For a time we were silent, save for the rising whine of the wind that had blown up, and the sound of the wood and firenuts crackling.
‘She was the first D’rekta that led the Twentyfamilies here, wasn’t she, this Cassandra?’ Swallow asked almost dreamily, his eyes on the wisp of steam rising from the bread. ‘There cannot be two skilled stone carvers born in the Beforetime who left messages for you.’
‘I am certain of it,’ I said.
He looked at me. ‘How do you come to know so much of her life before the holocaust?’
‘I have been having past-dreams of her, almost since I first learned what I must do,’ I said.
His eyes widened. ‘You have seen her, too?’
‘Many times,’ I said. ‘The last time, I think she was talking to another girl about a secret key that would allow a person to reach Sentinel even after it was supposed to be impossible. I have no doubt it was the key I need.’ I frowned, remembering that Analivia had described both women in her vision as having long hair, though in my last dream of Cassy, her hair had been cut short. But perhaps Analivia’s vision had shown them some years after the Great White, for we had no way of knowing how long it was before they had begun their journey to the Red Land.
I hesitated, and then asked, ‘You know one of the messages your D’rekta left me was about Dragon.’
Swallow looked startled. ‘What did it say?’
‘That she carries something I need in her memory of the Red Land,’ I said. ‘I have told you that the futuretellers saw me there with her.’
‘Yet it seems they were mistaken.’
‘I am no longer so sure of that,’ I answered. ‘They never spoke of us travelling there with the expedition. It just seemed so obvious that we would go there in that way. But I have been thinking on it, and the futuretellers never actually said that Dragon would be the reason the four ships would be instrumental in overthrowing the slavemasters. Again I assumed that because of who Dragon is.’
‘But how can either of you get there without the ships to carry you, and especially if you are not to go back to the Land? And how can Rushton and four ships prevail against the might of the slavemasters’ hordes that are said to occupy the Red Land, especially if, as it is said, the enslaved will not rise against them until their queen returns?’ Swallow asked, absently setting aside the toast and forking another slice.
‘All I know is that Dragon has something I need for my quest, and against all the odds, she is coming to me, though she is the beaten and battered captive of an unknown man,’ I said. ‘It is hard for me, knowing this, to doubt that somehow, I will come to the Red Land with her.’
Swallow glanced back towards the pass. ‘Maybe you should check on Analivia.’
I nodded, and mustered my strength to send out a probe shaped to the lowland woman’s mind, deciding that I would also farseek Rasial, for it had occurred to me that she could warn the wolves of what was happening. Rheagor would listen whether or not he regarded her as unnatural. My probe located and Analivia welcomed me with such frantic relief that she nearly dislodged me.
‘What is the matter? Do you see them on the ridgeline?’ I asked, my heart beginning to gallop.
‘Not there!’ Analivia sent. ‘Here. I mean, they have almost reached the pass! I had barely got in place before I saw them below climbing up the spur. It was only sheer luck that the man did not look up and see me. I did not dare come back to warn you, for he would have surely seen me. I have been cowering in my hole willing you would farseek me in time. Elspeth, he will be there in minutes!’
I withdrew, and bade Swallow help Darga to hide in the hole we had prepared and to lay a blanket over it, for the man was about to come through the pass. The gypsy wasted no time in asking questions, and I farsent to Ahmedri. When he understood what had happened, he promised that he would return stealthily, since he could not now arrive before Dragon and her captor.
‘It may work in our favour, for once you have the man’s attention, I can move around and approach him from behind. The fire will ruin his night vision,’ he added.
‘Just be careful,’ I warned and withdrew.
Swallow returned to sit down, and shifting the soup onto the flame, he began stirring it vigorously to send out its enticing scent. I set aside the bread I had toasted and forked another slice to cook. Our plan was simple. We would offer the man a bowl of food, knowing that he would need both hands to hold it. But first he must be made to feel relaxed enough to believe we were no threat.
‘We should not sit here in silence,’ Swallow said in a low voice. ‘It does not matter what we say, for the wind will stop him hearing clearly, but the sound of voices will reassure him that we are not setting a trap. Make sure you are sitting at an angle that lets you watch the pass out of the corner of your eye.’ He glanced up at the sky, which was black, save for a thin place in the cloud cover where the moonlight could shine through.
‘I can just see it,’ I said.
‘Remember, if he is affected by taint poisoning, as you suspect, his reactions and wits will be slowed, but he will be nervous and unpredictable, too,’ Swallow warned.
‘As soon as I think he is distracted enough, I will beastspeak Darga. When he leaps out, you must move instantly and get Dragon away. Nothing else matters.’
‘What if he attacks you?’ Swallow asked.
‘I, Marumanyelloweyes / Moonwatcher, will protect ElspethInnle,’ Maruman sent, and he lifted his head to glare at Swallow, baring his teeth and uttering a low growl.
‘I, Gahltha Daywatcher, am here, too, ElspethInnle,’ Gahltha sent, and he tapped his hoof twice on the stone and snorted.
‘I just wish we knew what he wanted,’ Swallow said after a small silence. ‘I can accept he might know where you are because of Dragon. But that does not tell us why this man wants you so badly that he would risk taint poisoning.’
‘Maybe he wants a hostage,’ I said.
‘Surely the girl would make a perfect hostage if that is all he wants,’ Swallow said.
I was studying the blanket-covered stone on the other side of the fire, where we had reckoned to seat our visitor. It was facing the fire and it would put him side-on to Darga’s hiding place. No matter how closely he held Dragon, he would have to loosen his grip if he would sit, and when Darga leapt out, he would be facing away from Swallow, giving the gypsy a chance to leap at him unseen.
‘Once we have him, we will bind him with his own filthy leash, and find out what he wants,’ Swallow muttered. ‘Do you see him yet?’
‘No,’ I said, but then the moonlight shone down fleetingly and I saw a dark shape at the pass. ‘Yes,’ I said.
Swallow immediately began a rather stilted treatise on the best woods for carving. I hardly heard him, for my whole mind was on the pair moving softly towards us, shadows in darkness. I kept my eyes on the bread I was toasting, not wanting the man to have any reason to fear he had been seen. I dared not try to farseek Dragon lest she do or say something that caused her captor to hurt her. Then the hulking form of a man stopped dead at the edge of the hollow, and I farsent to warn Swallow who leaned forward to stir the soup. He was still talking, but I could not take in a word of it, nor muster any response. Every part of me was focused on the man swaying at the edge of the hollow. I could just see that he was holding Dragon close against his side, one arm wrapped around her and the rope wound about his hand to shorten it. As he began to move down into the hollow, moonlight showed again and glinted on the knife he held in his free hand.
Carefully, I reached out to the man’s mind, praying that Rasial had been wrong, and that I would be able to coerce him, but the ridgeback had been right. I could not get into his mind. The taint in him was strong enough to make my mind buzz uncomfortably and I wondered how Rasial had managed to read the man’s thoughts. But then I remembered, it was not his thoughts but his spirit that the merged spirit-form of Rasial and Gavyn had read.
Concentrate! I snarled at myself. I heard the sound of
a boot scrape the stone. It was too loud for us not to have heard, and I looked up even as Swallow turned slowly, rising to his feet and squinting into the darkness. He took care to keep his hands in view so that the man would see he held no more than a wooden spoon. ‘Who is there?’ he asked in a tone that contrived to be both wary and anxious.
The man stopped again, and seeing him in the dim ruddy firelight, it seemed to me that I had seen him before, though I did not recognise him. He was a good head taller than Ahmedri, strongly built and solidly muscled, but his eyes glittered with fever and all about his mouth and throat were the black blister-sores of advanced taint sickness among his filthy matted beard. Pity warred with revulsion, but both were swept away by terror when he drew Dragon against his chest and belly and lifted the blade to lay the edge of it against her throat. Horror welled in me at the thought that he meant to cut her throat then and there, and I felt Maruman’s claws sink into my legs though he did not move otherwise.
For a long moment nothing happened, and then I gathered my wits and my courage and pretended to squint to see so that he would not wonder why I made no comment about the knife. I said, ‘Come closer sirrah, so that we can see you. Have you and the lass had an accident? This is a dreadful lonely place to be injured, but lucky for you I have a healing kit and a little skill.’
I could not see Dragon’s eyes for they were closed, nor could I tell if she had taint blisters, for there were fresh smears of blood over her miscoloured and swollen face.
‘Come and share our fire,’ Swallow invited. ‘You need have no fear of us, for there is only me and my sister Elaria. In truth it is not men you need to fear in these mountains but the queer beasts as dwell here. Join us, if you will, because four will fare better than two and a horse. It is a pity we had to abandon our wagon but there was no help for it in these mountains. We have some stew if you would like. Do you have anything we could use to thicken it, mayhap? A turnip? My sister can tend to your wounds.’
‘Where is she?’ the man growled. The edges of the words were slurred and I realised with horror that there were blisters inside his mouth and over his tongue. He must have drunk tainted water!
But his knife hand did not waver.
Cold ran through me and with it a deadly sense of purpose.
I set Maruman aside and, rising, drew off the scarf I had pulled over my hair. ‘I will come to you, if you will release the girl,’ I said, knowing I could better fight and hold the knife off than the half-stunned Dragon, and even if he cut me, I would heal.
The man glared at me. ‘You think I don’t know my own kin, woman? I know she is near. Summon her or I will stick the girl and I know you don’t want that.’ He staggered a little and the knife drew a little necklace of blood beads, but Dragon did not speak or open her eyes. Maybe she was unconscious.
‘I do not know what kin you mean,’ I began carefully, wondering if he was mad, and then I heard the ring of boots on stone.
‘I am here,’ said Analivia, coming down from the weeping arch.
26
‘What do you want, brother?’ Analivia asked coldly.
Moss! I thought.
The big man’s attention was wholly fixed on his sister, though he did not slacken his grip on Dragon nor shift the knife from her throat.
‘I came for you, little sister. I am your kin though you forgot it when you gave your soul to the mutants and beast lovers,’ he snarled, then he spat and the blood was dark on the stone by his feet.
‘It is you who forgot you were my brother long ago,’ Analivia said. She was trembling like a leaf and her hands hanging at her sides clawed the cloth of her trews.
‘A brother rules his sister and his mother,’ Moss said in his slurred, wet voice. ‘They are no more than beasts to a man and he does what he pleases with them and to them. So did my father and so he taught me to do.’
‘I dwelt with my only true brother,’ Analivia hissed.
‘That moon calf,’ Moss said, and spat again. ‘Is that how you came to the beast lovers, girl? You gave yourself to Bergold and then to the beast lovers and what next? The beasts themselves?’
‘I would say that you are the beast but it would be an insult to any animal,’ Analivia said, but her voice shook. ‘Why did you come?’
‘I said already, to get you and bring you back,’ snarled Moss. ‘Father said I could have you if I helped him get free, but he died just after we got free of the rebels, the old fool. Tripped down a gorge and broke his neck.’ He gave a cawing laugh that sent out a spray of saliva and blood. ‘So I decided I would have you anyway. I was coming up to get you from Bergold’s place but when I tickled the servant with a knife, he said the master and his sister had gone to live with the mutants at Obernewtyn. I was on the road up when I found the girl going all alone the same way. I remembered her red hair from Sutrium, when she went about with that uppity healer Dardelan crooned over. I caught her and used her to get me past the mutants and beast lovers.’
I wondered why Dragon had not used her powers to defend herself. Unless Moss had already been riddled with taint sickness when he captured her. His knife tip crept closer to the throbbing artery in the girl’s slender throat and I held my breath knowing that he had only to jerk and cut and she would bleed to death in seconds.
‘How did you know where Ana was?’ I asked softly, hoping he would shift position and get the knife away from Dragon’s throat.
Moss’s black hungry gaze swivelled to me and he said cryptically, ‘Blood knows blood.’
‘Let the child go and come to me,’ Analivia invited. Her voice was steadier now. ‘You want me, don’t you?’ There was a desperate, hideous coyness in her voice but her hand was moving towards the little sheath that held her belt knife. My heart began to pound for if she drew it out and tried to attack him, Moss would kill Dragon.
I was desperately trying to form a probe to stop her when Moss suddenly laughed. ‘Do you think I am a fool like Bergold, Analivia? I have felt your iron claw before. Take off the knife sheath and set it down beside you and then come to me. Better still, take off your clothes and come to me naked so I can see you are unarmed. You have filled out some since I last saw you so, and I would see how it suits you.’
I heard Swallow draw in a fierce, ragged breath of outrage, but my eyes were on the knife poised against Dragon’s throat.
‘Obey me or the mutant pig dies,’ Moss told his sister gloatingly. His mouth split into a feral lunatic grin. ‘Unless you would like me to kill it. Is that it? Are you jealous, Analivia? I did not use her for she is a mutant and to take such a one to my bed would be vile.’
‘Moss,’ I said softly. ‘You are hurt and hungry. Sit and I will give you some food and Ana can tend your hurts. We can talk. No one needs to die here.’
Moss bared his teeth at me but I saw with relief that he had withdrawn the knife a little. ‘Sit down, bitch, or I will cut her head off.’ Then his eyes narrowed. ‘You will come back with me too, Elspeth Gordie, doxy to the master of Obernewtyn. Him and all the beast lovers will cringe and weep and grovel to do my bidding, once they see I have you. And if they don’t move fast enough, why you can use your filthy mutant powers on them. I heard you can kill with your mind. I’d like to see that.’ He grinned horribly and I saw that his teeth were streaked with blood. ‘You’d have killed me I guess, if it wasn’t for the demon band I wear.’
My mouth fell open as I understood why Dragon had not been able to affect him, and then it struck me that this might be why he was sick. He must not know or perhaps he did not believe it when it was made known that demon bands were filled with tainted matter that would prevent the mind of a wearer being entered by a Misfit, but would eventually kill them.
His blackened lips split in a wide, delighted smile that made the sores about his mouth crack and ooze glistening pus. ‘Show me the trick now, mutant. Kill the gypsy there. Do it or I will kill the girl.’
‘Moss,’ Analivia cried, but even as her brother turned towards her,
a small owl appeared out of the enfolding darkness on silent grey wings, talons outstretched as it flew at Moss’s face. He bellowed and instinctively lifted his hands to protect his eyes. The little owl banked at the last second to cut away and vanish into the black night as soundlessly as it had come.
After a stunned moment, both Swallow and I sprang forward and I was conscious of Darga leaping from his nest of blankets at the same moment, but the knife that flew between us was faster and buried itself in the left side of Moss’s chest with a woody thump. It was a clean and perfect kill and Moss did not utter a sound as he fell flat on his back with the heavy lifeless thud of a sack of flour.
I ran to scoop up Dragon who had slid boneless to the ground when Moss released her to fend off the owl. I was terrified that he might have killed her but thankfully he had missed the vein. Even so the cut was deep enough that blood ran freely down her neck and her skin felt cold and clammy. I looked up to ask for a blanket and saw Analivia swaying on her feet, her expression a ghastly mixture of horror and triumph.
Only then did I realise that it was she who had thrown the knife.
Swallow put an arm about her shoulders and drew her to sit by the fire as Ahmedri knelt by me and wrapped a blanket around Dragon before lifting her effortlessly into his arms. ‘I will tend her,’ he said, beginning to open a pouch at his belt. He looked at me. ‘I know what to do.’
I knew he spoke the truth, for Jakoby had told me long ago that all tribesmen and women who learned to fight were taught the rudiments of healing because Sadorians believed that one capable of taking a life ought also to be capable of saving one. I was glad when he bade me get water and warm it, for it gave me something to do. But when I tried to pour water from my bottle into a pan, my hand shook so hard that I spilled most of it.
‘You look white enough to faint, too. Sit,’ Swallow said, taking the pan from me and filling it himself before setting it to warm on the fire.
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