by Helen Bell
‘What do you intend?’ Roker spoke with all the trust of a man with nothing but a fox to guard his chickens.
‘We have to call their bluff. Please, I know these people. Let me speak, back me up, and we may all get out of this in one piece.’
The men looked at each other, came to a silent agreement.
‘Fine,’ said Vel, ‘but I’d still appreciate a knife if you have one, Ma’am.’
Jesral’s mother strode across the room and pulled one out of a drawer. ‘Jesral, you tell your cousins if they come back bleeding they’re not stepping across my threshold. And the others can whistle if they think I’ll doctor them when they get cut up.’
oOo
All six of the gang were at Ioni’s; they rose and spread out across the room as Jesral pushed open the door without ceremony. Roker moved to her left as she crossed to face the tallest of the gang; Vel stayed back to guard the door.
‘We don’t want any trouble, Jez,’ the man in front of her said. Her response was to set her mouth more firmly and raise her head more. Her eyes smouldered at him.
‘Neither do they, Talenn. Give them what’s theirs and they’ll go. That’s an end to it.’
‘Can’t do that, Jez.’
‘Can’t or won’t?’
‘If you must, won’t. They should cut their losses and go. They can fight if they want, but at three to one I don’t give them much chance.’
She looked baffled for a moment. ‘Three to one? Someone’s maths is wrong.’ Her knife was magically in her hand. ‘I make it two to one.’
He swung the astonished look from her to his brother; Alessi was suddenly looking elsewhere. He turned it back on her.
‘Why, Jez? Why would you betray family? What have they promised you?’
‘They’ve promised me nothing. Not like you Talenn, you’ve promised me so much. But what you promised wasn’t to be trapped in a life like this, forever scraping an existence from other people’s misery. It’s always been, “After this one we’ll settle down, buy into a trade, make something of ourselves.” Never seems to happen, though.’
‘You have to give us time!’
‘How long do you need? I’ve been back a year; you were at this when I left three years before that. It’s not going to happen. Anyway, now your hand’s being forced. While we’ve been talking the girl’s been saddling up. She and a spare mount are well on the way to the town militia by now. With a change of horses she should ride fast, and unless one of these two gets away in time to catch up with her on the other horse, I dare say she’ll be back with the militia before nightfall.’
Another of the gang on the right started forward, the swarthy youth who had got a kick and a cut from Renia.
‘M’neighbours said the girl at your place was hurt. She can’t ride that fast.’
Vel stepped into his path.
‘We’ll buy her all the time she needs,’ he promised darkly.
A flurry of movement on the left and suddenly Talenn and another were disarmed, nursing stinging wrists as knife and sword skittered across the wooden floor. Roker retrieved the sword and shrugged cold reason at Talenn.
‘We could carry on with this. Better if we took the time to call her back, surely?’
A look at the others was enough for Talenn to see the fight had gone out of them. He nodded to them; weapons were dropped and slid across the floor to Roker. The lost packs reappeared from under beds and out of cupboards.
‘Vel, get to the stables, saddle up and fetch her back. The rest of you can take a seat while I check everything’s here. Be sure you are comfortable: this could take some time.’
Chapter 9 – The Eagle Gets a New Owner
Kerin’s diligent stocktaking gave Vel ample time to visit the stable and make it look as if all the horses had been out and returned. ‘Stable’ was an ambitious description; it had probably been a byre once, though no animals other than their three horses looked to have been there in some time. A small sack of oats and an old half-barrel of water had been found somewhere. Vel made sure the horses ate the rest of the sack of oats before any of the gang thought to retrieve it, and then using the back alley to ensure he wasn’t seen, he went to check on his sister.
She was sleeping, but fitfully, Jesral’s mother told him, and encouraged him to let her be. She expressed no opinion on the outcome of the visit to Ioni’s house. He sat and fretted a little longer, reckoning in his mind the time it should have taken him to have saddled up, caught up to Renia on her non-existent journey, returned and seen to the horses; he was about to head back to Ioni’s when he was saved the effort by the arrival of the others. Alessi and two of the gang sheepishly carried the packs in – mindful that Kerin was on their tails; they stowed them where Jesral told them to and quickly disappeared.
Jesral scowled after them, arms folded, till the door shut behind them; she allowed enough time to be sure they were well away before letting go her breath and dropping on to a stool, radiating relief.
‘Well, what now, Roker? I recall setting a meal to cook about two hours ago. Is it safe for us to go and get it?’
Kerin glanced at Vel.
‘All’s well in the stable. The tack was all there, and I’ve moved the horses round as if they have been out. The lie should hold for tonight, at least.’
‘Maybe, but I am reluctant to leave the packs alone. No reason for you not to get a meal in you though,’ he told Jesral and her mother. ‘Vel, you go too.’
Vel did, and settled at a communal table with them, but only for as long as it took him to eat. He got two more big bowls of broth and some of the rough bread, and made his apologies in order to take food to his sister and Kerin.
Renia slept still; she was curled up, covers wrapped around her head so that just her face showed, the curve of her eyelashes dark against her pale face. Vel quietly pulled the door to, covered her bowl and set it on the stove lest she wake hungry later. Kerin had eagerly started on the contents of his own bowl as soon as Vel had handed it to him: by the time Vel turned from the stove he was almost finished.
Vel felt dog-tired, but it was the kind of sleepless weariness that demanded some other activity. He drew the map out of his pack and sat at the kitchen table to review their journey. His mind tried to fathom how Renia’s injury might affect the routes they chose and how fast they could travel, and where to replan their halts to allow more resting time for her. Both terrain and distances swam in his head. He couldn’t calculate properly. This had been the wrong task to pick when he was tired; but it had to be done.
Kerin’s empty bowl clinked gently on the table. Kerin’s hand rested beside it as he leant over, studying what Vel was doing for a few moments.
‘I want to go on tomorrow as planned. I want to leave Renia here.’
‘I see.’
‘No, you don’t,’ Kerin sighed, turned and sat on the table edge. ‘Vel, I grant you Renia could cope with the journey; she proved that this afternoon. When Jesral's mother stitched her up, she never made a sound. She could do it. I’m certain she would do it given the chance – but she shouldn’t. That wound is deep and if it gets infected, it could be very nasty. Here, Jesral's mother can look after it properly until it’s mended. I can’t wait that long. What she’s far-seen proves we need to hurry if we are to save Jastur. I trust her judgment that he’s still alive. But Lemno must surely be involved still and, if he has anything to say about it, imprisonment will be a temporary state of affairs for Jastur. To keep him locked away cannot be enough. This vendetta runs deep in him; old history, reasons that even I don’t fully understand. But I do know that he wants us dead, and now he has the power to do it. He thinks – please Heaven, he still thinks! – he’s succeeded with me. If he succeeds with Jastur, Ilmaen will fall apart. The truth is, my friend, I seriously doubt I can keep my country together if I can’t save Jastur.
‘I must go on, and Renia must stay. That leaves you in the middle. I know the extent of the favour I’m asking of you, to leave Renia her
e and come with me. I’ve been loath to admit it, but I can’t do this alone. Two men will attract less attention than one. If we are cornered, two swords are better than one. These are some of my reasons – the selfish ones – but I’m also worried about Renia. It matters so much to her that she should come, but this whole business plainly scares her half to death. It could be that she feels obliged to come, in some way. Perhaps this is the greatest kindness we could do her.’ He sighed and frowned at Vel. ‘Now you must speak your mind. Can you do what I ask?’
Kerin had to know full well that he had Vel boxed in, finishing as he had on Renia’s needs and fears. A low blow; but given the urgency, Vel couldn’t blame him for trying it. ‘You test a new citizen's loyalty awfully hard,’ he said ruefully.
‘I know, and I’m truly sorry. I wouldn’t ask this of you if I didn’t have to.’
‘This is some turnabout.’ Vel got up to pace the floor; Kerin watched him. ‘It’s only a matter of weeks since you tried to persuade me not to come, on the grounds that it was too dangerous. Now you ask me to come for near enough the same reason.’
Kerin said nothing.
‘All right,’ Vel conceded reluctantly, ‘I'll come. So we’re to start out tomorrow as planned?’ Kerin confirmed it with a nod. ‘Well then, do you mind if I make a suggestion? That we leave early without letting Renia know. If we're gone, we're gone, there's not much she can do about it then.’
‘I agree. Oh, this has been a long day. You’d best get to bed. We hold watches from now on, mark you. I’ll not be caught again as we were this morning. I can manage five hours. I’ll call you then.’
oOo
Kerin woke Vel as agreed, proffering a mug of beer that Jesral had brought while he slept; a strange drink for that hour of night but welcome nonetheless. While Kerin sank into the luxury of a warm bed, Vel settled on the bench near the stove, hoping in vain to find some remnants of warmth. Kerin, aware of their hostess’s limited resources, had let it go out some time ago.
An hour or so later, the combination of the growing cold and the beer created an urge that would not be denied. Vel unlatched the door slowly, conscious of the noise it could make and not wanting to alarm the others in the house. He crept out to the privy at the rear.
As soon as he stepped back on to the porch, he had a sense of something wrong. A movement just missed, a noise not quite heard. He stood still, watching and listening, but it eluded him. He waited a few moments more, but could detect no movement nearby. A thought struck him, and he re-entered the house with care.
His eyes grew quickly accustomed to the dark inside, and he could see nothing out of place, but the doubt still nagged at him. Some instinct told him to go back outside. He stood on the porch and listened. Then, far off, he heard the stable door being opened – the rattle of its dangling chain made the sound distinctive.
He ran back in and threw open the door to Kerin’s room. To his credit, Kerin was already out of bed.
‘They’re after the horses again! Come on!’
They hurried back into the main room where they tore their swords off the packs – and the door to Jesral’s room flew open and she flew out, knife in hand. When she saw only them she ignored the fact that they had their blades up and ready to strike, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with her free hand.
‘Lord above, what are you two playing at?’
‘Keep your voice down. Your cousins are trying for the horses again.’
‘Oh, please stop reminding me I’m related to them. You’ll want to sneak up on them from the back alley. Come on.’
She led the way. They had no lamp, but the waning moon lit their path; this was fortunate, for as Vel had learned earlier the alley was largely composed of muddy gullies, privies and midden heaps. The smell was not sweet. They stepped carefully over and around the obstacles until they were at the back of the stables. Between the ill-fitting slats they could make out lamplight inside.
Somewhere across the far side of the village a dog barked, and a voice harshly silenced it. The air seemed still and yet charged, as though any sound would carry through it as sharp as a whiplash. Jesral's breathing and the sound of her careful steps came to Vel's ears with painful clarity; yet he knew she couldn’t try any harder than she did to be silent. His own breathing was set to deafen him.
Jesral beckoned them, and they followed her towards the stable front. Kerin caught her arm before she got there and overtook her, so as to be the first out into the street. He readied his blade and stepped forward, expecting to meet at least one lookout. There was no one there.
He went on to the stable door, the others following; he repeated the procedure.
Still no one. The others joined him; all they could see was Bluey standing in his stall, saddled and patient in the lamplight, his tail idly flicking at the insects the light had attracted. Beyond the horse were sounds of something being dragged and the laboured breathing of the person dragging it. Kerin stepped forward silently and brought up the blade he had lowered. Ready, Vel judged, to close the open space before his adversary had time to react. Then the person moved into the lamplight.
It was Renia. She came backwards, holding the stall edge for support with one hand and pulling some wooden mounting steps with the other. She had to hop along on her good leg. Kerin cast Vel a look; in an instant it was apparent what had happened. She had overheard the two of them talking earlier and now she was either going home or, more likely, trying to prove she could go on.
Kerin beckoned the others in and set his sword point down quietly; he crouched down behind it and rested his hands on the handgrip, watching her.
When Renia turned to mount up she saw them. For an instant she looked startled, but straight away she composed herself. Throwing the reins up on to the pommel and using Bluey for support, she hopped up the steps, leant across the saddle and swung her bad leg over. It looked uncomfortable, but she managed it. Then she shuffled herself upright, put her good foot in the stirrup and coaxed Bluey out of his stall. Turning him so that she could look down on the others, she stated tersely, ‘You’re not doing me a kindness. Leaving me isn’t an option. I should only have to follow.’
‘You heard us talking.’ Kerin made it a statement rather than a question.
‘My leg kept me awake. It's quite all right now,’ she added hurriedly, lest he should seize on her comment. ‘I'm going,’ she declared again, tenacity written all over her.
‘Clearly my plan to leave you causes more hurt than the leg does. It was meant to help, not hurt you. Nonetheless, I apologize.’ At Kerin’s words she relaxed her stiff shoulders and stared at him; first in astonishment at his apology, then doubt, then conviction that his remorse was genuine.
‘I know your reasons for leaving without me,’ Renia said. ‘You haven’t hurt me.’ The emphasis was on the word ‘you’, and a sideways look towards Vel hinted at who would bear most of the blame for the intended deception. ‘I am going,’ she insisted.
‘Yes, you are going.’ Kerin stood up and sheathed his sword. ‘I can see it would be impossible to leave you behind.’
Vel shrugged and stepped up to Bluey's head.
‘All right, you're going. Now will you get off this horse and let us go to bed?’
Renia let him help her down, but immediately shook off his hands and hopped unsteadily to the door. Kerin came to her rescue; his support she accepted. That fact was not lost on either man, and Kerin glanced at Vel, feeling guilty for putting him in the wrong. Vel just sighed it off and started to loosen Bluey's girth.
Renia remembered her mount and half turned to tend to him herself but Jesral shooed her off.
‘Oh, get back to bed. We'll do it.’
oOo
Renia hopped and hobbled halfway back down the street before Kerin, exasperated, stopped and declared, ‘This is ridiculous. Vel and Jesral will be done and back before us at this rate. Let me carry you the rest of the way.’
She tensed up as he reached out to pick her up.<
br />
‘Won’t I be too heavy?’
‘Hardly, there’s nothing of you. The way it’s distributed could be a problem, though. You’re all arms and legs.’ She was still hesitant. ‘That was a joke,’ he added. Renia was off the ground and in his arms before she had a chance to protest any further. He bounced her into a comfortable hold and strode on. She had automatically hooked one arm round the back of his neck and now she was unsure what to do with the other. She did not need to worry, his grip was sure enough. Tentatively she laid her hand across his chest. It rested on the bag holding the Eagle; she moved it hurriedly to his shoulder.
He shifted her in his arms to redistribute the weight.
‘What did I say? All arms and legs.’
Now she was contrite.
‘I'm sorry. I know I'm being a nuisance. I don’t mean to be, but I couldn't let you go without me. I have to come, though I can’t explain why any better than I already have. There's something I have to do, something only I can do. I wish I knew what...’
Kerin had once thought it might be infatuation that made Renia so eager to travel with him, remembering how she had behaved towards him in the first few days of their acquaintance, before the existence of the Eagle had come out; but now she was stiff in his arms, even nodding with tiredness as she was. Politely keeping him at a distance, as best she could in the circumstances.
‘You’ve made your point. You will not be left behind,’ he reassured her. ‘Can you open the door for me?’
Renia bent forward and fiddled the latch open; he pushed the door with his shoulder, set her down briefly to take up the lamp and light it. Up again, with the lamp in Renia’s hand; latch and shoulder again at the door to her room. There was no sign of Jesral's mother having got up. Either she was a very sound sleeper, or she had more sense than to run around in the small hours of the night like the rest of them.
Kerin put Renia down carefully and took the lamp off her to set it by the side of the bed.
‘Are you hungry?’ he asked. ‘We brought some broth back earlier, it can soon be heated up on that little stove.’
