Sword of Ice and Other Tales of Valdemar

The puddles widened, until Inya had to veer into the woods to get around them. She lost track of how long she walked.

Then she saw that the sky had turned from black to dark gray. It was almost morning. The very thought made her tired. She stopped to rest, wondering how much farther Mariel had gone.

The gray sky lightened; a thin band of color appeared along the horizon. Birds chirped across the treetops. There was another animal, too, farther away, but Inya couldn't hear it as well. It made a low sound, more like a cry than anything else.

A child's cry.

Fear tingled down Inya's spine. 'Mariel!' She took off upstream at a run.

Her legs protested, but she ignored the pain, shut it away to deal with later. In the growing light she saw that the ground had turned uneven. In spots the water surrounded small islands of land.

She found Mariel on one of those islands.

The girl stared at the water, eyes wide. Her clothes were rumpled and muddy, as if she'd slept on the damp ground. The water wasn't very wide, but it was still— and therefore deep.

'Grandma!' Mariel looked up, red-eyed. 'I fell asleep. There wasn't any water when I fell asleep.'

Inya wanted to reach out and hug her. Instead she just called out, 'I'm here, Mariel,' as calmly as she could. A distant corner of her mind wondered where the Companion had gone. She'd worry about that later, after she got Mariel off the island.

'You'll have to swim. You can throw your shoes across to me first; that'll make it easier.'

'I can't.' Mariel choked on a sob.

'Of course you can. I'll be right here, waiting for you.'

'No.' Mariel began to cry. 'I can't swim. I don't know how.'

For a moment Inya didn't believe her; she was sure she'd taught Mariel to swim herself. But no, Anara was the child she'd taught. She'd assumed Anara had taught her children in turn.

Inya might be able swim to the island herself, but she couldn't make it back, not while carrying someone. And the damp logs on the ground were too soft and slippery to walk across.

In the distance, the dappled horse let out a nervous nicker. If the horse could swim, it could carry them both across, but the mare had a terror of water that no one had broken.

'Grandma?' Mariel shivered, drawing her arms around herself. Inya felt cold too—frozen, unable to move, unable to think what to do next.

Her skull tingled. There was a sudden flash of sapphire, bright and deep, gone before Inya was certain she saw it. The sky was gray, with pale streaks where the light filtered through.

Somehow, that flash of blue unfroze her, allowed her to think again. She couldn't use the dappled mare, but maybe she could call someone else. Someone who had no right to have left Mariel in the first place, but she'd worry about that later.

:Thea.: Inya didn't know where the name came from, but she knew it was right. :Thea, 1 call you.:

For a moment the air was still, the birds in the tree-tops silent. Then Inya heard a sound—like a nicker, only higher, lighter, more graceful. Hoofs hit the dirt lightly, with only the faintest whisper of noise.

And the Companion stood before her. Mud splattered her saddle, but the white coat was bright. Beneath the

overcast sky, the creature seemed to glow. And her eyes—

No, Inya wouldn't look into her eyes. She wanted to be able to let her go when she was through.

The Companion snorted, pawing one foot against the ground. She almost seemed impatient.

All right, then. :Thea. You're the one who left Mariel stranded. Now you're going to help get her out.:

:I did not leave her. She ran away on her own. I only followed because I was worried about her safety.: But Thea knelt, inviting Inya to mount.

The Companion was larger than the dappled horse, and wider; Inya's hips stretched painfully across the saddle. Yet Thea moved more smoothly than any horse; when she stepped forward, Inya barely felt the motion.

She almost didn't notice when Thea stepped into the water, not until the water came up to her feet and soaked through her breeches. Water sloshed over the saddle, and the Companion used her strong legs to swim. Inya clutched the wet mane, drew her legs more tightly around the saddle.

Then the water turned shallow again. Thea stepped up onto dry land, and Inya shivered as the air hit her wet clothes.

'Grandma!'

Inya eased her way out of the saddle and took Mariel in her arms.

'She wouldn't take me,' Mariel sobbed. She buried her face in Inya's shoulder. 'She was in the barn, and you didn't want her anyway, but she wouldn't take me.'

Inya whirled to face the Companion, glaring. 'How dare you get a child's hopes up like that? How dare you follow her this far and not Choose her? You lied to her, that's what you did!'

:No. I never claimed to Choose her, though she begged me to. I did not know my presence on the farm would bother her so. I did not know she would run away. I went after her, but I could not persuade her to return.:

:So Choose her now. It's not too late.:

:No. I Choose you.:

:Damn you!: Inya turned away, facing Mariel again. :She's still young—young enough for a child's adventures. She has an entire life in front of her.:

:There is no right or wrong age for such things.:

Inya laughed, a bitter sound. :You don't know much about the responsibilities that come with adulthood, then. Or about the ailments that come with old age.:

Thea snorted. .7 know that you've had the strength to keep your family together, through death and hard times. You've had the strength, too, to travel through the night, steadily and in spite of pain, to rescue a child. These are not small virtues. They are virtues that would serve a Herald well.:

:That's not enough,: Inya said.

The Companion stamped a foot; it squished against the mud. .7 know, also, that you're more sensible than a child would be. You packed extra supplies, made sure you stopped to rest before you collapsed from exhaustion. You would never die for the stupid reasons young people die. Your age makes you more likely to be taken seriously, too, in negotiations and other diplomatic matters. There are a thousand reasons. Need I list them all?:

Inya felt anger again, not for Mariel's sake, but for her own. She brushed hot tears aside with one hand. :Why in all the Havens didn't you come sooner? Why didn't you come when I could still leave?:

Thea came up behind Inya, leaning a silky muzzle against her neck. Inya turned to look at the Companion.

And made the mistake of meeting her eyes. She felt herself falling, drowning in a field of endless sapphire blue.

.7 Choose you. Don't you understand? Now neither of us will ever be alone.:

.7 need to take care of Jory and the children. I can't just follow you away.: She knew, though, that Jory would welcome the chance to move to the City. And the villagers would hardly notice they were gone.

.7 couldn't come sooner. I was not yet in this world, and then I was too young. I've come now. Will you have me?:

Inya took a deep breath. Her next words surprised her. 'I don't know.'

'Don't know what, Grandma?'

Inya looked down to see Mariel staring at her. She hadn't realized she'd spoken aloud.

.7 can wait while you decide.: