Else while Else was amidst an elaborate ceremonial
greeting. "You put him up to this, Rashal? Captain Tage, there's nobody watching
and I'm not the Kaif . Let's just talk, soldier to soldier."
Gordimer still had the vast mane of blond hair that had given him his nickname.
His nature was suitably ferocious both toward his own enemies and those of God.
Else told his tale simply. "Things just went too smoothly for too long.
Something like the bogon was bound to happen."
"Rashal. You invited yourself here. Explain that to me."
"A bogon is a shadow entity of great power, almost never seen anymore. It would
equate with a count or baron or even a kaif in the mundane world. But harder to
kill." Er-Rashal betrayed a tiny sneer. The Kaif of al-Minphet, through his
proxy, Gordimer, had been trying to eliminate his irksomely deviationist rivals
in Qasr al-Zed and al-Halambra for years. The main result was a missive from
Indala al-Sul Halaladin indicating that he would not be pleased if anything
happened to his Kaif.
Gordimer accepted the message at face value. The marshal respected Indala al-Sul
Halaladin because of his signal successes in the Holy Lands.
Never having met, the men had been allies in wars against the outlanders. Wars
that achieved little because whenever the northern Kaifate became involved in
the Holy Lands it developed immediate border problems elsewhere. Inevitably,
Rhûn would invade Lucidia's northernmost provinces in an effort to recover lost
territory. In the east, the Ghargarlicean Empire would start probing the borders
there. The Ghargarliceans were very aggressive under their current emperor.
Though now they had their own distractions from the Hu'n-tai At
The Hu'n-tai At were pressing Lucidia from the northeast, too. They were like the Wrath of the One God being vented against everyone. Some Lucidian clerics believed that resisting the Hu'n-tai
At meant defying the Will of God. Those clerics argued that
Tsistimed the Golden, warlord of the Hu'n-tai At, was the Scourge of God
prophesied in the Written, a pagan fury who,
would punish the Realm of Peace for all the indulgences and, sins and lapses of
the Faithful.
But there were fundamentalist mullahs who believed that
living in fixed houses, dwelling in urban areas, living under any but the
harshest conditions, constituted a surrender to the seductions of the Adversary.
Gordimer and his Kaif had not abandoned hope of seeing the end of the Kaif of
Qasr al-Zed. That Kaif's champion would soon be too busy to hare off on any
mission of vengeance.
Fundamentalist priests were more a nuisance in the Lucidian Kaifate than in the
Dreangerean. The Lion was the sort who made certain no one became too critical.
Gordimer listened attentively while er-Rashal analyzed Else's journey into the
Idiam, to Andesqueluz, and his return with six mummies.
Er-Rashal praised Else's quick thinking and unswerving determination. Praise
from the sorcerer was rare.
The marshal interrupted. "All right. He's a paragon. Nobody else could have
pulled it off. But that's why I sent him. He doesn't need to stand around
listening to a clutch of broad-ass bureaucrats tell him he's wonderful. He needs
to know why I wanted him. So he can get to work planning."
Else said, "I did hope to spend some time with my family."
Gordimer scowled. He had no family. Family weighed you down. Family other than
the Sha-lug was a weakness. Case in point. Else was distracted. But family were
useful as hostages.
Er-Rashal observed, "It wouldn't be good to leap into the flames again, right
away, after dancing in the fire as long as the captain has."
Gordimer waved a hand. "It'll be a long mission, anyway. A short delay won't
matter."
The Lion relied on er-Rashal's advice but did not always like it. Else thought
it might be wise to send his family out of town before he left al-Qarn again.
The honors he could imagine had happened before, to others.
Gordimer the Lion was a
greeting. "You put him up to this, Rashal? Captain Tage, there's nobody watching
and I'm not the Kaif . Let's just talk, soldier to soldier."
Gordimer still had the vast mane of blond hair that had given him his nickname.
His nature was suitably ferocious both toward his own enemies and those of God.
Else told his tale simply. "Things just went too smoothly for too long.
Something like the bogon was bound to happen."
"Rashal. You invited yourself here. Explain that to me."
"A bogon is a shadow entity of great power, almost never seen anymore. It would
equate with a count or baron or even a kaif in the mundane world. But harder to
kill." Er-Rashal betrayed a tiny sneer. The Kaif of al-Minphet, through his
proxy, Gordimer, had been trying to eliminate his irksomely deviationist rivals
in Qasr al-Zed and al-Halambra for years. The main result was a missive from
Indala al-Sul Halaladin indicating that he would not be pleased if anything
happened to his Kaif.
Gordimer accepted the message at face value. The marshal respected Indala al-Sul
Halaladin because of his signal successes in the Holy Lands.
Never having met, the men had been allies in wars against the outlanders. Wars
that achieved little because whenever the northern Kaifate became involved in
the Holy Lands it developed immediate border problems elsewhere. Inevitably,
Rhûn would invade Lucidia's northernmost provinces in an effort to recover lost
territory. In the east, the Ghargarlicean Empire would start probing the borders
there. The Ghargarliceans were very aggressive under their current emperor.
Though now they had their own distractions from the Hu'n-tai At
The Hu'n-tai At were pressing Lucidia from the northeast, too. They were like the Wrath of the One God being vented against everyone. Some Lucidian clerics believed that resisting the Hu'n-tai
At meant defying the Will of God. Those clerics argued that
Tsistimed the Golden, warlord of the Hu'n-tai At, was the Scourge of God
prophesied in the Written, a pagan fury who,
would punish the Realm of Peace for all the indulgences and, sins and lapses of
the Faithful.
But there were fundamentalist mullahs who believed that
living in fixed houses, dwelling in urban areas, living under any but the
harshest conditions, constituted a surrender to the seductions of the Adversary.
Gordimer and his Kaif had not abandoned hope of seeing the end of the Kaif of
Qasr al-Zed. That Kaif's champion would soon be too busy to hare off on any
mission of vengeance.
Fundamentalist priests were more a nuisance in the Lucidian Kaifate than in the
Dreangerean. The Lion was the sort who made certain no one became too critical.
Gordimer listened attentively while er-Rashal analyzed Else's journey into the
Idiam, to Andesqueluz, and his return with six mummies.
Er-Rashal praised Else's quick thinking and unswerving determination. Praise
from the sorcerer was rare.
The marshal interrupted. "All right. He's a paragon. Nobody else could have
pulled it off. But that's why I sent him. He doesn't need to stand around
listening to a clutch of broad-ass bureaucrats tell him he's wonderful. He needs
to know why I wanted him. So he can get to work planning."
Else said, "I did hope to spend some time with my family."
Gordimer scowled. He had no family. Family weighed you down. Family other than
the Sha-lug was a weakness. Case in point. Else was distracted. But family were
useful as hostages.
Er-Rashal observed, "It wouldn't be good to leap into the flames again, right
away, after dancing in the fire as long as the captain has."
Gordimer waved a hand. "It'll be a long mission, anyway. A short delay won't
matter."
The Lion relied on er-Rashal's advice but did not always like it. Else thought
it might be wise to send his family out of town before he left al-Qarn again.
The honors he could imagine had happened before, to others.
Gordimer the Lion was a
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