No. The fear woke her like a dash of cold water. No one should open her trunk, with the highly specific magical equipment.
“Go help someone else. I find it hard to believe everyone is waiting on us, if you only found out just now,” Ardhuin grumbled as she dressed hurriedly, making sure her illusion was in place before she opened the curtains on her palatial bed. “Failing that, you and your cheery morning attitude can find a cliff and jump off it.”
Simons just laughed, but he did go away. Which was a good thing, Ardhuin discovered, as Dominic had forgotten his cravat in the bedding and she was already wearing hers. They had all stayed up late discussing the information Pei–an had given them, and then she and Dominic had decided to take advantage of the temporary privacy afforded by the closed rooms. Even though she was so weary she could drop, she did not regret it, especially now. It was unlikely they would have another opportunity until they reached Bhuta, and perhaps not even then.
The only one of their group to appear even tepidly cheerful was Sonam, always glad to be moving faster. Dominic looked ragged, rubbing his forehead.
“Someone needs to go tell Gutrune of the change in plans. I hope she can follow with so little notice.”
He hadn’t even finished before Markus was headed for the door.
Ardhuin wished her head didn’t feel like it was full of cotton wool. Perhaps she would not feel like she had just missed half a conversation. Why, for example, was Dominic grinning?
He saw her looking at him and the grin vanished.
“What are the two of you up to?” And Dominic was conspiring with Markus? Definitely odd.
“I’m not up to anything,” Dominic protested, his gaze furtively avoiding hers.
“Ah. So Markus is up to something. Why…” Her brain was waking up. “Oh no. Dominic, he can’t be…now? Could he possibly pick a worse time to pursue his interest in Gutrune? Denais could be in the city for all we know!”
Dominic held up his hands in a calming gesture. “When would be better? She does tend to be off on dangerous adventures on a regular basis. And somehow I find I cannot fault his timing. It worked for me.” He had a tinge of color on his high cheekbones.
Ardhuin sighed, shaking her head, and went up to him, draping the forgotten cravat over his shoulders. “Yes, I suppose it did. But only consider, love. You were captured, tortured, and had a mansion collapse on you in the process. Do you really want that to happen to Markus? Well, I suppose you might,” she added, remembering Dominic’s earlier prickly reaction to Markus.
“A little torture might put a dent in his annoyingly smug attitude,” Dominic conceded. “However, I wish to state for the record he approached me for help. I did not instigate this in any way. Now, if something equally humiliating and painful should happen to him, I will view it as the judgment of Heaven, and enjoy it.”
“As long as he doesn’t get too distracted. Or injured. Think of Gutrune, if not him. And us—we need everyone to be alert. Someone, if not Denais, has found us, and if Pei–an is correct, they even know where we are going.”
“Ah, but we are leaving much earlier than they expected—and if nobody in the expedition knew, how would they? If we get to Baiyueh before they do, knowing won’t help them.”
At which point Markus returned. “All is in order,” he reported cheerfully. Ardhuin observed him with care and decided some of the cheer was an act. She should probably see if Gutrune was in need of support, or distraction. “Now, have we decided what we are doing after Baiyueh? We will have to part company with Bové at some point, and if we need to take a different route, that would be a good place for it. I know he said communication there is sporadic—so anyone wishing to do us mischief would have difficulty communicating our change in plans to their confederates.”
“It is best to stay on the caravan routes as long as possible,” Sonam said. “The desert is dangerous, especially to those who do not know its ways. I have not traveled it myself.”
“Then we stay with the expedition beyond Baiyueh and pick a likely spot. Perhaps at the river past Garze; we’ll have to split off there if not earlier.”
“I wish we knew where Pei–an is.” Ardhuin was suddenly full of doubt. “While he seemed to be telling the truth, he might decide to change his mind.”
Markus gave her a half bow. “Anticipating this, I surreptitiously inserted the token you gave me last night into the lining of his coat. There was a handy hole,” he explained. “If he has not found it, you can track him with that. At least we will know he is not following us himself.”
Pei–an, or the token, was still in the same general area they had left him in. She thought he moved about a little in the next few hours, but not in their direction. They left Kiantan by rail, on a train painted a bright red with gold and blue embellishments that did not conceal the fact the locomotive was rather old and not very powerful.
“You’ll want to find seats on the very last passenger car,” Bové told them as he directed, in shouted Cathan, the disposition of a large number of horses in the open cattle cars. “I am afraid the boiler on this thing has a tendency to explode. Oh, and Mother Long asked me to give you these.” He handed Dominic a brown paper parcel. “She regretted being unable to say good–bye in person. You seem to have made a favorable impression on her.” Then he leaned closer. “Was this…accelerated departure made possible by your powerful friends in Rennes? Or you?”
Dominic shook his head. “How could I? No, of course not.”
Bové frowned, his forehead creased with worry. “It’s very strange. It’s almost like she wanted us out of the city as fast as possible.”
They wedged their way through the crowd of passengers, Ardhuin clutching her essential carpetbag closely and dodging as best she could a man with ducks in cages, stacked like plates and dangling on either end of a pole, and old women with bundles of cloth. Eventually they secured seats as close to the end of the train as possible, hard wooden benches with no cushions. In fact, parts of the floor were missing and it became clear these holes were used generally for any and all refuse, and in some cases as latrines.
“How long do we stay on the train?” Ardhuin asked, warding off an angry duck that had gotten its head free of the cage just enough to peck at anyone in range.
Simons shrugged. “If the engine keeps up steam, six hours. If not…”
Markus glanced out one of the windows, which was broken. “Perhaps we will be lucky and the engine will explode. So, what did Mother Long present us with? A kind gesture, to strangers like us.”
Dominic wrestled with the parcel, which was tied securely with heavy twine. Inside were smaller packages, also wrapped but in finer white paper with threads of floss mixed in. “Oh, they have our names. Here, Sonam, that’s yours.” Ardhuin was handed one with “Mr. Talbot” in delicate script on the outside. “Well, that’s an excellent choice.” Dominic held up a pen covered in deep cobalt–blue enamel, shaded with green and traces of gold. Sonam had been given a pierced silver–gilt incense burner, and Markus a piece of carved jade.
“I’m not quite certain what it is supposed to represent, but it is quite pretty.” He held it up to the light and turned it. “And you?” He glanced at Ardhuin enquiringly.
She opened the small, flat package. Inside was a beautiful ivory comb, the top edge carved cleverly to show a dragon partly concealed in clouds.
Ardhuin looked closer and felt herself grow cold. Wound in the tines of the comb was a single strand of her long, red hair.
She knows. In a faint voice, she said, “I think I have discovered why Mother Long was so eager to help us on our way.”
Dominic jumped down from the highly regrettable train, remembering just in time not to reach up to help Ardhuin descend. Although the locomotive had only broken down once, the trip had been agonizingly long—for although they all needed to discuss the implications of Mother Long’s revelation, there was no way to do so in the crowded train. Even
if the iron had not interfered with magic, there was simply no way to cast any spells without discovery.
The other members of the expedition had joined them en route, so they were now a party of ten. The newcomers were all experienced members of Bové’s team, young, confident, and sun–bronzed. They greeted Bové and Simons with great enthusiasm and appeared to accept Dominic and the others, but he could sense their doubt and curiosity about the reason for their presence.
Now they had finally arrived at Baiyueh, they could at least decide what to do next. Ardhuin was scanning the crowd, and while her illusion maintained an even expression, he could see her real face looked worried.
“Do you see anything?” She shaded her eyes with one hand.
He shook his head. No sign of geasi, or of any other strong magic. Markus had placed himself in an alcove of a stone building near the train station and was also warily alert—and was using avoidance magic to conceal himself.
Bové appeared, and Dominic made his way over to him.
“We need to hire pack animals,” he said when Dominic asked his plans. “I hired our riding horses in Kiantan, because the ones here are bad. We’ll need camels to carry the gear, though. Oxen and carts would be cheaper, but they are slower and the carts break down too often where we are headed. Bad roads. Grangier will see to the animals. I have to go see the anban about our travel papers. We should be able to leave tomorrow morning. We’ve made better time than I hoped.” He nodded to Dominic before moving away to speak to Grangier.
“Camels, again?” Ardhuin had come up beside him. “Gutrune will not be pleased.”
“These look different.” They were not as leggy as the ones in Geapt and had shaggier hair.
“They look smarter and just as ill–tempered. I suppose I should…oh, there she is.”
Dominic looked about as if he were a dazed foreigner and saw Gutrune and Stoller making their way through the crowd. By pretending to be jostled out of the way, he and Ardhuin managed to end up beside them. A brief flare of magic told him the sound barrier was in place, and he quickly explained the new difficulties. “We should travel together from now on. Going the same route will be hard to conceal anyway, with fewer travelers.”
Gutrune continued to watch the crowd unobtrusively, and her usually calm expression seemed grim. “Very true. At the moment I am more concerned about the number of soldiers about. They seem to be harassing people for no reason.”
“Oh, they have a reason,” Stoller muttered. “They’re shaking ’em down. And that one, over by the gate? Pretty sure he’s an officer, and he lets it happen. We’d best get well away. I don’t like the feel of this.”
The horses were unloaded by now, and Ardhuin noticed the soldiers beginning to look that direction. If Bové had needed to import good riding horses to this location, they would attract notice. She couldn’t just shield them all with avoidance magic now that the soldiers were focused on the horses—she needed to distract them with something else first.
The man with the stacked duck cages walked by, and she brightened. After being pecked by one of his ducks for ten hours, she deserved a little revenge. “Stay close, and get ready to get the horses,” she whispered. And then she sent a sharp, quick burst of magic.
The duck cages suddenly fell to the ground, the line holding them to the pole frayed and broken. Angry quacking multiplied, and a flock of frightened ducks flapped and struggled through the crowd, followed by the shouting duck man, who did not notice none of the cages had actually opened. While he and others chased illusionary ducks, the soldiers’ attention was diverted and they laughed, pointing at the scene.
Only then did Ardhuin use a light casting of aversion, with another layer of illusion to make the horses look shabby and tired.
She grabbed the lead rope of one horse. “Where do we take them?”
Bové, looking confused, pointed. “There’s an inn down that road. The camels should already be there. I’m off to see the anban about our travel stamps now, if you’ve got the horses and baggage.”
Dominic winced. “Oh, damn, the baggage. Simons, can you get that?”
“Yes, yes, but these greedy porters want ten yuer just to go the length of the street! It’s highway robbery!” he protested.
“Pay them twice that if they get it out before the soldiers come back,” Markus hissed. “This is not a good time to be a difficult foreigner—haven’t you noticed? They were about to take the horses. Now get moving!”
They managed to get to the inn without being stopped, but only because Ardhuin caused more distractions and in one case arranged for a runaway cow.
“This isn’t really going to help.” Dominic panted with effort as he brought the last horse in to the courtyard of the inn. “The soldiers will be able to find us here easily.”
“If they are looking for us, yes,” Markus said, peering out the gate to the street. “I had the impression they were mostly throwing their weight around and looking for bribes.”
Sonam had been silent and somber ever since the train had stopped, but now he spoke up. “I heard them speaking of rebels. They are set to watch the rail line, to make sure it is not sabotaged.”
“So, they might not go out of their way to bother us.” Dominic grimaced. “If our luck holds.”
“If we have luck, Herr Bové will return quickly with the permits and we can leave today,” Gutrune said.
Markus glanced back, then returned to his scrutiny of the street. “I see him now—and his expression is not propitious.”
Bové was, in fact, furious. “No permits. The anban refused to even see me! It’s not for him to say yes or no to our travel—the permit simply records our route. I’ve been coming here for over seven years and I’ve never been treated like this.”
“What do you plan to do?” Markus asked.
Bové threw up his hands explosively, making the horses start and toss their heads. “I don’t know. Perhaps I should talk to the judge—he’s known me for years. Maybe he can explain what is going on. I don’t like it,” he said, looking out into the courtyard. “I thought it would be quieter out here, away from the city, but it looks like it’s getting bad all over. And if they start fighting…”
“But there are soldiers here,” Ardhuin blurted, feeling shaky. What were they doing in the middle of a revolution?
“Whose soldiers?” Bové said cynically. “That’s the problem. If they are the provincial governor’s, and he’s loyal to the emperor, they might enforce the law and accept our passes. At least as far as the town gate. There’s a general in charge of the border based near here, and his troops. Past that it’s local warlords and bandits and forces loyal to the other governors that have decided maybe the emperor should be removed. The anban has his own police force, and they may be at odds with the government forces. Maybe he just wants a bribe,” he added gloomily. “Or thinks we have weapons he can confiscate. Aerope limits the amount of modern rifles sold to Cathai, so they are much in demand. Hey, Grangier, Pichon. Hide half the pistols and all but two of the rifles in with the supplies, and don’t forget the cartridges.”
“Only two?”
Bové grimaced. “They know we have them, but not how many. Losing one or two is acceptable if we can get out of here. I’m going to try the judge now. Stay here and keep a low profile.” He strode out into the sun and dust.
“I’m thinking we should hide a few items of our own,” Dominic said. “Suitably disguised.”
Moving quickly, Ardhuin and the others gathered all items that might be deemed suspicious, including Gutrune’s three–barreled rifle and other weapons. Removing bags of sugar and flour from the crates, she illusioned the hidden items to blend in and cast another illusion on the removed supplies that went to take up space in their luggage, so they looked like innocent items. Sonam burned a series of random–seeming dots on the crates so they could find their equipment again.
As she worked, Ardhuin was aware of a growing noise
coming from the street.
“There’s a squad of men coming this way, with sticks,” Stoller reported after going to take a look. “I don’t like the look of them.”
“There is not time to run,” Gutrune said. “If it is a squad and not a mob, someone still has control. I suggest that most of us remain in the open to deal with these people, but that one or two stay concealed as an emergency reserve.”
Dominic’s face was pale, and he was breathing fast. “Sonam. He’s the only one of us who understands Cathan. And—”
“Gutrune,” Ardhuin said. He looked at her, startled and beginning to protest. “She’s better at this, Dominic. We can’t all hide. Besides, they might not be looking for her and Stoller. I’ll disguise Stoller as Sonam and vice versa.”
He still didn’t look happy about it, but the men in uniform were already entering the courtyard. She did the illusion and a heavy dose of aversion before levitating them to the upper rafters of the stable. Suddenly the door slammed open and the stable was full of angry, shouting men. One of them looked at each of the expedition members in turn, and Ardhuin was suddenly very glad she had disguised Stoller. They were pushed and prodded out into the courtyard. The few Cathans were allowed to remain, but all the expedition members were escorted out of the inn and, after a long walk in the sun, to a large stone building near the center of the town.
There, they were unceremoniously shoved into a large room with a few tiny, barred windows and an iron–bound door. The only light came from the windows, but it was enough to show Bové seated on a rough wooden bench.
He looked up, his expression resigned and weary. “Well, so much for that. It turns out the judge was found politically inconvenient and imprisoned by the governor. Had I known that, I would not have claimed he was a friend of mine. I’m afraid we’re in a bit of a sticky situation, fellows.”
“Your original plan of bribery won’t work?” Markus inquired.
Dragonhunters Page 17
