Waterdance

by Logston, Anne

  The man dropped the shard and pushed himself up to his knees. He tried to stand, only to fall down again, groaning.

  “Help me up,” he gasped.

  Once again Peri hesitated, but at last she sheathed her knife and went to him, grimacing as she grabbed his upper arm and hauled him to his feet, shivering at the contact.

  This is a Sarkond. I’m touching a Sarkond. HELPING a Sarkond.

  As soon as the man could stand on his own, Peri snatched her hand away, but the man appeared not to notice. He squeezed his hand into a fist, droplets of blood trickling slowly down to fall on the earth. He walked in a shaky circle around Tajin and Peri, trailing drops of blood; when the circle was complete he collapsed back to his knees inside it. He raised his uninjured hand and chanted slowly; if his words were Sarkondish, they, too, were words Peri had never learned.

  Peri gasped at a sudden sparkling of light from the ground; to her amazement, she realized that the drops of blood were glowing, shining like fireflies. Almost immediately the glow disappeared, and the man slumped back to the ground limply, as if utterly exhausted.

  Peri squatted beside the man, gazing at him confusedly. He was not quite unconscious, but nearly so. She contemplated tying him again, then discarded the idea. He was a mage; that much was obvious from the spell he’d cast. Unless she was prepared to bind him as thoroughly as the Sarkondish soldiers had, she couldn’t assure her own safety from his spells, and if she did that, as he’d said, she might as well kill him. If he’d wanted to use hostile magic on her, he could have done it already, and whatever spell he had cast—Peri suspected it concealed them somehow from their pursuers—might need tending later.

  Now that Peri’s eyes had adjusted to the faint light, she could see her prisoner more clearly, and what she saw surprised her. Even knowing Sarkonds were only humans like anybody, she’d somehow thought they’d be hideous. But this one—

  He was taller than most Bregondish men, shorter than most Agrondish. His skin was darker than Peri’s, but not the Bregondish dark gold, more dusky. His hair, twisted into a tail at the nape of his neck, was straight and black like a Bregond’s, but the pale gray of his eyes was startling. He was completely clean-shaven, and his lack of an Agrondish beard or Bregondish mustache made him seem boyish; His features were sharp and narrow, exotic but surprisingly comely—

  Peri flushed, biting her lip.

  Mahdha, I’m addle-witted from weariness! she thought. He’s not handsome. He’s a SARKOND.

  Almost as an afterthought, Peri pulled out her bandanna and wrapped the man’s bleeding hand loosely. He moved slightly, and Peri glanced up, startled, to see him watching her.

  “Thank you,” he said in that strange accent.

  Peri hurriedly released his hand. It troubled her that he spoke Bregondish. He’d probably learned it for the same reason most noble Bregonds paid merchants to teach their children Sarkondish—knowing an enemy’s language was always an advantage.

  “Your hand needs cleaning,” Peri said awkwardly in Bregondish. “But—”

  “I know.” The man shook his head. “No water.”

  “I have water,” Peri said, scowling. What Bregond in her right mind would saddle her horse without tying at least a couple of waterskins on? “Not a lot, but some. Problem is, I don’t have any clean cloths to wash it with. You’re just as well off letting it bleed clean. I’ll wrap it better when it’s had time to bleed the grit out.”

  The man tilted his head, gazing at her measuringly.

  “Atheris,” he said at last, extending his uninjured hand.

  Peri ignored the hand and turned back to Tajin, pulling out one of the waterskins.

  “Perian,” she said shortly, then grimaced. “Peri.” Nobody ever called her by her full name except when telling her something she didn’t want to hear. And it was a common enough name in Bregond; however short her stay in Sarkond, best nobody knew her noble birth. She dribbled a little water into her cupped hand and let Tajin lick it up bit by bit.

  When she’d given Tajin a few handfuls of water—thank Mahdha his breed, like Bregonds themselves, could manage on no food and little water for a long time—she took a small sip herself and then, reluctantly, turned back to hand the skin to Atheris. His hand was still out; Peri wondered with annoyance if he’d sat like that the whole time.

  “Atheris,” he repeated, gazing into her eyes.

  “Fine. Atheris.” Peri fought down the instinct to take his outstretched hand and pushed the waterskin into it instead. “Go easy on the water. Two skins are all I have. All the springs near the Barrier in Bregond are fouled or dried up, so I assume it’s no better here.” She made that last statement almost a question.

  Atheris took a sip from the skin, shuddering and obviously thirsty, but after another small sip he handed the skin back, saying nothing.

  Peri sat back on her heels, scowling.

  “All right,” she said, in Sarkondish this time. “I’ll try it this way. Is there drinkable water anywhere nearby?”

  Atheris looked startled—but whether by the question or by the realization that Peri spoke Sarkondish, Peri couldn’t tell.

  “I do not know,” he said. “I have never been near the Veil.”

  Peri took a deep breath, forcing down her exasperation. Right now she needed whatever this man could tell her. She was trapped with an enemy in enemy lands, but there was nothing gained by letting him see her desperation.

  “Okay,” she said. “Who were those soldiers and why do we need magic to hide us? I assume that’s what you did, at least.”

  Once again Atheris stared at her blankly, as if amazed that she had to ask. Then he closed his eyes and a shudder ran through him.

  “Bone Hunters,” he said. “Assassin priests.” He shook his head. “My spell will hide us so long as we stay within the circle, but they will feel us—me—as soon as we leave it.” He opened his eyes, glancing at Peri. “I cannot imagine how we have gotten this far. But I cannot feel them, which means they are still beyond the Veil.”

  “The Barrier?” Peri shrugged. “They won’t be able to follow very fast on foot.”

  Atheris raised his eyebrows and sat up, grimacing with pain.

  “Their horses?” he asked.

  “Visato root,” Peri said, shrugging again. “We—the horse clans—call it Mare’s Sleep because it’s used on mares when we have to cut out a foal. It’s too strong to use on people. Their horses won’t wake till midmorning tomorrow, at a guess, and won’t be worth much for hours after that.” She glanced at Atheris. “Unless your Bone Hunters know some spell to wake them.”

  Atheris shook his head, his eyes widening with surprise.

  “Such a spell would be beyond them,” he said. “That is life magic. Women’s magic,” he added at Peri’s uncomprehending look.

  Women’s magic? Peri had never heard of any such thing, but this was Sarkond, and who knew how they’d warped and twisted the systems of magic.

  Anyway, what did it matter?

  She caught sight of a dark stain on Atheris’s tunic low on his left side as he shifted and grimaced again.

  “Better let me look at that,” she said unwillingly. She didn’t want to touch him, much less help him, but the stain looked fresh. And while she was in Sarkond, in danger from these Bone Hunters, she needed his magic and his knowledge of the country. And she needed him able to ride.

  Atheris gave her another of those measuring looks, but pulled up his tunic, leaning to one side to expose the wound. Peri frowned at the puncture low on his waist, near his hip; leaning around she saw the exit wound on his back.

  “Crossbow bolt,” she said. “Any chance it was poisoned?”

  Atheris shook his head.

  “They wanted me alive,” he said almost absently. “It was an accident I was hit at all. They were aiming for my horse.”

  Somehow it surprised Peri that he had plain red blood like anyone else, although it appeared almost black in the dim light. Taking a deep breath,
she examined the wounds carefully—Atheris’s skin was warm but not feverishly so, neither as hairy as Danber’s nor as smooth as Loris’s but—Atheris’s slight hiss of pain startled her out of her woolgathering. Peri knew, without knowing precisely how she knew, that the bolt hadn’t pierced anything vital, but dirt and threads were caked to the wounds and there were splinters of wood in deeper. The wound had bled, but not enough to weaken Atheris, and not enough to clean the puncture. Infection was the greatest danger now.

  “This needs work,” Peri said. “But I need things I don’t have, including a fire.” She pulled off her wool tunic, started to raise her linen undertunic, then stopped. “Turn around.”

  Atheris obeyed without the slightest hint of ridicule or impatience; Danber would have laughed at her modesty, but this was no clan member. Peri pulled off her undertunic and hurriedly put her tunic back on. She tore her undertunic into strips and made a hasty dressing, tying it in place.

  “There’s nothing else I can do right now,” she said. “As soon as Tajin’s rested, we’ll head back across the Barrier, and come daylight I can clean this properly.”

  To her surprise, Atheris shook his head.

  “We cannot cross back,” he said. “Not now, at least.”

  “I think you’re wrong,” Peri said. “Now’s the best time, before their horses come around. Even with Tajin carrying double, we can easily outdistance them while they’re on foot.”

  Atheris shook his head.

  “You assume too much,” he said. “If the Bone Hunters have not crossed the Veil, they have stayed for a reason—most likely to trap us when we cross again. Remember that while their feet may be slowed, their magic remains unhindered except by the Veil. If we cross the Veil, they and their magic will find us.”

  “Oh yeah?” Peri challenged. “And what if I just leave you here?”

  Atheris returned her gaze steadily, as if unsurprised by the question. “The Bone Hunters want me badly,” he said slowly, “but now they will also want you. You took me from them. That will anger them greatly, but their priority will be to take you for questioning, to learn how you took me, and why. And they will scent you by the magic in your blood even as they scent me. Have you defenses against the magical attack they will surely mount against us?”

  “No.” Peri grimaced. Not enough magic to do me any good; just enough to get me in trouble. She forced herself to consider Atheris’s words although instinct told her to distrust anything a Sarkond told her. Still, what he said made sense.

  All right, she thought grimly. Play our strength against their weakness. Use our assets—all of our assets.

  “The Barrier works to our advantage, then,” Peri said slowly. “As long as the Bone Hunters are on the other side, they can’t find us, can’t use magic to track or attack us. And if they’re slowed and on foot, they’ll probably stay in Bregond, because their best chance of catching us is to wait for us to cross back over and then use their magic—they know we’ll have to do it sooner or later. Our best option, then, is to keep going west on this side of the Barrier, put as much distance between them and us as we can, before their horses would have time to recover, and then cross back and hope we’re out of range or can outride them. Even if they anticipate what we’re doing, the farther west they go, the more likely it is that they’ll run into Bregondish garrisons or patrols.” Peri hated her own strategy, hated the idea of staying even a moment longer in Sarkond—her every instinct insisted that she cross the Barrier and ride for the nearest garrison as fast as Tajin could carry her—but just about anything was better than riding into a Sarkondish magical ambush, she had to admit.

  Atheris was silent for a moment, as if weighing her words carefully; then he nodded.

  “Yes,” he said. “That is a wise plan.”

  And by the time we cross the Barrier, Peri thought grimly, I’m going to know whether it’s worth my while to keep you alive, or whether I’d be better off leaving you for them and riding for the nearest garrison as fast as I can go.

  By the time Tajin had regained his wind, it was near midnight, and the cloud cover had thinned. At the slow pace Tajin could maintain over the uneven footing, there was little profit in burdening him with double weight, so Peri led the warhorse, waving aside Atheris’s protests. He had open wounds, one possibly serious, and was exhausted from his spellcasting as well. Walking, he’d only slow them further. Riding, at least he could watch the footing ahead while he marshaled his strength.

  Nearly two hours later Peri had her first bit of good luck—she stumbled almost literally across what appeared to be a road, heavily rutted but still in good enough condition to indicate recent use, and the better footing would allow Tajin a faster pace now, even with two riders. Atheris would have slid back behind her, but she shook her head silently, settling herself behind him instead. If Atheris grew too exhausted to ride, she could simply strap him into the saddle; but her main reason was more simple. She did not want a Sarkond, even unarmed, at her back.

  A recently used road, Peri thought grimly. This near the border it can be used only for two things—Sarkondish raiders heading into Bregond, or outlaw merchants who trade across the borders. Aunt Kairi should know about this.

  Then she chuckled humorlessly.

  I’m the Heir—or probably will be. I guess I need to know about it, too.

  Tajin quickly found his stride on the trade road, and Peri was relieved by their speed. Finally they were gaining ground on their pursuers, and the more distance they gained, the sooner they could leave this blasted and barren land and return to Bregond’s wholesome plains.

  Less than an hour later, however, their luck changed again.

  “I don’t believe it,” Peri said, craning her neck to peer around Atheris. “A wagon caravan here? Now?”

  “And a large one, too,” Atheris said, shaking his head. “Outlaw merchants, I would guess, trading across the border. Bregondish goods sell dearly here.”

  Peri grimaced. She’d always known that some merchants in Bregond, and Agrond, too, traded illegally across the Barrier—known it intellectually. Why, she and Estann had learned Sarkondish from such merchants, just as, before the alliance between Bregond and Agrond, her mother had learned Agrondish. Even Danber’s clan sold some of its culls to dubious dealers headed north, not asking too many questions about where the horses might end up. But she’d never really thought—

  Then Atheris stiffened and gasped.

  “What?” Peri said, reflexively glancing around them.

  “At least one of the Bone Hunters has passed the Veil,” he said. “Perhaps more, but not all of them.”

  “They can’t be very close, not traveling on foot,” Peri said, shaking her head. “Their horses must still be asleep.”

  “If I am close enough to feel their presence, then they are close enough to feel mine,” Atheris said practically. “Perhaps they found new mounts or some other mode of travel.”

  “But why would they cross at all now, much less split up?” Peri said slowly. She didn’t like to think how the Bone Hunters might have acquired new horses, not with her uncle’s camp so near the place where she’d rescued Atheris. “They can’t even communicate with each other through the Barrier.”

  “In their place I might do the same,” Atheris said after a moment’s thought. “Some of their number would remain in Bregond in case we crossed over; others would cross themselves to track us here, all staying near the Veil so that one could quickly cross the Veil to fetch the others in Bregond if there was a need. Such a division lessens their power, but—”

  “But makes sure they always know where you are, at least unless we can get out of range of their detection,” Peri said grimly. “And supposing that they’re east of us and traveling west, too, the only way we could do that is either by crossing south and hoping we can dodge whatever they throw at us, making really good speed west, or turning farther north into Sarkond—”

  “—or hiding ourselves,” Atheris said suddenly,
“and letting them pass us by.”

  Peri gazed around them in the starlight. They were past the rocky hills. The land here was as flat as the Bregondish plains.

  “Can’t,” she said shortly. “No shelter.”

  “There is shelter,” Atheris said simply, pointing to the caravan fires ahead of them in the darkness.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Peri said irritably. “You think they’d hide us? I don’t have so much as a copper for a bribe, and what makes you think they’d shelter a Bregond anyway? And even if they did, that’d be the first place your Bone Hunters would search. Besides, even if you could hide us with your magic, the Bone Hunters have to know we came this way, and if they lost our track suddenly, it wouldn’t be too hard to figure where we’ve gone.”

  “Not,” Atheris said softly, “if I give them something else to follow.”

  It took Peri a moment to realize what he meant; then she set her jaw firmly.

  “No,” she said flatly. “Absolutely not. Not Tajin.”

  “I can cast a blood spell,” Atheris said insistently. “We can send the horse south into Bregond, meanwhile concealing ourselves in the caravan. The horse will seek to return home and the Bone Hunters will follow it—”

  “It doesn’t gain us anything but a little time,” Peri said, grinding her teeth. “And it puts us on foot, and when the Bone Hunters’ horses wake, then they’ll have the advantage of speed—assuming they don’t just send some kind of magical bolt down on Tajin, that is, in which case they’ll be after us that much faster when they don’t find any bodies with the horse. I don’t see that the idea does us any good at all.”

  “Why are the merchants here?” Atheris said suddenly, and fell silent.

  Peri fell silent, too, thinking. Merchants here meant other merchants, Bregondish merchants, on the other side of the Barrier. The two groups would meet to trade sooner or later. If Peri could sneak into the Bregondish caravan, or hide and contact them later, they could be bribed, coaxed, threatened, at least to get her safely to the nearest village or, better yet, herding clan. It was true that Tajin would head for home—and to him, “home” would most likely mean Danber’s clan deep in the south of Bregond. And magic or not, he’d lead those Bone Hunters on their culls a merry chase indeed. And if Peri really wanted to confuse the back trail, she could leave Atheris with the Sarkondish merchants. Let the Bone Hunters divide their attention between two false trails.