Her lips twisted. She finally laughed, and the tension went from her body and her eyes. “All right, M’Baddah, you win! They’re ready. Let’sget these two safely inside the Keep.”
He patted her shoulder and moved onto the road to signal the guard in.
“Anything, M’Whan?” he asked as the rider drew close.
“No, Father.”
He also wore red and black painted armor and carried a shortbow at the ready. M’Baddah’s son, M’Whan, was a paler, younger copy of hisfather, at least physically. He had only joined them two journeys before, and to Eddis he still seemed shy or unsure whether he belonged with them. For a while, she hadn’t been sure of that either, but it was a small enough favor to grantM’Baddah. The older man had traveled with her from the first and had provenhimself invaluable. M’Whan was still quiet, but he was an accurate archer, askilled swordsman, a good hunter, and nearly as keen-eyed a tracker as his father.
The priest and his novice were waiting quietly where the Keep road branched. Eddis and M’Baddah mounted and got the company on the move onceagain. At her gesture, M’Whan took the lead, and she and the older guard droppedback behind the clients. The swordswoman chuckled quietly.
“Thank you, M’Baddah.”
He smiled and sketched a bow.
“You know,” she added thoughtfully, “when I first hired you,I knew I was getting a good tracker and fighter- and, I hoped, an all-right cook.I didn’t realize how useful you’d be at breaking bad moods. Mine especially.”
He raised one eyebrow-a trick Eddis found mildly annoyingsince she couldn’t do it. “Bad-? Oh, I see. This temper, you mean. But, youcould easily learn to do a shift-mood yourself, if you chose, my Eddis. You breathe deeply, from the gut, and with each breath, the four words-”
“No,” she said firmly. “Thank you, but I am
They were quiet for some moments. Eddis laid a hand on his forearm. “Sorry,my friend. Everything I’ve said to you today has been rude or angry or both. I’mgrateful you’ve stayed with me.”
“It pleases me to stay with you.” M’Baddah loosened his gripon the reins as the road began to climb.
M’Whan slowed the pace to a walk, partly for the comfort ofthe clients, but mostly so he could keep a sharp eye out as the rock walls closed in and the road began to twist its way up the steep cliff. A few turns on, there wasn’t much chance of an ambush because the Keep guards could see justabout everything, though Eddis made sure
The way was narrow here, just wide enough for a cart and a rider, and there were massive boulders and rock piles everywhere. She shoved her boots deeper into the stirrups and drew back on the reins as the wretched Feather began easing to the right-and the drop-off. The road was at its steepesthere, and she didn’t like it much at the best of times.
“We are nearly out of this,” M’Baddah reminded her. “Thisswitchback and the next, and then it is nothing. And I will switch sides with you now, if you like.”
She nodded and drew a relieved breath when he and his placid mare settled in next to her again. Heights weren’t the problem, but the horse…
She ducked and threw up an arm to shield her head as a hail of small stones clattered down the slope, bouncing off the road, her head, and her forearm. Startled, Feather plunged sideways and tried to rear, but M’Baddahhauled him down before turning his own mount and urging it a few paces downhill where he could look for the source of the slide. M’Whan’s startled, wordless crybrought him back around and stopped him cold.
Two large men had come from between piles of stone and stood mid-road a few paces ahead of him, effectively cutting off their progress. One held a crossbow, the other a heavy, two-handed battle-axe. The young guard froze as the crossbow veered his way. The priest and novice eased left, against the cliff face, dragging the packhorse with them.
From somewhere above Eddis, a third man called down, “That’sright, all of ye! Stay nice and still-and quiet! — and no one’ll die! No tricks,any of you, or y’all die!”
M’Baddah held out a warning hand as Eddis glanced his way andfelt for her sword.
“You! Skinny lad in the rear, I see that! Hand away from theblade, mow.”
Eddis scowled, hand still hovering, but M’Baddah said, “He isalmost straight above you, my Eddis, and he has a stone in his hands-a largeone.”
She spread one hand across her leg, signaling “Stay ready.”The brute high above her rumbled a threat, and Eddis spread her hands as wide as she dared without letting go the reins. The horse was acting up, tight as she held him.
“You settle that horse down there, boy!” the man overheadsnapped. “No tricks, I said!”
“Come steady him yourself!” Eddis snarled and looked up.Three man-lengths above her, a bear of a man in rusty armor straddled a slab of rock, easily hefting a boulder that would crush her, if he dropped it. His eyes went wide.
“You’re no lad!”
“Bright man,” Eddis replied steadily. “Except you’ve pickedthe wrong place to rob people.”
“Would be,” the man with the crossbow said, “if we planned ontaking our time.” He stepped forward, eyes shifting to the priest. “We won’t.You-priest. Just hand over that box
The priest eyed him coldly.
“Or we’ll kill you all and take it anyway.”
The bandit gasped in pain, one of M’Whan’s hidden daggersdeep in his forearm. The crossbow twanged loudly. Eddis tightened her grip on the reins and threw herself flat on Feather’s neck as the quarrel sang throughthe air unnervingly close.
M’Baddah caught his breath sharply, came up behind Eddis, andslapped her horse on the rump, sending it jerking forward. The crossbowman’sweapon fell from suddenly limp hands, as he staggered back, M’Whan’s seconddagger buried to the hilt in his throat.
Eddis spurred up the road, drawing her sword. She and M’Baddah veered around the huddle of priests. Feather leaped again, nearlyunseating Eddis as the boulder shattered on the road just behind them. M’Whanhad already turned partway around in the saddle, a word steadying his well-trained horse as he drew his bow down on the man high on the ledge. M’Baddah and Eddis rode straight for the axeman, who stared blankly at hisfallen companion.
She sliced at his head as she rode past, and he winced back from her-into M’Baddah’s wickedly sharp, curved sword.
It took her a moment to get Feather under control and turned. The crossbow wielder lay still, and M’Baddah was dismounting rather stiffly toretrieve his sword from the dying axeman. Up on the rocks, the brute clutched his shoulder, where one of M’Whan’s yellow-fletched arrows wobbled between hisfingers, a dagger’s worth of the shaft in his arm. He turned and staggered outof sight.
Eddis rode down to where the clients still huddled against the cliff “It’s all right, you’re safe and so is your bundle. Let’s go, now.”
The novice clutched his saddlebow and closed his eyes. He looked sick. The priest merely nodded and tugged at the youth’s reins to get allthree animals moving. She let them pass, caught up to M’Baddah and his son.M’Whan was off his horse staring at his father.
“Father, you’re wounded!” When he reached out, M’Baddahpushed his hands aside.
“It is nothing much, my son. Leave it. You can tend it for meonce we reach the Keep walls and the inn.”
It was Eddis’ turn to stare. A trickle of blood ran downM’Baddah’s leg. He held a short, pale quarrel in one hand, but the tip and afinger’s worth of shaft were dark with his blood. “You broke the man’s aim. Whatmight have been painful is merely a scrape.” Before M’Whan could protestfurther, the older man mounted. “Let us get these priests safely inside thegates.”
“These men-” M’Whan began. He sounded dazed, and his face waswhite.
Eddis shook her head. “Leave the bodies. Your father isright. The priests are our concern now.” And your father, she thought.
The younger man pulled himself together, nodded, remounted, and dropped back to take rearguard behind
