It was she who had been able to understand that for some reason, Remo and his surrogate father, Chiun, were immune to Arieson's blandishments. It was she who understood that the only reason Remo felt he had failed was that he had not enjoyed the total victory Sinanju was used to.
And it was going to be Anna Chutesov who would figure out what Mr. Arieson's real weaknesses were. She had never failed with any other man. There was no reason to start failing now.
And yet, Anna was not prepared for what she saw.
Riding on a little pony was a man so apparently powerful that power became a handsomeness the like of which she had never seen. His presence almost took her breath away. His beard seemed a perfect accessory for his strong jaw and muscled neck. His eyes had a glow of infinity to them. And he wore a simple Russian soldier's helmet, making it more glorious by his presence underneath it than any helmet on any soldier she had ever seen. She understood now why men could feel a glorious call to battle in his presence, and she hadn't even spoken to him vet.
"Here comes the spoilsport, men. Here he comes, sauntering after the fine cavalry. Come on, ruin it all for everyone."
This from Mr. Arieson, the voice carrying over a thousand tents and filling the slight valley in this wasteland.
"Look, already the horses are clearing out just because he doesn't want them. Glad to see you're here, Remo. You're not going to get me, but here you come nevertheless, empty-handed, despite the deal your father made."
"I see you don't mind the smell of horses," Remo called out. The entire camp stopped to look at the two men facing each other, taunting each other.
"Have you ever smelled a battlefield two days after? The rotting bodies would make you pass out."
"So why are you trying to start a war?" Remo called out. He made sure Anna was to the side as he walked steadily toward Arieson.
"Who said I didn't like the smell? I love it. I said you'd pass out. I'd roll around in it and make sure people built statues there so they wouldn't remember how horrible it was, and think they really accomplished something."
A tank commander, hearing Mr. Arieson yell insults at the lone stranger, thought he would do a favor for this man who had given him the gift of heroism by running over the skinny white man who seemed not to need heavy winter clothes. He turned his massive ground-chewing machine toward the man and drove. He heard Mr. Arieson call out that it wouldn't do any good, that it never had, but the man now filled with the true spirit of battle was ready to die trying.
He charged his behemoth down on the thin figure and the man didn't bother to dodge, but like a bullfighter stepped to the side, cleaved off a tread barehanded, then cleaved off the other tread as the tank spun helplessly around.
The tank commander, enraged at losing his armorplated chariot, stormed out with his sidearm and a knife, and promptly found out what they tasted like as the thin stranger stuffed them down his throat and kept walking.
"See, it won't do anyone any good," called out Arieson. "That is an assassin. No soldier there. A Sinanju assassin. No glory there. Death in the night. Highest bidder gets the service. No courage in that man. Doesn't even fight fear. Uses it. No courage there, assassin."
"Is that true, Remo? Is that what is different?" said Anna.
"I have fear. I just use it. He's right."
"Look, let's talk to Mr. Arieson."
"I don't want to talk. I want to nail him."
"Have you tried talking?"
"You can't talk with a man who loves the smell of rotting bodies."
"But you haven't, have you?"
"I'll kill him, then I'll talk to him," said Remo, thinking that since his body blows had proved ineffective he might try hurling a soldier or two at Arieson's head and see what that produced.
"Very bright, Remo. Are you good at talking to the dead?"
"I mean when he's dead he won't be a problem anymore."
"You haven't succeeded yet. Just let me talk to him."
"Don't make it too long," said Remo.
"Why don't you fight some people while you're waiting?" said Anna.
"Are you being sarcastic?"
"Partly, but I want to understand his reactions to you. They're very interesting."
Close to Arieson, Anna sensed an inner laughter at everything that went on, almost as though he cared but didn't care. Several soldiers issued a challenge to Remo. Arieson called out that it wouldn't do any good, that the soldiers would die against Sinanju, that by the evening their commanders would be dead, and they would no longer be an army.
Sinanju had done this countless times throughout history.
"Were you there?" asked Anna.
"If you want to undress and dance for my glory, fine. But ask me questions?"
"Why not?" asked Anna.
"You just did it again."
"You made a deal with Remo's surrogate father. Perhaps I can help you make a deal with Remo."
"How do you deal with someone who is Sinanju and doesn't respect what he's dealing with?"
Remo cleaved Russian commandos with a back hand so slow it looked as though the hand itself was drawn out of his body. The soldiers went in separate directions, heads going one way, legs another. Anna turned away from the slaughter.
"No fair fight from Sinanju," called out Arieson. "Bunch of assassins."
"So Remo has some form of power over you," said Anna.
"Not over me. Over what I want to do. He gets in the way. These Sinanju boys have been doing that for centuries."
"And you've been around for centuries," said Anna. Arieson's strong legs seemed to caress the fat belly of the little horse. She wondered if the horse enjoyed it. She wondered if she would enjoy it. What was it about this man that so stimulated sexual desire in her? Remo did the same thing to her, but for a good reason. She had known the wonders he could deliver. All she knew about Arieson was that he could transform ordinary soldiers into valiant warriors.
The Mongols were avoiding the fight with Remo. Only the Russians kept coming on at him. She did not like to see this kind of killing. For the soldiers it was some form of glory. But she knew Remo might not even be thinking about what was going on except to be concentrating on the form of the blow to keep in good practice.
"What do you want, Mr. Arieson?"
"What does Remo want?" asked Arieson.
"The treasure of Sinanju," said Anna. The words were out almost immediately, but she knew she was right. Everything else had been a stalemate.
"Oh, that. The greedy rewards for murder."
"You made a deal with Chiun. Maybe I can broker a deal with Remo. I know he wants the treasure."