CHAPTER 8
Nai looked in the direction from which the winged daemon had come. The awkward little thing was warm, but entirely motionless; it felt odd sitting on his hand. Its wings hung limply over the sides as though it were dead.
Images blossomed in Nai’s mind: dark snapshots of the Land around them and the creatures that walked it. Here and there he saw distortions, uncomfortable blurs of darkness he guessed were daemon-spirits on the border between realms. Further in the distance were pinpricks of light, farmsteads and villages, all hiding behind a haze of enchantments thrown up by witches and minor mages, hastily done and of varying degrees of effectiveness.
Beside him Nai sensed the large presence of Amber. The big Menin didn’t speak; he knew to let Nai finish before questioning him. It wasn’t clear whether Amber fully comprehended his new situation, but Nai saw no reason to press the matter. Amber understood the journey, the simple purpose of travelling, and he appeared content to take refuge in that while his mind recovered. Taking Nai’s orders was easier than remembering what he’d lost, whether or not they were headed towards the man who had nearly broken Amber’s mind.
‘Amber,’ Nai said eventually, ‘the daemon has seen another traveller.’
‘Menin?’
‘I doubt it; it’s a woman, and a strange one at that.’
‘How?’
‘There is some trace of the Gods on her, but a daemon too. But she’s safe from what we’re keen to avoid: her soul is owned already, and nothing out here intends to compete.’
‘Necromancer?’
‘No, Amber, I don’t think so, but you never know your luck,’ Nai said, at last turning to face him.
A thick growth of white-streaked stubble highlighted the biggest of the scars on Amber’s cheek, a sword-cut. His expression was taut, the face of a man anticipating pain. His loss of both of his life’s purpose as well as his name loomed large, always poised to descend on him again.
‘Let’s go and find out,’ Nai said at last.
Alterr was bright, and they were travelling through open pastureland for the main. With the small daemon to guide them the pair moved quickly.
‘She’s near,’ Nai said less than an hour later, pointing to a humped rise studded with boulders. They followed a rabbit run, the closest thing they had seen to a path all day, and on the other side Nai motioned for them to move more cautiously.
Amber instinctively reached for his sword, but Nai grabbed his arm before he could draw it. ‘We’re not here to fight,’ he whispered. ‘You might provoke her into shooting you if she’s got a bow.’
Fifty yards past the rise they smelled smoke on the breeze: a small fire was burning somewhere nearby, though it was currently hidden from view somewhere in the small copses of silver-leaved ash and young oaks that dotted the ground. They could see nothing in the shadows, but anyone who was surviving out here on their own was more than likely aware of their presence already, Nai mused. They moved slowly, carefully, until at last they spotted an orange glow reflecting off the surrounding tree-trunks, though Nai rightly guessed the fireside would be empty.
He motioned for Amber to wait for him and went on ahead. After a dozen more paces a voice called out from the darkness off to his right, ‘That’s far enough. Who are you?’
Nai froze as he turned to face the blank shadows: she’d spoken in Farlan, and something about her voice was familiar. A woman out in the wilds alone, smelling of Gods, most likely indicated a devotee of the Lady, but the daemon’s touch narrowed the field hugely.
‘A traveller, like yourself,’ he ventured.
‘You don’t look much like me.’
‘But maybe you recognise me all the same?’ He explained, ‘I’m a mage, I did a bit of scouting the ground and found you out here, wearing the perfume of Gods and — ah, something else. If you are Farlan and were once a devotee of the Lady, it might be that once we met.’
‘Go on,’ she prompted as he paused.
‘Were you once employed by the Certinse family, or perhaps the Tenash?’ he asked.
A shape appeared from the darkness: a muscular young woman with short hair, wearing a scowl of contempt. ‘Fucking necromancers,’ she said at last, ‘you really are like cockroaches.’ She did have a crossbow to hand, but she pointed the weapon at the ground.
Nai gave a little bow. He was used to the scorn; it came with the territory, and he’d found a little self- directed humour worked far better than his former master’s disdain. ‘We are an adaptive breed, I like to think. Am I right in thinking we’ve met before, then?’
‘Aye, you were Isherin Purn’s servant — the one with the weird feet, right? I remember some about you too. Your name’s Nai?’
‘Indeed. I trust everything you heard was delightful and complimentary?’ Nai said with a grin, easily falling back into his obsequious, I am harmless routine.
‘Cockroach summed it up pretty well actually.’ She looked past him to where Amber was standing. ‘Who’s this one?’
‘My companion’s name is Amber. Might I know your name?’ He wasn’t positive, but he thought perhaps the woman’s grip on her crossbow had tightened at the mention of the Menin major’s name.
‘My name’s Ardela, and as it happens, I’ve heard of both of you. Seems we’re both heading out of Byora at the same time, and probably for the same reason.’
‘The regrettable change in leadership?’
Ardela snorted. ‘Not my reason, but your friend’s Menin so I’m guessing there are people in Byora who’d be keen to kill us both — perhaps all three of us, since your lot are rarely welcome anywhere, necromancer.’
‘Need I point out the circumstances of our first meeting? I don’t think you should get so comfortable up there on your moral high ground.’
For a moment a look of pure, savage anger crossed her face and in that instant Nai imagined the thump of a quarrel hitting his stomach. He actually took a pace back before he caught himself.
‘Don’t push me.’
A brief crackle of energy danced across Nai’s callused knuckles. ‘Good advice for us all,’ he said coldly, before pointedly dismissing the magic at his command.
Ardela stared at him for a long while, then nodded. ‘Aye, maybe. So in the spirit of sharing, how about you tell me why you’re heading west when, if there’s anything left of the Menin armies, they’ll be retreating in the other direction.’
‘First things first,’ Nai said. He moved a little closer and lowered his voice. ‘My companion isn’t quite the man he used to be. I would appreciate it if you didn’t mention whatever happened out west, or any effects of a spell that might have been done.’
Ardela said thoughtfully, ‘Grieving his lord?’
‘It is rather more than that,’ he said, wincing. ‘In that army men are allowed to use an alternative name if theirs might be associated with some family shame, or if it might attract attention because of being named after some distant relation.’
Ardela’s eyes widened. ‘Damn,’ she said eventually, ‘that must have hurt.’ She stared at Amber, who was just far enough away not to be able to hear their words.
‘The Gods themselves reaching into your mind and tearing out your name? Yes, I suspect it might have. In any case, his mind is still fragile. I have worked hard to salvage it, and I would prefer that not to be undone.’ Nai hesitated and glanced at her cross-bow a moment before continuing, ‘In answer to your question, I’m taking him west to King Emin, whom I hope is your ally.’
‘And if he had turned out to be something different?’ Ardela asked. ‘You risked a bolt in the belly there.’
‘If your allegiance had lain elsewhere, your bow-string would have snapped before you could aim it; trust me on that.’ Nai smiled unpleasantly at her. ‘As it is, I’m guessing the delightful Legana told you about us. She’s met us both, and whatever your past — ah, exploits, they still took place within the Farlan sphere. If there were other walkers in the dark involved in events, I’d know about it — indeed, I’d most likely be on their side.’
Ardela frowned. ‘You’re selling him like a piece of meat? Can’t say I’m surprised, but I don’t see why the king will care enough to buy.’
