'That's right, Mujar don't do anything. They sit around and pick through Truemen's garbage like the stinking yellow dogs they are. Or at least they used to, until we threw them all in the Pits.'
'You can't goad me.'
'No, Mujar have no feelings. You're no better than damned animals.'
Chanter continued to retreat, shaking his head. Arrin, apparently incensed by his calm demeanour, charged, the stone raised. Chanter stepped aside, letting the boy stumble past. Arrin swung back and lunged at him again. As he avoided the boy's clumsy rush, Chanter glanced at the sky and realised that he was running out of time. Dawn's first rosy streaks gilded the clouds, and birds awakened to greet the day with shy songs. Arrin turned to make his third charge, and Chanter invoked Dolana.
The air froze in a deathly hush for an instant, then roots shot from the earth to twine around the boy's ankles. He fell with a yell, dropped the stone and twisted to claw at the roots. More shot up to encircle his thighs and torso, pinning his arms. He shouted threats as the woody trap held him to the leafy ground.
Chanter stood over him. 'I'll return for you as soon as I can.'
Arrin glared up at him. 'You yellow bastard! Let me go!'
The air filled with a sweet haze of Shissar, the soft sounds of water accompanying its misty wetness. A line of frost whitened the ground around the boy, and a ring of ice formed.
Arrin stopped struggling. 'What are you doing?'
'Making sure the wolves don't eat you.'
'Let me go, you scum!'
The ice wall thickened and grew, created with moisture drawn from the air and soil to form a slippery barrier. Arrin cursed and squirmed. The ice circle was just large enough to contain the boy, for Chanter did not plan to be away for long. Its lack of size meant that it formed fairly rapidly once it gained momentum, aided by water from the stream. When the wall had risen well above the Mujar's head, he walked away, leaving the boy writhing in futile fury.
Arrin's shouts rang through the forest, becoming more venomous as he realised that he was alone, bound and helpless. Chanter knew that fear played a major role in Arrin's hatred, as with all Lowmen. His father had taught him well, if incorrectly. The Mujar invoked Ashmar and transformed into a raven to wing away on broad wings. The roots would release Arrin as Chanter's loss of contact with the ground broke his grip on Dolana, but the boy would still be imprisoned within the wall of ice.
Talsy paced the cell, her stomach rumbling. She chafed her chilly arms, longing for Chanter to come for her. It seemed like hours that she had waited in the cold, clammy room, but time was impossible to judge except by her growing hunger. As soon as they had left her alone, she had hidden the ruby in her most private recess. They had not searched her yet, but they still might. She rubbed her throbbing temples to try to ease the pain, doubtless brought on by tiredness and tension. Her anxiety made it impossible to sleep. The tallow candle gave off flickering light and a nasty smell.
The cell door rattled, making her jump. It swung inwards with a screech of rusty hinges, admitting a flood of light. Talsy squinted at the two soldiers who gripped her arms and marched her out. The granite-faced guards searched her with rough hands, taking her money pouch. They dragged her along several gloomy, damp corridors that periodic, sputtering torches lighted and up a flight of steps into a room that a profusion of candles and lamps made bright. Three high-ranking officers, judging by their gold-ornamented, royal blue uniforms, brass buttons, crisp white shirts and shiny black calf boots, stood with a tall, black-garbed man, who might have been handsome if not for a bony nose. They studied her as if she was a strange animal, and she lifted her chin to glare at them. The windowless room smelt of musty straw and dried blood. Rusty chains on the walls suggested that it was a torture chamber.
'That's her. That's the one.'
Talsy turned at the sound of a familiar voice. The sea captain stepped from behind a bank of candles, his cold eyes raking her. The guards prevented her from backing away as he approached, his cruel mouth twisted into a nasty smirk.
'I knew there was something fishy about her. She had a tame gull, and it followed the ship, even roosted on the mast.' He turned to address the black-clad man. 'After she fell overboard, a terrible storm came up. The wind turned right around and blew against us. And here she is, alive and well when she should have drowned.'
'I almost did, you bastard!' Talsy shouted.
'How did you get ashore?' The soft question came from the man in black, whom she guessed was one of the King’s advisors.
'I swam.'
The captain snorted. 'No one could have swum that far.'
'I did.'
The advisor said, 'You got here before the ship did, so you must be quite a good swimmer. Then you came to the barracks to see your so-called cousin, whom a Mujar tried to free the day before. Now he's gone, the ropes that bound him burnt. Odd, isn't it?'
'I don't know any damned Mujar!'
'Come now, why lie to me? He's not worth it, my dear. You're one of his clan, aren't you? That's why he protects you.'
'No.'
He smiled. 'My king wishes to reward the Mujar further for saving his son, that's all. You have nothing to fear.'
'Well good, if I see the Mujar, I'll tell him. I'm sure the news will delight him.'
'You think you're clever, don't you?' He turned to stare across the room with a preoccupied air. 'I don't need any more proof to order your torture, you know. And it won't even matter whether or not you tell the truth, because if you are the Mujar girl, he'll come for you, and if you're not, it won't matter to me.'
'She's the one,' the captain said. 'That storm almost sank my ship. It'll cost me a fortune to repair the sails. How else could she have got here?'
The advisor held up a hand. 'I know. The wind was caused by the Mujar hurrying back to help her after he healed the Prince. A noble act on his part, I might add.'
'Then why didn't you release Arrin?' Talsy demanded.
'Ah.' He beamed at her, turning to bask in the approval of the officers, who nodded and smiled at his cleverness.
One clapped him on the shoulder. 'Good work, Yusan, the King will be pleased.'
Yusan looked smug. 'So, you are with the Mujar.'
Talsy cursed herself for falling into such a stupid, obvious trap, and tried to rectify her mistake. 'I didn't say that. The officer told me he thought Arrin was a Mujar lover, and that one had tried to release him. It's not that hard to work out.'
'Very clever,' Yusan congratulated her. 'But, unless I miss my guess, the Mujar will come for you, and then we'll have him.'
Realising that denying it further would be useless, she tried another tactic. 'If you think he's stupid enough to fall into this trap, you're the one who's really dumb.'
'But I know Mujar, and what clan bond means. You must have protection or aid as part of your bargain, or he wouldn't have rescued you. He must fulfil his clan bond, my dear. Is Arrin also part of the clan?'
'No,' Talsy denied. 'Nor is protection part of the bargain. I know more about Mujar than you, and I'm telling you he won't come for me.'
'Oh, but he will.' He smiled and gestured to the guards. 'Bring her to the sun room, we will summon him now.'
The officers filed out, muttering, and the captain's smug smile faded as he realised that his usefulness was over. Yusan dropped a couple of coins into his hand as he passed, dismissing him. Talsy tried to kick the guards as they dragged her after him, but they merely tightened their grip.
They left the dull, brown stone dungeons and entered a shiny white palace through a narrow corridor. Fluted pillars supported a high ceiling covered with murals of battle and woodland scenes, and potted plants basked in the sunlight that poured in through skylights. A variety of podgy statues, presumably of prior kings, smirked in niches, while haughty portraits stared down from the walls. The guards' boots rang on polished marble floors, and hers
