The Diamond Warriors. David Zindell

that it will be a woman who will bring new life to the world – even as a mother does with a child. I admit that it is strange for me to think of Bemossed as the Maitreya, though I don’t see how he cannot be.’

      I couldn’t help smiling at this. Each Maitreya throughout the ages had been a man, as the Saganom Elu had told, and never, I thought, had a man been born into the world as splendid as Bemossed.

      ‘He will come here’ I told her. ‘If you are right and the Brotherhood school is destroyed, Bemossed will want the Seven to bring him here.’

      ‘But how do you know that?’

      In answer, I drew my sword from its scabbard, which I had set down by the side of the table. Alkaladur’s silver blade shimmered in the light of the stars.

      ‘I know,’ I told her, echoing the words that she had spoken to me. ‘They will try to make their way here, to these mountains, and so Mesh must be made safe.’

      ‘Then you will do what you must do to make it so. As you always do. I saw that in you the first time we met.’

      I smiled again as I looked up at the stars. To Liljana, I pointed out Valura and Solaru – and then Icesse, Hyanne and the other stars of the Mother’s Necklace, high in the sky in this season of the year.

      ‘If Alphanderry is right,’ I said, ‘about Damoom’s star conjuncting the earth this fall, we have so little time to accomplish what we must accomplish.’

      ‘But we do have time, still.’

      ‘Time,’ I said, gazing at the bright silustria of my sword. ‘Already, a thousand warriors have answered Lord Avijan’s call. And in another six or seven days, there will be a thousand more.’

      ‘And you will win them as you did the others’ Liljana told me. ‘And then somehow, Lord Tomavar and Lord Tanu.’

      ‘I must win them. Or win against them. Otherwise, Bemossed might as well try to find refuge in Argattha as here.’

      ‘But what is your plan, Val? You have yet to confide it to me.’

      My sword glistered with the lights of the constellations shining above us – and seemed to await the clusters of stars soon to rise. And I said to Liljana, ‘That is because I still don’t know. Ask me again in another week.’

      ‘All right,’ she said to me, ‘but for now, why don’t you finish your tea and try to sleep? Tomorrow can only bring you better tidings than I did tonight.’

      Liljana, though adept at many arts, proved to be no scryer. Late the next morning, a messenger galloped up to the castle bearing tidings that no one wanted to hear: Lord Tanu had assembled his men and had marched out of Godhra along the North Road. Four thousand warriors he had called up to fight for him on foot, while three hundred knights rode beneath his banner. Only yesterday, this army had crossed the Arashar River and passed through Hardu, and was now making its way toward Mount Eluru and Lord Avijan’s castle where many fewer warriors so far had gathered to me.

       5

      This news set the castle into a fury of activity. Lord Avijan immediately sent out emissaries to speak with Lord Tanu. He ordered the castle’s walls manned and extra provisions brought inside. Then, some hours later when he deemed all was secured, he summoned the greatest lords and knights to a war council in his great hall.

      ‘Lord Tanu has moved more quickly than even I would have thought possible,’ he told us.

      I sat at one end of the great table at the front of the hall facing Lord Avijan at the other. In between us along one side of the table were Lord Harsha, Lord Sharad and Lord Noldashan – Sar Jessu and Sar Vikan, too. My companions took their places along the table’s other side with Lord Manthanu, a thick and jowly man who had arrived only the day before. This great knight regarded me with puzzlement clouding his long face; he pulled at one of the battle ribbons tied to his long gray hair as if wondering if the tides of war would sweep him away so soon.

      ‘It is upon me,’ Lord Avijan said, looking up the table at me, ‘to see to the defenses of my lands and my castle. As it is upon us to advise you, Lord Elahad. But if you are to be king, in the end you must decide what we should do about Lord Tanu.’

      I inclined my head to him, then said, ‘To begin with, we don’t know why Lord Tanu is marching up the North Road.’

      ‘He isn’t on his way to invade Ishka!’ Sar Vikan called out.

      I smiled at this as the others laughed grimly. Then I said, ‘It seems that there is little doubt as to where Lord Tanu is leading his army. But we don’t yet know his intentions.’

      ‘To raze Lord Avijan’s castle and see you murdered!’ Sar Vikan cried out again. ‘And all of us who support you. That is his intention!’

      ‘Here, now!’ Lord Harsha said, banging the table with his hand. ‘There’s no need for such talk! Lord Tanu is no murderer, and he is certainly not so stupid as to waste his army trying to take this castle.’

      At this, Lord Sharad studied the keep’s thick walls, and said, ‘If not take it, then perhaps lay siege.’

      I slowly nodded my head at this as I looked at Lord Avijan. I asked him, ‘How long could you hold out against Lord Tanu’s army?’

      ‘Not so long as we could have a few days ago,’ Lord Avijan said. He pointed out into the hall, whose many tables would soon be filled with hungry men eating their dinner. ‘A thousand warriors have answered your call, Lord Elahad, and that is a great many to feed. Our stores might last four months.’

      ‘Four months!’ Sar Jessu said. His thick black eyebrows pulled together. ‘That is a long time to lay siege. Lord Tanu might give up.’

      ‘He won’t give up,’ Lord Avijan said. ‘No knight in Mesh is more tenacious. You have fought under him, and should know that.’

      ‘Then even if he doesn’t, anything might happen in the meantime,’ Sar Jessu said. ‘Lord Tomavar might move against Lord Tanu. Or the Waashians might move against all of us.’

      Here Sar Jessu turned toward me, and so did Lord Avijan, Lord Harsha and everyone else. And I told them, ‘We cannot afford to wait four months – not even one. Whatever we do, we cannot remain holed-up here behind these walls. That is what Lord Tanu wants.’

      Sar Vikan, a fiery and impulsive man, called out to me, ‘But you have said that you don’t know his intentions!’

      I looked at Atara, whose blindfolded face was like a clear glass giving sight of the future. I looked at Liljana, whose relentless gaze reminded me that I must always try to look into my enemies’ minds and try to think as they did – even as my father had taught me.

      ‘My apologies for misspeaking,’ I told Sar Vikan. ‘But surely, as Lord Harsha has said, Lord Tanu will not waste his men attacking the castle. Therefore his strategy must be to keep us immobilized here – and to divide Lord Avijan’s forces.’

      ‘Your forces, now, Lord Elahad,’ Lord Avijan said.

      ‘We shall see,’ I said, inclining my head to him. ‘Lord Tanu can encamp his army outside the castle and block the pass leading to it. He would keep the rest of your men from joining us. And threaten them. Would they then still keep their oath to you?’

      ‘Certainly they would!’ Lord Avijan said. ‘They are good men, with true hearts!’

      Sar Vikan, who now finally saw the line of my argument, asked Lord Avijan, ‘But if you released them from their oaths, as you released us, in such circumstances, would they then pledge their swords to Lord Elahad?’

      At this, Lord Avijan looked down at the table and said nothing