how to kill. But Joss, for all his careless charm and his flirting ways and — so it was whispered — a tendency to drink too much, had the gaze of a man whose honesty could not be bought or bargained with. He would walk with you every step of the way, until you crossed his line.
'Are you sure you're doing this for the right reasons? That you want to proceed?'
'I'm doing this,' said Kesh. 'And you can take my offer, or leave it.'
'Bold words,' said Joss. 'Spoken passionately.'
'Eliar,' said Mai, 'are you really going to sacrifice her happiness in exchange for being allowed to go, when if you would only wait and be patient-?'
Eliar turned away, bracelets jangling. Shoulders heaving, he stamped down the steps and strode off into the garden.
'Mai,' murmured the captain, 'this is Ri Amarah business, not ours.'
Bowing her head, she hid her eyes behind a hand.
Kesh knew. They all did. It might as well have been shouted. In exchange for getting to do what he wanted, run away — the best phrase for it! — on an adventure just to scratch his own festering itch, the cursed Silver would acquiesce to forcing his sister into an unwanted marriage no doubt with some old goat of a lecher eager to seize on her astounding beauty. No one would squeak, because that was what people did: they married off their young ones according to what benefited the clan.
Not if he had anything to do with it. The roads to Nessumara were not safe, and might not be safe for many months to come. They couldn't haul her off yet. He had time.
One way or another, he would find a way to save her.
36
They camped on rough ground several mey outside the city of Horn where, years ago, a battle had been fought. An overhang sloped deep into an outcropping of rock, giving enough shelter that they dared build a fire and boil rice. Shai whittled. Zubaidit cleaned se leaves with a scraper. Tohon fed the fire one dry stick at a time to keep the heat even under the pot. Edard was on watch. The other three had crept away to another nook in the outcropping, but even so, Shai thought they were being awfully noisy, all that giggling and enthusiastic panting.
'I have a question,' said Tohon, twisting his ear as he studied the flame.
When he faltered, Zubaidit looked up. 'There's little you could say that would offend me, Tohon.'
The scout probed the fire with a green stick, maneuvering a hot flare under the belly of the pot. 'Sometimes it is hard to know what I am asking. Among the Qin, we are not so — well — so free with all this.'
'I'll talk to them. What possessed them to get into it now, I can't imagine. I thought they had more self control. 'We could be attacked at any time, as they know, and they're-'
Tohon coughed.
She chuckled. 'Sorry.'
He raised a hand to show no offense taken, and glanced at Shai. But Shai had nothing to say; he was more concerned with stifling the signs of arousal in his own body, because it was difficult not to pay attention to the whispered encouragements, the moans and groans. Whew! He bent his knife to the wood and shaved away a rough bump.
'You are a whore,' said Tohon.
'A hierodule,' corrected Zubaidit without heat. 'A whore takes coin. I serve the goddess, and give freely in the act of worship. Eridit's all right otherwise, it's just she's got a compulsion to get every male she meets chasing her ass. It's cursed tiresome. Anyway, she's one of Hasibal's pilgrims, so don't think this is part of the Devourer's worship.'
Ladon staggered out of the darkness, tying closed his jacket. 'Aui! I didn't know anyone could be so flexibleV
Tohon and Zubaidit broke into laughter. Shai covered his eyes just as Veras, in the nook, came to climax on a series of rising yips. Everything seemed very hot. He ached.
Edard stomped into the light, bow in hand. 'I'm of a mind to send you three back to Olossi. Could you be any stupider after what we've already been through? Eh, Ladon?' He raised his voice. 'Eh, Veras? As for you, Eridit, you deserve a whipping.'
'Promise?' came her bright voice. 'I can tell you just the way I like it.'
'What the council was thinking I don't know, since you two lads arc as worthless as any rubbish I've stuck my foot in. I guess your clans paid them off, eh? Eridit at least is useful as a spy, and for impressing the cursed savages, and for that matter, now we know she can shave every cursed soldier in the enemy's army until they
beg for mercy and surrender. Get your ass in here, Veras. You can't even report for watch duty on time, too busy getting your sword sheathed.'
Veras hurried in, wiping his mouth. 'Shut it up, you canting ass. She sheathed you a few days ago, didn't she? You angry you're not enough for her?'
Tohon scratched at his ear, he and Zubaidit exchanging a glance.
'Don't give me any of your piss, Veras. You were given explicit instructions when you volunteered for this expedition. I'm in charge.'
'Bet you wish I was like Shai, here, and never said a word, eh?' He mumbled a rude word under his breath.
Eridit sauntered in, wearing a cotton shift that left little to the imagination and loose trousers slung low around her hips. Hu! Even knowing she strutted around that way on purpose, he could not look away.
'Is it my turn?' asked Tohon.
Zubaidit grunted with choked-down laughter.
'Ouch.' With a rueful grin, Eridit got her hair twisted up and fixed with a comb, then lowered her hands to splay on her hips as she surveyed the unhappy fireside scene. 'I earned that, didn't I? Sorry. I should have known better.'
'This is not an entertainment, and we're not your audience.' Edard was red-faced and stewing. 'You three could get us all killed. We've stayed one night too many out here, hoping to find some cursed leavings from the battlefield to console our mute friend there. I've had enough. Time to move on. And once we're past Horn, the more likely we are to run into trouble. Gods help us all if you three have your trousers down when those bastards find us. Can you two lads get that through your ass-crazed heads?'
'Rice is done,' said Tohon.
Smelling sweaty and salty, Eridit sank down beside Shai. He eased away, making her smile. In a huff, Veras grabbed his sword — his fighting sword — and stomped out to take the watch. The scrape of his feet as he climbed the outcropping serenaded them while Tohon spooned out rice onto se leaves. They ate in silence. Shai tried not to look at Eridit, but she was magnificent with her lustrous black hair, her glowing brown skin, her sleek curves, her inviting
smile and coy glance. Zubaidit made him nervous; Eridit made him hard.
'I guess I wasn't thinking,' said Ladon suddenly. 'I'll do better. I know I was fortunate to be chosen. It's just-' He looked at Eridit, and chuffed out a breath between closed lips. 'Aui! That was something! Do they do it with three at the temple, Bai?'
'Did you ever ask?' retorted Zubaidit.
'You'd be surprised what's available at the temple if you think to ask,' said Eridit with a purr that made Shai's whole body shudder. She crept a bare foot over to rub against Shai's, and with his ears burning and his face aflame, he jerked his foot away.
'Leave the lad be,' said Tohon quietly. 'He's not accustomed to the ways folk have here.'
'You outlanders are a puzzle,' agreed Eridit good-naturedly. 'Is it true you've no temples to the Merciless One?'
'We do not.'
'How do young people meet the goddess for the first time, if they can't go to the temple? How do folk married
