She wasn’t sure how much time had passed. The drink had made her drowsy, and she might have been dozing. The sun had set and the room was lit by oil lamps. Elynna realized with panic that the third boat had not yet arrived.
“Marti,” she asked, trying to hide the concern in her voice, “where are the others?”
Marti shook his head. Elynna could see his expression held the same concern. It did not ease her fears. “Their boat was the slowest of the three. Still, I expected them before dark.”
Now Elynna made no effort to hide her concern. “What do we do?” For the first time since she had left Citadel in pursuit of the enemy, she had neither Cane nor Thimeon at her side to support her. She felt more lost than ever. She wished Thimeon was with her.
Marti took a long breath and closed his eyes. “We need not worry, I think. Not yet. It is too dark now, so we will not see them tonight. But our companions know our urgency. Indeed, I cannot imagine anything stopping Cane. I also know Leah, whose hand is on the rudder of that boat. They will be up and moving at the first hint of light and will finish the voyage early in the morning. We will see them before the sun is high, I think. We can do what we must to take care of supplies and be prepared to depart as soon as they arrive.”
Elynna tried to take comfort in Marti’s assurances, but she felt little comfort. She realized soon that several of her companions were also casting frequent glances toward the door. But there was little they could do.
Sometime later Tynigh entered with a mound of blankets and mats. “Bedding for everybody,” Marti explained. “Our host hopes we will be warm enough. He fears his hospitality is lacking since his wife is no longer here to help him, but he wants to do all he can. He has told his neighbors about us, and they will come in the morning. Though most of the tribe is away hunting, they know of Tienna and her quest and have awaited her return.”
Elynna laid out a mat and curled up under a blanket, but a long while passed before the drones and purrs of nearby sleepers drowned out her fears and lulled her to sleep. During the night, the air turned colder. Elynna slept fitfully with a draft on her ears and her thoughts on the missing boat. However, neither the cold air nor thought of the missing boat awoke her but the burning scent of the Daegmon. Fearing an attack, she leapt to her feet with a shout, nearly tripping over the supine form of Beth laying on the mat beside hef. But she realized a moment later that this touch did not have the pain or intensity of an imminent attack—only the awareness of a distant mind searching the land for her presence. It disappeared almost as quickly as it came, leaving Elynna slightly nauseated and dizzy, from both her sudden waking and from the sense of uncleanness and violation of her thoughts.
Several of her companions, woken by the sudden commotion, sat and stared at her. “Are you okay?” Marti asked.
“No. Yes. I don’t know,” Elynna answered truthfully. “I felt the Daegmon.”
“Is it coming here?” several voices cried out at once as they scrambled to their feet.
Elynna shook her head. The nausea was diminishing but not her sense of urgency. “We should depart.”
“We can’t,” Marti said. “The other boat hasn’t arrived. It is barely dawn.”
Elynna nodded. But her sense of urgency grew. She did not know if it was from the threat of Golach, the desire to destroy their enemy, or both. For a moment she considered starting the journey without the last boat. But no. What use would that be? Cane and Cathros were on that boat. The quest was futile without them. Only then did the terrible thought occur to her: if the Daegmon had indeed been coming to attack them, they would have had neither Cane nor Cathros nor the stone for protection. “We will wait,” she said, as though they had a choice.
“Yes,” Marti said. “But not idly. We should strive to be ready to depart the moment the others arrive. And perhaps as I wait I can gather information around the village about the land north of here.” And then a different look came over his face, as if suddenly remembering something. He turned toward his younger brother Keet, who still lay curled up on his mat next to his friend Aern. “You need to depart. It is a long trip back across the lake and only the two of you on the oars. It will take most of the day to row home—that’s if the wind is not strong. If a stiff south breeze arises, and you have to row against it or hug the eastern shore, you’ll be hard-pressed to reach home by sunset. Mother will be dying of worry.”
Keet and Aern grumbled but consented and made their way down to the lake. The rest of Elynna’s company rolled their packs while their host prepared bread and hot drink for the breaking of their night’s fast. After eating, they walked outside.
Elynna took a quick look around the village, which was bathed in early-morning light. Several folk stood at the edge of the river at the bottom of rapids glittering gold and silver in the light of the rising sun, or sat in boats anchored at the edge of the lake. They waved strange rods with lines attached, apparently in an effort to catch fish. But her gaze was drawn over the river to the east, across the Plains, from whence Golach and the armies of Citadel could soon come riding in after her.
She shivered, and the fearful urgency she had felt earlier closed in over her again. Maybe with this new power from the stone, they could fight the Daegmon. But they could not fight the armies of Citadel. They certainly did not want to fight both at once. She turned her gaze northward toward the distant Undeani mountains, where she was sure the Daegmon had gone—where she would soon be guiding the company. Would their enemy continue to flee? Or would it be waiting for them as it had in the Ceadani mountains many days earlier?
She continued to gaze around, taking in what she had not seen the day before. The region around the village—the region into which the company would soon set out—was wilder than the southeastern corner of the Plains across which they had marched three days earlier. Low rolling hills rose above the grasslands, giving way in the far distance to the line of northern mountains. These peaks appeared more ominous than they had the previous morning from the other end of the lake. Or perhaps it was the sky, gray with threatening clouds, that felt oppressive.
“Come,” Marti said, interrupting her thoughts. “I need to see my brother off. And we can go to await the last boat.” Elynna nodded and followed the others to the dock.
After saying farewell to Keet and his friend, the group sat on one of the quays talking with an old Arnei hunter. Elynna paid little heed to the conversation, however. Her eyes were fixed on the lake, looking for the final boat.
Anchara saw it first. She jumped up pointing, calling out something in her language. Elynna, hoping for good news, rose and followed the Ceadani woman’s gaze. A distant dot quickly grew into a large boat, and to her relief the familiar face of Cane stood at the front of the boat. It was not much more than an hour beyond sunrise.
The companions were soon greeting one another on the dock. Elynna, overcome with relief, resisted voicing the question on her mind. But Marti asked it. “Where were you? What was the delay?”
“A terrible storm,” Aram said. He and the other Anghare looked a little pale. “It almost capsized us.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Beth said, laughing. “The lake was mild. We were never in the slightest danger.”
Marti gazed curiously at Leah, who had disembarked and was already giving instructions to her two sons to unload the boat. “A storm?” he asked. “We encountered no bad weather.”
Leah brushed her hair away from her face and looked pensive. “Not a storm exactly. And nothing that ever threatened us. But coming through the straights between the Bald Islands, we ran headlong into a stiff wind straight from the north that funneled into quite the gust. Never seen anything like it before, really. We’d had a south wind most of the day. But nothing we could do. We were committed. We had to go straight into it or take a very long way around. Cost us at least three hours. We tried to paddle into the night, but somehow got off course just slight
ly to the east and ended up in the shallows by Gol Creek just south of here. Wasn’t safe to continue. So we pulled ashore until the first hint of light.”
“The Daegmons,” Elynna said. She hadn’t meant to speak aloud, but the others looked nervously toward the skies.
“Where?” several voices asked.
The strange wind, Elynna thought. Just like the preternatural winter in the Ceadani mountains. It was the work of the Daegmon, trying to delay us. But she did not say this aloud. She hadn’t actually sensed their enemy near. She didn’t know. Instead she told them, “I felt it last night. Searching for me. Trying to find me. Or to read my thoughts. It was heading north. I think it was afraid.”
“Yes,” Cane said at once. He fingered the talisman that now hung around his neck instead of Thimeon’s. “I told you it would fear us now. Let us delay no longer. Pursue this enemy and destroy it, before our own pursuers find us. Rid Gondisle of the creature that has caused so much pain for all of us. Then, maybe, we turn our attention on Citadel.”
We don’t have the might to fight Citadel also, Elynna thought. But she said nothing. Cane’s words had spurred her companions into action, and that was good. They gave their thanks to Leah, who wished them well, then began packing their new supplies for the journey north.
Nahoon remarked that Tienna might have difficulty finding them. Elynna had not thought of that. But what could they do? She had counted on Tienna to be their guide, but they couldn’t sit and wait for her. Tienna herself had told them to continue north.
Nahoon’s next words took her by surprise. “Other than Tienna, I know this land better than anybody. I will stay with you and guide you to the mountains. But only until Tienna returns. Then I will leave and be with my people.” Was it resentment or guilt or just a note of resignation that Elynna heard in his voice? She wasn’t sure.
“I don’t think you need to,” Marti replied. “I don’t know the land north of here, but we learned enough last night from our host that we should have no trouble finding the mountains.” He laughed. “You can see them from here. All we have to do is travel north. You return and be with your betrothed. She is awaiting you.”
A look of annoyance came across Nahoon’s face. Elynna wondered. Was he bothered by the possibility he wasn’t needed? Or the possibility he was? “Traveling the northern Plains is always more difficult than it looks,” he replied. “If you headed due north here, for example, you would run into a line of bluffs with twenty-foot drops. Our best route is to cut more north-northeast toward the river and then follow it upstream. I had best go with you and get you on your path.” He shrugged, as though trying to convince himself. “It isn’t much out of my way anyway. I would need to travel north for most of a day to reach the Gögga Fords anyway. That is where I would turn east to find my people.”
“I won’t begrudge your presence,” Beth said. “But let’s get moving. The folk of Tanengog will make sure Tienna gets across the lake quickly.”
“But suppose the soldiers arrive there before she does?” Marti asked.
And how will she find us? Elynna wondered.
“Tienna knows the Plains as well as anybody,” Beth replied.
Nahoon concurred. Nobody else disagreed. They had been thoroughly re-outfitted with new packs for everyone in the company; ropes, clothing, boots, blankets, tents, and food for several days. Not since the quest had begun many months earlier had they been so well supplied. They were in good health. Even Noab, after two days’ rest, felt strong enough to walk. “Then let us depart,” Cathros said. “Every moment we delay allows Golach to grow closer and the Daegmon farther.”
A short time later, Elynna and her companions walked past the last of the stone houses, leaving the village and people of Arnog behind them. As they walked, Nahoon described the landscape, repeating some of what Marti had already gleaned from the villagers and shared with the company the evening before. “Eventually we want to follow the course of the Gogga River upstream to where it flows out of a pass in the mountains. As you can see, this village is nestled between hills. But if we stay between the hills and follow the river’s course now, we will wind much farther east than we need to, and then veer back to the west. We can save half a morning’s walk if we cut across this hill and catch the river further north. But closer to the mountains we need to stay close to the river, for the land around grows very rugged and difficult to navigate, and we will never find the pass. Even so, travel will be slow. Fifteen miles will be a long day. If the weather does not slow us, three days will suffice to bring us through the foothills and to the entrance to the Gögga Notch and into the high Undeani land.”
Three days. Elynna had been told that already. Still, it dismayed her to hear it again. It seemed like forever. Would Golach be delayed long enough?
9
RETURN TO CITADEL
Less than an hour after their successful ruse, Thimeon and his new friends had all seven outlaws bound hand and foot beside the road. Athropas and Rammas, who had waited in hiding with the horses and merchandise, had reloaded and hitched the wagons and caught up. Four of the outlaws’ horses had escaped into the woods, but Lluanthro took two as pay for his troubles, and they were now tied to the back of his wagon. Thimeon claimed the other horse, and he now sat astride it.
“And what do we do with these?” Lluanthro asked, nodding toward the men. “Citadel offers a bounty on robbers, but you have to bring them to an outpost or all the way to Citadel if you want to collect. But it will be a tight fit to get the whole bunch of these scoundrels into the two wagons, and it will slow us down more than I wish. I’d just as soon leave them tied up here and let fall whatever falls. Citadel is cheap, and I doubt the bounty will be worth the effort.”
Thimeon pondered this for a moment. His mission was too urgent. Somewhere to the north his friends were pursuing a Daegmon—and probably fleeing from Golach at the same time. Even now, with his new ride to Citadel and no further delays, it would be days before he could hope to get into the palace and the old treasure chamber, and then—if he found anything of value—return to the mountains and find the others. He did not want the trouble of taking care of these outlaws. And yet he knew it would be wrong to leave them tied up to die. And equally wrong, as well as dangerous, to release them.
At that moment, Augs stood up in his wagon and peered down the road. “Wagons coming,” he announced. “Several of them.” In minutes a much larger band of merchants appeared, heading westward toward the coast. They had seven wagons altogether, with twelve men from four different parties. They had already been to Citadel, and their wagons were only half full for the return trip. Having heard rumor of outlaws, they had remained east of the forest until there were enough of them to travel together safely. They were glad to see the fruit of Lluanthro’s labor, and one volunteered to drive the robbers back to Citadel the next day in exchange for a share of the bounty. Lluanthro was even more generous. “Keep the whole bounty. These horses are payment enough for me.” Thimeon was thankful he hadn’t had to make the decision about the robbers.
Thimeon and Lluanthro did not wait to see the robbers loaded into the wagons. Thimeon urged his new companions onward. A short time later, he, Lluanthro, and the others were back on the road. Lluanthro and Athropas sat together driving the front wagon, with Thimeon sitting just behind them in the bed. Augs and his hired hand Rammas rode together in the rear wagon.
As soon as they were on their way and out of earshot of the other merchants, Lluanthro turned to Thimeon. “And now,” he said. “You have fulfilled one promise. Fulfill the other. Tell me about my son. My friends tell me I have no reason to fear for his safety or worry about him earning his pay in Citadel. So my wife and I try not to worry. But if the truth be told, I am none too proud seeing him in that uniform. And though the king claims we are not at war, the fact that Lluach carries a sword and is trained to fight makes me afraid. If the king didn’t need to prepare for war
, he wouldn’t need soldiers like my son.”
“My tale is a long one,” Thimeon said. “And if you would understand it in full, I will have to begin well before I met your son.”
“We have time,” Lluanthro replied. “And if your tale has promise of news of Lluach, I will listen to the end.”
And so, as the afternoon passed and the small company traveled east toward Citadel, Thimeon told the merchant and his son a fuller tale of what had brought him there. He told of the Daegmon’s ravaging of several Andani villages and the death of his own parents. Lluanthro had heard rumor of the creature but had never been sure whether the tales were fable or truth. Nobody had ever seen it in the Southland. Thimeon thought of the memorial stones outside his family farm where he had engraved his parents’ names. “The tales are true,” he said, and went on to tell of his trip to Citadel to seek aid, of his chance meeting with Elynna and her company, and his discovery of the gifts of power. He told of the weeks of pursuit of the Daegmon in the Andani and Ceadani highlands, the battles against it, the seeming victory at Gale Enebe, and their discovery a short time later. When he told of their capture by Golach, Lluanthro whistled in recognition. He had heard of Golach. He thought that his son served under a captain by that name.
“He did,” Thimeon replied. “And so did another young man named Alrew, a friend of Lluach’s and a distance cousin of mine. But I think neither of them liked the captain, and the more time they spent under his command, the less they liked him. Leaving Citadel, however, is no easy thing. And they were both afraid. Nonetheless, Alrew took some risks and helped us out. He made sure we had food and water, even though we were prisoners. Lluach may have helped him to help us. I am not sure. But we now come close to the part of the story that does involve your son, for we were able to escape from the dungeons of Citadel—I and all of my companions. Our escape seemed to have caused some turmoil in the palace and throughout Citadel—enough to provide an opportunity for Lluach and Alrew to escape—which apparently they had already decided to do. Somehow they found us in the woods west of the city and joined our company. We were glad to have them.”
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