An Empire Unacquainted With Defeat by Glen Cook Page A

all night. I quit listening to him last year."
    "About the prowler who ran the Caydarmen off."
    "Ah. I don't remember. A black giant sorcerer? He's been seeing things for years. I don't think he's ever sober."
    "He was sober last night. And he told the same story the first time they tried burning him out."
    Toma shrugged. "Believe what you want. He's just crazy." But Toma considered Tain speculatively.
    "Someone coming," Tain said. The runner was coming from the direction of the Kosku stead. Soon Toma and Mikla could see him too.
    "That's Wes. Kosku's youngest," Toma said. "What's happened now?"
    When the boy reached the men, he gasped, "It's Dad. He's gone after Olag."
    "Calm down," Mikla told him. "Catch your breath first."
    The boy didn't wait long. "We went back to the house. To see if we could save anything. We found Mari. We thought she ran to Jeski's . . . . She was all burned. Then Ivon Pilsuski came by. He said Olag was in town. He was bragging about teaching Dad a lesson. So Dad went to town. To kill him."
    Tain sighed. It seemed unstoppable now. There was blood in it.
    Toma looked at Mikla. Mikla stared back. "Well?" said Toma.
    "It's probably too late."
    "Are you going?"
    Mikla rubbed his forehead, pushed his hair out of his eyes. "Yes. All right." He went to the house. Toma followed.
    The two came back. Mikla had his sword. Toma had his staff. They walked round the corner of the house, toward the village, without speaking.
    Rula flew outside. "Tain! Stop them! They'll get killed."
    He seized her shoulders, held her at arm's length. "I can't."
    "Yes, you can. You're . . . . You mean you won't." Something had broken within her. Her fear had returned. The raid had affected her the way the Caydarmen wanted it to affect the entire Zemstvi.
    "I mean I can't. I've done what I could. There's blood in it now. It'll take blood to finish it."
    "Then go with them. Don't let anything happen to them."
    Tain shook his head sadly. He had gotten himself cornered here.
    He had to go. To protect a man who claimed the woman he wanted. If he didn't, and Toma were killed, he would forever be asking himself if he had willed it to happen.
    He sealed his eyes briefly, then avoided Rula's by glancing at the sky. Cloudless and blue, it recalled the day when last he had killed a man. There, away toward Kosku's, Death's daughters planed the air, omening more dying.
    "All right." He went to the Kosku boy, who sat by the new house, head between his knees.
    "Wes. We're going to town. Will you stay with Mrs. Kleckla?"
    "Okay." The boy didn't raise his head.
    Tain walked toward the barn. "Take care of him, Rula. He needs mothering now."
    Toma and Mikla traveled fast. Tain didn't overtake them till they were near the village. He stayed out of sight, riding into town after them. He left the roan near the first house.
    There were two horses in the village. Both belonged to Caydarmen. He ignored them.
    Kosku and a Caydarman stood in the road, arguing viciously. The whole village watched. Kosku waved a skinning knife.
    Tain spotted the other Caydarman. Grimnir leaned against a wall between two houses, grinning. The big man wore a hat to conceal his hairless pate.
    Tain strolled his way as Mikla and Toma bore down on Olag.
    Olag said something. Kosku hurled himself at the Caydarman. Blades flashed. Kosku fell. Olag kicked him, laughed. The old man moaned.
    Mikla and Toma charged.
    The Caydarman drew his sword.
    Grimnir, still grinning, started to join him.
    Tain seized his left bicep. "No."
    Grimnir tried to yank away. He failed. He tried punching himself loose. Tain blocked the blow, backhanded Grimnir across the face. "I said no."
    Grimnir paused. His eyes grew huge.
    "Don't move. Or I'll kill you."
    Grimnir tried for his sword.
    Tain tightened his grip.
    Grimnir almost whimpered.
    And in the road Tain's oracle became fact.
    Mikla had been a soldier once, but now he was as rusty as his blade. Olag battered his sword aside, nicked him. Toma