In a matter of heartbeats, Tereka was munching on bread and cheese, holding a mug of tea in her hand. Silence fell as Da split his supply of food among them all.
While she ate, Tereka told Da and Waukomis of her captivity. Seeing Da’s face tighten, she brushed over the worst of her time in the mines. There was no need for him to know about Sebezh’s groping or Relio’s threats. She told him of their fight with the pirates, the betrayal by the guards, and escape.
Da listened intently, his eyes never leaving her face. When Tereka had finished, he stood up. “Why don’t you walk with me a bit?” He led her to another small clearing. He leaned close to her and spoke softly in her ear. “Can you trust all of them?”
“You mean other than Poales? Savinnia and Naco, yes. Relio and Alikse, I’d take a chance on them if I had to. Sebezh is a different story. And Hinat? He’s Sebezh’s ally more than mine.”
“Hmm. I get the sense you haven’t told me everything.”
“It would take days to do that.” She twisted her hands together. “There’s so much to tell you.”
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“Start with what’s most important.” Da cupped her cheek in his hand. “You’re alive. I can’t believe I found you.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “I can’t believe you came looking. Not after the way I treated you.”
“But— ”
“Da, I was horrible.” She hung her head. “You risked yourself over and over for me and I berated you for not telling me.” Her jagged breath scraped her throat. “All you did, all those years. I can never thank you enough.” She stared at his worn, muddy boots. “Even now, you’re braving the rains and bandits and who knows what.”
“Oh, Tereka.” He wrapped his arms around her. “I took you in because I loved your father. I kept you because I loved you. That’s why I searched for you. Nothing will ever change that.”
She leaned against him and let her tears flow. He patted her back until she calmed and she dried her face on his cloak. Her insides writhed. How could she have been so hateful to him? She pressed her forehead against his shoulder.
His arms tightened around her. “I forgive you. For everything. Do you forgive me?”
“Of course.” She sagged against him, savoring the protective grip of his arms. Then she jerked her head up. “Da, how did you find us?”
“Well, we heard about your escape.” He put a finger on her lips. “You can tell me the story later. When we learned Poales was with you, we knew that he would seek help from the pirates. And the only thing that would make sense would be to have them bring you this way, so you’d be able to get to the Riskers. Am I right?”
“Yes. But how did you know we’d be here now?”
“Waukomis and I got here yesterday and had planned to wait one more day. In Gishin, we told them we were scouting for new rhuberry bogs. Word came a few months ago that rhuberries are the Prime Konamei’s new favorite.” He shrugged. “It’s the best excuse we could come up with for venturing into bandit territory.” He put a hand on the back of her head and pulled her toward him. “But if it meant finding you, I was willing to risk a few bandits.” He held her close for a few heartbeats. She leaned against his strong shoulder, tears welling in her eyes.
“Da, I’ll never be able to thank you— ”
“I found you, and that makes it all worthwhile.” He kissed the top of her head and took a step back. “Anyway, if you hadn’t shown up, I was going to ask your Risker relations to be on the watch for you.” He frowned. “But I had no idea we’d been followed. That Kaberco’s craftier than I thought.” He looked into her eyes and touched her face. “Can’t do anything about that now. Tell me about you. How did you defeat the pirates? And escape the guards? And convince the other batch of pirates to help you? None of that seems possible.”
Tereka glanced over her shoulder, then pulled his arm to bring his ear to the level of her mouth. “Da, a second amulet of power found me.”
He pulled away to stare at her. “No.”
“Yes.”
His eyes traveled over her face. “Which explains your very pretty shooting. And makes it more likely that you are— ”
She frowned. “I don’t want to talk about that. Not now.”
“I understand. So, what are your plans?”
“Find someplace in the mountains to hide. After that, I have no idea.” She shrugged. “Staying alive was about all we could manage.”
“Right. Well, I can help. Your father’s family has been preparing a place for you, just in case you ever turned up.”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t want to put them in danger.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not in a Risker camp. It’s an old ruin, higher up in the mountains.”
“Oh.” She felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. She’d wanted a few days with Cillia and Osip. Sleeping in a bed. Eating good food. Getting a hot bath. Getting to know her grandparents.
“Would all of your friends want to join you?”
“They might. Where else would they go?” She chewed on her lip. “At first, they’ll probably be willing.”
“They’ll have to agree to stay forever. No attempting to return to the villages. Can we trust them with knowledge of the hiding place?”
“That’s a good question.” Tereka shook her head. “And will my father’s family be willing to support all eight of us?”
“We’ll have to ask. It’s certain you’ll have to live off the land, do some trapping and trade the furs. You’ll need help getting through the winter. I’ll help, of course, as will Waukomis and Kemet. And Tirk will, as well.”
“Tirk?” Tereka’s lip curled. She let out a curse.
Da raised an eyebrow. “You’ve learned to use some interesting words since I last saw you.”
“Doesn’t make it any less accurate. How could you even say his name after what he did?”
“He came to me, distraught that he’d allowed Juquila to manipulate him. He says she promised that you’d get a slap on the wrist, maybe a fine. Just to set an example and to prove she didn’t play favorites with her relatives.”
“Huh. And you believed him?” Her face grew hot.
“I did.”
“If he’s involved, count me out.” Her pulse pounded in her ears. “I’ll go back to the pirates first.” Or throw Tirk to them, more like it.
“Tereka, he’s the one who spied on Juquila and got word you were alive. And found out enough that we could guess where you’d show up if you survived.”
“The least he could do.” She twisted her foot, as if grinding Tirk’s face under her boot.
Da put an arm around her shoulders. “Forget him for now. Will you go to the ruin?”
“I think that’s my best choice. But I’m not going to talk to Tirk. Tell him to keep away or I’ll have Naco push him off a cliff.”
Da chuckled. “As you wish. Now explain to your friends where you’re going. Make sure they understand they have no choice but to go with you. If we give them provisions and send them on their way, there’s a risk they’ll be captured. And talk.” He rubbed his chin. “Kaberco knows who escaped with you. If any are found, he’ll connect them with the six dead guards. And he won’t give up until he’s found you.”
“But if they come with me, then want to leave, then what?”
“They can’t leave. Ever.”
“For most of them, that’s fine.” Tereka rubbed her forehead. “But Sebezh— ”
Da pressed his lips together. “It would have been simpler if your friends had killed him in the fight.”
“I’m not sure why they didn’t.” She bit her lip. “If we don’t kill him now, we’ll always wonder if he’ll betray us in the future.”
“True.” Da stood silently, a faraway expression in his eyes, a look she recognized as a sign he was in deep, troubled thought. He rested a hand on her shoulder. “I can’t stomach killing him in cold blood. Do you think the others can control him?”
“Probably.” Tereka grinned.
“We could threaten him with the Riskers. He thinks they’re savages, anyway.”
“That will control him for awhile. You’ll have to work that out before we go any further.” He paused. “But Tereka, what if the third amulet shows up?”
“I don’t know.” She brushed a hand across her forehead. “I’m too tired to think about it.”
“But if you really are the Desired One— ”
“Can’t it be someone else?” She rubbed the back of her head and tugged what little hair she had. “Tlefas is a corrupt, festering, unfair mess. Someone needs to fix it. But does it have to be me?” It should be someone worthy of the title, not her. She just wanted to be left alone to make whatever she could out of her life, such as it was. She squeezed her eyes tight. “There’s just too much to think about right now.” She tipped her head up to look into his eyes. “Don’t press me on this, Da. Please.”
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Tereka stared into Da’s eyes, pleading with him. He met her gaze, then nodded. “Very well, my girl. We’ll talk about it when we need to. In the meantime, we’ve got to get going.”
She shivered. “Why? Do you think there are more guards?”
“I’m pretty sure that was a bluff, since no one showed up after all that noise we were making, but we don’t know if others are on their way.”
The nervous cramping in her stomach that had eased during their conversation gripped her bowels like the talons of an eagle. “I hadn’t thought of that. Good thing you’re here.”
He pulled her to him in a one-armed hug. “You’d have, in time. Now come.” He led the way back to the fire.
The others were in the same places they’d left them, sharing mugs of tea, nibbling on small rations of bread and cheese. Tereka stood in front of the fire, her arms crossed. “So, what will we do with Sebezh?”
Relio curled his lip. “Kill him. If anyone comes by, they’ll think the guards did him in.”
Sebezh snarled and cursed.
“But leaving him behind p-probably isn’t a good idea.” Poales pointed to the guards’scattered corpses. “If their friends come looking for them and find him,” he jerked his chin at Sebezh, “they’ll know we came this way.”
“Why did you do it, Sebezh?” Tereka asked.
“Do what?”
“Threaten Savinnia.”
“I thought you were going to sell us out for these yanshyri.”
“One of those yanshyri is my da. And you need to remember that.” Tereka twirled an arrow in her hand. She studied the twitching of his jaw and the shifting motion of his eyes. She couldn’t trust him. He’d do whatever it took to survive, without thought for anyone else. But she couldn’t kill him either. Was that what she’d become? A killer? “We’ve heard from Relio. What about the rest of you?”
In the silence, the only sound was the crackling of the fire. Finally, Naco spoke up. “We can’t murder him. We’ll need to take him with us.”
Alikse nodded.
Savinnia let out a breath. “I agree.”
“Me too.” Hinat spoke timidly, as if afraid to draw attention to himself.
Tereka let out a long breath. “So it’s settled.” She shoved the arrow into her quiver. “My da says there’s a place for us, high in the mountains.” She looked at Relio as she spoke. “It’s remote, but the Riskers will help us.”
“Girly, do we really need to go live among savages?” Relio crossed his arms.
She stifled a sigh. Did they really need to go over this again?
“What’s wrong with living with Riskers?” Poales asked.
“Don’t tell me, you’ve traded with them.” Sebezh snorted. “Just like you traded with pirates.”
Poales shrugged. “I do have a license to t-trade with Riskers. Or did. I’m sure I lost it when I was taken.”
“You’re unsafe, you know?” Sebezh let out a huff. “Dealing with pirates and barbarians. Crazy.”
Hinat threw a twig onto the flames. “The pirates were bad enough. Now Riskers. No.”
“Tell, me then,” Tereka said. “Where will you go?”
They went silent. She continued before any of them spoke. “You can’t go home. The ephor in Trofmose knows we escaped and is looking for us. Which means all the other ephors must know as well.” She looked from one scowling face to another. How could she convince them? “And didn’t we all agree that living with pirates or bandits was not an option?”
Naco and Savinnia nodded. Relio’s face was unreadable and Alikse was staring at the fire.
Sebezh wrinkled his brow. “That we did. But why we should be such duraks as to go to your Risker relatives, I don’t understand.”
Da gasped. Tereka jerked her head to stare at him. His eyes narrowed and his face hardened. From the way a muscle twitched in his jaw, she knew he was grinding his teeth. She remembered this expression well. He only wore it when he was deeply upset by something.
Tereka closed her eyes. She’d been so stupid, to admit she was part Risker. Now Sebezh had something over her. She straightened to stand taller. Time to change the subject. “So are you planning to live off the land? If you go too close to the mountains, you’ll be prime targets for bandits. The land we walked through to get here can’t support us. Further south, you’ll run into the Prime Konamei’s farms. And his guards.”
With an intense scowl, Sebezh locked his gaze on Tereka. She raised her chin and met his gaze with a fierce glare. He hated her. She pressed her shaking hands against her sides. Da shifted his weight and she glanced at him. He motioned with his head as if to say she needed to hurry up and deal with it. She flexed her fingers and took a deep breath. There’s nothing else to do. Mix a little lie with the truth and see what happens.
She stared Sebezh in the face and tipped her chin up. “I am part Risker. Whatever they are, whatever you want to call them, they are loyal to family. They’ll help us survive the winter, and get set so that we can make lives for ourselves. It will be remote and rugged, but safe from bandits and the Prime Konamei’s reach.”
“Seems like our only choice,” said Naco. Tereka could have hugged him for his support. She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. Now if the others would only go along.
“I agree,” said Savinnia. “Since we can’t go home, let’s build a new home for ourselves.”
Relio and Alikse nodded.
“You must understand,” Tereka said, “that once you are there, you’ll have to stay. We can’t risk you getting caught by the guards and telling where you’ve been.”
“Who will keep us there?” Sebezh asked. “What if we want to find our own place, away from the Riskers?”
“You could do that,” Da said. “But know the only guarantee that the Riskers won’t kill you is my daughter’s word.” He raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t want to get any of them mad at me.”
“That’s right,” said Poales. “If they think you are p-putting her in danger, they’ll kill you as soon as look at you.” He paused and shuddered. “Maybe even eat you.”
Tereka clamped her lips together and balled her hands into fists. She couldn’t laugh. Not now. She stared straight ahead, avoiding Poales’ gaze.
“And you.” Relio glared at Sebezh. “You give me any hint you’re going to abandon us, I’ll kill you and put you in the cooking pot myself.”
Sebezh and Hinat looked at each other with wide, startled eyes. “Fine. We’ll stay with you.” Sebezh curled his lip. “Do you want us to swear on our lives?”
“I would, if I thought your word was worth anything.” Waukomis said. “Now, can we go?” He doused the fire with the dregs of the tea.
“Hey, what’re you doing, durak?” Sebezh snarled.
“I’m a durak, am I?” Waukomis chuckled. “I’m not such a fool as to sit here all night, waiting for guardsmen who are looking for their friends or bandits who might wonder what six horses are doing tied up near this grove.”
“Right.” Da pointed to the bodies of the guardsmen, dark humps under the silvery
moonlight. “You need to take their clothes and boots. Money, too, if they have any.”
“Da— ” Tereka frowned. The idea of robbing a corpse made her skin crawl. “You want us to steal from them?”
“If we leave them as they are, and Kaberco’s men find them first, they’ll know they weren’t killed by bandits. Which would turn his mind to you. So you need to act like bandits, and take all you can get.” He waved a hand toward Naco and Relio. “And from what I can see of what your friends are wearing, some new clothes and boots are in order.”
Relio jumped to his feet. “Your da’s right, girly.” He trotted over to the nearest corpse and tugged a boot from one foot. Within minutes the other men were stripping the other guards.
Tereka wrinkled her nose. She didn’t like this, robbing the dead. But Da was right. They had to make it look as though bandits were responsible. Anything to put Kaberco off her trail.
While the others were looting the corpses, Tereka helped Da put out the fire and erase the signs that eight people had been there. Then Da and Waukomis untied their horses and led the way along a winding trail through the forest. Around a bend, they came upon the guardsmen’s horses. Da untied them all. “At least they’ll have a chance to get away if a warboar comes after them.” He looked down at Tereka. “Have a few arrows ready, will you?”
She nodded, and strung her bow, gripping it and three arrows in one hand.
After a short walk, they reached a fork in the trail. One path led south along the mountains, the other straight up the slope. “Here’s where we’ll leave you.” Da pointed up the slope. “Don’t go all the way to Mikkeliad. When the Riskers challenge you, ask for your uncles and wait outside the camp. They’ll take you the rest of the way.”
“Where are you going?” Tereka asked. She stepped closer to him, trying to ignore the rustling leaves that sounded like hungry animals scurrying through the underbrush.
“Gishin, to catch the early caravan to Shinroo. We’ll tell anyone who asks we had no luck finding rhuberry bogs. Hopefully, Kaberco won’t blame us for his guards’ deaths.”
Flicker of the Flame: A YA Epic Fantasy Page 34
