Casca 34: Devil's Horseman by Tony Roberts Page B

wore a blue and red sleeveless jacket. Around her neck hung a gold colored drape that went down to her waist and suspended from the bottom of this were black tassels of horsehair. On her head rested a felt cap of blue and gold with a red pom-pom at the crown, and her hair was dressed with golden thread and hung down her neck and onto her shoulders.
    Over this she wore a coat of a darker shade of blue with white sable fur. Casca had won an argument with Subedei and Batu in allowing Ashira to speak for them. At first they’d flatly refused but Casca unexpectedly got help from Mongke and Kuyuk, both backing him. So Ashira was appointed ambassador of the Khan and automatically freed from slavery.
    She’d been primed as to what to say, and Casca and Kaidur went with her since Casca was her guardian and also one of the commanders of the army, thus representing the elite, and Kaidur was his guard commander and thus represented the army.
    Kaidur carried a flag of truce over his shoulder, limply hanging from a rough stick that had been ripped off a tree. They advanced towards the wooden wall until one of the defenders rose up onto his toes and bellowed for them to stop. Ashira looked at Casca who nodded.
    “I bring a message from my master, Batu Khan, Prince of the House of Genghis Khan and servant of the mighty Ogedei Khan, ruler of the World.”
    Casca could see the consternation amongst the Russians. They weren’t used to dealing with a woman at times of parleys between armies!
    “I speak for Yuri, Prince of Riazan, and vassal of the Grand Duke of Suzdal.” The speaker was a bear of a man with a thick black beard. “There will be no surrender to the uncouth rabble that call themselves Mongols. Go back to your kennels, evil worshippers of idols!”
    Ashira translated to Casca. The Eternal Mercenary spat into the snow. “Idiots. They’ll all perish unless they give in. Tell them they can carry on worshipping their God and enjoying their trade as long as they pay taxes to the Khan and acknowledge his suzerainty.”
    Ashira shouted out the terms, adding, as she’d been told to by Batu, that the Prince of Riazan was to be surrendered along with his family.
    The black bearded man laughed down at them. “You think we’ll grovel at your feet you ugly pagans? We’ll butcher the lot of you and stick your heads up along the frontier as a lesson to any more of your half-human kind that are stupid to come this way! Now begone and take this sorceress with you; we do not discuss men’s business through a woman!”
    Ashira was red-faced as she translated to the two men. Kaidur growled and bared his teeth. Casca shrugged. He was used to such exchanges. “Tell that bearded man I’ll personally seek him out and have him grovel at your feet before I cut his head off.”
    Ashira hesitated and looked at Casca who nodded, so she did.
    “Ha ha ha!” the Russian threw his head back in mirth. “You try it, horse fucker. I’ll harness you to a cart and have you pull it through the streets before I decide to end your miserable life. This talk is at an end.”
    The three trudged back towards the waiting Mongol army. Ashira was still red-faced. “Is it always like this, discussing surrender terms?”
    “No,” Casca grunted. He looked at the expectant princes on their magnificently barded horses. “But when two different cultures clash, this tends to occur. Those princes knew this was bound to fail as long as you were the ambassador. That’s why they were so enthusiastic in having you speak for them.”
    “And you knew this all along?” Ashira was outraged.
    Casca grinned. “Yeah, but it got you freed, didn’t it?”
    Ashira spluttered, her face still red but now in anger rather than embarrassment. “You-you…!”
    “Oh stop it, woman. I knew damn well it’d fail but I also knew it would mean your freedom from slavery. For a few minutes of insults from lice-ridden Russians you’ve earned your manumission. Seems like a fair