«Very well,» the older man said. «So-tell me how you came to the borderland of Jaghd, without passing through Elstan or even hearing of the country.»
Blade told a tale of coming through the mountains, dressed in warm clothing he'd left in that well-hidden camp in the ruined city. He went on to tell of entering the forest of Binaark and of his grim struggle with the killer plants.
«You would have done better to go on across the mountains,» said the Keeper. «Our sentries watch the passes, but they are more merciful than the killer plants. Only very desperate men or those who hope to escape all detection come through the forest of Binaark. You say you were neither kind.»
«I wasn't. But I didn't know what lay in the forest. By the time I found out, it was too late. Backward or forward or sideways, the plants were waiting for me.»
Blade finished his cover story quickly, but by the time he'd finished Sikkurad was smiling with real pleasure and admiration.
«Blade, you have survived an ordeal that kills nine men out of ten who face it. The plants have done their work since-since there was Jaghd to the west of them and Elstan to the east. Would you be willing to face another, smaller ordeal to prove that you are not of Elstan?»
«That depends on the ordeal. Something which you might call less dangerous than the Forest of Binaark might kill me more surely than the plants.»
«I doubt it, Blade. Your willingness to do what I ask would be like swearing to the truth of your story. All I am asking you to do is fight three of the queen's guards in a contest to prove you told the truth.»
«Men guards or women?»
«Only men. Would you strike at a woman, Blade?»
«If a woman takes up arms, she should have the same chance as a man to prove her skill and courage.»
Sikkurad hooted with laughter. «If you say that to Jollya, she'll fight her way to your bed.»
«Before that can happen I need to find out more about what you are asking me to do in this contest. Do I fight on foot or on a rolgha?»
«You can ride?»
«Yes.»
Sikkurad's eyes widened.
«In England we have animals called 'horses.' They are somewhat like the rolghas. If I have a few days to practice with the rolgha I will be riding in the fights.»
Sikkurad nodded. «I shall see what I can do. If you were to fight on rolgha-back, no one could doubt you weren't of Elstan. I've never yet heard of an Elstani who could ride better than a drunken pig.»
«I see. Well, I can do better than that.»
«I hope so. However, you will indeed need practice if you have never mounted a rolgha before. The war-trained ones are rather spirited.»
Blade suspected this was a considerable understatement. «I will fight any three men of the queen's guards on rolghas as long as I have good weapons, a good mount, and time to practice with them. Oh, and I'll need one other thing before going into this fight.»
«Yes?»
«A few days of good food. I don't insist on the right to beat the prison cooks. I do refuse to fight anyone after experiencing their cooking.»
«I don't blame you at all,» said Sikkurad. He smiled. «That also can be arranged. The-«
Something thumped against the outside of the door three times. Apparently it was a signal for the Keeper. He raised a hand to Blade in a farewell salute, then turned and slipped out the door as it opened. The lock clinked back into place.
Blade sat down. The Keeper was clearly playing some fairly deep game of his own, and wanted Blade in it. Did he want an ally or a pawn? It was too soon to tell. At least Blade would have taken the first step on the road out of this damned cell, wherever it might lead him afterward.
Chapter 7
Blade looked out across the hundred yards of grass where he would fight to prove himself, then reached up and adjusted the sweat band around his forehead. Queen Tressana's hunting lodge lay on the bank of the Adrim, the great river that linked Jaghd with Elstan. The damp heat and the ripe smells from the river reminded Blade of the forest of Binaark.
That was about all the two places had in common. In the forest he'd been a hungry, naked stranger, surviving by his wits, in constant danger, hardly knowing where he was going or what he might find when he got there. Here on the bank of the Adrim he was no worse than a prisoner on parole, with a chance to rise higher if he won the day's fighting. He was well fed, well armed, well mounted, and facing human opponents instead of the implacable killer plants.
Of course winning today wasn't something to be taken for granted. It would also probably throw him headfirst into the tangled politics of Jaghd, but he could live with that. Compared to the Soviet KGB or the American CIA, most of the intriguers and plotters he'd met in Dimension X were hardly more than children. Dangerous children, to be sure, but still children. They didn't have the perverted ingenuity or the vast resources of modern nations and their intelligence agencies.
Blade's rolgha whinnied softly. He turned to his mount, checking the saddle, stirrups, bridle, and above all the muzzle. He remembered Sikkurad's words when he was showing Blade the rolgha.
«You see that brand? This is a rolgha from the queen's own stables. She loves her rolghas more than she'd love her children if she had any. She will expect this one back unhurt.»
«Then why is she risking him in this fight at all?»
«Because she also breeds the best rolghas in Jaghd, and wants you to have one under you today.»
«Do you know why?»
«No. And I probably would not tell you if I did.»
The warning tone was unmistakable. Blade knew he was in no position to look a gift rolgha in the mouth, whatever reasons the queen might have for making the gift. «All right. Now what are the rules of the fight?»
«You leave the muzzle on and do not strike at the other man's mount. For honor's sake your opponents must do the same.»
Blade wasn't going to trust something as fragile as the honor of unknown opponents too far. He'd make sure that his rolgha's muzzle stayed in place just as long as those of his opponents' but not a second longer. Now when he examined the muzzle, he paid particular attention to the slip knots fastening it in place. With two quick tugs, Blade could release the knots, let the muzzle drop to the ground, and leave his mount free to use its teeth. Those teeth made stallion duels among rolghas fights to the death more often than not and made even a rolgha mare a match for any of Jaghd's predators.
By the time Blade finished his inspection, the rest of the spectators for the duel had arrived. Although Queen Tressana was with them, they arrived with neither fanfare nor ceremony. No doubt the queen considered this a holiday rather than a state occasion.
Thirteen men under Curim and ten women under Jollya escorted the queen and led several pack rolghas. A discreet distance behind the royal party rode Sikkurad with half a dozen of his guards. The guards looked as tough as the ones who'd been with him in the prison, but Sikkurad rode like a sack of potatoes. Even from a distance Blade could make out the relief on the Keeper's face as he slid clumsily out of his saddle.
The queen sat down cross-legged while the guards unloaded the pack animals, set up a tent, and spread out a picnic lunch. Blade signaled to his own guards, who'd been with him since he left the prison the week before. Then he swung himself up into the saddle and rode at a walk over to the royal party.
Curim ran toward his mount as he saw Blade on the move. But Jollya was still in the saddle, and she spurred her rolgha into movement and reached Blade well ahead of the other captain.
«Blade, be careful,» she whispered fiercely. «The three men you'll be fighting are Curim's picked killers. He uses them to deal with his enemies in the guard. They've never been beaten.»