Esán wiped all expression from his face. “Breakfast, of course, sir. It’s delicious.”
“What do you think, dear TheLise?” An osprey-like cock of his head brought his murky eye in line with the bird on his plate as the twisted fingers of his lame hand tore a chunk of meat loose. “Is it the conversation or the food that makes our young Tyro smile?” The meat disappeared into his mouth.
TheLise responded with an innocent smile. “The fowl is succulent, Wolloh, and the fruit is tender and juicy. The conversation on the other hand is filled with innuendo and sarcastic barbs. Which would make you smile?”
Wolloh laughed, eyeing Nomed with his good eye. “And you, Seyes. What are your thoughts on the direction Esán’s mind is taking this morning?”
“My nephew is perceptive. I imagine he is enjoying his breakfast and smiling at the undercurrents in our conversation.”
Esán kept his eyes fixed on his plate.
Wolloh pushed his chair back from the table and stood up. “Well, my children, shall we go? Tinpaca Granier will enter our gate in less time than it will take us to teleport to the arena. Stebben,” he called.
Esán heaved a silent sigh of relief as the Major Domo joined them.
“Please have the table cleared, and bring Granier to us when he arrives.”
“As you will, sir.” Stebben turned to go.
“Wait,” drawled Wolloh. “You, my trusted man, what do you think Esán was smiling about…breakfast or conversation?”
“I imagine he was smiling at your wit, sir.” With a slight bow, he left the room.
“The cheek of my servants,” Wolloh called after him. He angled his feathery brow Esán’s direction. “It is time to begin your training as a Tyro. Come.”
With Wolloh’s cane tapping the way, the four walked through the sheltered garden at the house’s center and into the open courtyard. The heat took their breath away. Esán found himself resenting the scarlet robe even more than usual as sweat crept down the back of his neck. They entered the arena. Wolloh’s tap, step, drag stopped. “Off you go,” he said to TheLise and Nomed. “Meet Granier and escort him on a tour that allows him to think he has seen much, and then bring him here to watch our power at work.”
Esán observed their departure with a touch of regret. With TheLise around, Wolloh’s attention seem less focused his direction. Now my training begins .
“Indeed it does, boy.” Wolloh’s laugh as Esán stepped back held a note of sarcasm. “I know,” he said grandly, “I will stay out of your mind, especially during training unless you are in danger. Now, let us begin.”
14
ConDra’s Fire
Myrrh & Thera
T he hustle and bustle of the Borderlands’ Open Market surrounded Sparrow and Allynae where they huddled together at the back of Saaul’s red-striped tent. Nans, Saaul’s wife, had tucked them in behind a dressing room partition with the admonition to stay quiet. Even with Allynae’s arm around her, Sparrow felt the fear in her stomach churning in concert with thoughts that kept repeating like the chorus of a song. How safe will Ari and Brie be in KcernFensia? Have the PPP already reached Singtil? Are my parents alright? Anxiety made it difficult to think. And right now, she needed her brain to work. The shuffling of boot-clad feet outside the tent compounded her fear. She caught Allynae’s eye and tried to smile. His responding hug didn’t help.
A boy’s frightened face peeked around the curtain. “Mom says you’d better slip away. The soldiers are coming here next.”
“Tell you mother thanks.” Allynae lifted the back edge of the tent and surveyed the area behind it. “All clear.”
Sparrow’s stomach convulsed as she nodded.
He scrambled out, took another quick look around, and helped her duck under the canvas edge. A commotion at the front of the tent sent them scurrying into the crowd. Not too far ahead, Fadin leaned lazily against the counter of a food tent, talking to its owner. With a quick flick of his wrist, he signaled them deeper into the throng.
“Where to now?” she whispered.
“Keep walking.” Allynae guided her away from the market onto a side street that led away from the town square.
A short distance down it, Saaul popped his head around the door of a run-down shoppe. “Get back to Dom,” he said as they approached. “Majeska brought a message that Myrrh is clear. Tell Mira there are PPP and off-world military all over The Borderlands and Thera. They’re lookin’ fer a red-haired girl and her ma.” He withdrew. The door shut with soft click.
“We have to go back to Myrrh,” Sparrow said. “They’re after Brie.”
“And you.” Allynae led her down another littered lane. A yell from somewhere close by spurred them into a jog. At the next corner, he pushed her behind him and peered up and down the street. “Chance Lane is our goal,” he whispered over his shoulder. “It’s about three blocks that way. There’s nowhere to hide, so we need to act like we belong here.” Dumping their backpack into a half-empty trashcan, he pressed down the lid on top. “Ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Submerged in conversation, they walked causally along the narrow street. A dog sniffed its way past them with hardly a look. A grimy boy stepped from an alley. “Me ma is pretty sick.” He sidled closer to Sparrow. “Ya gotta repoc, lady? It’d sure help.”
Allynae flipped a coin down the street. The boy scrambled after it. Sparrow caught a glimpse of him on hands and knees, searching, as they rounded the corner onto Chance. Once in the shadows cast by the dilapidated buildings, they threw caution to the wind and ran until Antiques by Q was only a street away. Ducking under a tattered awning above a recessed entrance, they paused to catch their breath. Allynae held her close and murmured, “The shoppe may be under surveillance. Both of us are on the PPP’s Watch List, so there’s no guarantee we won’t be recognized.”
The sound of running feet pressed them further into the shadows. Halfway down the block, Saaul dodged a PPP officer and ran in the opposite direction, away from Antiques by Q . Several soldiers in unfamiliar uniforms gave chase.
When the sound of running feet began to fade, Allynae urged her from one doorway to the next until the vacant, dirty windows of Dom’s shoppe gaped at them from across the way. Majeska sat on the stoop, eyes gleaming like faceted amethysts. She licked a paw and scrubbed her ear.
“Must be safe,” muttered Allynae, “or she wouldn’t be sitting so pretty.”
Ears twitching, the cat nudged the door open and vanished inside. Sparrow grabbed his hand and they dashed into the shoppe, closing and bolting the door behind them.
Dom emerged from his office in the gray cat’s wake. “This place has been as busy as an arcade. I’m surprised you two made it back without getting snatched by them darn soldiers. Who do they think they are, tearing through my place?”
Allynae’s gaze darted down the dusty hall. “Did they find the mirror?”
“Weren’t looking for it, I guess. Don’t know what they were after. Just tore through here—a band of brigands on a raid. You two’d best get yourselves gone, or we’ll all end up in the Five Towers.”
Majeska gave a clipped meow and trotted down the hall.
Dom urged them after her. “She’s warning ya.”
Allynae started to speak. The old man shook his head and shoved his spectacles higher on his nose. “I’ll be fine. They’ve already ignored me twice. Go.”
Booted feet pounding toward the shoppe sent them racing after Majeska. A shout exploded in the street. A weapon fired. Another shout closer and more urgent was cut off as the hidden door to the basement clicked into place.
In the dusky light at the bottom of the stairs, they found the mirror. Allynae held Sparrow’s arm with one hand, pressed the other one against the surface, and whispered the Key. The handprint curled into a fist. The index finger pointed straight at them. It completed drawing a keyhole at the mirror’s center as the door at the top of the stairs flew open. Majeska shot past them and leapt thr
ough the keyhole. The next thing Sparrow knew, she was standing in a field of sunflowers, watching Majeska dart through the open front door of Mira’s cottage.
“Sure am glad to be back.” Allynae grinned at her. “There’s no place like home! Even if it’s only for a short time.”
Sparrow squeezed his hand and refused to think about what lay ahead.
After a fruitful discussion with the RewFaaran soldier, Almiralyn had sent Jordett and Paisley to escort him and his men to the Demrach Gateway in the Terces Wood. Tranwar Nagry would no doubt have been chagrined to know how much information she had gleaned from their seemingly innocent conversation. She hummed to herself as she set the table for a midday meal. In her Mira form, she appeared so benign and inconsequential that he had dropped his guard. Of course, it hadn’t hurt to use a touch of her special gifts to achieve her goal. He had departed with his men to report back to Lorsedi that there was no red-haired child residing in Myrrh and that Almiralyn had no information on the whereabouts of his daughter. Her respite would be brief. She looked up from her preparations and smiled to see Merrilea entering the kitchen with Majeska at her heals.
The back screen door banged shut. Jordett strode into the kitchen with Paisley. “They’re on their way,” the major reported, sitting down next to Merrilea.
“Didn’t think much of ’em,” muttered Paisley. “They’re pretty darn rude. Are all RewFaarans that arrogant?”
Almiralyn handed him a cup of tea. “I think good and bad people exist on RewFaar just as they do on Myrrh and Thera.”
Jordett sat down and accepted his favorite steaming brew. “Uniforms make some people feel like they don’t need to pay attention to how they come across.”
Paisley tugged at his mustache. “Ya mean like the uniform says ‘I’m powerful, so whatever I say is right’?”
“Sometimes just like that.” The major took a sip of tea.
“What are your plans now, Almiralyn?” Merrilea’s dusky, gray eyes were troubled.
“It’s imperative that we conceal Sparrow and Gerolyn.” She sat down at the head of the table. “The twins and Torgin are in DerTah.”
“They’re where ?” Allynae’s voice from the doorway made everyone jump.
“Back so soon?” his sister responded pleasantly.
“Mira, you sent the twins to DerTah, and you didn’t tell me?”
“I let them go because they were going whether we gave them permission or not. I preferred to send them well prepared. Besides, Allynae, it’s their destiny.”
“By the Fathers, I know you know what you’re doing, but…” He scrubbed his upper lip with a finger and glowered.
Sparrow appeared beside him and slipped her hand into his. “Did I hear you say the twins are in DerTah ? How could you let them go without one of us, Mira?” Sparrow’s brown eyes searched her face. She sagged against Allynae. “Never mind, Almiralyn. I don’t like it, and I am terrified for them, but…I know it’s their destiny.”
Allynae put a protective arm around her. “Dom sent you a message, Mira. There are off-world soldiers in both The Borderlands and Thera, and the PPP are in an uproar.”
“We’d better go to Gerolyn soon, or we’ll be too late.” Jordett’s usual calm faded, replaced by what Almiralyn knew was an urgent need for action, one that mirrored her own.
“Where’s One Man?” Allynae pulled out a chair for Sparrow and sat down next to her.
Almiralyn smiled. “I believe he’s about to come through the back door.”
Paisley peered at the door. “How do ya know that?”
“Because he let me know he’s on the way.”
“But…” The big man shook his head.
One Man pushed the screen door open and strode into the kitchen. “I knew you were back.” He smiled at Allynae and Sparrow. “Now we can go for Gerolyn and Standin. When we return, I’m going to DerTah to find my son.”
Merrilea put down her cup. “How soon do we leave?”
One Man looked at Almiralyn. “How soon, Mira?”
“If you leave within the hour, you’ll arrive in Demrach Canyon before dusk. You can camp near the gateway and begin the hike to Singtil in the morning.” She opened a cupboard and pulled out three backpacks. “These are ready for you.”
“So…” Allynae towered over her. “One Man, Merrilea, and Sparrow will head for Singtil while I sit here tracing Ari’s infinity symbol on the table top.”
“I need you, Jordett, and Paisley here, Alli. Lorsedi will be sending more troops, and this time they’ll be playing a very different game.” Despondence weighted her brother’s return to his chair. She gave him a moment to gather his thoughts. “When the Largeen Joram discovers that we got the better of Tranwar Nagry, the poor man will wish he had never heard of Myrrh and so will we.”
Allynae grasped Sparrow’s hand. “You’re sure you want to do this? You don’t have to, you know. We can hide you in the Dojanacks now.”
Serious, intelligent eyes met his. “I have to go, Alli. Gerolyn is my mother. Standin protected us at great sacrifice to himself. I owe them both. Don’t worry. One Man will take good care of us.” She squeezed his hand and stood up. “I need a few minutes to prepare. We left in a hurry this morning. I’ll be quick.” She gave him a brief smile and headed upstairs.
Merrilea pushed her chair back from the table. “I’d better get ready, as well.” She hurried after Sparrow.
Paisley hoisted his ample girth to standing. “I’ll go saddle the horses. How many?”
“Four. I’ll help.” Allynae’s tone verged on belligerent. “I’ll escort them, Almiralyn, and bring the horses back.” His expression dared her to disagree. He strode from the kitchen, slamming the door behind him.
She put her cup in the sink and turned to find Jordett watching her. “You did what you felt was best, Almiralyn.”
“It’s the twins’ destiny, Jordy. I just wish Elcaro’s Eye were still functional, so I could keep track of them.” She fingered her long braid. “I wish I could have gone with them.”
With strong misgivings Allynae watched Sparrow, Merrilea, and One Man leap into the whirling mouth of Demrach Gateway and flash out of sight. He stared at the empty portal, unable to make himself leave the deserted clearing. His lips still tingled with the pressure of Sparrow’s last kiss. His arms ached to hold her one more time. “I should be with her,” he muttered to himself. “Or barring that, I should be with the twins.”
Looping the reins of three horses around his hand, he prepared to mount the stallion, Gemlucky. Hair rising on the back of his neck made him hesitate. He ran a hand down the stallion’s sleek, black side, dropped to his knee, and let his eyes scan the clearing’s edge.
Around him the horses moved uneasily. Gemlucky snorted. Allynae released their reins and stared between restless legs at the vortex. A flash of light in the trees to its right flared and darted deeper into the forest. A twig snapped. The sound of running feet tempted Allynae to give chase. Instead, he gave a low whistle.
Gemlucky raised his head and whinnied. Two horses trotted into the trees. The third waited, ears twitching. More running feet, an oath, and silence held Allynae tense and alert. Gemlucky nickered. With an exclamation of frustration, a soldier staggered into the clearing. Nudged by his captors, he stumbled to a stop in front of Allynae. The four horses formed a barrier around them.
“Well, what do you know…” Allynae reached into Gemlucky’s saddlebags and pulled out a length of rope.
The soldier’s hand went to his sidearm.
“I wouldn’t if I were you.” Allynae kept his tone conversational. “Gemlucky won’t take kindly to any sudden move on your part. I suggest you very slowly drop your weapon, and put your hands behind your back.”
The soldier’s stern face reddened. But he did as instructed.
As Allynae moved behind him, the man spun around. A fist whizzed by Allynae’s chin, made contact with his shoulder, and sent him staggering backward. Quick as a cat after its prey, the sol
dier was on him. They went down in a heap of flying arms and flailing legs. With all the strength he could muster, Allynae sent his attacker rolling. Scrambling on hands and knees, the soldier headed for his weapon. Gemlucky’s nose sent it skittering into the underbrush. Allynae lunged, caught the soldier around the knees, and flattened him to the ground. Gemlucky sunk strong teeth into his uniformed-shoulder. The man went limp.
“Don’t move,” Allynae panted, “or I’ll let these horses do whatever they must to keep you from escaping. Do you understand?”
The soldier grunted and remained still.
Allynae found the man’s weapon, stuffed it in the saddlebags, and grabbed the rope. “Stand up!”
Gemlucky released the soldier’s shoulder but kept his muzzle close to his ear. Ignoring the blood that soaked his uniform shirt, the man grimaced and climbed to his feet. Hatred glowed in his eyes.
Allynae trussed his hands tightly in front of him. “You have a choice. You can walk all the way back to the cottage, or you can ride. Which will it be?”
“I’ll ride,” he growled between clenched teeth.
“Good.” Allynae helped him climb onto a horse’s back, gathered the reins in his hand, and urged Gemlucky down the trail. He knew his prisoner had seen Sparrow, Merrilea, and One Man depart through the gateway. He prayed that he was the only spy.
On the other side of the portal, dusk-dim light made it hard to see the area surrounding the pool at the top of the ridge in Demrach Canyon. One Man listened for any sound that would indicate the presence of trouble. The waterfall behind him fell with a constant rhythm. He frowned. Merrilea had told him the soldiers had seen Sparrow jump into the gateway on her way to Myrrh.
“We need to keep moving,” he said under his breath. “We can’t camp here. You know this area, Merrilea. Is there somewhere close that we can reach before the light fails?”
“I suggest we slip behind the falls. There’s a cave of sorts hidden quite a ways back under it.”
The UnFolding Collection Two Page 11