The stables attached to the inn were in chaos when Ravi first got there. Several stall doors hung open, and horses, goats, and donkeys wandered freely while a short, round-bellied man shouted orders at two young boys and a small pile of wet straw lay smoldering in the center aisle. Ravi searched the smoky space and blew out a relieved breath when he found Horse standing calmly in his stall, surveying the chaos around him with what seemed to Ravi to be regal amusement instead of fear or anxiety.
“What you want?” one of the boys asked him sourly while tugging on the lead to a rather recalcitrant mule.
The boy received a cuff on the ear from the round man, who hurried over. “Sorry, young sir. We’ve had a little mishap this morning, but it’ll be under control soon. What can I do for you?”
Ravi wasn’t exactly dressed for the part of a “young sir,” but he supposed the stable master had seen him come in with Daks, which hopefully meant he wouldn’t have any trouble.
“I’m here for our horse,” he said as confidently as he could muster. When the man hesitated a fraction of a second, Ravi added, “We’ll take him out of your way for a little while so you have one less thing to worry about. I’ll get him myself, no need to trouble you.”
He started walking before the man could form a reply. And as he’d hoped, the man had too much on his hands to put up much resistance. Ravi blew out a relieved breath as he led Horse out of the inn yard and down toward the river without further incident. He tried not to meet Horse’s unsettling eyes as he handed over the reins. If the boatman ran off with Horse, Daks would probably kill him. But he might not live long enough to kill him if Ravi didn’t get across the river.
The trip back across the Matna was interminable. Luckily for him, he was too worried about Daks and the Riftspawn to spare any thought for the terrible memories the churning waters below him might have conjured up.
Scholoveld is in the mountains, not an ocean or large river in sight of the place, he promised himself. Before a few days ago that thought wouldn’t have made him feel better, but he could do without any large bodies of water for a while.
As they neared the opposite shore, he caught his first glimpse of red robes in the market above the landing and his breath quickened. Tightening his grip on the side of the small boat, he retreated farther into the shadows of his hood, closed his eyes, and willed himself to remain calm. The reality of trying to find Daks in all that bustling humanity started to sink in past the fear that had impelled him there, but what choice did he have? No one would do it for him, and if he didn’t go, he had a terrible feeling he’d never see Daks again, and it would be all his fault for not trying.
Perhaps noticing his distress and finally taking pity on him as they neared the landing, the boatman said, “Your friend headed toward the market when I dropped him off. When he asked me the best places to go for information and gossip, I told him Hamul’s place, the Ram’s Horn, if that helps any. It’s one street over from the market so a little less crowded at midday.”
“Thank you.”
The man grunted, leapt into the knee-deep water to pull it ashore, and waited for Ravi to scramble awkwardly out.
“We’ll be back to see you’re paid in coin and collect our horse,” Ravi declared with far more confidence than he felt.
The boatman only shrugged and pushed off again, climbing nimbly back into the vessel as it floated away on the current, leaving Ravi alone.
This is such a bad idea.
Swallowing his fear, he headed up the landing toward the market, skirting the edges of the crowd and keeping his head down as much as possible. One or two men in red cloaks and splashes of guard blue caught his eye, but not as many as when they’d come through before, which seemed odd. But perhaps they were out in nearby villages cleaning up and rebuilding with those who hadn’t the benefit of a mysterious wizard’s aid, like the rumors said. The market did look remarkably untouched, compared to the other side of the river.
He huddled inside his cloak, quickly turning away anytime a brother or guard got close, sweating and shaking with nerves as he searched desperately for any sign of Daks. After only a few minutes, he gave up on the crowded market altogether. He’d just have to trust his instincts that Daks wouldn’t have stayed there for long.
Like the boatman had said, one street over, things were much calmer and less crowded. He blew out a relieved breath once he’d reached a quiet spot and wiped the moisture from his forehead.
Please, please, please, just let me find Daks. Don’t give me any more Visions until we’re back in Samebar, please. I won’t even complain about the next one if you just wait.
He spotted the Ram’s Horn’s painted signboard and hurried over, but he hesitated outside the open doorway, unsure how to proceed. The place looked cramped and dark inside, the last place Ravi should be going if he wanted to avoid close contact with people. But he wouldn’t get any information lurking outside.
Hoping to remain inconspicuous, he sidled over to the large, slightly grimy window next to the door and peered inside. Unless Daks was hiding in the back, he wasn’t in there. He glanced at the sky and winced. The sun was moving across it far too quickly. He needed to find Daks before sunset.
“Can I help you, sir? Would you like some of Hamul’s fine ale? Best in Traget.”
Ravi jolted and turned to find a young woman with a tray of flagons balanced on her hip, smiling at him expectantly. He licked his dry lips but winced apologetically. “Sorry, no. I’m, uh, looking for a friend of mine who might have come through this morning. Could you tell me if you saw him?”
Even as he spoke, he tensed for the tingle that meant a Vision was imminent, but felt nothing. Blowing out a relieved breath, he tried to give the woman a disarming smile.
“You’ll have to be more specific than that. I see lots of friends ’round here,” she said with a wink. “Maybe a little ale will loosen your tongue.”
Ravi’s regret wasn’t feigned as he shook his head. “Sorry. I haven’t any coin.”
Her sunny smile lost some of its brightness, and she turned to go back inside but stopped when Ravi caught her sleeve.
“Please, miss, I’m sorry. I’d buy some if I could. I just need to know if my friend was here. He’s about my height but much broader of chest and shoulders. He has dark hair he keeps tied back and has a couple of scars along his jaw. He would have been asking about a friend of his, a woman.”
She pursed her lips and cocked an eyebrow at him until Ravi let go of her sleeve. When he gave her another mumbled apology, her smile returned, although it seemed a little more wicked now.
“I remember your friend. Thick man he was. Only stayed for a single pint, though, more’s the pity,” she said with a wink.
Ravi’s heart lurched. “Do you know where he went?”
Her eyes widened as she leaned toward Ravi. “Oh yes. He came in looking for the Cigani woman.”
“Yes, that’s them!”
“You know her?”
Her tray of wares remained forgotten on her hip as she stepped closer to him.
“I do. They’re… they’re my friends.”
“Gods,” she breathed, before she seemed to remember herself, made the sign of the Three, and searched their surroundings nervously.
Ravi did the same, but luckily no Brotherhood scarlet or guard blue caught his eye.
“Your friend helped a lot of people here. My nan might have been killed if not for her,” she whispered.
“She did?”
The woman nodded. “When the flood came, we all heard the horn and the shouts and screams and came running. Everyone was in a panic, but they never would have been able to get out of the way if it hadn’t been for the wizard.” She lowered her voice even more. “The brothers and the guard couldn’t have done anything, not without one of the Thirty-Six. But the wizard, he just lifted his hands and the floodwaters hit some sort of wall no one could see, saving everyone in the market.”
“How did Shur—I mean, the Cig
ani woman fit in?”
Her face clouded. “The guard tried to go after the wizard while he was working his magic to save us. They aimed their bows at him an’ all. The young man who was with the wizard saw them, pulled a dagger, and started running, but it was the Cigani woman who got there first.” Her eyes rounded again and her cheeks pinked. “She was amazing, her and her little blond friend. They cut through the whole lot of king’s men like chaff. Never seen anything like it.”
“What happened next?” Ravi prodded impatiently, when the woman’s eyes got a little dreamy and far off.
“The wizard knocked out the remaining guard before they could harm his companion, who’d jumped into the fray, but the Cigani woman got hurt somehow. They took her with them when they left, as more men were being called.” She scowled then and spat on the ground. “Wizard could’ve helped us so much more if they’d let him.”
Ravi blinked at her in surprise. “You’d trust a wizard?”
She shrugged. “I’ve lived in Traget my whole life. I’ve seen all sorts come across that river and heard all kinds of stories about what magic does for people in Samebar. Times are changing, and not a day too soon, if you ask me.” She only paused a beat before she made the sign of the Three again and added, “Gods willing, that is.”
“Alanna!” someone shouted from inside the pub.
The woman winced. “Gotta go.”
“Wait!” Ravi called, rushing forward, “Does Daks, the man I’m looking for, does he know all this?”
“Oh yes. It’s all they can talk about in the pub these days while the soldiers lick their wounds.”
“Where did they take her, the Cigani woman?”
“To the barbarian settlement, I suppose,” she replied with a shrug. “North and west, up the Bael toward the mountains is what people say.”
Ravi groaned as she disappeared inside. How the hells was he supposed to find Daks in the wilderness, especially when the man had a few hours’ head start?
Without any logical hope, he allowed the memory of his Vision to pull him toward the northwestern edge of town. But as he stared at the encroaching wilderness beyond the farms, his heart sank. He had no supplies, no money, no one to ask for help, and no clue what he was doing. He also had no way of getting back across the river.
He could only partly blame his curse this time. If it had come only a few hours earlier, he could have sent Daks off with a warning, or insisted on going with him. But he’d also let his feelings drive him to do something utterly stupid… yet again. Daks was a bad influence that way, to be sure.
He took a breath and closed his eyes. He was here now. He couldn’t flounder around helplessly. He hadn’t survived for a decade on his own in the streets of Rassat for nothing. He could do this. Daks needed him.
Inside, he strained in search of that feeling: the one that had led him through the darkened streets of Urmat, the one that had brought him here. At last he felt it, a flutter deep inside, and the more he focused on it, the stronger it got, tugging him in only one direction, like a compass needle. He had confirmation he was headed in the right direction. Now he just had to figure out how to get there in time.
The northwestern road rose steadily upward away from the ferry landing, so he had a good view of Traget and the guard encampment just outside it… and the small temporary corral they’d built for their mounts.
Heart in his throat, he started jogging toward it, keeping low, inside the tree line. Did he really think he could steal a horse in broad daylight from the King’s Guard?
The camp seemed mostly empty right now. Perhaps they were somewhere licking their wounds, like the barmaid had said. Besides, he’d already taken one page out of Daks’s book. Why not two? If he slipped in from the back and took out part of the makeshift fencing, he could steal away in the confusion of escaping horses, right?
His hands shook, and he couldn’t quite get a full breath, but he kept going, straining for any tingle of danger his gift might give him. He was only about twenty yards from his target when a bolt of alarm shot through him. Without hesitation, he heeded the warning and dove into a cluster of thorny bushes, hopefully out of sight.
A few seconds later, two men—one in a guard-blue tabard and one in crimson robes—stepped from between some tents and headed straight in his direction.
“I’m telling you, I felt something out here,” the brother said irritably.
“I’m not contradicting you, Brother,” the guard replied with obvious patience. “But you’ve said that several times over the last few days and we haven’t found anything. We’re all exhausted. No one would blame you for taking a rest.”
“You obviously don’t know my brothers. The wizard was in this town for who knows how long, and I didn’t sense him. The villagers we interviewed told us he’d eaten their food and drunk their ale, sitting at a table in the middle of the market square. And yet I never sensed him. It is my duty to protect Rassa from creatures like him. I was sent here for this specific purpose—to give warning and report—and I failed. I won’t fail again.”
The men were close enough now Ravi caught the grimace the guard made in response before the man said, “I understand, holy brother, but no man can go on indefinitely without rest. You’ve investigated every tiny wisp of something strange for nearly three days straight. You won’t be able to do much of anything if you pass out on your feet.”
The brother did look pretty haggard. His eyes had that glassy, crazed look Ravi’s had probably had when Daks had forced him to come to bed only a few days ago. He’d feel sorry for the brother if he wasn’t in imminent danger of being discovered and possibly killed… or worse.
Making the sign of the Three yet one more time, Ravi closed his eyes.
I know most of the time I’m pleading with you to leave me alone, so this might sound a bit ungrateful, but please, please, don’t let them find me.
Something stirred inside him, a tingling, and his stomach lurched.
Of course. He was cursed. For a second there, he’d forgotten.
Swearing internally, he scrabbled around until he found a thick branch on the forest floor. The brother gasped and pointed as the Vision erupted in Ravi’s mind. But this time, instead of overwhelming him, it simply overlayed his reality. Like some sort of miracle, he still had use of his limbs and his wits.
Blinking away the disorientation of having two scenes atop each other, he rose and ran farther into the woods, away from the camp and more soldiers. He stumbled several times, trying to get used to differentiating between what appeared to be a Vision a few seconds in the future and reality.
When the Vision suddenly showed the brother turning and heading back toward the camp, Ravi stopped running, spun to face his pursuers, and shouted to get their attention. He was no match for a trained guard, but he’d be finished for sure if the brother brought more soldiers after him on horseback.
With courage only desperation and a grim sense of impending doom could muster, he lifted his branch and faced the two men.
“Put the branch down,” the guard ordered, drawing his sword.
The voice in his Vision had barely faded before the real guard repeated the command. Ravi’s heart thudded as his palms grew damp around his makeshift club.
He was so out of his depth it was laughable. What did he think he was doing? Daks might be able to fight his way out of a situation like this, but Ravi was not Daks.
Think!
In his Vision, the guard charged him, swinging to knock the weapon out of his hand, and Ravi had only a few seconds to decide what to do about it before the guard actually moved. Instead of trying to counter the strike, he lurched out of the way, managing to clip the guard on his unprotected side as he went. The Vision swirled, blurrier now, and Ravi danced backward, trying to make sense of it even as the guard growled and came after him again.
When Ravi ran toward the brother, hoping to maybe use the man as a shield, the sudden thunder of hooves radiated through his Vision, drawing him
up short. The sound of actual hooves echoed through the woods a moment later, distracting the guard and the brother, and Ravi’s eyes bugged out as a large white blur surged from between the trees.
“Horse?” he gasped, not quite believing his eyes.
Horse didn’t stop. He bowled straight into the guard before spinning and charging the brother. The brother shrieked and ran, leaving his companion rolling on the ground moaning. Ravi didn’t stop to wonder or marvel. He ran to Horse and leapt awkwardly onto his back. With no saddle to grab, Ravi had to practically drag himself up, using Horse’s mane and the dangling reins, but Horse didn’t buck him off.
“Sorry. Sorry,” he gasped. “Gods, I can’t believe you’re here. How in the hells…?”
Horse took off running, leaving Ravi gasping and clinging to his neck.
At least Horse headed in the direction Ravi’s gift had been pulling, so Ravi didn’t have to try to figure out how to turn him. Horse didn’t slow his headlong dash until they were far up the northwest road. When Ravi could finally relax a little and pry his cramped fingers loose from the reins, he made the sign of the Three to be on the safe side while searching the road behind him for the hundredth time.
“Not that I’m ungrateful,” he huffed as he tried to catch his breath, “but if you were going to show, couldn’t you have done it just a half hour earlier?”
Horse broke into another bone-jarring trot that left Ravi scrambling for a tighter grip on the reins again. He was cursing at every bounce of his ass against boney horse spine by the time the animal slowed to a stop once more. Knowing he’d probably regret it when it came time to remount, Ravi slid off Horse’s back and staggered a few feet away. Much more of this and he’d be lucky if he could walk at all.
Once the worst of the pain and tingling in his extremities had subsided, Ravi limped to the river. The landscape around them had turned significantly wetter the farther west they went. They were headed back into the boglands, a thought that definitely did not bring him comfort. How soon before he needed to start looking for traps around every corner? Maybe he shouldn’t be quite so thankful the weird Vision overlay had stopped after Horse’s arrival.
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