When he reached the door, Lord Gaiba jumped off, untied a couple of bags from the horse and set them near his feet. Then he spoke into the ears of the horse before sending it away with a slap on its rump.

In the meantime, the host at Lord Gaiba's heels was reaching the gates. As it neared, it became clear why the host had lagged behind. It was composed not only of horsemen, but also a dozen large covered wagons drawn by eight horses. The horsemen were soldiers, Lord Gaiba's personal bodyguard. They were armed to the teeth, each having a sword strapped to his back, a few stabbing knives at his belt and knee, a stout cudgel hanging from his hip and thrusting spears loose in their holders on either side of every horse. Some had bows with notched arrows. No doubt they were ready to fly into action at the slightest sign of trouble.

All men wore the sign of a mailed fist holding a short sword - the sign of the emperor. Gaiba had steadfastly refused to accept any heraldic emblem for his own. His by birth he had forfeited when he led the rebellion. After that he had more than earned his own heraldic badge, but refused, saying that he was the Emperor's servant and would carry only his emblem. Tongues had wagged, saying Lord Gaiba would take back only his own emblem. The Emperor had silenced them by offering it back to Lord Gaiba at a public ceremony. Lord Gaiba had knelt at the Emperor's feet and humbly but firmly refused it.

The men on horseback were rough and ready fighters, and no doubt they were the pick of the lot if Lord Gaiba had trusted them with this assignment. As they watched the host sweep past the Gates into the Palace Grounds, the Marshals wondered whether they could have stopped them even if they had wanted - if the Gates had been closed, it would have been a different matter altogether.

The Marshals mounted their steeds and hurried inside the grounds. On the way, they gave orders that nothing should be done unless one of them specifically asked for action. They stopped a little way away and watched the goings-on.

The host stopped short of the Palace itself and spread out. The twelve wagons circled the Palace, each choosing a spot as if they had rehearsed this a thousand times. Knowing Lord Gaiba, Ainura thought they would have. One of the wagons had stopped in front of the Palace Doors. Out of it emerged a giant of a man. Over seven feet tall, bald and clean-shaven, he was a man in his early fifties. He was dressed in a simple dark green robe that was tied at the waist with a crude rope. In his hand he held a great staff, made of the gnarled and dried magical wood of a thousand-year-old Mara tree. The Marshals recognised him as the High Priest of Rud, the most revered person in the empire. They dismounted and bowed near their steeds.

The high priest motioned for them to rise and come nearer. As the Marshals drew near, Lord Gaiba too came striding up to him. As they reached him, he said in a deep voice that had the calm of centuries in it, "Greetings Ainura, Willa and Kodia! You have fared well indeed since we last met." Then turning to Lord Gaiba, he asked, "Have you told them?"

"No your holiness. I thought you would be the best one to tell them," said Lord Gaiba deferentially.

Without ado, the High Priest turned to the Marshals and said, "You have no doubt heard of the Ayirapisasu. Your mothers or nannies may have called upon him to frighten you when you were children. Well, we are here today to fight a real Ayirapisasu. It has taken over the Palace along with its legion and we shall force it to flee. The Emperor and the Imperial family is safely hidden within magical chambers inside the Palace, but it is only a matter of time before the Ayirapisasu figures out a spell to break them open.

No doubt, as seasoned warriors and men, you find it hard to believe what I say. Watch very carefully what I do. Watch from horseback - if the fiend escapes me and comes after you, do not even attempt to fight him - ride straight for the desert - the Ayirapisasu cannot last long there."

With that, he motioned to two of his assistants who were standing nearby. They fetched from inside the wagon a steaming pot, a bundle of extremely long thin sticks, some twine and a large piece of cloth. As they watched, the assistants crept up to the Palace Door and untying the bundle, used the sticks to make a frame for the doorway. Then they took it down and draped the cloth over it, after which they sprinkled the liquid from the pot. This they placed near the door.

"We wait for it to dry," said the High Priest, "after which I shall open the door and show you the Ayirapisasu.