by Sean Russell
“Thank you, boy,” Kai said.
Ufrra crouched before the child and pried the club from hishands. The child burst into tears, and, for a moment, the mute took himawkwardly in his arms.
“Can you launch the boat yourself, do you think?” Kai asked,as the boy pulled free, wiping his eyes and nose on a sleeve.
“I’ll help him,” the boy volunteered.
“I’m sure you will,” Kai said, “but it is a cumbersome craftfor so few.”
Ufrra could barely get the heavy boat to move, but theyquickly levered it up and found some round sticks to lay under it to act asrollers. Kai watched the stair apprehensively as this went on.
“I think I hear voices,” he whispered, as Ufrra and the boypushed the boat toward the water. It slid the last few feet and splashed intothe lagoon.
“Get the guard’s sword and dagger,” Kai whispered to theboy, as Ufrra wheeled his barrow toward the boat.
There was no question by then-there were voices coming fromabove, and they could hear footsteps thumping down the stair. Ufrra tumbled hismaster aboard, then dashed back to snatch up an axe and some bedding. Stillmanvaulted over the gunwale as the mute shoved the boat out into the waters.
A black robe appeared at the foot of the stair then, and theguard shouted. Ufrra fit oars between the tholepins and dug them into thewaters, turning the boat sluggishly about.
The guard ran to the water’s edge but there he stopped, cursing-clearlyunable to swim.
By the time the other guard ran out onto the quay, Ufrra wasrowing out of the lagoon into the broad river. The guards found bows and camerunning out onto the crumbling seawall, sending arrows after the quicklyretreating boat. A small rain of them spattered down around them, one lodgingin the floorboards between Kai and his servant. The bootblack ducked down inthe stern, trying to hide himself beneath a thwart. Fewer arrows were landingnear, by then.
“We are almost out of range,” Kai said to the boy. “In a momentyou’ll be safe.”
Just then a missile came hissing down and lodged itself inUfrra’s thigh. The mute faltered, letting go one oar which thudded aboutbetween tholepins then pivoted overboard. Stillman made a dive over the sideand fetched it, dripping, from the river.
He placed it back between the wooden pins and, manning thatoar two-handed, helped Ufrra take them out of range, the current assisting inthis endeavor. The men on the shore gave up shooting, and as they watched theirprisoners escape, shouted imprecations and threats.
“Where is Hafydd?” the boy gasped as he pulled at his oar.
“Still wandering about the island,” Kai said. “It seems hedidn’t listen to me when I warned him to keep his company together-all thebetter.” Kai glanced down the river. “Help me into place, and I will man an oarif I can,” he said. “Hafydd will be in a rage when he learns we’ve escaped, buteven so I don’t think he’ll come after us. He has his master to serve. Revengeon Kilydd will have to wait-a very long time, I hope.”
The island was a maze contrived by a madman-a sorcerous madman.Hafydd led them up steps and along pathways that disappeared when they triedto return. Once, they were forced to scale a near cliff, and arrived atop aruined parapet to find a place they had passed earlier, though all were sure ithad been lower down and to the south.
Hafydd took out his sword there and ordered the others toleave him in peace. He was heard muttering and chanting to himself, then hestruck the flat of his blade upon a stone, making it wail and quaver like sometortured spirit of the dead.
Lord A’denne rested on a fallen log, trying not to look toointerested in what Hafydd was doing. If this were magic the knightperformed-and it most certainly was-then perhaps Hafydd would be weakenedafterward. The nobleman glanced casually around. Hafydd’s guards had beenordered to leave their lord in peace, but they had staked out a perimeteraround him-ever vigilant, their eyes on the nobleman. If only there were someother to perform the assassination while the guards watched him-but there wasonly Beldor Renne, whose loyalty might not be certain. He had risked his lifeto save a bootblack. Would he not risk it to save the land between themountains?
Hafydd turned in a circle, holding out his wailing blade.The sound made A’denne shiver, so haunting and otherworldly did it seem. ThenHafydd stopped. A’denne could make him out through the leaves. He stopped, andhis eyes sprang open.
“Sianon,” he whispered.
Thirty-five
They found, on the western shore, a narrow landing place fromwhich they could climb a broken spine of fallen boulders to the low shoulder ofthe island above. With some effort they dragged the boats up and hid thembeneath low-hanging trees.
“I don’t much like putting our boats up here, where they can’tbe launched quickly.” Orlem glanced around, a look of disapproval on hisancient face.
“We’ve no choice, Orlem,” Elise said. “We can’t leave themwhere they’ll be easily found. And I don’t think it will be the last thing youdon’t like on this journey. Hafydd is here before us, I’m sure.”
Orlem loosened his massive sword in its scabbard andunrolled the sheepskin that held his shirt of mail. As Toren watched the giantdon the rippling garment he felt glad to be on his side. If his mail weighedthat much, he would be worn-out in an hour.
The others spread out the few belongings that had not beenlost to the river. Some weapons had been saved, two axes, a few shirts of mail,two bows, and perhaps two dozen arrows. Baore said he could make more, for theyhad the heads, and he was skilled with his hands, but there was no time forthat at the moment, and Toren feared there would be no time later either.
Eber, of course, was too old to wield a weapon, and Llya tooyoung. Theason did not seem inclined to warfare, though he knew a great deal ofhealing, which the Renne lord was afraid would be put to use. A’brgail was aformidable warrior, as were his few Knights, and Baore had apparently beenchased down the length of the Wynnd by Hafydd’s guards, winning severalskirmishes on the way, so there was more to him than his farm boy appearance suggested.Even with Elise and Orlem and his own men-at-arms, though, Toren feared theywould be no match for Hafydd. And who knew what would stop a soul eater? — whateverthat was.
Elise did not seem to need either food or rest and was soonready to go, though most of the others were tired and hungry. Even so, theypicked up what weapons they had and stood ready to follow, trying to push fearand exhaustion aside with pure will.
Elise crouched on one knee and smiled at the boy, Llya. “Doyou know where we’re to go now?”
Eber made some signs with his hands to be sure his son understood,but the child hardly took his eyes away from Elise. Llya shook his head. Elisemessed his hair and kissed his cheek. “You have done enough.”
“Lady Elise,” Eber said softly, averting his face a littleso his son could not see his mouth move. “I fear my son is in danger here.”
Elise nodded, her face pensive. She rose to her feet and fora moment was lost in thought. “You could take a boat, perhaps with Theason, andgo off down the river, but there will be no one to protect you then.”
Llya seemed to register what Elise was saying and tugged onhis father’s robe. Quickly, he made words with his hands.
“What is he saying?” Elise asked.
“He says he must find the sleeper in the river,” Eber said,a sigh present in his voice. He too crouched down so that Llya could easily seehis face. “It is dangerous here,” Eber said, slowly and deliberately.
But Llya shook his head and began moving his hands again,his manner surprisingly determined.
Eber did sigh then and looked up at Elise, who raised an eyebrow.“He says there is danger everywhere, now. Llya thinks we should stay with youand Baore, who he thinks is a great warrior.”
Elise smiled. “Baore is a great warrior. He and hiscompanions fought a company of Hafydd’s guards and men-at-arms of the Prince ofInnes and won. Not many could do that. They even fought Hafydd himself, as weescaped that forbidden swamp. Baore is fearless. We will make him Llya’s
guard,for I have other matters that will take my attention. Baore …?” she said,turning to find the young man from the wildlands. “You will be Llya’s guardnow.”
“But I am your guard, my lady,” the quiet youth said.
“Yes, but I’m more able to defend myself than is Llya. Canyou not look after him so that I do not worry?”
Baore bowed his head. “If that is what you wish.”
Elise favored Baore with a smile that would melt many a man’sheart, Toren thought. She turned back to the others. “Hafydd is here. Be wary.Speak only when you must, and then quietly.”
Much of the day had slipped away, and the island cast a longshadow over the eastern shore. Toren had never been anywhere that had such astrange … “feel.” The island was inordinately silent, apparently caught inan everlasting autumn. Even the light seemed thin and golden, as though summerwound slowly down. He expected flights of ducks and geese to pass over,chasing the descending sun into the south.
The day had been spent wandering over the isle, mountingstairs that seemed to lead them back to where they began, following paths thatdid not take them where they should. If Toren had not once traveled to theStillwater by an impossible road, he would have been very disturbed by theseevents. But instead, he was not surprised. This place was magical-he could feelit.
They had stopped to rest at the base of a cliff on theisland’s northern tip, where they stood staring down the river. A tiny rillsparkled there as the water ran quickly down.
“What do you say, Orlem?” Elise asked. She stood lookingaround as though it were a plot of land she considered buying. “I think this isas good a place as any to make camp. There is water, and we can defendourselves well enough.”
Orlem stood and turned in a circle. They were on a roundedpoint of land cliffs or very steep slopes falling off to three sides. Behindthem, the stream had cut a narrow gully through the rock. This was choked withbranches and the trunks of fallen trees.
“It is less than perfect,” Orlem pronounced, “but we mightwander until darkness and not find anyplace better. I think we should not lighta fire,” he said.
“Yes. We have little enough to eat anyway, and there doesn’tseem to be much game for the archers.”
Hard, salted beef was put to soak in cups, and aberry-picking company was formed and went scouring the nearby hillside underElise’s watchful eye-for she had warned all of the pickers to keep her insight. Theason filled his vest with edible mushrooms, and roots he said tastedlike cinnamon, though no one but Eber would try them, so foul did they look.Hard little apples were plucked from a stunted tree, and Theason gathered rosehips, explaining that they were both of admirable flavor and healthful. In theend it was not such a sparse meal after all, though most could remember better.
Orlem and Elise discussed exploring the gully for a littledistance, but dusk put an end to that endeavor, though Toren realized itwould be their path of retreat should they be surrounded where they were. TheRenne lord drew first watch, which he stood with A’brgail. Stars were clearoverhead, but by the end of the first hour, they began to blur, then wereobscured entirely. A cool wind arose from the south and soon began to gustthrough the trees, tearing away branches and spinning up little whirlwinds ofleaves.
“We shall see some rain,” Theason said. “Within the hour, Ishould say.”
“Let it pour,” Elise answered. “Hafydd is only half asformidable without fire.” She looked around. “We might find a bit of shelterthere, where the cliff overhangs.”
The company moved their few belongings to the place she indicated,though there was barely room for them, let alone any place for a man to liedown and sleep. Elise went to the small stream and bent to drink, just aslightning tore open the horizon and thunder tolled across the hills.
Hafydd appeared to follow where his blade led, pointing downtoward the earth. They rounded a buttress of stone where a flash of lightningilluminated a small, round pool. Hafydd stopped there, turning in a smallcircle.
“I sense him,” the knight whispered hoarsely, and thrust hisblade into the small stream leading from the pool. A flash of lightningilluminated his stark face, eyes open in surprise.
A’denne watched as the knight ran his blade back up the narrowlittle stream, as though cutting it carefully in two. The blade reached thesmall pool where the water ran thin over an ancient stone weir. As his bladeentered the pool, Hafydd stopped. For a moment he crouched there, eyes closed,holding the blade utterly still with both hands. His eyes opened after amoment.
“There you are, Father,” he whispered. “Death comes stalkingyou, at last. Can you feel him? Can you feel a son’s loathing?”
“Hafydd!” Elise hissed, and leapt clear of the littlestream, her sword already in hand. Rain drove down upon them, and wind whippedaround the headland. She had gone to the stream to drink and staggered backsuddenly.
“He is above us …,” Elise said, her voice low and urgent.
Orlem gazed up the stone buttress, one arm raised as thoughto ward of missiles. “Does he know we’re here?”
“Almost certainly. I sensed him. He must have been drinkingfrom the stream above. I can’t imagine he didn’t sense me as well.”
They all crowded under the overhang, pushing up against thecold wall, waiting for boulders to begin dropping from above. But onlywind-borne leaves spattered about them. Lightning flashed-even nearer-andthunder battered them. Rain washed out of the sky and ran like a curtain ofbeads from the lip of overhanging rock.
For a long while they waited, Orlem standing over thestream, gazing up the gully, sword in hand. At each flash he raised his blade,and the others stiffened, ready to spring to his aid. Elise too, stood out inthe teeming rain, her golden curls plastered straight against her glisteningface.
Lightning flashed, and Elise was gone. Just as the lightfaded Toren found her by the now-overflowing stream, her blade in the water. Adarkness of wind and thunder returned, the storm howling around them. Torenwas beginning to feel chill but could not stand beneath the low-hanging rock.He felt the need to move, or he would begin to shiver and stiffen, so he pushedhimself out into the weather, rain finding him immediately. It ran in slow,cold streams down his neck and back.
“He’s gone …” Elise said, as a peal of thunder faded.
“Gone where, my lady?” Orlem asked.
“I don’t know, Orlem. He is traveling away from us, andquickly.”
“It is not a trick?”
A flash of lightning and explosion of thunder interruptedconversation. The light revealed Elise, still with her sword in the water.
“I don’t think it’s a trick. Hafydd knows what Sianon coulddo with water … but even so, I wouldn’t wager that he is running.”
Darkness descended, and when the lightning flashed next,Toren saw Elise, her wet cloak fluttering madly in the ferocious wind, climbingup into the mouth of the gully, which ran deep with water.
“Come!” Orlem called the others. “We can’t wait for the stormto subside.” He paused, his face changing. “I’m sorry, Eber, but I don’t thinkwe can leave you and your son here.”
Toren and A’brgail took up their position again at the rearof the column, and they went wading and slipping up the raging little stream. Waterhad risen to midthigh and ran with surprising speed and force down the ravine.Where they could they climbed above it, straddling the torrent, but often therewas no purchase, and they had to force their way against the stream. Many timessomeone slipped and tumbled down on those below, and it was only a wonder thatthey didn’t all end up in a broken heap at the bottom. A’brgail’s Knights endedup carrying Eber between them, and Llya rode Baore’s broad back, clinging tothe Valeman’s neck. They waited for each lightning flash, then moved as quicklyas they could, trying to memorize a few feet ahead. Once, the heavy cloudsparted to reveal the speeding moon, and they all scrambled up as best theycould before the clouds shut, stealing the faint light away.
Toren didn’t know how long the climb took, but when hereached
the top his feet were numb, and he fell down on the trampled grass,gasping for breath. The rain continued to batter them without respite. OnlyElise and Orlem were on their feet, exploring the ground carefully, wary asanimals.
The clouds still raced overhead, a faint blemish of lightwaxing and waning where the newly risen moon flew. In this faint light Torencould make out Orlem, crouching by the pool.
“Do you see these boot prints?” Orlem asked. He bent low,his face inches from the ground. “They come to the water’s edge, but I can’tfind where they lead away … And these as well.”
“As though they went into the pool …” Elise said softly,her words snatched away by the wind.
“They must emerge on the other side,” A’brgail said, risingwith some difficulty.
Orlem beat the knight to the opposite edge, but then hewalked around, pausing in each flash of lightning to look closely at the water’sedge. “I can’t find them,” he said after a moment.
At that moment the moon passed through a thin patch ofcloud, and Orlem stopped in his tracks.
“The Moon’s Mirror,” Elise said, and dove into thewaters, as graceful as a swan.
Thirty-six
Alaan came quickly up the stairs, careful to make no sound. “Thereare three of Hafydd’s guards below,” he whispered, “one sleeping.”
Tam looked at Cynddl, whose face was suddenly grave. Theyhad come there hoping that Elise might be found, for this was the island’sancient landing spot. But Elise was not here.
“We can’t leave them here,” Alaan whispered. He saw the reactionof his companions; they did not like to kill men in cold blood. “They mightcome upon us from behind”-he looked from Tam to Cynddl-“and they will nothesitate to kill us.”
