around at his To- fellows, reading much from their grim expressions.
The Chezhou-Lei leader began barking a series of commands, and Iv army fell into its prescribed positions.
The catapults let fly more conv * tional missiles of burning pitch and large rocks, and the ballistae held b their great spears pointing toward the skies as if expecting the Dragon To-gai to fly past at any time.
Batteries of archers sent a volley of arrows over the wall, but then th too, held their shots, scanning the skies above.
And then came the charge, hundreds of horsemen thundering for th gates, foot soldiers falling into ordered defensive arrangements behind them. It was a feint, Pagonel knew, because the Behrenese would never lead with their cavalry, and sure enough, the horsemen got near to the wall, yell-ing and screaming, and then swung about to the south, running along the wall, looking for some enemy somewhere.
The foot soldiers swarmed for the eastern gate, a large ram leading the way.
They went through without resistance, swarming into the city, and then the cavalry went in right behind.
Pagonel took great amusement in the outraged expression of the Chezhou-Lei leader when he learned that the city, Dharyan once more, was deserted.
With great ceremony, the whole of the army, except for scouts sent to the west, entered Dharyan and began securing the place, putting the slaves to work at patching burned-out roofs and clearing rubble and dead bodies.
Soon after, the unknown Shepherd Pagonel had noted, Merwan Ma, was named by the Chezhou-Lei leader as governor of the city.
Several days went by uneventfully, and it was obvious to Pagonel that the Behrenese army - the bulk of it, anyway - wouldn't remain in Dharyan for long. The mystic waited anxiously for the advance scouts to return, won-dering if Brynn's preparations for the deception had paid off. Soon after leaving the city, heading south, Brynn had sent many riders back to To-gai, where they were instructed to find as many of their compatriots as possible and begin a long procession - walking a wide loop - in sight of several out-poster settlements, making it appear as if Brynn's army had headed back to the west and melted into the grassy steppes.
She was counting on the Behrenese overconfidence again, with them convinced that the inferior To-gai-ru knew that they could not sustain any kind of a war against Behren.
During those days of waiting, Pagonel positioned himself so that he would be working near the building that had been designated as the command post of Dharyan, where both Governor Merwan Ma and the Chezhou-Lei leader, Shauntil, held audience. He couldn't get into the place, not openly at least, I , selected slave women were allowed inside, but he made certain to A many of those women, so that he could continue his spying, llv late one afternoon, a rider returned from the plateau and was for'an immediate audience with the leaders.
uards overseeing the work of Pagonel and others hardly seemed to rice of the To-gai-ru, for they were as anxious for word as was nel They drifted away from the slaves, never looking back.
3p aonel slipped off to the side gradually, then darted behind a pile of Khle and down an alleyway at the side of the command building. With a T nee around to make sure that no sentries were in sight, the mystic fell o his Chi and lifted his spirit, then easily scaled the building, moving be- e a window that overlooked the main audience hall, where Merwan Ma, ~arwan Pestle, and several Chezhou-Lei, including Shauntil, had gathered to hear the news from the scout.
"Of course they ran," one of the Chezhou-Lei was saying. ?That is their cowardly way. They knew that they could not hope to hold Dharyan against the might of Jacintha, and so they fled to their steppes."
"They passed Dancala Grysh only a couple of weeks after taking Dharyan," the scout reported, and Pagonel smiled in admiration of Brynn's cunning de-ception. ?They could be anywhere in the steppes now, or even disbanded."
"They have not disbanded," Shauntil insisted. ?They follow this leader, blindly and to their doom. It is their way."
"I was here when Ashwarawu attacked," said another of the Chezhou-Lei. ?Shauntil is correct in his assessment. They are like pack dogs, the To-gai-ru."
"We will sweep the steppes," Shauntil declared. ?We will catch up with this Dragon of To-gai and give the To-gai-ru the harshest of lessons. When we leave, there will not be enough To-gai-ru men left to mount