with no trouble. He turned and faced the soldiers.

«Just stay there for a while, friends. I've got the High Priest's daughter.» He did not plan on holding her a hostage, but the soldiers couldn't know that. They backed obediently against the walls and lowered their swords. Blade turned again and ran out of the chamber.

Outside he found himself in a long, narrow lane between two rows of stoutly timbered wooden huts. «Where are we?» he asked Sarnila. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. He shook her gently. «Where are we? I am going to take you to Zunga with me, and I want to know how to get there.»

Her face collapsed and she began to cry. Blade wondered about the wisdom of the promise he had just made to encourage her. He was far from sure that Sarnila would be able to handle herself in a long flight. The courage she had shown in coming to his but seemed to have entirely gone.

A moment later the question became irrelevant. Pounding down the lane in a glare of torches came a mob of Kandan soldiers, the High Priest again visible among them-well in the rear, Blade noticed. Blade whirled about. Beyond the huts on both sides rose high walls with spiked tops. And down the lane from the other direction a dozen men with Rulami shields were approaching. Blade took all of one second to decide, then dashed straight at the Rulami. Escape was no longer possible, but with the Rulami he and Sarnila might live a little longer and find other chances.

If Blade had wanted to fight the Rulami, he could have taken out half a dozen of them at least. His charge out of the darkness took them by surprise and all their training did not keep them from flinching. But he did not want to fight them. He held his sword point down and shouted, «Save me from the treachery of the Kandans. They mean to kill me and cheat you of your money!» He was gambling that the High Priest's description of the deal over him was correct.

In a moment he saw that it was. The Rulami drew their swords and glared, not at him, but at the Kandans coming up behind him. The Rulami officer growled contemptuously at Blade, «get behind us, boy. We'll take care of those priests' pimps.» Blade led Sarnila through the soldiers as they swung into a formation six-men wide and two deep across the lane.

The High Priest was in the lead now as the Kandans charged up. But he stopped abruptly as the Rulami presented a dozen drawn swords. The officer stepped forward and barked, «Halt, Priest. We don't like your kind of dealing. If you take one more step after this man-«

«If you draw a single drop of blood from me I'll-!»

«You'll what?» sneered the officer. «What can Kanda do to us or for us that we couldn't do as well on our own? You think you've got a real city, don't you?» The officer spat on the path. «All you've got is the Ivory Tower and a huddle of houses. And those boys and old men you call soldiers.» He spat again.

Blade wondered if the Rulami officer wasn't going too far, deliberately trying to bring on a battle. That was fine with him, of course. The more the Rulami and Kandans were at each other's throats, the better. And a fight now might even give him and Sarnila a chance to escape.

Apparently the High Priest's thick skull contained enough brains to make him realize this. He took a deep breath, and in his turn spat on the path. «All right, you no-balls Rulami men, you can have him! You paid for him. Get him out of my sight, get him out of Kanda, get yourselves out of Kanda! But give me that woman.»

«Your daughter?» The officer's voice held a sneer of total contempt. «Daughter» might have been the foulest word in the whole language, the way he said it.

The High Priest said nothing. He merely shoved his way forward through the Rulami soldiers and grabbed Sarnila by the arm. The girl cringed and whimpered and tried to pull away. Blade took a step forward, and found three Rulami swords aimed at his chest. «None of that, boy,» said the officer. «We don't want any more fighting over what isn't our business.»