Drenai Saga 02 - The King Beyond the Gate Read Online Free PDF Page B

said.
    “Very well.” He untied the blanket and passed it to her, then wrapped himself in his cloak and leaned his head back to the rock, closing his eyes.
    Renya stretched herself out on the cold ground, pillowing her head on her arm.
    As the fire died, the night cold grew, seeping into her limbs. She awoke shivering uncontrollably and sat up, rubbing warmth into her numbed legs.
    Tenaka opened his eyes and held out his hand. “Come,” he said.
    She moved to him, and he opened his cloak, wrapping it around her and pulling her in to his chest before covering them both with the blanket. She nestled against him, still shivering.
    “T-t-tell me about c-c-clay diamonds,” she said.
    He smiled. “The wise man was called Kias. He said that too many people go through life without pausing to enjoy what they have, and he told of a man who was given a clay jug by a friend. The friend said, ‘Examine it when you have the time.’ But it was just a simple clay jug, and the man put it aside and forged ahead with his life, spending his time acquiring riches. One day, when he was old, he took the jug and opened it. Within was a huge diamond.”
    “I do not understand.”
    “Kias claimed that life was like that clay jug. Unless we examined it and understood it, we could not enjoy it.”
    “Sometimes understanding robs you of joy,” she whispered.
    He said nothing, transferring his gaze to the night sky and the distant stars. Renya fell into a dreamless sleep, her head tipping forward, dislodging the woolen burnoose that covered her close-cropped hair. Tenaka reached up to replace it, then stopped as his hand touched her head. The hair was not close-cropped; it had grown as long as it would grow. For it was not hair but dark fur, soft as sable. Gently he pulled the burnoose into place and closed his eyes.
    The girl was a Joining, half-human, half-animal.
    No wonder she did not care for life.
    Were there diamonds in the clay for such as she? he wondered.

3
    A t the Dragon barracks a man pushed his way past the screen of bushes before the parade ground. He was a big man, broad shoulders tapering to lean hips and long legs, and was dressed in black and carried an iron-tipped ebony quarter-staff. Hooded, his face was covered by a shaped mask in black leather. He moved easily—the rolling, fluid gait of the athlete—yet he was wary, his bright blue eyes flickering to every bush and shadow-haunted tree.
    When he saw the bodies, he circled them slowly, reading the brief battle in the tracks.
    One man against four.
    The first three had died almost instantly, and that spoke of speed. The fourth had run past the lone warrior. The tall man followed the track and nodded.
    So. Here was a mystery. The lone warrior was not alone; he had a companion who had taken no part in the fray. The footprints were small, yet the stride was long. A woman?
    Yes, a woman. A tall woman.
    He glanced back at the bodies.
    “That was well done,” he said aloud, the voice muffled by the mask. “Damn well done.” One against four. Not many men could survive such odds, yet this man had not only survived but won the day with skill to spare.
    Ringar? He was a lightning killer with astonishing reflexes. Yet he barely chanced a neck cut, more often choosing the lower torso: the disemboweling cut.
    Argonin? No, he was dead. Strange how a man could forget such a thing.
    Who, then? An unknown? No. In a world where skill with arms was of paramount importance, there were few unknowns of such bewildering talent.
    He studied the tracks once more, picturing the battle, seeing at last the blurred print at the center. The warrior had leapt and spun in the air like a dancer before hammering home the death blow.
    Tenaka Khan!
    Realization struck the big man like a blow to the heart. His eyes glittered strangely, and his breathing grew ragged.
    Of all the men in the world he hated, Tenaka had pride of place.
    Or was that still true? He relaxed and remembered, his thoughts