Despite her horror of heresy, Natasha could not help liking Dani. She wished it were possible to talk things over with Rohanna—someone who had experience of such things. Yet why had Rohanna not shared her experience more to start with? Why had she not warned that when one met them, the heretics might not be as repulsive as expected? At last, Natasha drifted off to sleep, thinking about Dani.
*
The necessary jobs for breaking camp were divided among the party after breakfast the next morning. Ash and Dani had the task of saddling the horses. They worked together in silence for a while but once she was certain they would not be overheard, Ash said, “That was quite an impressive display of flirting last night.”
“It...from whom?”
“You, of course.”
“Me?” Dani’s voice was all hurt innocence.
Ash paused in her work long enough to give Dani an accusatory stare that was not totally without humor. “Yes. You. If there hadn’t been us three old ’uns as an audience, I think you’d have thrown yourself on her.”
“No, I wouldn’t.” Then Dani’s air of affronted dignity broke down in a broad grin. “But I might not have put up much resistance if she’d tried throwing herself on me.”
“Quite. But be sensible. We have every reason to think they’re a bunch of horse thieves.”
“I’m not going to do anything stupid. And as you said, with you three as chaperones, I’m hardly likely to get the chance. But there’s no harm in talking.”
“You’re not so young and naïve as to believe that,” Ash said dryly. “Be careful. If you start trusting her, you’re laying yourself open to get hurt...and not just emotionally.”
“I’m not—” Dani broke off, considering Ash’s words. She sighed. “Okay. I promise I’ll be careful and not let anything slip that I shouldn’t, either in word or action. But I can’t stop myself from liking her. Hopefully, by the time we get to Westernfort, we’ll know where they stand. And if they’re okay, and the attraction hasn’t worn thin, there’ll be plenty of time then to...” Dani paused suggestively and then finished. “Become better acquainted with Jess.”
“You’re assuming she’ll be interested in becoming better acquainted with you,” Ash teased.
“Oh, she’s interested already. Though I’m not sure if she knows it yet.”
Ash laughed, but anything else she might have said was curtailed by the arrival of Natasha herself.
“Do you need any help with the saddles?” she asked, looking at Dani.
“An extra pair of hands would be useful. Here, take this.” Dani dumped the harness in Natasha’s hands and led her on to the next horse. When Natasha ducked down to grab the girth strap, Dani shot a broad grin back at Ash that said as clearly as words, “I told you so.”
*
On the evening of the eighth day after leaving the longhouse, they camped below the crest of a thickly wooded hill. They had passed through the first range of mountains and were about to descend onto a stretch of open moorland. From their viewpoint, they could see the rolling expanse of gray-brown bracken and beyond it, the next line of peaks. While the older ones made the camp ready, Natasha and Dani scrambled down through the trees to a river flowing at the bottom, in search of fresh water.
Natasha’s confusion had grown. With each day, it had become harder to see the two heretics as enemies, particularly Dani, who had gone out of her way to be friendly. Dani’s good humor was irrepressible. She was quick-witted and sociable, and showed no sign of being particularly immoral. The only problem with her was that she did not worship Celaeno, and the only way Natasha could reconcile things was by reaching the conclusion that Dani had been tricked into renouncing the Goddess. Natasha even wondered if it might be possible to entice the young heretic back into the ranks of the faithful. However, it was not a safe or easy thing to discuss.
While they negotiated the last of the heavy undergrowth, Natasha tried to approach the subject from a roundabout route. “Were you born at Westernfort?” she asked.
“No. I’m too old for that.”
Natasha looked at her, unsure what relevance age had to do with it. “Too old?”
“There weren’t any children born out here before Lynn arrived. Tanya Coppelli is the oldest, and she’s only fifteen,” Dani said, stepping out into the comparative open of the riverbank.
“So you were led into renouncing Celaeno by one of the agents in the Homelands?”
“No, by the Guards.” Dani’s tone suddenly grew uncharacteristically harsh.
“By the...what?” Natasha said in confusion.
“The fucking Temple Guards.” Dani glared unseeing at the trees on the other side of the river, her expression sour. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter but no less intense. “I’d like to kill every last one. Or failing that, I’d like to kill three.”
Natasha crouched down beside the water, averting her face. “Any particular reason for three?”
“Yes.”
Dani did not offer any more explanation and Natasha concentrated on filling the leather flasks. The only sounds were the rustling of leaves in the breeze and the rippling of the river. The light was fading toward dusk.
Abruptly, Dani hissed, “Jess!”
“What?”
“In the bushes over there. I think I saw...” Dani drew a sharp breath. “Shit! Run!”
Natasha’s head shot up. A glint of red flashed in the bushes about fifty meters upstream, and then a uniformed Guard stepped clear of the trees. The woman shouted and pointed, and another pair of soldiers appeared. These two began to ford the river while the first raised her bow.
It took Natasha a moment to realize the danger; then she leapt up and chased after Dani. An arrow whistled by and embedded itself in a trunk as Natasha darted past. She dived into the thick vegetation. Dani was heading downstream, away from the campsite on the hill. The shouts behind them were rising, including an optimistic cry of “Stop!”
Natasha did not hear the second arrow. There was a crack to her head, jarring her neck, and the forest slipped out of focus. Only a glancing blow, Natasha realized. The Guard had been shooting blind into the undergrowth. Two centimeters either way, and the arrow would have missed completely or killed her. For another five steps, Natasha continued to run; then her knees gave way, and she stumbled and crashed to the ground. Dani skidded to a halt and raced back.
Natasha tried to rise, but her legs felt like water. “Leave me. Run,” she gasped.
Dani did not bother to answer. Judging from the sounds, the Guards had crossed the river. For a second, she looked around frantically. Then she rolled Natasha over and over until she was lying beneath the cover of a large, dense bush. Dani took another few precious seconds scuffing the fallen leaves to obscure their tracks; then she also threw herself under the thicket.
They lay side by side, listening to the sounds of the running Guards. The cracking of branches seemed like an excessive amount of noise for just three women. The voices were almost on top of them. Natasha turned her head and peered out through the curtain of leaves. Less than five meters away, she saw the undergrowth part as a Guard burst into view. A booted foot landed within arm’s reach. And then the Guards were gone. The noises faded away.
The ground under Natasha’s back felt as if it were rocking up and down. The pulse beat in her head like hammer blows, sending darts of pain through the nausea. Dani twisted around to look at her.
“Why didn’t you leave me?” Natasha managed to whisper.
“Don’t be stupid.”
“I...” Natasha began. The dark shadows under the bush began to twist and flow. They expanded before her eyes, swallowing her vision. Natasha passed out.
*
When Natasha came around, Dani was still lying beside her, raised on one elbow, with a hand pressed over Natasha’s forehead. The pain had softened to a gentle ache, and the nausea was no more than the tiniest flutter in her stomach. Dani’s face held an expression of intense concentration.
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“You’ve got the healer sense?” Natasha asked in surprise.
Dani’s lips turned down at the corners. “I’ve got a pathetically small talent with it.” She removed her hand. “The next-best thing to useless. But can I take it that I’ve helped you a bit?”
“Yes. You’ve helped a lot.” Natasha took a few deep breaths. “The Guards...won’t they be coming back?”
“They already have. And gone again. They heard us moving off to the right.”
“They?” Natasha grimaced as she tried to collect her scrambled thoughts. “What did they hear?”
“I couldn’t say for certain, but my money would be on Ash,” Dani said lightly.
“Is there any risk they’ll catch her?”
“Not in the way they’re hoping to. The risk is all theirs.”
Natasha closed her eyes and tried to relax. She lifted her hand to the gash across her temple. The hair around it was sticky with blood. Dani’s intervention had given the healing process a good start, and the wound was already closed, but it was not a complete cure.
“Should we get back to the others?” Natasha asked, although she was not sure of her ability to walk.
Dani pursed her lips. “Best to wait. We don’t want to bang into the Guards again. Ash is on to them, so it won’t be long before the world is improved by their departure. Then Ash will come and get us.”
“How will she know where we are?”
“She’ll know,” Dani said confidently. She turned her head to look out into the darkening forest. Unexpectedly, her expression shifted to a bitter anger. “Three Guards, and all I could do was run. Ash was right about my marksmanship, and I’m completely hopeless with a sword. But one of these days, I’m going to get an opportunity. That’s why I accepted the job in the Homelands, hoping something would crop up. I’m not bothered about giving the bitches a sporting chance. A knife in the back will do.”
Natasha covered her face with her arm. It was the only way to hide her expression. She did not know what to feel. Three Guards were probably about to die. They were not from her company, but they were still comrades in arms. It was not their fault that they had tried to kill her. They were servants of Celaeno, and it was very, very wrong to feel relief that someone was about to murder them. Yet Natasha could not stop herself from wishing Ash success. And soon.
It was also impossible to resolve her feelings about Dani. The heretic was someone Natasha found it easy to like. Yet the woman was an enemy of the Goddess and, therefore, Natasha’s enemy as well. Dani had just saved her life, but only because she was taken in by the deception. She’s not a friend, Natasha told herself, I can’t trust her. If she knew what I am, she’d kill me. But I’m sure she’s not an evil person.
Nothing about the situation made sense, and the complications were getting worse. The effects of the head injury sapped Natasha’s strength. She felt sick and feeble. But despite the weakness, or maybe because of it, Natasha was suddenly very aware of Dani’s body lying close beside her—like a lover. Natasha had only to remove the arm over her face, and their lips would be very close. She would only have to turn her head, and they could kiss. Until that moment, Natasha had not realized that she wanted to. A sound, half groan, half sob, formed at the back of her throat.
“Jess. Are you okay? You’re shaking,” Dani spoke anxiously.
“I’m freezing,” Natasha said evasively—not that it was untrue. A chill was seeping into her bones.
“It’s shock. You’ve lost a bit of blood. We need to get you back to the fire. But there’s no point being warm if the Guards get you.” Dani bit her lip, weighing up the risks. Then she said, “Roll onto your side.” She stripped off her own fleece-lined jacket; laid it over them like a blanket; and molded herself against Natasha’s back, wrapping her arm around Natasha and hugging her close.
“Now, I’m just doing this for warmth, you understand,” Dani mumbled into the back of Natasha’s neck in her usual bantering tone.
Natasha made no reply. She was very grateful that Dani could not see the warring emotions on her face.
*
No more than ten minutes had passed when there was a soft stirring in the bushes and Ash’s voice said with dry humor, “I trust I’m not disturbing anything.”
Dani rolled out from under the bush. Natasha clumsily shuffled after. Dusk was thickening under the trees. Ash was a dark silhouette against a patch of light sky, her face invisible.
Dani got to her feet, grinning. “No. We were just having a bit of a sleep while waiting for you to deal with our visitors.”
“Are you both okay?”
“I am. Jess got a nasty crack on the head, but she’ll be fine once we get her back to the camp.”
Natasha was gently assisted to her feet, and Dani reclaimed her jacket. Together, the two heretics helped her through the tangled undergrowth to the campsite. The fire had been doused to avoid attracting attention, but the covering of trees was less dense, and Laurel was rising full on the eastern horizon. Its light was sufficient to let them see more clearly. Rohanna and Cal rushed over, and both of them hugged Natasha in a display of motherly concern.
“Jess! Are you all right?”
“She got struck by an arrow, but nothing serious,” Dani answered for her.
“An arrow?” Rohanna’s voice held a slight quaver.
“She’s got a hard head, and the arrow glanced off. She just needs to warm up.” Dani’s attempt at humor sounded supportive rather than dismissive.
Natasha could not remember ever being so cosseted. Rohanna held her hand while Cal carefully washed the matted blood from her hair. Ash was a solid, comforting presence in the background, seeing to both fire and food. Dani was also attentive, again using her healer sense to inspect and treat the wound, but her touch aroused an awkward awareness in Natasha—one that she felt too unsteady to confront. It could wait until she felt stronger.
Only when Natasha was clean and warm, with a bowl of food in her hands, did the conversation turn to the matter of the Guards.
“Were there just the three?” Dani asked.
“That’s all that were in the forest. They were a scouting party. But there’s more around. The rest of the company are camped on the plain,” Ash replied.
“What are they doing out here at this time of year?”
“From the comments I heard before I finished them, they’re after you three.” Ash addressed her answer to Rohanna.
“You must have really annoyed the Chief Consultant. You weren’t singing rude songs about her, were you?” Dani joked with Natasha.
“I don’t know any.”
“Would you like me to teach you some?”
“Dani. This isn’t a game,” Ash said sharply.
“Do you think the Guards have anything to do with our encounter in Newsteading?” Rohanna asked. They had already recounted a carefully amended version of the tale, omitting the lock pick.
“I fear so. There wouldn’t be such a large force out here if they weren’t certain you were around.”
“Can we avoid them?”
“Well, yes, but...”
“But?”
“We can’t keep to our original route. Even the Guards will have no trouble spotting us on the open moor.”
“So what do we do?” Cal asked quietly.
Ash rubbed her head and sighed. “We can detour south, sticking to these foothills.”
“There’s a problem with that?”
“Yes. We’ll have to take the high pass over the next range. It’s not my preferred route to Westernfort, but it’s probably the safest with Guards about. As far as we can tell, they don’t know about the pass. But it’s a bit too high to be fun at this time of year. We’ll have to cross the snow line.”
“You’re worried about snow lions?” Rohanna said.
“More about bad weather and avalanches.”
“Is there no other way?”
“Not without either exposing ourselves in the open or going way
off track. And we can’t risk hanging around here until they give up and go away. If we’re delayed getting to Westernfort, we run a greater risk of trouble with the weather.”
Rohanna leaned forward. “You’re the guide. We’ll follow your lead...whatever you think best.”
Ash nodded and stood up. She turned to face west, staring out over the dark moors; then she looked back down at the others. “We’ll take a few hours’ rest and set off again after midnight. Hardie will have risen by then. We don’t want to still be here in the morning, just in case they come searching for the scouts.” She sighed. “And we’ll take the high pass.”
Chapter Seven—The High Pass
Ash led them confidently through the wilderness. She seemed to know every rock and tree, and there were plenty of them. The scale of the land was disconcerting for city-bred Natasha. She knew she could never have survived the journey on her own. Despite the Guards’ traditional disdain for Rangers, Natasha felt a growing respect for the women who patrolled the borders of the Homelands against attack from outlaws or wild animals. Standing sentry duty outside a temple did not seem particularly demanding by comparison.
They kept to the wooded hills for five days, skirting the southern edge of the moor, while the next range of mountains grew closer. Once, they heard distant shouting, but they saw no further sign of the Guards. Initially, the hills were gently rolling contours, but they became steadily more rugged as the route started to climb into the mountains.
For another three days, they followed a winding route through the range, keeping to the path of a river valley. As they got higher, the temperature plummeted, and patches of snow appeared on north-facing slopes. The trees were hardy dark green firs. The bushes and shrubs were more stunted and sparse, making riding easier. The journey continued at a greater pace until finally, they seemed to reach a dead end. Ahead was an unbroken arc of rock, rising sheer.
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