Artesans of Albia

by Cas Peace

  “Major,” he said in his clipped voice, “I didn’t think we would see you around for a while yet. Where are you going?”

  “About my own business, Commander.”

  She attempted to pass him by, but he planted himself in front of her. She glowered at him. “I have no time for your games, Commander Vanyr. If you delay me now, you will regret it. I know you bear me no love—although I thought we had made our peace before the duel—but if you bear me any respect at all you will stand aside.”

  Strangely, Vanyr seemed hurt by her words. “Respect?” he repeated. He looked puzzled, but there was no trace of hostility in his eyes. He made to step aside, but then changed his mind, his demeanor resolute. “No,” he muttered, “I will say it.”

  Sullyan watched him impatiently.

  “Major Sullyan, I will admit that I know little of love, but let me tell you that I bear you so much more than respect. Never before in my life or career have I seen such a consummate display of courage, skill, and strategy as you showed against Rykan. He was reputedly the finest swordsman in the realm, and I know of no one else—including myself—who could have stood against him as you did, especially considering what he had done to you. I offer you my heartfelt congratulations on your victory, and my sincerest apologies for acting against you. I allowed prejudice to rule me, and I am not proud of what I did.

  “I am sorry to have delayed you. I’ve said what I wanted to say, so I’ll detain you no longer.” Abruptly, he turned away, his face flushing with embarrassment.

  Sullyan’s temper melted at his astonishing speech. Lowering her eyes, she sighed and passed a weary hand across her face. When she had regained her composure, her lips bore a faint smile. She called to him softly. “Commander Vanyr?”

  He turned reluctantly. She gazed up at him, seeing wariness in his eyes. “Commander, I beg your pardon for my harshness. Your gracious speech has touched me, and I thank you for the sentiments behind it. I wonder, would it please you if we forgot the history between us and began our acquaintance anew?”

  He hesitated only a moment before inclining his head. His lips even formed a small smile, which considerably lightened a face rendered severe by his strange white eyes. “That sounds like a very civilized idea, Major.”

  She stepped toward him and, holding out her right hand, said, “Commander Vanyr, I am very pleased to meet you. I am Major Brynne Sullyan, and I am at your service.”

  Vanyr took her offered hand, but instead of shaking it as she had expected, he raised it and brushed it with his lips. She flushed.

  “I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, Brynne Sullyan. My name is Torman, and if I can ever be of assistance to you, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

  He released her hand and studied her, noting the pack on her shoulder. “Were you going to enquire after the captain and your other friends?”

  She glanced up sharply. “Do you know who accompanied Robin when he left?”

  “It was the big Albian who came with the healer, and two of Ky-shan’s men. I couldn’t spare anyone, and only two of Ky-shan’s were sober. One was Xeer, the man who rescued Count Marik. The other I didn’t know. Ky-shan could tell you, but he’s probably still comatose.”

  Sullyan nodded her thanks and began to walk on, but he laid a hand on her arm. “Brynne, you can’t possibly go after them. You’re in no fit state.”

  She grimaced. “I cannot contact them. Would you have me sit idly here? What would you do if they were your men?”

  He pursed his lips and opened his mouth, but made no reply.

  “Yes,” she said, “I thought as much. Not only are two of those who are missing under my command, but all of them are also my friends. I intend to ride out to the hill where they were last seen to see if I can pick up any clues as to who took them, and why. After that, we shall see. But if no one else can be spared to search for them, then yes, I will go myself.” Turning, she walked on.

  He kept pace with her. “Then I’m going with you. I’m surprised you can even walk with those wounds, let alone think of riding, and if I allowed anything to happen to you, the Hierarch would have my eyes. I’m already on a warning, so don’t try to refuse me.”

  She gave him a sideways look. “I would not dream of it, Torman. I welcome your company. How good are your tracking skills?”

  On reaching the horse lines, she found that Norkis had run his errand well. Drum was ready and waiting for her. He whickered when he saw her and stamped a hoof. Vanyr’s horse was also there, kept in readiness whenever he was on duty. He turned to Sullyan, clearly intending to assist her into the saddle, but she mounted Drum before he had time to move, although she felt the pull of her stitches. She held the reins one-handed, and her sword was at her back as usual.

  Vanyr regarded her, his expression wry. “You don’t much like being helped, do you?”

  She grinned, wheeling Drum away. “Maybe not, but I am not so stubborn as to refuse it when I really need it.”

  Touching Drum with her heels, she sent him clattering down the road to the south gate, Vanyr’s mount in close pursuit.

  It took them only a short time to reach the crest of the hill where she knew her four friends had camped. They passed two patrols on the way and stopped so both commanders could report to Vanyr, but neither had news. As they crested the brow of the hill, the rain still falling, Sullyan held up a hand for silence. Vanyr watched as she cast out her senses.

  Immediately, she picked up an echo of her friends’ psyches in the substrate and could even tell where Cal and Taran had been standing when they were taken. She also found Robin’s pattern from when he had come up here to track them. She and Vanyr walked the horses over to where the four men had taken hold of Cal and Taran, and Vanyr dismounted to examine the ground.

  Leaning over Drum’s shoulder, eyes intent on the wet earth, Sullyan said, “Torman, do you ever mark your horses’ shoes?”

  “Those of officers, yes,” he replied. “Two nicks on the off-hind.”

  “We use two on the near-fore and one on the off-hind,” she said, continuing to quarter the ground.

  Vanyr pointed. “I think this might be the Captain’s horse.”

  Reining Drum over, Sullyan nodded. “Yes, those are Torka’s tracks. He has one odd shaped hoof. The near-hind, do you see?”

  Vanyr nodded and moved farther away to track where Robin had gone. Sullyan used the substrate, and Vanyr verified the direction when he returned.

  “So they went southeast, toward the Haligan Forest,” she mused. “Have they gone to meet up with some of Rykan’s men, do you think?”

  Vanyr shrugged. “Depends what they were wanted for. Don’t you have any idea?”

  “Not at present.”

  He remounted, and she eyed him pointedly. “I have to follow them.”

  “Yes,” he said, “I thought you might. I’m coming with you.” She tried to protest, but he cut her short. “It won’t do you any good, so don’t waste your breath. I’m due some leave now, and Barrin, my lieutenant, is a very capable man. I’ll let Anjer know what I’m doing, and hopefully this time he’ll approve.”

  The tone of his voice made her wonder if there was yet more bad blood between him and the Lord General, but she didn’t pursue it. Activity by the south gate had caught her attention, and grimly she watched the small band of horsemen galloping toward the hill.

  “I can guess who sent them,” she muttered.

  Vanyr narrowed his eyes, unable to make them out at such distance.

  “It will be Ky-shan,” she sighed. “Rienne will have told Timar what I am doing, and he will have set my watchdogs on me.” Noting the way Vanyr eyed the approaching pirates, she added, “I cannot refuse them, Torman. We have been through much together these past few weeks. There are debts on both sides.”

  “Don’t worry,” he said, his eyes never leaving the riders. “We understand each other well enough. I got what I deserved, and besides, I would probably do the same myself now.”

&
nbsp; She regarded him in astonishment and he grinned at her. She rather liked this easier aspect of him and found herself wishing they could have foregone their earlier mistrust and hostility.

  “I know,” he said ruefully, the fact that he had picked up her thoughts amazing her yet again. “The fault was mine and I behaved very badly. But that’s behind us now. We’ve started afresh, yes?”

  She cocked her head. “Are you sure you are only a Journeyman?”

  He flushed with pleasure.

  They waited under the sparse tree cover until the pirates arrived. Ky-shan, Ki-en, and Jay’el were there, as were the twin giants and five others of the band. They all looked a little worse for drink. Sullyan shook her head, but she greeted them warmly and raised her brows at the supply packs they carried.

  Ky-shan saw the look. “The Hierarch’s orders, Lady. We’ve been packed since yesterday. We wanted to go after the Skipper ourselves, but we were waiting for you. We knew you could track him better than anyone.” He turned, pointing at Vanyr. “What in the Void’s name is he doing here?”

  “Torman has kindly offered to help search, and I have accepted his aid. I trust that meets with your approval?”

  It did not, but Ky-shan didn’t argue. He simply ignored Vanyr.

  “Ky, who else went out with Xeer, Robin, and Bull?”

  “As-ket,” he replied.

  She sighed with frustration. As-ket was no Artesan. “In that case, we shall just have to rely on our own eyes once the psyche trail runs out. Gentlemen, Torman and I have established they were heading toward Haligan Forest, and as they have a two-day lead on us, may I suggest we ride?”

  With Drum and Vanyr’s liver chestnut in the lead, they descended the hill at a gallop, Sullyan following Robin’s trail in the substrate.

  Chapter Three

  All morning they rode hard, first across the rain-soaked Citadel Plains and then under the boughs of Haligan Forest. The trees in the forest grew dense and few trails wound between their tightly-packed trunks. This made tracking easier, and Sullyan followed Robin’s pattern in the substrate while Vanyr used his eyes on the ground. Early on, he managed to find the prints of Taran’s horse in a patch of muddy earth, confirming Sullyan’s suspicion that all four of her friends had headed in the same direction.

  She found herself wondering when they would come across the place where Taran’s captors had ambushed Robin and Bull. It could not be far because they had failed to report to Anjer that first evening, and she knew they would not have ridden through the night. Robin would still have been exhausted, and he knew better than to push himself too hard. At least, she hoped he did. Maybe that was why he and Bull had failed to spot the danger, although Bull should have had more sense than to allow Robin to act so rashly. But then, she thought, Bull had disobeyed her express orders in bringing their friends through the Veils, and despite the tongue-lashing she had given him the night before the duel, she was still furious over that breach. Even more so now, for had he not disobeyed her they would not be in this predicament, and she would not be overstretching herself to find them.

  Angrily, she shook her head, forcing down the fear surging through her heart.

  Around midday she called a brief halt. She was surprised to find she was fitter than she had thought. She was only expending power to reduce the awful throbbing of her wrist and the sting of the sword slash in her side. The muscles that had ached earlier that morning seemed resigned to yet more activity and were not complaining. The stitches in her flank, though, were nagging, and she concentrated more power than was prudent on healing. She needed to be rid of them, although she could not imagine who among this rough band of men she could ask to perform that small favor.

  When they resumed the search, she held them to a steadier pace, sure they were not far from where Robin and Bull had run into trouble. She and Vanyr took the lead again and rode well apart, she following Robin’s pattern and he the prints of Taran’s horse. After an hour or so they found a small clearing where Robin, Bull, Xeer, and As-ket had made their first night’s camp.

  With a surge of anger, she saw that Xeer and As-ket were still there. Calling to Ky-shan, she dismounted, letting Drum’s reins drop. She moved to where the two bodies lay and kneeled beside the nearest, feeling a pang of grief as she gazed down at Xeer’s lifeless face. Judging by their terrible wounds, he and As-ket had put up a valiant fight. As-ket lay several yards away, his body punctured by crossbow bolts. Xeer was covered in sword cuts, his throat gaping in a gory grin.

  Ky-shan stopped beside her and stared silently down at his friend’s immobile face. “I am so sorry, Ky,” she murmured, reaching out to touch Xeer’s cold hand. “Marik will be sorry, too. He thought much of Xeer for rescuing him.”

  The pirate’s eyes glittered coldly as he turned back to his horse. “They did their duty.”

  Vanyr nudged his mount closer. “Is this where the psyche trail ends?”

  Her pupils dilated as she checked the substrate. “Yes. They used spellsilver again. But Robin and Bull are both experienced men. Maybe they left me a clue ….”

  She quartered the campsite, studying what she could sense of the fight. It had happened swiftly, with Bull and Robin targeted instantly as hostages. They hadn’t stood a chance. Xeer and As-ket had sold their lives dearly but uselessly. There were no other bodies to indicate who was responsible.

  Vanyr dismounted, and together they sought tracks leading away from the campsite. The Commander found Torka’s distinctive spoor immediately, still heading southeast. Sullyan swung up onto Drum again, stifling a gasp as her arm protested. This earned her a glance of concern from Vanyr, which she ignored. They had to travel slower now, as she could not track by psyche and the light was poor under the close-growing trees. At least the rain had let up, although the sky was still dark and the air much cooler.

  They pushed on until it was too dark to see the tracks. Sullyan wanted to continue on foot with torches, but Vanyr overruled her. Unexpectedly, Ky-shan backed him up.

  “You’ve gone white, Lady,” he said. “You need to rest. If we stop now, we’ll make better time in the morning. It’ll do us no good if we miss their tracks in the dark.”

  “Who appointed you my nursemaid?” she grumbled, but she allowed Ki-en to see to Drum and accepted the mug of fellan Ky-shan gave her once the fire was lit. There was a generous measure of brine rum in it, and she shot him a hard glance.

  He stared unrepentantly back. “You need the strength.”

  She decided not to refuse. Once seated by the fire, she realized how terribly weary she was. Two solid days of sleep, which either Deshan or Pharikian must have had a hand in, had gone a long way toward restoring her strength, but she was battling weeks of illness, strain, and worry, not to mention the subtler effects of taking and using Rykan’s life force.

  As she sat, silently cradling her cup, she became aware of Vanyr’s eyes upon her. Because he lacked the definition of colored irises, it wasn’t always easy to tell where the focus of his attention lay. Raising her face, she invited him to speak. He looked away immediately and she sighed.

  “Speak, Torman, if you will. We are friends now.”

  He gazed resolutely into the fire. “Are we?”

  She frowned, wishing he would stop playing games. “Are we not, then?”

  He looked up and she realized he was harboring some doubt, some anxiety, over their relationship. She cocked her head in query.

  “Will you answer me a question?” he asked.

  She nodded, adding, “If you will do the same.”

  “Very well.” He took a breath. “Why didn’t you see Rykan’s last move in the duel? We practiced it so much I thought you surely must see it. And yet, he caught you with it.”

  She glanced down, aware that he had a more important question than this. He was stalling, yet she chose to answer anyway.

  “I did see it. You taught me well.”

  “You did? Then why …?” His expression changed to incredulity.
“You never deliberately let him knock you down? That would have been a terrible risk!”

  She sighed. “I know. It was not something I wished or planned to do, let me assure you. He was just too strong. He was fitter than I, taller, healthier, and faster. He was just too damned good!”

  He stared at her. “So you took a gamble.”

  “What else could I do? What would you have done?”

  He considered this. “I would never have had the skill to make use of him like that.”

  She snorted. “I think you belittle your own talents, man. But I had it in my mind before we began that I might need to do something desperate if I could not defeat him outright.”

  “Desperate is right! He could have killed you out of hand.”

  “No. I knew he would not do that. He coveted my powers too badly to kill me. And in that lay my second plan, the most desperate plan. The one I intended to use should he force me to yield.”

  “Which was?”

  “To cast us both into the Void.”

  Understanding caused his face to turn pale. “I’m not sure I could have found the courage to do that.”

  She shrugged. “If you had been his captive for two weeks and suffered what I did, courage would have come, believe me. It would have been my only choice. As it was, Count Marik’s timely distraction made Rykan forget the vital declaration of surrender, leaving me free to legitimately use my power.”

  Vanyr mulled over what he had heard. Then he raised his head again. “You have answered my question. What would you ask of me?”

  Now it was her turn to look away. She hadn’t planned to ask him this at all, let alone in company. Their easier relationship could be all too quickly spoiled if he took it the wrong way. She chose her words carefully, studying her hands as she did so.

  “After your invaluable coaching before the duel, I thought we had made some sort of peace. I was a little surprised not to see you among the Artesans in Pharikian’s chambers that morning. For the sharing of life force.”

  She let the small silence continue before glancing at him. He was staring at her oddly. Then he said, “I was told my contribution would not be required.”