'Right enough -- one -- ' The scout freed her right hand from the reins to hold up a solemn finger. ' -- is the trail. Shale shifts, cracks. We're riding after all the rest, and we'll be making the last few furlongs in early evening gloom. This path has been getting some hard usage, more than it usually gets. If the trail is likely to give, it'll give under us. You'll notice we're all of us the best riders, and the ones with the best horses in the Hawks.'
Kethry considered this, as Hellsbane topped the hill and picked her cautious way down the sloping trail. 'Hmm-hmm. All right, can we halt at the next ridge? There's a very tiny bit of magery I can work that might help us out with that.'
Jodi pursed her lips. ''Ts that wise?'
Kethry nodded, slowly. 'It's a very low-level piece of earth-witchery; something even a shepherd wise-woman might well know. I don't think any of Kelcrag's mages is likely to take note of it -- assuming they can even see it, and I doubt they will. It's witchery, not sorcery, and Kelcrag's magickers are all courtly mages, greater and lesser. My school is more eclectic; we use whatever comes to hand, and that can be damned useful -- somebody looking for High Magick probably won't see Low, or think it's worth investigating. After all, what does Kelcrag need to fear from a peasant granny?'
Jodi considered that for a moment, her head held slightly to one side. 'Tell me, why is it that jiles and Oreden have gotten so much better since you've been with us?'
Kethry chuckled, but it was with a hint of sadness. It had been very hard to convince the hedge-wizards that their abilities did not match their dreams. 'You want the truth? Their talents are all in line with Low Magick; earth- witchery, that sort of thing. I convinced them that there's nothing wrong with that, asked them which they'd rather ride, a good, steady trail-horse or your fire-eater. They aren't stupid; they saw right away what I was getting at.' She set Hellsbane at the next slope, her hooves dislodging bits of shale and sending them clattering down behind them. 'So now that they aren't trying to master spells they haven't the Talent to use properly, they're doing fine. Frankly, I would rather have them with us than two of those courtly mages. Water-finding is a lot more use than calling lightning, and the fire-making spell does us more good than the ability to light up a ballroom.'
'You won't catch me arguing. So what's this magic of yours going to do?'
'Show me the weak spots in the trail. If there's something ready to give, I'll know about it before it goes.'
'And?'
'I should be able to invoke a greater magic at that point, and hold the pieces together long enough for us to get across.'
'Won't that draw attention?'
'It would,' Kethry replied slowly, 'if I did what a court mage would do, and draw on powers outside myself -- which causes ripples; no, I have just enough power of my own, and that's what I'll use. There won't be any stir on the other planes....' But it's going to cost me if I do things that way. Maybe high. Well, I'll handle that when the time conies. 'You said one reason we're riding tailmost-that implies there's more reasons.'
'Two -- we're tailguards in truth. We could find ourselves fighting hand to hand with Kelcrag's scouts or his mages. They haven't detected us that we know of, but there's no sense in assuming less than the worst.'
'So long as they don't outnumber us -- I'm not exactly as helpless in a fight as Tresti.' She caught the cloud of uncertainty in Jodi's pale blue eyes, and said, surprised, 'I thought everybody knew about this sword of mine.'
'There's stories, but frankly, lady -- '
'Keth. I, as Tarma would tell you, am no lady.'
That brought a glimmer of smile. 'Keth, then. Well, none of US have ever seen that blade do anything but heal.'
'Need's better at causing wounds than curing them, at least in my hands,' Kethry told her. 'That's her gift to me; in a fight, she makes a mage the equal of any Swordswoman born. If it comes to magic, though, she's pretty well useless for my purposes -- it's to a fighter she gives magic immunity. But -- I'll tell you what, I've got a notion. If it comes to battle by magery, I'll try and get her to you before I get involved in a duel arcane; she'll shield you from even a godling's magic. Tarma proved that, once. She may even be able to shield more than one, if you all crowd together.'
There was a Hash of interest at that, and a hint of relief. 'Then I think I'll worry less about you. Well_there's a reason three that we're riding tail: if we find we've ridden straight into ambush at trail's end, we're the lot that's got the best chance of getting one of us back to tell Leamount.'
'Gah. Grim reasons, all of them -- can we stop here for a breath or two?'
They had just topped a ridge, with sufficient space between them and the next in line that a few moments spent halted wouldn't hamper his progress any. Jodi looked about her, grimaced, then nodded with reluctance. 'A bit exposed to my mind, but -- '
