Read Online Rise of a Hero (The Farsala Trilogy) by Hilari Bell - Free Book Online
Authors: Hilari Bell
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“I’ve got one problem you might be helping me with, though I’m not sure how.”
“Food?” Jiaan guessed. “We’ve stockpiled a bit, but we can get more. It’d take at least two weeks to get it here, though, and I don’t think we could arrive before the Hrum.”
“Oh, the Hrum will be here tomorrow morning,” said Siddas. “That’s not—”
“Tomorrow!” Jiaan jerked upright. “Then I’ve got to leave. I can’t afford to be trapped here.”
“Don’t be worrying about that,” said Siddas. “I can get you out of the city. I’ll have to blindfold you, mind, for that route is a secret I won’t be revealing to anyone. You’ll have to do a bit of bending and climb a ladder, but if you can do that blindfolded, we can get you away.”
“That’s not a—wait—what about my horse? Rakesh can’t—”
Commander Siddas grinned. “I’ve made arrangements to have all your horses taken outside the city later tonight—as soon as the civilians clear the road. They’re too fine to eat in a siege.”
“Thank you,” said Jiaan. “But that brings us to food. Do you have enough for ten months?”
“No,” said Siddas calmly. “Not with all the civilians we’ve brought inside the walls. But we’ve enough for four or five months, and right now I’m less worried about food than about Governor Nehar.”
“I know.” Jiaan rubbed the place between his brows that was beginning to ache. “He’s terrified.”
“Considering how the Hrum executed the gahn, he’s maybe got reason. But Mazad’s guard isunder his command. Oh,” he raised a hand to stop Jiaan’s protest, “there’s nearly two-thirds would follow me no matter what Nehar said, but the other third are his men. And division in the ranks is the last thing we’ll be needing.”
Well, that accounted for the guards Jiaan had met at the gate. He was glad they weren’t all like that.
“So you see,” Siddas continued, “the governor has to stand fast. And I think . . . you really can’t blame the man for panicking. All he knew, all he relied on, has been destroyed by the Hrum. I think if he had other deghans about, it would give him something to hold on to.”
“I was planning to leave the others here,” Jiaan assured him. “And they’re true deghans, not like—” He stopped abruptly, and the commander smiled.
“You think I don’t know that High Commander Merahb’s heir is a toddler? Though he’s not going to be inheriting much now. The Wheel’s turning with a vengeance these days. Nehar’s not the only one to fear where it might stop.”
“It will stop here,” said Jiaan. “Because we’re going to stop it.”
“Ah, but the Wheel never stops,” said the old commander. “It may turn fast, it may turn slow, but it’s always in motion.”
Jiaan knew his peasant mother, had she survived the fever that had taken her when he was a child, would have said the same. Deghans blamed the workings of the djinn for all that went wrong, and struggled to defeat them, but peasants saw both good and ill as part of a natural cycle, to which man must adapt as best he could.
“All right, maybe we can’t stop Time,” said Jiaan. “But at least I can leave you some deghans to prop up the governor.”
“If he stands firm for just a few months, I’ll have the townsfolk behind me,” said Siddas. “Once I have that, we’ll be able to hold out even if a third of the guard folds.”
“The townsfolk?” Jiaan remembered the grim, fearful faces in the crowd that morning. How they’d fought one another, just to get through the gates a bit sooner. “What have they to do with it?”
“In a siege, it’s the townsfolk who count for most, in the end.” The commander’s lined face was suddenly sad. “They’re the ones who’ll put out thefires on the roofs and pull survivors out of smashed buildings when the Hrum bring up the catapults. They’ll cook for the soldiers and give them shelter that’s warm and dry. They’ll
“Food?” Jiaan guessed. “We’ve stockpiled a bit, but we can get more. It’d take at least two weeks to get it here, though, and I don’t think we could arrive before the Hrum.”
“Oh, the Hrum will be here tomorrow morning,” said Siddas. “That’s not—”
“Tomorrow!” Jiaan jerked upright. “Then I’ve got to leave. I can’t afford to be trapped here.”
“Don’t be worrying about that,” said Siddas. “I can get you out of the city. I’ll have to blindfold you, mind, for that route is a secret I won’t be revealing to anyone. You’ll have to do a bit of bending and climb a ladder, but if you can do that blindfolded, we can get you away.”
“That’s not a—wait—what about my horse? Rakesh can’t—”
Commander Siddas grinned. “I’ve made arrangements to have all your horses taken outside the city later tonight—as soon as the civilians clear the road. They’re too fine to eat in a siege.”
“Thank you,” said Jiaan. “But that brings us to food. Do you have enough for ten months?”
“No,” said Siddas calmly. “Not with all the civilians we’ve brought inside the walls. But we’ve enough for four or five months, and right now I’m less worried about food than about Governor Nehar.”
“I know.” Jiaan rubbed the place between his brows that was beginning to ache. “He’s terrified.”
“Considering how the Hrum executed the gahn, he’s maybe got reason. But Mazad’s guard isunder his command. Oh,” he raised a hand to stop Jiaan’s protest, “there’s nearly two-thirds would follow me no matter what Nehar said, but the other third are his men. And division in the ranks is the last thing we’ll be needing.”
Well, that accounted for the guards Jiaan had met at the gate. He was glad they weren’t all like that.
“So you see,” Siddas continued, “the governor has to stand fast. And I think . . . you really can’t blame the man for panicking. All he knew, all he relied on, has been destroyed by the Hrum. I think if he had other deghans about, it would give him something to hold on to.”
“I was planning to leave the others here,” Jiaan assured him. “And they’re true deghans, not like—” He stopped abruptly, and the commander smiled.
“You think I don’t know that High Commander Merahb’s heir is a toddler? Though he’s not going to be inheriting much now. The Wheel’s turning with a vengeance these days. Nehar’s not the only one to fear where it might stop.”
“It will stop here,” said Jiaan. “Because we’re going to stop it.”
“Ah, but the Wheel never stops,” said the old commander. “It may turn fast, it may turn slow, but it’s always in motion.”
Jiaan knew his peasant mother, had she survived the fever that had taken her when he was a child, would have said the same. Deghans blamed the workings of the djinn for all that went wrong, and struggled to defeat them, but peasants saw both good and ill as part of a natural cycle, to which man must adapt as best he could.
“All right, maybe we can’t stop Time,” said Jiaan. “But at least I can leave you some deghans to prop up the governor.”
“If he stands firm for just a few months, I’ll have the townsfolk behind me,” said Siddas. “Once I have that, we’ll be able to hold out even if a third of the guard folds.”
“The townsfolk?” Jiaan remembered the grim, fearful faces in the crowd that morning. How they’d fought one another, just to get through the gates a bit sooner. “What have they to do with it?”
“In a siege, it’s the townsfolk who count for most, in the end.” The commander’s lined face was suddenly sad. “They’re the ones who’ll put out thefires on the roofs and pull survivors out of smashed buildings when the Hrum bring up the catapults. They’ll cook for the soldiers and give them shelter that’s warm and dry. They’ll
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