Master Of The Hashomi

«And this hope will be in vain?» said Giraz. In spite of his fatigue, his red-rimmed eyes were fixed on Blade and the nostrils of his thin nose were quivering like those of a hound on the scent. Giraz loved a subtle-plot the way some men loved fine wine.

«Exactly,» said Blade. «We are strike at the allies of the Hashomi before the Master expected to have to move. There is a very good chance that the Master will not move at all.»

«Why should the Fighters not know this too?» said the Baran.

«I think the Fighters of Junah would not have gone as far as they have if they didn't expect the Hashomi to come to their aid any time they needed help.

«So we will have the Fighters of Junah assembled in the west, waiting for the Hashomi who will not come. Meanwhile, you assemble your army, and when the Fighters of Junah have waited long enough to grow weary, you strike. You can fight them in the open fields, not in the streets of all your cities. The only people in danger will be your soldiers.»

«Too much danger, perhaps,» said the Baran. «Will they be able to defeat the Fighters of Junah, massed for battle?»

«Yes,» said Giraz. «My lord, do not be misled by the name 'Fighters of Junah.' They have indeed trained some of their people to be strong in battle, but not all. If a hundred thousand Fighters of Junah were to gather in the west, ten or fifteen thousand of them might be good soldiers. The rest-«He shrugged. «Your army will scatter them like cats sweeping aside an army of mice.»

«If this is so-«said the Baran, stroking his mustache as he often did when he was wrestling with a difficult decision. «If this is so-«

«It is,» said Giraz. «And, my lord, with all due respect, Blade will tell us of his plan much more swiftly if you do not constantly interrupt him.»

The Baran stared at the eunuch for a moment, took a deep breath as if he wanted to explode with rage, then smiled and let the breath out in a long sigh. «Blade, you are setting an example for my councilors. You are making them all as sharp-tongued and plain-spoken as yourself. This may turn out to be your greatest service to Dahaura, whether I like it or not. Giraz is right. Continue.»

Blade sketched out the rest of his plan quickly. The Baran's army should march against the assembled Fighters of Junah and defeat them in a pitched battle in the open field. Then the Baran should issue another proclamation. All those Fighters of Junah who lay down their arms and surrender by a certain date will have a free pardon. All those who volunteer to march with the Baran against the Valley of the Hashomi will receive land and the right to practice their faith.

«I think you will get many volunteers,» said Blade. «The Fighters will suspect that the Hashomi betrayed them, and they should be wild for vengeance.

«Then you take your army across the desert and through the mountains to the Valley of the Hashomi. I have no real plans for what to do then. There may be nothing to do except fight, and go on fighting until all the Hashomi are dead. That will be a long and bloody battle, but when it is over the Hashomi will never again be a danger to Dahaura, not in the time of your children's children's children.»

«A very pretty speech, Blade,» said the Baran, yawning. «And a plan almost as pretty. I can see points where I must ask you more, but not now. We shall go ahead with the destruction of the Thieves, and when that is done we shall talk of your plan again. If we use it, and if it works-Blade, would you like to be the Hand of the Baran for the Valley of the Hashomi, when we have conquered it?»

Blade was pleasantly surprised. He'd known he was high in the Baran's favor, but not this high. A Hand of the Baran was the viceroy for a large province or a wealthy city, answerable only to the Baran himself. The position carried with it the highest rank among the nobility of Dahaura, if the man didn't have that rank already. He usually did. Hands of the Baran were normally chosen from those families who'd been high-ranking nobles for two centuries. For Blade to be given such an appointment would create a sensation.

He said as much, and the Baran smiled. «That is as may be. Those of the old nobles who have served me as well as you have-I will listen to what they may say. The rest can be silent.»

The Baran yawned, stretched, rose shakily to his feet, and yawned again. «Now-no more talk until we have all slept. Right now I think I might fall asleep in my bath and drown before the women could pull me out!» He waved to Blade and Giraz, dismissing them, and wobbled out of the room.

While the Baran and his chief servants slept, the fighting men of Dahaura moved against the Thieves Guild. They had the aid of every armed man the Brothel Keepers could assemble, led by Kubin Ben Sarif himself. The doctor who'd insisted on keeping Kubin in bed was seized by four strong men and bound to the bed himself. He wasn't hurt, just made uncomfortable enough to make him watch his words in the future. Then Kubin went out to join the fighting.

The fighting was short but savage. The Council of Twelve was gone and many of the Thieves' pla

The Thieves would have swiftly become a danger, though, if the Baran hadn't struck when he did. Several of the secret storehouses of the Thieves turned out to contain quantities of Hashomi drugs-more than a ton altogether. That by itself was enough to spread chaos in Dahaura.

Two weeks after the raid on the warehouse, the Baran's proclamation was read in all the cities and towns of Dahaura. Within ten days, all men belonging to the so-called Fighters of Junah were to leave every place where this proclamation was being read and go elsewhere. Those who did not would be publicly executed without trial. A list of the crimes of the Fighters of Junah followed, not mentioning the Hashomi but hinting at the drugs.

«That will make sure people are ready to help drive the Fighters out, or turn in those who stay,» said Blade. «It won't get people ready to tear the Fighters apart, or burn the women and children alive in their houses-I hope.»

Then the Baran ordered the Desert Riders withdrawn from the desert into the more settled lands of Dahaura, and waited.

Pulling back the Riders was another idea of Blade's. «If we leave them in position, the Hashomi will have an excuse for not coming to aid the Fighters of Junah. They will say that the Desert Riders were too strong for them. Many of the Fighters might believe this.

«But if we leave the Hashomi a clear desert, there will be nothing to keep them from coming except their own refusal to do so. All the Fighters of Junah will then know that the Hashomi have not kept their promises, and can no longer be trusted.»

The Baran shook his head, «Blade, did you ever consider joining the Hashomi in their struggle against Dahaura?»

«No. By the time I knew that I would have to take sides at all, I knew that I would be with you. The Hashomi plan nothing that any sane man can wish to see done.»

«I am very grateful to Junah that your eyes were opened so soon and so well. You would have been a more dangerous enemy to Dahaura than I care to think about. As it is, you have already earned my gratitude and more rewards than it is in my power to give you. You will have an honored name in Dahaura's history even if your horse stumbles tomorrow and you break your neck.»

Blade couldn't help wondering if the Baran might be considering arranging such an accident, to save himself the trouble of giving Blade all his promised rewards. That was always possible, in a land, so filled with intrigue as Dahaura. It did not seem very likely, given the Baran's character, and in any case it would hardly be tactful to raise the point.