The Captain merely nodded. In the killing cold of the water, he found himself growing strangely quiet. Kerris threw the Major a quick look before scrambling out of the horse’s path and straightening up several lengths away.
“Now! Pull!”
The cord snapped under the stallion’s haunch and with powerful force, alMassay lunged forward like a massive pendulum, throwing all his weight onto the fore, hoofs striking and chipping a path through the ice. From the bank, all hands were on the rope, all backs heaving, boots deep in snow. With a final bellow, the stallion surged onto the ice, stumbling like a newborn foal, wet legs almost buckling beneath him. Ursa was at his head in an instant, grabbing the bridle and guiding him toward shore. Kerris grabbed his brother, pried the stiff fingers from the saddle and slipped a shoulder under the heavy arm.
“Blankets! We need blankets! Will someone start up a fire and Sherah, tea if you please?”
Kirin wasn’t entirely sure who was giving the orders. It sounded like Kerris, but he had never heard such authority in his brother’s voice. It didn’t matter. Numbly, Kirin looked around, blinking in the darkness.
“M-Massay... where’s alMassay?”
Suddenly, there was a blanket around his shoulders and Kerris was leading him away from the others.
“Ursa has him. She’ll take good care of him.”
“No. Kerris, you do it. You know him. He trusts you.”
“I will. I will, but first,” Kerris turned him and began to tug at the frozen buckles. “You’ve got to get out of this. Leather freezes stiff. So will you.”
Kirin tried to push his hand away, but his own hands were thick and useless.
“No, no, I’ll be fine.”
“No, you’ll be frozen.” The heavy cloak hit the snow with a thud, the brigandine a close second. “We have plenty of blankets to keep you warm.”
“But Kerris—“
“But nothing.”
This time he was successful, catching his brother’s wrist.
“Kerris. I can’t.”
Kerris cocked his head and waited, patience wearing thin.
“Kerris, there are women...”
Kerris laughed.
“Oh, by the Kingdom, what vanity! Here I thought you were just being modest. Beautiful as you may be, Kirin, do you really think they will abandon their wills at the sight of your disrobed body?” He shook his head, still grinning. “Our female companions are discreet and self-controlled, Captain Wynegarde-Grey. Shame on you for thinking otherwise.”
Nodding, Kirin lowered his eyes.
“Yes, yes, you are right. And I am very, very cold...”
“There you are, then. Let’s get you warmed up by the fire.” He began to pull at the laces of the uniform. “Trust me, dear brother, no one will be looking at you.”
***
“Wow. Will you look at him?”
“I am looking, Scholar.”
Fallon bit her lip, but could not tear her eyes from the sight of Kirin Wynegarde-Grey, sitting by the fire, a blanket around his hips, another over his shoulders, and drying his waist length hair between his hands. Beside her, Sherah al Shiva was doing the same, watching and running her tongue along a sharp feline tooth. Ursa was crouching beside them, sharpening her blades. She glanced up at them.
“See his chest?” she said.
“Oh, oh yes. I - I see it.”
“It is a good chest,” said Sherah.
“Rather hard to miss,” said Fallon again. “All big and golden and, and big like that.”
“See that white scar in the center?”
They narrowed their eyes, trying to pick out the one she was meaning. He was a soldier. He had many scars.
“The one by his heart?” asked Fallon. “That one?”
“I gave that to him.” Ursa grinned at the memory. “I almost killed him.”
Kerris was sitting next to him, exchanging wicked glances with their female audience. The Captain however seemed oblivious, frowning at the ripple of a wave in his normally poker-straight hair.
“Wow, what a mane,” sighed Fallon. “Why doesn’t Kerris have a mane like that?”
“Can’t,” Ursa snorted. “Won’t grow.”
“Why not?”
Her pale eyes flicked up, darting between the other women, unsure whether or not to continue. She shrugged and picked at the hard earth with a dagger.
“It’s just a story.”
Fallon knelt beside her. “Tell me.”
“There is a story among the ranks. They say he called down lightning when he was a kitten. That is how their father died – he was carrying Kerris on his shoulders and Kerris called the lightning and killed his father. That he killed a cousin the same way. That he can still call the lightning to this very day, which is why he spends so much time alone.”
Fallon sent a long look to the brothers, so different, sunshine and moonlight, and suddenly she felt very sad.
“That’s why it sticks up all over his head like that.” Ursa snorted again and bent back to her blades. “He’s not like a real lion at all.”
The Alchemist continued to run her tongue along her teeth.
“My my my,” purred a rich voice as Sireth slipped up from behind. “What is going on here? Is this our Captain you are leering at, our proud and noble leader? I wonder if he would appreciate knowing about your rather base attentions?”
Ursa grinned again. “You’re jealous.”
“Absolutely.”
He smiled at her and left their company, lowering himself down next to the lions with quiet grace.
“This will not do,” the Captain growled. “There should be no ripples. Kerris, why have you not found my comb?”
“Sorry.”
“I will not be pleased if this continues.”
“At least you’re alive.”
“No point in being alive when your mane has ripples.”
Kerris grinned at Sireth, who, being part lion, had a long dark mane that fell past his shoulders. But, being only part lion, it rippled like a river. Sireth shrugged. Kerris rose to his feet.
“Right then, Kirin. It looks like you’re in good hands. Rest. I’ll go tend alMassay.”
“Yes please. And Kerris, I think he may have sliced his forelegs. If he needs stitches—”
“I’ll take care of him, Kirin. Rest.”
He left the fire and disappeared in the shadows. Silence followed in his wake.
Sireth sat staring into the flames and out of the corner of his eye, Kirin watched him. The man seemed to want to say something, but was unsure how to begin. This time, the Captain felt no inclination to help him. He drew his blanket across his shoulders and fell into his own thoughts. His comments earlier had not been truthful. He was lucky to be alive. The water had been bitterly cold and had he stayed submerged much longer, it would have killed him easily. He imagined what it would have been like to have been swept under the ice, water filling his mouth, his nose, his chest, the breath splitting his body like a brittle wineskin. It was bad enough simply to have gotten wet.
The hairs at the nape of his neck tingled and he looked up to see the Alchemist, watching him from across the clearing. Her candles burned brightly all around them, flickering against the snow and rock, and she was quietly brewing fresh tea. The ancient art of chado was apparently hers along with that of alchemy and Kirin found himself grateful for it.
“I, for one, am glad you’re alive, ripples or no,” said the Seer.
“Are you?”
“Of course. Why shouldn’t I be?”
Kirin turned back to the fire. “If I were dead, you could go home.”
“And if I were dead, you could go home.” His smile faded quickly. “You are joking, aren’t you?”
Kirin said nothing. Sireth stared at him.
“You’re serious.”
“I am always serious.”
“Why ever would I wish you dead?”
“We argued last night. The last time we argued, three of
my men died.”
“You think I did this. Like the avalanche. You still think I’m doing all of this!”
“I think you are a man accustomed to keeping secrets.”
“Of course I keep secrets! I am One of the Council of Seven!” Sireth snarled. “It’s is simply my job.”
His initial outburst had caused not only the women to stare but the leopards as well, a definite breach of discipline. Sherah arched one black brow before bending back to her tea. Kirin gritted his teeth.
“Perhaps, sidi,” he growled, forcing the volume lower. “But not now. Not with me. Did you cause this?”
“Perhaps she is the firestarter. Have you ever considered that?”
“Answer the question.”
“No. I did not cause this. I did not cause the avalanche. I did not kill my friends.”
“Did you kill a lion serving in the National Guard?”
“Who told you that?”
“Did you?”
For several moments, he struggled for control but when he did find it, it was complete. He turned back to the Captain, leaning into him like an old friend.
“Another secret,” he purred. “But perhaps, I shall tell you sometime...”
He rose to his feet, brushed the snow from his robes and smiled.
“Besides, we all have our secrets, don’t we, Captain? Some knowledge is simply too dangerous for the ears of others. You might do well to remember that. Goodnight.”
He snatched his bedroll and, like Kerris earlier, left the warmth of the fire. The flames leapt a little higher, roared a little louder, at his passing.
***
“That should not happen,” growled Ursa. “The Captain should never allow that.”
Sherah tilted her head. “And what should the Captain do?”
Tiny muscles twitched in her silver jaw, and her blade sharpening grew more savage.
“He should fight him. He should beat him.”
Golden eyes scanned the rocky clearing. The guards were all performing perimeter checks. Kerris was with the horses. Fallon had gone to find him. Sherah smiled and poured two cups of tea.
“He shouldn’t kill him?”
“No. We need him.”
She stirred in the honey. “You grow fond of him.”
“What?! I despise him! I hate him so much I could kill him!”
“Then, do your Captain a favor. Fight him. Beat him. Kill him if you wish. I will say nothing.”
“I – I cannot.”
“He has killed lions before. It is only a matter of time.”
She passed Ursa a mug before raising one to her own lips.
“What? Where did you hear this?”
The steaming liquid bit her tongue, her throat.
“Only a story,” she smiled. “Among the ranks...”
***
Fallon watched him for some time, muttering and patting and rubbing the great animal with an affection that men seldom spent on their wives. She had often wondered why and had come to two conclusions. One, that men believed their lives depended more on their horses than their houses and Two, that horses were lovely to look at, yet easily controlled. Of the two, she did not know which was closer to the truth.
In the cold night air, a squeal echoed down from the mountains and she realized that Quiz had made a kill. A rabbit perhaps or a grouse. Something more substantial than a mouse, at any rate. She shuddered. It was so easy for animals to kill animals. It was natural. It was the way of things. But for people to kill people, that she had never understood. Even for a cat to kill a dog was beyond her reason. Dogs had longer noses. Dogs couldn’t retract their claws. Dogs married freely, without thought to race or caste. Perhaps this was why they were considered animals. Still, she could never kill one.
alMassay nickered and stretched out his neck, nostrils blowing softly in her direction. It was only then that Kerris noticed her.
“Oh, hello sidala. Can you grab that green pouch over there? The one on the rock?”
She found it and brought it to him.
“Open it up will you?”
She did, and immediately her nose was assaulted by the most hideous of smells.
“Wow. What is it?” she asked, trying not to look too intrigued when he stuck his hand in the bag and pulled out a glob of black slime.
“Salve, for his scrapes. See here,” Grey hand took orange, guiding her down the powerful leg to a series of cuts across the bone. “From the ice. Took off a big slice of his pelt here.”
“Is it serious?”
“Could have been, if it had been boggy water, and we hadn’t had the salve.”
“Boggy water?” Her eyes lit up. “Do you have any idea the creatures that live in boggy water?”
“Not edible ones, that’s for certain. Anyway, what are you doing out here? Shouldn’t we all be bedding down for the night?”
“Oh, yes, well we are. That’s mainly the reason I came to find you. To tell you. We’re bedding down. For the night.”
“We are?”
“Yes.”
“You and me?”
“No!” She laughed nervously, snatching her hand from his and taking several steps back. “Nononono, ha haaah..Uh, no.”
“Same as usual?”
“Yep. Same as usual.”
“Too bad. I think Kirin snores. Or maybe that’s me.”
She watched him rub the salve into the wounds and wipe the residue on his trousers. So different from a normal lion, she though to herself. The Captain would never do that.
“Ursa says you call down lightning.”
“Ahhh…”
He frowned but did not look up.
“I – I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No, no. It’s alright.” He straightened, wincing as the stitches pulled in his back. “It’s rather difficult to describe. I don’t call the lightning. The lightning, she calls me.”
“The lightning calls you?”
“Yes. Lots of things do, really. They all have voices.”
“What do?”
“You know, the air, the earth, water. Most especially water.”
“Oh.”
“But the lightning is the loudest. And the angriest.”
“Oh.”
“But I don’t remember much when it happens.”
“Like the cobra.”
“What cobra?” But he grinned at her, and she was amazed at how, even in the dark moonlight, his smile still shone like the sun. “Alright then. We’ll walk him back. I don’t want him far from the group tonight.”
“Just in case.”
“Exactly.”
The snow was soft under their boots, the night silent and still, but Fallon’s heart was pounding like a herd of wild yaks. She cleared her throat.
“You were pretty amazing tonight. With your brother, I mean. And, and, and the river.”
“Yes well, just my job, you know. Saving people and all.”
“I was really proud of you.”
“You what?”
“I, I, I was just, you know, really proud of you.”
“You were?”
“I was.”
“Well.” He smiled again. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Be happy to save you again sometime.”
“Looking forward to it.”
With a great Imperial horse between them, they walked back to the camp, but took their time.
***
“Lion-killer.”
Sireth groaned and rolled over, wrapping his arms over his head and pressing his face into the snow.
“Lion-killers are executed. How come you were never executed?”
“Because it was my kharma to face a slow, miserable death with you.”
And he pulled his bedroll over his head.
Ursa crept even closer, pausing only when she heard the chirrup of the falcon perched on a rock above.
“You should not talk to the Captain like that.”
&
nbsp; “Why not?”
“It is dangerous. It shows no respect.”
He turned his face to look at her, rested his chin on his arms. She was also on her belly no more that a breath away, eyes intense, mouth a tight line, hair spilling all over the snow. It was difficult to distinguish snow from leopard.
“And this bothers you?”
“It should bother you. He is within his authority to kill you.”
“Why do you care?”
“The mission would fail. That would not reflect well on him.”
“Come closer.”
The same look, a flash of fear, of resistance, crossed her silver face. But he had issued a challenge and she was no coward. She inched forward.
“You love him,” he said.
“I respect him. He is a good leader.”
“But you don’t love him.”
“I love no one. No thing.”
“Closer.”
They were so close now that he could feel her breath on his face, see the pulse of her throat. Her pupils were wide, black.
“Who has done this to you?”
“Done what?”
“Turned you to stone.”
She snorted. “Life has turned me to stone.”
He did not touch her.
“I have killed a lion. And Life has killed me a thousand times over. But you...I fear you are more dead than I.”
After several long moments, she drew back and opened her bedroll. She flapped it out onto the warm snow and sat, pulling her cloak about her shoulders and wrapping her arms around her knees.
“Go to sleep,” she ordered. “I will watch over you.”
“I know you will,” he said softly. “I know.”
***
His muscles ached as he bent down to pull on his boots. He had not realized how easily the water could cripple and while the fire had rendered his uniform warm and soft, inside he was still bitterly cold. He badly needed to sleep as well but soon, Solomon would come. Kirin would not leave that to the others. Sighing, he looked about the snowy ground for his sash.
“I can help,” said a voice, and the Captain turned to see Sherah standing immediately behind, black cloak and hood hiding all but her face. He didn’t want to think how long she had been standing there.
“No, thank you, sidala. I am able to clothe myself.”
To Journey in the Year of the Tiger Page 25