The Muraks fleeing from the town's and villages in his path no longer paused long enough to destroy all that they left behind, and he allowed his army to fan out, gathering as it advanced volunteers from among the Muraks' former slaves. A few of them had been men of influence and power, and they were soon urging Sigmar to make a detour via Reard. They told him that it was a vital port for the Muraks for through it flowed the Kroyan gold and weapons to their armies.
Sigmar was accustomed to taking advice only from those whose advice he sought, but when he called a council to consider the Eujinni request, Lam suggested that there were both tactical and diplomatic advantages in neutralising Reard before going on to Felewith.
Chaldez listened to Lam's argument with interest. Reard was a potent symbol for him; the mere mention of its name resurrected memories of Doo and the uncomfortable, guilty feelings which he had come to associate with her.
He had, for a long time, assumed that she had not stayed in Reard after he had abandoned her there. But it was just possible that she had done, and as he listened to Lam he began to hope that Sigmar would ignore him. Tamasi had changed his feelings about Doo, and the thought of facing her, however remote that was, did not appeal to him.
Sigmar listened to what Lam had to say, and then announced his decision to take Reard. Chaldez was disappointed, but it was what he had expected. Lam's influence was quite extraordinary, and afterwards he spoke to Saminad about it. Saminad laughed. "My lord Sigmar has been taking the Laifyan's advice for years," he said.
"But he's no warrior. What does he know about military matters?"
"The Danbedekkan thought the same thing, once. You may not know this, but before he became king of Sair he very nearly conquered the whole of Laifya. If he had listened to Lam, he thinks he would have, and then none of this would have happened . . "
Chaldez needed that to be explained.
"As the ruler of Laifya he could have crushed the barbarians before they grew strong. Since his Laifyan misfortune he has always been careful to consult Lam and follow his advice. The rest of us may not always approve, but things could be worse than they are. We are alive and we have an army, and I know that my lord Sigmar believes he has Lam to thank for that."
Chaldez began to reconcile himself to being confronted by Reard, and over the next few days he rediscovered the power of his old feelings for Doo. The guilt was pushed aside by memories of her tenderness and devotion. The best memory of all was of the first time they made love, while sailing with Cregitzig to the Theigan capital. How soft, receptive and loving she had been! He realised how very much he wanted to see her again.

* * * *

Reard stands huddled on a shelf of rock at the bottom of towering cliffs, the only approach to it, if not by water, down a steep track beside a small, torrential stream. Sigmar was told to expect the defenders to meet him on the relatively level ground before the track begins its descent. Chaldez remembered the track - he and Dan had escaped up it - and he recalled the thickly wooded, precipitous slopes that flank it.
The Muraks did as they were expected, and mustered a considerable force. It was no match, however, for Sigmar's army and was rapidly overwhelmed.
Sigmar proposed to press on and take the port at once, and Chaldez wondered, for the first time, what had become of the small fat man with the beard who had attempted to capture him on his previous visit. If he were still be at large, and recognised him, he would be as dangerous as he had been all those years ago.
The possibility of that persuaded Chaldez to avoid entering the port; besides, it was out of the question that Doo might still be there, wasn‘t it? He sent a message to Sigmar saying he was unwell and could not take part in the assault on the town, and Sigmar responded by sending him his personal herbalist with pots of foul concoctions. Just the smell of them was enough to make Chaldez declare that he was very much improved, and reluctantly he agreed to join the assault.
As he made his way down the steep track, a powerfully evocative sound reached his ears; he had forgotten the roar of the distant cascade, and hearing it again brought back vivid memories.
The first sight of the port was of boats anchored on the still, black water of the gorge. A considerable fleet came into view, and then the town itself.
There were defenders in it and they came out to block the narrow streets, but Sigmar's archers drove them back into the houses and alleyways. Chaldez entered the town with Tsem, Rassi, Zikir, and several other horsemen.
They galloped through the narrow, cobbled streets, heading for the quay, Chaldez having conceived the idea of burning the ships which were at anchor. At one of the numerous inns they seized torches, lit them from the fire burning in a grate and continued towards the quay. The tide was in and a number of small boats were fastened to it. Chaldez was considering his next move when Tsem shouted a warning, and turning in his saddle he saw that they were about to be attacked by a group of men wielding swords and axes. A familiar thrill set his heart pounding as he pulled his horse around and jabbed his spurs into its flanks.
For one reason or another, whether it was the sight of his great steed, his raised sword, or the fact that Tsem and the others were standing behind him with bows drawn, the attackers stopped and threw down their weapons. One of them shouted in Theigan "Don't kill us!"
The familiar language took Chaldez completely by surprise. He reigned in his horse and slowly circled the group. They were all of them Theigans, he had no doubt. He called to his companions "Prepare your arrows. You'll need pitch, straw and twine. Then we'll take a couple of these boats and set fire to the ships. Be quick!"
While they scattered in their hunt for the necessary materials, he spoke to his captives.
"Why are you here?" he demanded.
One of their number, acting as spokesman, said that they had been sent to reinforce the town.
"From where?" Chaldez demanded.
"Raggan," they said.
All along, Chaldez had been assuming that the Muraks had driven the Theigans out of Kroya, aided by the treachery of Cregitzig. Now, for the first time, he realised that they were allies. He asked "Why are Theigans fighting side by side with the barbarians?"
They seemed surprised by the question. Their spokesman said "The king is their brother."
Chaldez looked at them with an expression of such undisguised astonishment that their spokesman felt obliged to elaborate. King Havil, he said, was married to the daughter of Jaejisir, the Murak general.
"Havil is king of Kroya?" Chaldez asked.
"Of course."
Chaldez would have questioned them further, but Zikir returned, followed closely by Rassi and some others; they had found the materials which Chaldez had asked for and were soon squatting on the quay, binding bundles of straw to their arrow heads. When finished, they dipped them into pots of pitch.
Chaldez remained with the prisoners while the boats were rowed out among the anchored ships. Soon volleys of flaming arrows were arching across the sky, leaving trails of black smoke, but Chaldez hardly noticed them. The thought of Havil having allied himself to the barbarians filled him with such disgust that for a while he ceased to be conscious of his surroundings. Gradually a resolve hardened in his mind: he would make Havil pay for his crimes!