The water was muddy and dark as she worked the raft toward the banks of the river. She managed to shove it onto a sandy slope where the river curved and dragged it out of the water enough to keep the occasional wave from lapping beneath it and floating it away.
"Lorit." Chihon tried to wake him, but he was fast asleep. "Lorit. I need to leave you for a while. I have to find us some food."
It was no use. She could not wake him. She dragged the raft further up onto the bank, wishing she could access his magic to bind the raft there or lift it completely free of the water, but he was unresponsive. She shoved with all her might and placed a few rocks beneath the edge of the raft.
She made her way into the woods and soon found wild roots and vegetables. She collected them, carrying them in her shirt as she foraged, then rushed to get back to Lorit once she had enough for their meal. On the way, she spied a root that would help him with the pain. She pulled up a few and thrust them into her pockets.
She rushed back to the river but when she reached it, the raft was gone. She was sure she hadn't gotten lost, but there was no sign of the raft.
It was gone, and Lorit with it!
She panicked. What happened? She had pulled it far enough up the bank to keep it safe. Had some swell come along and lifted it back into the water?
She looked out across the broad river. She thought she could make out the raft bobbing along downriver. She sprinted through the forest, hoping to find some path that would take her along the water's edge. She ran as fast as the underbrush would allow her to, but she kept losing sight of the raft, even though it was moving slowly.
In spots, Chihon found the banks of the river wide enough to run along them. She drew tantalizingly near the raft but was never able to get close enough that she could chance grabbing for it. Chihon looked at the water with distrust. She was not a strong swimmer and had bad memories of falling in the water as a little girl.
The river roared up ahead, and the water started to run faster. The raft picked up speed. Chihon pushed herself harder, trying to keep up, but it was moving too fast now. She dodged rocks and fallen trees as she charged along the beach until the beach gave way to rock.
The river had cut its way through the rock, forming a wide canyon that carved through the face of the cliff ahead. Chihon reached the waterfall just in time to see the raft shoot over the edge and out into the air. Lorit held on to the logs as they plunged downward.
Chihon rushed to the rock ledge that overlooked the precipice. The water below roiled with foam and debris as the waterfall beat down on it. It wasn't that far down. She could jump far enough to reach the pool where Lorit had hit. She steeled herself for the jump. The raft had broken apart, and Lorit was hanging onto a log as it crashed along the rocks, battered about by the white water.
She had to get down there to save him, but the thought of jumping into the angry water struck fear in her heart. She saw the log strike the shore and Lorit crawl to safety. She breathed a sigh of relief and started her climb down, relieved she had not had to jump.
The rocks were slippery and treacherous, but she was able to find suitable handholds as she made her way down. Her hands were scraped and bleeding by the time she reached the bottom of the falls. Each handhold and step brought her closer to Lorit, who lay there at the water's edge.
She rushed to Lorit and knelt over him. He was alive and breathing, but unconscious. She stroked his hair and straightened his clothes.
"Lorit, can you hear me?"
He remained silent.
She reached out with her magic and felt for any injury. The break in his arm was a bright red flare. A muted but still bright spot showed on his ankle. There was an almost imperceptible red glow from near his heart. She reached out and touched it, imagining it dimming and diminishing. It slowly faded, but it took a lot out of her. She knew she had not healed him, but maybe she had reversed whatever harm he had suffered.
Lorit opened his eyes. "What happened?" he croaked.
"The raft was carried down river and over the falls." Chihon smoothed his hair and tried to soothe him. "You're all right."
"My leg." Lorit tried to reach for it and stopped. "My arm," he said in alarm. "What happened to my arm?"
"You were trapped in a mudslide," Chihon reminded him. "You're safe now. I'm going to get you out of the mountains. We're not far from Rohir. One more day and we should be there."
"How are we going to get there if I can't walk?"
"I'll figure something out." Chihon reached into her pocket for the root that would ease his pain. She was thankful that it was still there after her climb. She tore part of it off with her bleeding fingernails and handed it to him. "Chew on that. It will ease the pain."
Lorit took it and placed it in his mouth. He made a face at the taste of it but kept chewing. She could feel it working as he started to relax again, and soon he was sleeping peacefully.
She worried how she was going to get him the rest of the way out of the mountains. She couldn't carry him, and he couldn't walk. She sat by the small fire she'd made, looking off into the woods as the sunset. It was peaceful and quiet, a contrast to the danger she'd faced getting down to Lorit from above the falls.
Chihon heard a snapping sound off in the brush and looked up to see a stag poke its head into the clearing. It was a majestic beast with its large, broad antlers. She counted ten points, one for each summer. She watched quietly as it walked to the river and dipped its head to drink. If only it were a horse, she could put Lorit on its back and they could walk out of the mountains. They could reach Rohir within the day.
Then it dawned on her.
She wished she had Lorit's staff. It would have helped amplify her magic. Maybe even as weak as she was, she would be able to bring the animal to her. If it couldn't carry Lorit on its back, it could drag him behind on a makeshift litter.
She approached the animal, projecting a sense of calm toward it. She muttered the words of binding. "Vobis erit servus," she said, commanding the stag to be her servant. "Amor me debeas," she whispered, binding the animal to her as her loving servant.
The stag stopped drinking and looked at her. It turned and walked slowly toward her. It bent down, nuzzling her hand with its nose, and sank to the ground, eyes fixed on her.
Chapter 24
Chihon fashioned a litter out of tree branches and bark. It took her most of the night, but it was the only way she was going to get Lorit out of the mountains. She dragged Lorit into the litter and fastened it to the stag.
She encouraged the animal to walk beside her as she picked her way along. She guided it more with her thoughts than her touch. She'd managed to snare a few rabbits the way Lorit showed her, so they were well fed. Lorit was no worse for the trip, but no better. As they traveled, Lorit fell into bouts of heavy sleep interspersed with short periods of awakening.
The steep mountains gave way to gently rolling hills with a light smattering of lush trees. The stag looked around, skittish to be out of the deep forest, but continued to walk beside her as they made their way. They passed through a small copse of trees, and Chihon heard rustling above them in the branches.
"Halt," a female voice called from above. Chihon looked around but could not see who was calling out. She halted the stag and probed with her magical senses. There were at least a dozen people perched in the branches above her.
"You can't see us, but we can see you. One false move and you're dead," came the voice again. Chihon could make out the person who spoke. She was a woman about twenty-five summers in age. She was perched in the tree above Chihon, holding a longbow. The bow was drawn, an arrow was notched, and it was aimed at Chihon.
"You can put that down," Chihon called out. "We're not going to hurt anyone. We're on our way to Amedon."
The woman dropped from the tree and landed in front of Chihon. She was dressed in light brown leather that fit strangely. Chihon noticed that her left breast was missing. From the way she drew the bow back, it was obvious why
this had been done. She placed her hand over her own breasts as if the mutilation were contagious.
More women dropped from the trees in rapid succession, landing light on their feet and drawing their bows. Chihon noticed that they all had one breast removed to facilitate their use of the bow. She looked slowly from one to the other before speaking.
"I'm traveling to Amedon. My friend here was injured in a landslide. He needs a healer, food, and water. Can you help us?"
The leader approached Lorit and peered down at him. "A man," she snorted. "Why would we help one of them?" She looked Chihon over, examining her from head to toe and back again. "You would make a mighty warrior. Can you use a bow?"
"I have never tried," Chihon said. "I am just a market girl."
The woman looked her over again. "You are no market girl." She drew her hand back and aimed a slap at Chihon, but before it could land, Chihon raised her shields and the woman's hand bounced off it.
The woman stepped back and drew her bow. "Sorceress," she shouted. "Kill her."
The rest of the women drew their bows, letting their arrows fly. Chihon felt the impact on her shields, but the arrows did no harm.
"Sorceress," the leader screamed. She ran headlong at Chihon, her knife drawn. She impacted the shield and bounced off, landing on the ground. She quickly picked herself up, crouching for another strike.
Chihon held her hand up. "I am a sorceress, that is true, but I meant what I said. We mean you no harm." She stretched out her hand and raised a fireball as she'd seen Lorit do. She had never used this spell before, but she felt the time was right for a little magic. "Tell me your name."
"My name is Chemwa." The woman lowered her knife and stepped back.
Chihon nodded to the rest of the women, who had fresh arrows notched and ready. "Put them down or I'll be forced to turn you to ash where you stand."
Chemwa waved her hand, and the rest of her troupe lowered their weapons. She holstered her knife and nodded.
Chihon released the spell that kept the fire spinning and twisting above her hand. She was relieved that she had not needed to resort to violence.
"Will you help my friend?" she asked.
"He's a man." Chemwa spat on the ground. "They have their uses, but if they are not hale and healthy, they are no good to anyone. Why do you want him?"
"Because he's my friend," Chihon said. "And my partner in magic. He's a wizard."
"We don't help wizards and we don't help men." Chemwa turned her back on Chihon, gesturing to her warriors.
Chihon watched as the warrior walked away. She was tired, dirty, and hungry. She hadn't slept since the mudslide and was on the verge of collapse both physically and emotionally, and here was the help she needed, refusing her because Lorit was a man.
Chihon raised the fireball and cast it at the tree next to Chemwa. It struck with a crack and crackle, and the tree burst into flames. It was consumed in the wink of an eye.
Chemwa turned back to Chihon. The fear in her eyes was mixed with anger.
"I asked nicely if you would help us. Do I have to get rude? I need your assistance, and I don't care if you help men or wizards. You are going to help me."
Chemwa looked as if she would kill Chihon where she stood, if only she were given the chance, yet she bowed her head and said, "Yes, Mighty One."
"Take me somewhere where I can get help for my friend."
Chemwa turned back away from Chihon. "Follow me," she muttered.
At first, the woman kept her distance, but eventually, she slowed down to match pace with Chihon and the stag.
"That's a fine animal you have there," Chemwa said. "How is it that a stag like that does your bidding so gently?"
"I've cast a spell on him." Chihon didn't trust the woman and didn't want to engage her in conversation.
"You are a mighty sorceress indeed. If only we could use such magic on our men. They are notoriously hard to train and even when properly taught, they occasionally break training and have to be put down. It's such a pity."
"You kill them?" Chihon gasped. She had heard rumors of these women, but she'd never believed them.
"When they are no longer useful, yes, we kill them. If they get sick or old, we put them down. It is a mercy. When a man is no longer a man, he gets sad and sulks. It's better to put him out of his misery than leave him in pain."
Chemwa looked over at Lorit. "Like your friend there. He suffers. Do you really want to prolong his pain? There are so many men running free. We can catch you a new one that is strong and healthy. Maybe one with high spirits. Would that be to your liking?"
"I don't want another man. I want Lorit, and I want him healed."
"You could join us. We can always use a strong woman. They would eventually accept you even as a sorceress. Once they come to see your value. If you could put that spell on some of our men, we would have enough to go around. That would be a great boon."
"Enough to go around? What do you mean? Don't you have enough to go around?"
"There are very few men in the city. We capture them when we can, but almost half of them never take to training and have to be put down. The rest of the wild ones keep far away from us. We have to range far to find them, and those who hunt don't really want to share the men they capture."
"What about your children? Surely you have sons as well as daughters?" Chihon asked.
"We have magical charms to assure that mostly girls are born. If a boy is born, we train him. Children are much easier to train than the free-range men we capture. They are very domesticated, but there are few of them. Certainly not enough to go around."
She looked at Lorit once again. "Maybe when he is well, he can service a few of our women. Many women hope one day to mother a daughter."
Chihon didn't appreciate the way Chemwa looked at Lorit. All she wanted was to get him somewhere where they could rest up and she could tend to his injuries. If she were properly fed and rested, she felt confident that her magic would be strong enough to heal him. Then they could be on their way.
The trees thinned out once more and Chihon could see a city over the rolling hills. It had a strange red tint to it. The buildings were short and squat.
Chemwa looked back at her. "We're almost there. This is our home. This is Rohir."
Rohir was constructed of adobe mud baked by the sun. The homes were short, with the interior support beams protruding. Colorful decorations hung from the rough beams jutting out of the drab adobe. Every home was adorned with its own gaily-colored weavings or beadwork. Wind chimes sang in the breeze, adding their melody to the noise of the busy streets.
There were women everywhere, but no men. Even the blacksmith was a woman, large and strong as any man Chihon had ever met. Most of the women were dressed in the same style as Chemwa. Soft leather shirts and pants were personalized with decorative lanyards and colored fringe.
Down one alley, Chihon caught sight of someone dressed in colorful silk. The figure sped between buildings, disappearing as quickly as it appeared.
"Who was that?"
"That was a man," Chemwa said. "You know what they look like, don't you?"
"None of the men I know looks like that."
"He's a pretty one, that one, all dressed up like a peacock." Chemwa looked longingly down the alley where he had disappeared.
"Do you have a man?" Chihon wondered about the woman since she seemed to dislike men so.
"I have one, but he's not mine alone. I share him with my troupe. He's not as fancy as that one. That one is for the wealthy. We're just poor hunters."
She slapped Chihon on the back. "We do get to try out the wild ones that we catch now and then. You should try an unbroken man. It might do you some good." Chemwa laughed a hearty laugh.
They rounded a curve in the main road and walked up to a larger adobe structure that stretched for the entire block. It stood three stories tall and was richly decorated. At one end, a tall stone tower rose above the adobe to provide a commanding view of the enti
re city.
"Here we are," Chemwa said.
As they approached the doors, a pair of female guards stepped aside and held them open. Another pair rushed out of the palace and scrambled over to Lorit. They untied the litter from the stag and lifted it to their shoulders.
Chihon turned to the stag. She looked into its eyes and whispered "Gratias tibi et dimittam te," she said, thanking the beast and releasing it from her spell. It nodded its head, nuzzled her hand, and then turned and ran off down the street tossing its antlered head from side to side until it disappeared from sight.
They were escorted into a large room hung with rich rugs. A woman sat on a low decorative chair surrounded by thick silk pillows arranged neatly in a row along each side. Chihon was escorted down the center aisle.
Chihon looked back to see where they had taken Lorit. He was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Lorit?"
"Don't worry. They've taken him to a healer. She will begin the work on his arm. He will be well taken care of."
Chemwa bowed low before the seated woman. "Mayst," she said as she rose.
"Chemwa," the woman said. "How nice to see you again, my sister. I have heard reports of the wizard and sorceress you brought with you. Why have you chosen to bring this danger among us?"
"The sorceress can help us, My Lady."
"How so?" Mayst eyed Chihon with suspicion.
"She is a powerful sorceress," Chemwa explained. "When we chanced upon her, she had bound a stag to her and was using it to carry her injured companion. I thought she could do the same for us. It would be a great boon to us to have our men so bound to us. Perhaps we would have more to go around if we could break them all.
Wizard's Education Page 29
