Pug knew they had gained only a few moments and that the Deathknights would quickly realize the ruse and return. He wanted to avoid a confrontation if at all possible. Moreover, he desperately wished to avoid any chance that their true nature might be discovered. If he employed magic to destroy the Deathknights he would have to ensure that no one, including any hidden Lessers nearby, could reveal their presence. He, Macros, Magnus, and Nakor combined could hold off a veritable army of Deathknights, killing thousands if need be, but while each of them might be a match for two or three Deathpriests or Hierophants, even they couldn’t withstand an assault by a score or more determined to obliterate them and unconcerned about their own lives. His years with the Tsurani had taught Pug all he wanted to know about the danger of foes willing to die for their cause.
Nakor signalled back that the way was clear and the fugitives hurried along a path near the roadway. They were still within the boundaries of the great city, but in one of the miles-wide open enclaves called a raion, an administrative district devoted to agriculture within the city proper, but under its own rule. Macros had not taken the valuable time to explain the subtle points of Dasati civic administration, but he had left Pug with the impression that while raions were less dangerous environments than the rest of the city under normal circumstances, these were no normal circumstances.
Because the outer perimeter of the raion was encompassed by the city itself, most of the usual wild animals had been hunted out years ago, but that didn’t mean there were no other dangers. Night-flyers, while not common in this region, were not unheard of, and occasionally larger land predators somehow found their way inside. Moreover, tonight every Dasati who wasn’t with them was their enemy. Bands of Lessers who normally wouldn’t consider aggressive behaviour were roaming the byways, availing themselves of the rare opportunity to indulge in the Dasati appetite for violence. A foolish Deathknight who became separated from his society brethren could find himself dealt with harshly by those who normally lived or died at his whim. Even lords of great houses had to limit those in their presence to only their most loyal and trusted retainers.
For the demand of the Dark God during the Great Culling was that the weak must fall. Any Dasati unable to survive was by definition weak and must be given up by blood and fire to His Darkness.
They ran along a pathway just wide enough for a cart, Pug constantly checking over his shoulder to see if they were being followed. As they hurried down the narrow lane, sheltered from view for almost a mile by a tall grain crop called sellabok, the sky above was beginning to lighten. Pug called for a halt. ‘Wait.’
The others turned and Pug softly said, ‘Listen.’
The pre-dawn air was still, and only the distant sounds of night creatures punctuated the silence. Then a distant shout from behind them signalled the location of the Deathknights they had encountered earlier. ‘How far?’ Pug asked Macros.
‘Another two hours if we don’t encounter any delays will put us outside the area known as Camlad, at which time we must either decide to circle it along the outer reaches of the city, adding several hours of journey time, or to cut through to the heart of the district. The latter is preferable, but the danger is much greater.’
‘Why?’ asked Nakor.
‘The first spate of bloodletting will have occurred within hours of the call for the Great Culling,’ said Macros. He was more out of breath than normal and Pug realized that his illness was beginning to manifest itself, probably as a result of the exertions of the previous night. ‘To put it in Dasati terms, the stupid, weak, rash and foolish perish within hours. Traps will have been sprung, and skirmishes fought. Then after a lull of perhaps an hour or two, the more reckless and bold will clash with one another. That band of Deathknights we just eluded were bloodied, most likely after an encounter with another like band they vanquished.
‘Those who are left are dangerous, tough-minded killers looking for prey. The blood frenzy is now at its highest and will continue that way throughout the morning. Later in the day,’ he added softly, ‘things will quieten down as even the most bloody-handed murderers will start to sense the coming sundown and realize that only their like remain out there, in other words those adept at killing and those equally adept at hiding.
‘At that point, everyone will hunker down and wait for sunset – anyone moving through any part of the city will be an easy target for ambush. So, that means our first need is to get through Camlad and into the next raion before noon. Once we are out of the city again we will be mere hours from the Grove of Delmat-Ama. The White controls the Grove and most of the district around it completely; there we will be safe and there we can wait to find out just what this latest butchery signals.’
Magnus asked, ‘What do you think it signals?’
Macros was silent for a moment, pondering the question. ‘A beginning,’ he said at last. ‘His Darkness is a covetous god. He demands blood, but when he hungers greatly, it usually heralds a great change.’ The Dasati who was once human sighed. ‘I cannot imagine that invading a higher realm is an easy thing, even for a god. It may be that he himself intends to follow his army.’ He looked from face to face. ‘Come, we can discuss this in more detail once we’ve reached the Grove of Delmat-Ama.’
As one they and the three servants turned and hurried along the path once again as the sky in the east brightened with the approaching dawn.
The open fields of the raion came to an end when they reached a wide boulevard bordered on the opposite side from where they stood by a seemingly endless wall of buildings which rose up ten to twelve storeys, Macros said, ‘There. Over to the right is a servants’ tunnel.’ He glanced around. ‘Don’t let the silence mislead you. There are eyes behind every window and knives concealed at every hand. Right now at least a dozen Lessers are considering how dangerous we are – are we bold and powerful, or foolish and weak – and what their chances might be at an ambush. We must proceed cautiously. Once through Camlad we will reach the Grove of Delmat-Ama.’
‘Didn’t you suggest we circle to the outside of this precinct?’ asked Nakor.
Macros began walking. ‘We’ve lost too much time.’ Three times since midnight they had hidden, once for over an hour, to avoid confrontation with the Dasati.
Magnus asked, ‘Is there much magic in use today?’
Macros hesitated. ‘I’m not sure what you mean?’
‘So far we have been concealing our powers to prevent detection.’
‘Yes,’ agreed Macros. ‘We could have destroyed everyone in our path, but only Deathpriests on this world employ magic – at least only those sanctioned by His Darkness – and the presence of unknown practitioners of magic would certainly attract attention.’
‘But with Deathpriests and Hierophants among the roving bands, the presence of magic itself would hardly draw notice.’
‘What do you intend?’ asked Pug.
Magnus’s features, though Dasati, still revealed his mood to his father. Unlike his mother, Magnus was adept at holding in his feelings, even more so than his father at times, but when frustration reached a certain point, he took on a tone and a set of features that was familiar to Pug. Magnus was feeling frustrated.
‘I am not suggesting we cast off our guises, and boldly walk into the canton, defying all in our path. That would be folly. But can we not use our arts to fly above this madness and hide ourselves from view?’
Macros laughed. ‘The boy is wiser than both his father and grandfather. It never occurred to us to combine invisibility with flight—’
‘Because no magician we know of can do both at once,’ finished Nakor. He grinned, and the familiar expression, although in an alien visage, reassured everyone.