Tuyo

by Neumeier, Rachel

  He paused to show that this decision was finished. Then he went on. “Convocation law applies all day and for seven days longer. Any person too badly wounded to travel even then, I ask the inKera to shelter, no matter their tribe. In return for this generosity, I will hear no charges against inKera during the coming year. I am certain inKera will not abuse the privilege.” He lowered his hands and added, “Sinowa inGara, remain. All others may go.”

  All around there was a stir. Everyone knew our king would punish my father for his defiance and no doubt some people wanted to stay to see what he would do, but everyone wanted to go away so they could talk about the things that had happened, so I was not surprised by how quickly the gathered people disappeared. The lords of the tribes and the warleaders lingered, of course, and no one of inGara moved. Aras slowly gathered the lynx-fur cloak around himself, but he too stayed where he was.

  My father went to his knees before our king.

  Koro inKarano said in a pained tone, “Sinowa, I was going to decide as I did decide.”

  “Yes,” said my father. “I did not say it to correct your honor, but to declare my own. But I knew there would be an accounting. I do not expect you to let it pass.” Drawing his knife, he offered it to our king.

  Koro considered him. Then he sighed. “Put your knife away,” he told him. “I will strike you for it. One blow.”

  “Yes,” said my father. He braced himself.

  Our king hit my father across the face, very hard. My father fell to the side so that he had to catch himself on his arm.

  Koro nodded. “I am satisfied,” he said. “You may have responsibility for the sorcerer, since you value him so highly. And all his men, all the Lau. Deal with them as you see fit, so long as you abide by my decision. Can you get up?”

  “Yes,” said my father. “Soon.” He was blinking and cautiously fingering his cheek, where the bruise was already showing as a red mark.

  “Is the bone broken?” Koro offered him a hand.

  My father smiled suddenly, then winced and touched his cheek again. “You would have to hit me harder than that to break my bones, Koro.” He allowed our king to help him to his feet. I had known my father was the king’s cousin, but I had not realized they were friends until that moment.

  Our king turned to Aras, who stood up at last, moving stiffly in the cold. Aras tucked the furs he wore closely around his body and said, “If you had not led your people against our enemy, distracting him until my own people could come up on him, everything might have happened in a different way. Thank you, Koro inKarano, winter king. If you wish to make any requests of my uncle the summer king, I am very certain he will hear you.”

  “Your sorcery tells you so?” our king asked him. “My people tell me your king has nearly reached the river. How far can you hear?”

  “About four bowshots. Farther, sometimes, if the matter is urgent and I know the person well.” I said nothing. Aras did not glance at me, but he added, “Under certain conditions, I can speak to my uncle over a greater distance than that, but not so far as he has gone now. I spoke only from long familiarity with my king.”

  Koro inKarano nodded. “Soretes Aman Shavet is courteous to withdraw without requiring me to request it. I imagine he will wait for you on the other side of the river, if you have not come to him before that.”

  “I think that is likely. But he would not have moved against you even if all you had sent him was my head. Not even if all you sent him were the heads of all his people. You probably know that.” He paused and nodded. “You do know it. I thank you again for your generosity.”

  “I return to you what you gave first to Ryo inGara and then to us all,” Koro inKarano told him. “If you had not poured out your own strength and skill against our enemy, my people would probably have suffered much more. What the sorcerer did to the inKera, he would have tried to do to us all, in time. You understand, he forced the warriors to bring him their own wives and sisters and children?”

  “Yes, I know. He might not have succeeded in destroying your people—I think he would have found you Ugaro more stubborn and resilient than he expected. Still, allowing the people of the winter country to suffer because of a sorcerer made by the summer country seemed entirely unjust to me.”

  “There we certainly agree,” said Koro. “And the gods as well, fortunately. If I have made a mistake today, then the gods will have an accounting for it. But I do not think I have made a mistake.” He looked around at all of us. “Go. I give you all leave. I will send someone with you to the summer king. I will wish to hear exactly how it happens.”

  We all bowed. Aras knelt and bowed to the ground. Then he stood up again, and bowed in the manner of the Lau, which is only a small gesture, and Koro inKarano turned and walked away, and the second trial Aras would have to face was over.

  I knew there might still be a third. I said to Aras, “We will come with you to the summer country.”

  “I know,” he answered. “I doubt it will be as difficult as you’re thinking, Ryo.”

  I said firmly, “Nevertheless, we will come with you.”

  He smiled. “Well, I admit I will be grateful for your company.”

  “I should come,” my sister said firmly. “After all, I know the Lau much better now. I should certainly come with you.” She looked sidelong at our father. “If my father thinks it wise,” she said, very meekly.

  My father laughed. I tried to remember when I had last heard that, but I could not remember any such moment. I laughed too, and a lightness came into my heart. No matter what lay in the summer country, I was not afraid at all.

  -33-

  Five days later, at noon, we came to the river. It had not been a great distance, but no one had seen any need for haste.

  We were not many, except for the Lau. Forty and forty and twenty had survived, and some over that number, but some had been too badly wounded to travel even bundled on sledges. To those, the inKera had offered shelter until they should die or recover. Most of the rest traveled with us. They had been permitted to take weapons and shields, but they did not appear remotely warlike. They did not walk in step, but easily, talking to one another and looking around at the winter country. Lucas Samaura walked with them, speaking to one and then another, his manner unconcerned, setting the example for any who might otherwise have been uneasy.

  All the uncountable dead of their own people, those who had been enslaved by Lorellan and those who had come with their summer king, would be laid aside to wait. The Lau prefer to claim the entire body, not only the head. Some few Lau would stay in that place to gather their dead and keep the beasts away until the dead could be brought back to their own land. The only dead man we brought with us was Lorellan, and only his head. It had been wrapped in cloth and put in a basket for a pony to carry, and I was glad of that. I did not want to see it again.

  I and my brother and my father walked beside the company of Lau. Rakasa inGeiro came with us, to see what happened and tell it to his people. Also a young man of the inVotaro, Royova’s son, whose name was Royova like his father, for the same reason. Also Arayo inKera, Hokino inKera’s son, though he would not go back to his people for some time, if at all.

  My mother had come down from the north where some of the women had waited, and now she and my sister and Darra inKarano rode with us. Darra rode the hard-tempered snow-colored stallion. She knew how to handle him. He threw his forelegs up high, strutting as a stallion will when he is happy with himself.

  Darra inKarano spoke easily to my sister and my mother, but she ignored me completely.

  Aras slid a sidelong glance my way and murmured, “Perhaps soon you’ll find a chance to show off for her, Ryo.”

  I smiled, and thought lightly and easily about the beauty of the forest and the sky, and watched the darting flight of a bird. He laughed and said, “Well done. Look, there’s the bridge.”

  Once, not many years ago, there had been many bridges linking the winter country with the summer country. The
y had been taken down when the trouble came, but this one had been repaired. The work must have been done very quickly for the bridge already to be in place for us. The town was called Raha Sen. It was not a large town, hardly more than a village, but it spread out a long distance along the river. Raha Sen had not suffered as much as other towns I had seen. I saw no burned buildings at all. I commented about this to Arayo, because of course the town bordered inKera land.

  The boy nodded. “Yes, the townspeople here did not try to fight, but stepped back and left some of their harvest and some of their cattle for us to take. My father said we had enough Lau to fight in other places; he said it would be foolish to make enemies here, where the people showed themselves quiet-natured.” He glanced warily at the younger Royova. “Even when the inVotaro declared all Ugaro had been bitterly offended by all the Lau, my father said the people of Raha Sen had not offended us.”

  Royova’s son Royova frowned, but before he could speak, Garoyo said, “Wise the warleader who does not carelessly spend the lives of his men, when the war is long and the ending uncertain.” No one could disagree with that, and we went on in a silence that was only a little stiff.

  On the northern bank by the bridge, the snow was very much trampled, down to bare earth here and there. On the southern bank, a wide area had been cobbled to keep it clean of mud. The summer king had made the whole of that area into something that might have been called a camp and might have been called a palace. The tents were not made of hides and felt, but of light, airy cloth that rippled in the breeze, in many beautiful colors. The king’s own tent was obvious. It was many times the largest, all of cloth dyed red and yellow and many other colors. But though many Lau came down to the riverbank to watch us approach, I could not tell which of them was the king.

  “None of them,” Aras told me. “It wouldn’t be proper for him to gawk from the bank like a farmer. He won’t come to us; we’ll wait for his summons and then go to his pavilion to present ourselves to him. Don’t be nervous, Ryo. He will be very polite to your father.” He did not wait for my answer, but raised his voice. “Lucas!”

  His nephew swung around and came to him. “My lord. You’ll want me to see to our men.”

  “Thank you, Lucas; yes, if you would be so kind.”

  His nephew nodded, but he did not move away, instead giving Aras a searching look.

  “Yes, under the circumstances, I expect my meeting with Soretes may be a little strained, but I don’t think matters will be improved by your hovering,” Aras said mildly. He gave a little go gesture.

  “If you say so.” Lucas Samaura obviously doubted this assurance. “You know, there are some messages I wouldn’t care to bring to my aunt.”

  “It’s highly unlikely anything of the kind will be necessary. Anyway, Soretes would never ask you to take that particular message, Lucas. He would take it himself.” Aras repeated the little gesture. This time his nephew touched his heart and walked away.

  But I knew Lucas Samaura, who must know better than I, doubted the generosity of the summer king, as I did.

  The ponies’ hooves rang on the stone of the bridge, and then the wood of the middle span, and then the stone again, and the air changed from sparkling with cold to a soft warmth like a caress, and the breeze that came against our faces carried the scents of warm earth and cut grass and apples, and we stepped off the bridge into the summer country. Soldiers were waiting, drawn up in lines like a formation, which might have made me uneasy except Aras obviously did not mind that. Then, as we came close, I saw all the soldiers wore the Gaur badge, and Talon Commander Harana stood in the front. As Aras stepped off the bridge and onto the cobbles, all the soldiers saluted with their hands over their hearts.

  Aras returned the gesture and bowed his head, smiling, and Karoles Harana came forward, clapped him on the arm, and declared, his voice rough, “I never expected to see you again! I should have known better. But next time don’t let some gods-hated sorcerer get you at a disadvantage like that! What use is gods-hated sorcery if you walk right into a gods-hated trap as though you were blind and deaf? What were you thinking?”

  “That I was both the cleverest and the most powerful Lau sorcerer in the summer country,” Aras answered, smiling. “Don’t say it, Karoles: I know! Fortunately, I had you to catch victory out of the disaster I dropped on your head. You managed very well, getting our people out of Lorellan’s way. And then into his way. And you got more of our people out from under the falling cold than I’d ever have hoped—and Soretes, of course. Well done! I believe Lucas has something he’d like to show you. The Ugaro recommend crushing the skull and scattering the grit in running water, which does seem symbolically appropriate.”

  “If you weren’t luckier than you deserve, it’d be your skull in question,” the talon commander snapped at him. He looked past Aras at the rest of us, and at me, and said more quietly, “Luck in the shape of an Ugaro warrior. Thank you, Ryo. We are—I am—so much in your debt, I can’t calculate it.”

  I did not know how to answer him. I said, “I regret very much Talon Commander Ianan did not live. But he died bravely. They all died courageously and honorably.”

  Karoles Harana’s face stilled, all the forceful temper falling away. “Sometimes that’s the only thing that can be said. Thank you, Ryo. I pray the gods judge all our dead kindly.” Then he stepped back, gesturing vigorously for the soldiers to break their lines and for Lucas to come show him the head. “Later,” he said over his shoulder to Aras. “Later I want to hear everything. You will too, don’t say it, I’ve already got the report on your desk.” He strode away without waiting for an answer.

  Aras smiled after him. Then he smiled at me, briefly and warmly, nodding past me. “Look there, Ryo. Sometimes the gods are kind.”

  I was puzzled, but I turned, and Geras was there, and behind him Esau and Suyet. I was so pleased I nearly stumbled because I did not know which way to look first.

  Geras turned first to Aras, touching his hand to his heart, but Suyet threw the gesture toward him with a casual flick of his hand, then immediately gripped my wrists hard. He completely disregarded both his own dignity and mine, but I could not mind it and returned the gesture gladly. He said, “Ryo! I thank the gods! We saw your company coming and hoped you might be with them. And Lord Gaur! You actually got him away from Lorellan and took him to your own people? How did you possibly manage that?”

  There was nothing I wished to discuss less. “I was very much afraid for you as well,” I told him instead. Freeing myself gently, I stepped back and looked at them all carefully. Only Geras showed any sign of injury, and that was only a narrow cut across one forearm, not very recent. I could see the cut had been deep, but it was healing well. “I thank the gods you are safe!” I said fervently. “I wish very much to hear how it happened for each of you.”

  “We want to hear everything as well!” Suyet said eagerly. “I suppose there’ll be no chance to exchange stories yet, probably—”

  “No, there won’t,” Geras said firmly. “It won’t be long now till the summons comes.” But he gripped my arms himself then. “Well done, boy. I didn’t dare hope the gods could be so kind.” He gave me a searching look. “You seem well enough for a man who fell into the power of a sorcerer.”

  “Two sorcerers,” muttered Esau, who had been hanging back a little.

  “Ryo is very well indeed, now,” said Aras, smiling slightly. “Don’t ask too many questions; there are some he may not want to answer.” He nodded to them all. Geras met his eyes without flinching; Suyet was wide-eyed but unafraid; but Esau turned his head away, his shoulders tightening.

  I wanted to laugh: they were all so much themselves. Esau was distrustful; Suyet too cheerful to mind sorcery once he had become accustomed to the idea; and of course Geras would do whatever was right no matter how he felt. I told them, “I am very glad to see you all. I wish you to know my family and for them to know you.” I looked at Aras. “Is there time?”

  “Not m
uch, but a few minutes, I expect,” he told me, and went on to my guards, warmly, “I do want to take a moment to say: very well done, all of you. Trooper Esau, please don’t be concerned. I knew you’d read everything in the packet at the very earliest opportunity. If you hadn’t been the kind of man who’d do that, you wouldn’t have suited the task at all. You completed your mission and I thank the gods for that. If you hadn’t gotten to Talon Commander Samaura, he wouldn’t have realized how powerful a sorcerer we faced and then, though he knew Lord Lorellan was on our list of possible enemies, he would almost certainly have allowed Lorellan to get too close to him. It would have made everything extremely awkward if Lorellan had taken Lucas in thrall. Your efforts prevented that, and I’m grateful. Very well done.”

  Esau looked at him; then away; then, visibly bracing himself, back again. He said, “I’m sorry, my lord. I can’t help it.”

  “I haven’t the slightest idea what you could possibly mean,” Aras told him firmly. “Besides, here you are: a triumph of good faith over mistrust.”

  “Well, I wanted to see for myself, now I know,” Esau muttered. “The little girl had a lot to say.” He glanced at Etta.

  My sister was smiling widely and bouncing on her toes. “You see!” she said triumphantly to Esau, in darau. “I told you!” She sounded exactly like Suyet. I laughed.

  To my surprise, Esau’s mouth also crooked upward. “You did,” he said, not quite in the indifferent tone he used to everyone else.

  “Esau!” I was very pleased. “You already know my sister?”

  “And your brother,” he told me. “He can beat me at wrestling.”