by Shannah Jay
'We shall betray no one,' Davred said firmly.
The door to the barn opened and all three of them tensed, but it was Nedar's wife. She stumbled across to him, her face running with rain and tears both. 'Nedar, he says we must go and make sacrifice. All of us.
Tomorrow. Without fail. Or they'll kill us.'
'I heard.' He put an arm round her shoulders. 'It's time to leave, then.'
She shivered in his embrace. 'Is there no other way?'
'None, love.'
She made a little mew of pain.
'Nay, you know that as well as I do, Chezra, love.'
'It's dangerous. I'm frightened. And I don't want to leave my home.'
'It's far too dangerous for us to stay here. They don't trust me. And I won't go into that hell-hole of theirs.
Nor I won't let them take you there. And what about our girls? Do you want them to be whipped an' used by any man as takes a fancy to use ’em when they get older?'
She shook her head, shuddering, but tears were still trickling down her cheeks.
They all tensed as there was a creaking sound. Someone was outside, opening the heavy door of the barn.
Nedar slid a small sharp dagger out of the sheath hidden inside his sleeve and pushed his wife behind him.
Davred looked round for a weapon and picked up a pitchfork. 'I fight with you.' His face was grim as he said this. He had no love of violence, but sometimes it was necessary to stand and fight against evil.
Alaran gulped and found himself a piece of wood, hefting it in the air to get the balance, and trying to keep his hands steady. His twin had refused point blank to learn self-defence tactics from Benjan while they were resting in Outpost, but Alaran had taken lessons and had proved himself to be very agile. He didn’t enjoy fighting, but he wasn’t going to let himself be captured by Those of the Serpent.
Then Alaran and Davred both started to smile and let their improvised weapons drop. They could sense who was at the entrance. She seemed to give out emanations of goodness and love. Before they could speak, to reassure Nedar, the door creaked slowly open and a drenched, windswept figure was framed in it.
'A welcoming party,' teased Herra, pausing in the opening. She looked at Nedar and his wife. 'But there’s no need to fear me. We all serve our Brother here, my friends.'
CHAPTER 6 FEERA'S GUT
Herra sat quietly next to Davred in the fishing smack, staring back towards the shore. 'It's the wrong direction,' she mourned, seeming not even to notice the showers of damp droplets that the wind kept tossing in their faces. 'First we went too far to the west, and now we've come too far to the east. Brother, look down upon us! If ever we needed your help, we need it now.'
They both looked behind the boat. As it tossed upwards on one wave and down on the next, they caught glimpses of lights in the tiny village harbour, lights which hadn’t been there when they set off. The rest of the inhabitants must have heard them getting ready to leave, but no one had made any move to stop them.
Someone was coming after them now, though.
Nedar spat into the water. 'They'll have sent word of our escape to that cursed shrine in the town. Too jelly-livered to try to stop us themselves, that lot are.'
'And what will those in the town do?' Herra asked.
'They'll send after us. Some fisherfolk have already gone over to them, may their fish rot and their boat foul!'
'And will anyone be able to catch us?'
Another gob of spit hit the water. 'Could be. Never can tell, with the sea. An' we're loaded too heavy for speed.'
'Why did you not say no to the extra passengers, then?' Herra smiled as he shrugged. An unlikely saviour, this Nedar, a big, coarse man, with unsavoury habits and a scowl that would send a shiver up your spine. But he hadn’t refused anyone passage. And it was clear that his wife and young daughters loved him dearly.
They stood in a companionable silence, looking behind them. Seven other fishing smacks were riding the heavy seas behind Nedar's boat. Nearly half the inhabitants of the small fishing village had chosen to flee from Those of the Serpent, rather than make sacrifice in the town's shrine. And some women and young folk from the families that had stayed behind to serve the Serpent were with them, too, having begged a ride in the boats. The girls had been nearly hysterical at the mere thought of being taken to the shrine.
Nearly all of the boat owners had been preparing for this day for a while, and they had coin, useful implements and emergency stores stowed permanently in their boats. That hadn’t prevented them and their families from bringing with them everything else they could carry, including several milk nerids and sacks of egg-laying chuckle-fluffs, useful for their meat as well as their pale blue speckled eggs.
As a result, all the boats were loaded down and were travelling sluggishly. Their owners were clearly more than a little anxious about the progress they were making.
A yell from the boat behind them made Davred start to his feet and joined others at the rail trying to peer through the darkness.
'What is it?' yelled Nedar.
'Some of the other boats are leaving harbour.'
'Shit!' Nedar thumped the locker next to the tiller, muttered a curse and thumped it again. He then caught Herra's eye in the light from the shielded lantern and bobbed his head awkwardly to her. 'Sorry, Elder Sister.
No offence meant.' Since they’d found out who Herra was, all the fisherfolk had been a bit awkward in her presence, awe-struck that the most famous Sister in the whole Twelve Claims had come among them.
Herra grinned. 'No offence taken. I've heard far worse language than that, my friend, and could teach you a few neat phrases in return. Stop worrying so much about offending me. You won't.' She looked behind them.
'Those boats, Nedar. Can they catch up with us?'
'Yep. They've got the best boats, that lot have. Those snake-loving traitors get the highest prices for their fish in the town market now. The rest of us aren't allowed to sell our catch until they've sold theirs. An' the Servants of the Shrine give 'em extra money, too, to keep their boats in good trim. They say it's in case they're needed to patrol the coast.' He snorted in disgust. 'Patrol the coast, indeed! Against what? We all know there's nothing out there beyond the islands. Nothing's ever come here from the sea before, and it's not likely to start now.'
'I thought you'd convinced everyone in town that it wasn't safe on the sea for those who worship the Serpent.'
'We did. An' it worked, too, for a while. Then that sod Petrash went an' made sacrifice. He always was a randy sod, that one. I pity his poor wife, the way he treats her now. When his boat didn't sink an' he started getting preference at the markets, others followed his example and went to the shrine.'
'Why didn't you join them?' Herra's voice was a quiet thread in the darkness.
Nedar shrugged. 'I don't like them shrines. That incense stinks. Makes me want to puke my guts up. An'
what they do there - well, it isn't fair, is it? I mean, that's no way to treat anyone. My Chezra works hard by my side, she does, an' always has done. An' the girls do their chores willingly. They're nice girls, if I say so myself.
Why should I want to whip Chezra? Or the girls? And you'd have to be mad to want to be whipped yourself.
What good does all that pain do anyone?'
'I'm beginning to think that the pain really does lend power to that god of theirs,' said Herra, her expression bleak. 'There's no other way to explain what's happening on our world.'
Davred stared at her. 'Are you serious, Elder Sister?'
'Very. You saw what happened to us in the Beldrian Hills. How else can you explain that? Once, no one could avoid our Compulsions. Now, they can band together and resist the power of goodness.'
He swallowed hard and asked in a harsh whisper. 'Is there no hope for our cause, then?'
Herra's reply was fierce. 'Oh, yes! We shall find a way to overcome the evil that blights our land.' She paused, then added in a tone of surprise, 'Perhaps t
hat's why we're here now? Who knows what we shall find in Fen-Halani?'
Even against the churning roar of the sea around them, Davred could hear her voice echoing, and that gave him heart. Only when she prophesied or when the God spoke through her did her voice take on that special tone.
'I've sent a message to the next village to let them know what we're doing,' Nedar observed, seeming unaware of the tension between his two companions. 'We was waiting for some of them to visit us last night.
We wanted to have a little meeting, like. No one's gone over to the Serpent there, yet, an' I don't think they will. Well, all the folk in Remrik are related, aren't they? There's a couple of old women there - great-grandmothers, they are, but still as tough as my shoe soles - an' they keep an eye on everyone.' He grinned.
'No one would dare go over to the Serpent in Remrik, I promise you.'
After a moment or two he added, 'We'll get in touch with them again once we're set up in hiding.' Then he grinned. 'They'll probably help us to sell our catch in town, if we give 'em a share of it. My second cousin lives in Remrik. He married one of Billto's girls, an' he's not likely to go over to the Serpent, either. She's as tough as her grandma, Fendranna is. She'd beat his head in with his own boathook if he even tried.'
A little while later, Davred froze in the middle of a sentence. His eyes glazed over and his hand clutched Herra's arm so tightly it hurt. She opened her mouth to ask what was the matter, then closed it again, for his face had taken on an expression of joy and relief mingled.
When his hand relaxed on her arm, he looked at her and sighed happily. 'It was Katia. She was trying to reach me. I could sense that she was all right.'
'Do you know where she is?'
'No. We can barely mindlink yet. Only enough to know that the other is alive and well. That's all.'
'Still, that's a great deal considering how short a time you've been married.' She patted his arm. 'It must be quite a relief for you, dear boy.' Only she dared call the Manifestation of their God 'boy'.'
Alaran came up to join them, beaming. 'Erlic's all right. I just felt him.' His expression became sad. 'But he's a long way away. Somewhere in that direction.' He gestured with one hand.
Davred caught his son's arm. 'Alaran, are you sure of that? You can tell the direction?'
'Oh, yes. Erlic and Mother are in the north and they're safe. But that's all I know. I can't speak to the deleff like Erlic can.'
Davred and Herra exchanged glances, but neither was really surprised. Alaran seemed not to find anything strange in his brother speaking to the deleff, but when other people tried to communicate with deleff, even the briefest contact left them exhausted and disoriented.
'Do you mean he can really speak to them, as we're speaking now?' Davred asked casually, probing for more information.
'Yes, of course. He often does it.'
Herra laid her hand on Davred's arm and shook her head to warn him not to pursue the matter. She wanted to do nothing to weaken the link between the twins, nothing to shake Alaran's trust in the naturalness of his brother's skills.
During the next few hours the pursuing boats began to gain on them and the wind dropped. By mid-afternoon, their pursuers were only a few hundred paces behind them.
'Look at them sods!' growled Nedar, who had just come up from the cabin, where he’d been having a short nap.
'They're gaining,' Herra agreed. 'Can you do nothing to go faster?'
'No. We've got all the sails raised an' that's that. We could throw some of our stuff over the side, I suppose, to lighten the boat, but we'd still have too many people on board, an' I haven't the heart to throw them into the water.'
Herra stood up and stared at him. 'Then you must take the risk, my friend, the risk you've been fretting about all morning.'
He gaped at her, his mouth a big dark tunnel of surprise in the chill grey light. 'How do you know about that?'
'My Brother whispered in my ear.'
Awe warred with fear in his face, but although he opened and shut his mouth, he did not seem able to speak.
'Take the risk,' she urged. 'Trust in our Brother's love.'
He shook himself like a sea-prowler coming out of the water to prey on the beach crawlers. 'We could all wind up at the bottom of the sea, if I do. It's a big risk, Elder Sister.'
'Would that be a worse death than one at the hands of Those of the Serpent?' she queried.
His wife must have been nearby listening, because she came forward now and took his arm. 'I'd rather take any risk, Nedar, love. The Elder Sister's right. Anything's better than going over to the Serpent. I can't even bear to pass that shrine of theirs when I go into town to the market. I've heard the screams inside. An' I've seen people's backs. If they take me in there, I know I'll never come out again. I just know it. And think of our girls.'
Nedar gave a deep sigh. 'Call everyone up on deck, then. They have to know what we're facing.'
Chezra nodded and left him muttering to himself about never seeking such a cursed heavy responsibility.
One by one, people slipped up on to the deck, some of them still heavy-eyed from sleep, others with pinched unhappy faces, one or two greenish and hollow-eyed from sea-sickness.
'Right, you lot,' said Nedar, when they were all assembled. 'This is how it is. Those of the Serpent are catching up on us. They'll overtake us by dusk, if we go on like this. The light breezes favour them. We're overloaded. So we have to do something - something desperate – to give ourselves a chance to get away from them.'
There was a muttering among those on deck, then silence fell again.
'I reckon our only chance of escape is to go through Feera's Gut. It'll cut hours off our journey an' give us nearly a day's start on them snake-lovers who're following us. I know them. They'll never dare go through the reefs. By the time they go the long way round to the other side of the Hollow Islands, we'll be settled in the hiding place I found for us.'
'They'll find us eventually,' objected a voice.
'Yeah, well, by the time they do, we'll have our defences up, like we've planned. We've stores already out there an' we'll be well protected, hard to capture. But we have to get there first. An' that's where the danger lies. So if there's anyone as wants to take their chances with them Serpent-loving carrion, I'll put 'em off in the skiff now an' they can wait to be picked up. I'll give you a minute or two to decide. After that, I'm turning towards Feera's Gut.' He turned to roar at his sailhands. 'Pull over nearer to the next boat, so I can tell 'em what we're doing.'
When he'd passed on the message, he glared round. 'Well? Anyone want to get off?'
No one stepped forward.
He waited a few minutes, then turned towards the next boat and yelled, 'Are you lot with us?'
'Yes. All the boats are. No one dares go back now.'
'Right, then. Follow me!' He turned back to his own crew. 'Phel an' Burde, get ready to trim the sails. The rest of you tie down anything you want to save, then tie yourselves down, too, an' start prayin' to our Brother to help us. We'll be in the Gut in less than an hour, if that wind holds out, an' then you'll really know what rough seas are.' He grinned as he added. 'Better get your vomit bowls ready.'
But before they could reach the dubious safety of the Gut the wind died down completely and so unexpectedly that those on Nedar's boat exchanged fearful glances. There was a shout of triumph from their pursuers, and a groan from those on the fishing smack.
'That's it,' Nedar told Herra, shoulders sagging. 'We've lost our chance. They'll catch up with us now. Them lighter boats'll catch every breath of air.' He fingered his dagger hilt. 'But I'll kill my womenfolk before I let Those of the Serpent take them.'
Herra stepped forward. 'We're not lost yet.' She raised her arms and called in a loud voice that echoed across the water. 'Brother! We need your help!'
Behind her, the group of huddled figures on the deck straightened up and hope crept into their faces.
Chezra stepped forward, throwing up
her hands, as they had done in the temples in the old days, and calling loudly, 'Brother, look down!'
'Brother, look down! Brother, look down!' Her call was taken up by the people near her and then by those on the other boats. Within a minute, their voices were beating upwards in a chorus that drowned out the whining chants coming from the boats carrying Those of the Serpent.
'Brother, look down! Brother, look down!' The calls echoed and re-echoed across the water, a polyphony of noise that gradually gathered its own harmony and rhythms.
Davred stepped forward to lend his strength to Herra, who was acting as a channel for the God's will, but she gestured him back. Her eyes were burning with that strange golden light that had glowed behind them since she achieved Enhancement for the final stage of her life. As he watched, a shimmering aura of golden light began to form around her and a sigh arose from those on their boat. The light brightened and began to reflect in the water below the boat, gilding the surface of the waves. Herra laughed aloud as the sea began to slap against the planks of the boat.
The people behind her fell silent, then they began to cheer loudly and renew their calls to their Brother.
'Look down! Brother look down upon us all!'
'He hears us! Our Brother hears us!' called Herra, joy singing in her voice.
Foam began to crest the wavelets and then it started building up into a frothy line along the sides of the boat. Suddenly they were moving again, the small flotilla led by Nedar's boat, with Herra standing haloed in shimmering light at its prow. Each boat that followed was surrounded by a nimbus of faint flickering golden light and carried along on a bed of foam that came from nowhere to gather along its sides. The water around the boats was moving of its own accord, a movement which owed nothing to the forces of wind or tide.
People had fallen silent now, struck dumb by awe at this miracle, and Herra had stopped calling on their Brother. She simply stood there, arms upraised, surrounded by the eerie golden light. As the boats gathered speed, the only sounds to be heard were the distant mewing of sea-birds and the silver splash of fish leaping along beside the foam-borne flotilla.