Master Of The Hashomi

The screams reached the top of the cliff, and after a while so did the smell of burning human flesh.

The Hashomi went on burning their prisoners alive all day, until more than three-quarters of them were gone. Blade's men went about their business with faces even paler and more drawn than usual. Blade was also aware of sullen, fearful looks from many of the surviving refugees. A few of them, maddened by recognizing relatives among the day's victims, had hurled themselves off the ledge.

The next morning the Master pushed his psychological siege a step further. Blade was called to the mouth of the tu

«Blade!» shouted the Master. «Yesterday the prisoners died by fire. A clean death, and almost a quick one. Today they will die like this one-!» pointing at one of the two blanket-covered prisoners.

The Hashomi stripped off the blanket, exposing the prisoner to Blade's stare. He was a man of about forty, as far as Blade could tell. It was hard to tell, since the man hardly looked human any more. He'd been beaten, cut, flogged, and burned until hardly an inch of his skin was still intact. One eye had been gouged out, both ears cut off, several fingers and toes had been cut off, and he'd been castrated.

Blade had just time to get a good look at the man. Then two of the Hashomi seized him and heaved him off the cliff. Blade's eyes followed the falling man all the way down, until he hit the ground in a puff of dust. By the time he turned back to the Master, the blanket was off the second prisoner.

Blade stared again. The second prisoner was Mirna, stark naked, showing a few bruises but otherwise unharmed. Her eyes were wide but clear. She hadn't been drugged, and when they started on her she would feel everything.

The Master threw back his head and laughed shrilly. «She will be next, Blade. After her, all the others. Only can you stop us-only you. Bring your men down from where they are, give up your fight, and the prisoners will live. Otherwise-«he jerked a thumb downward.

Blade heard a confused growling and muttering from both the Hashomi and the soldiers and refugees behind him. After a moment he shut it out of his awareness. His mind never worked better or faster than when he faced a total crisis that called for a split-second decision. This was one of those crises.

With dramatic sudde

The Master stiffened, and the Hashomi around him gripped their weapons and stared at Blade. Blade waited just long enough to be sure that the Hashomi's archers weren't going to let fly, and repeated his gesture a third time.

«Coward, I say,» he went on, more softly. «You are only able to fight old men, women, and children. You ca

The Master of the Hashomi was now as erect as his own staff, and pale as milk except for his eyes, which blazed red. He seemed to be struggling for words. Blade did not give him a chance to speak, but threw out his challenge.

«Master of the Hashomi, do you dare to meet a man? Then tomorrow at this time I will face you, here on the bridge. I will come to you, naked as I was born, with only my hands. You shall bear your staff, equipped as you see fit. We shall meet thus, on the bridge, and fight to the death. If the death is mine, then no man may call you coward again. What say you, Master of the Hashomi? Have you the courage to earn your name and rank?»

There was more muttering among the Hashomi. Blade could see them looking at each other, then at the master. He noticed that some of the sharpest looks were from those who wore bandages on their heads or arms. The Master's control over his people stood on thin ice after so many defeats and so many losses. It might not survive a refusal of Blade's challenge-or so the Master would think.

Blade would have prayed, if he'd thought that would affect the Master's decision.

Then the Master swallowed, and raised one hand in salute. «Blade, it shall be as you say. Here on the bridge, at this time tomorrow, you naked, me as I am now, with my staff. Let all present hear us!»

«We hear!» shouted the Hashomi, and Blade thought he detected a note of relief in some of the shouts. He raised his arms in a signal to his own people, and they repeated the shout.

«We hear!»

Then Blade lowered his arms and whispered sharply,

«Now let's get out of here!»

He could not remember taking a single breath until they were all safely behind the barricade in the tu

Chapter 25

Giraz glowered at Blade the moment the two were alone.

«Blade, have you gone mad?»

«Everybody seems very ready to call me a madman,» said Blade sharply. «First Esseta, now you. This makes more sense than anything else I could have done. I'll even explain it if you give me a chance.»

Giraz sighed: «You would go ahead and do it anyway, wouldn't you?»

Blade nodded. «The Master couldn't refuse a challenge like the one I made. His people have been taking too much punishment to be willing any more to follow him blindly. They hope he'll kill me easily, and then you and the others at the hospital will surrender.»

«I take it we're not supposed to?»

«Great Junah, no!» exploded Blade. «Why do you think I made him so angry before challenging him? I made him angry, so he'd forget to insist that my people promise to surrender if I was killed. He did forget, and now I don't think he'll risk changing the conditions of the fight. By all means-if I die tomorrow, you're in charge. Go on fighting as long as you can.»

«That may not be very long, Blade. There is the food shortage, and the refugees won't be happy about seeing their friends and families tortured to death.»

Blade shrugged. «You'll just have to do the best you can. The Baran's army will come, sooner or later. This challenge gains us a good twenty-four hours without lifting a finger. Also, the Hashomi may not be so interested in going to work on the prisoners after the Master is dead.»

«You're sure of wi

Blade shook his head. «I'm sure the Master of the Hashomi will die tomorrow, whether I live or not. That's all I can promise.»

Blade found it easy to sleep that night, in spite of the knowledge that he might be going to sleep for the last time in his life. He'd meant what he said to Giraz. Unless the Master were both fantastically skilled and fantastically lucky, he would not be able to kill Blade without getting killed himself. The determination of the Hashomi had been shaken by the collapse of the Master's plans, and might very well collapse with his death. Blade's men would go on fighting whether he was there or not. Once again, Richard Blade found himself expendable in a good cause.

The morning dawned clear, with the promise of staying that way. With no rain, the planks of the bridge would be dry once the night's dew was gone. That would reduce the risk of slipping. Blade was glad of that he didn't want to have to worry about accidents. This fight would be enough of a challenge as it was.

The Master had seen Blade fight, but Blade hadn't seen him. The Master would know many of Blade's strengths and weaknesses, while Blade could only guess at most of the Master's. Blade did know that he was stronger than the Master, and suspected that he was at least as fast. He also knew some tactics for dealing with quarterstaves that the Master wouldn't be expecting. They depended on Blade's longer reach and outright brute strength, so he hadn't bothered teaching them to the smaller and lighter Hashomi.