She said, 'In the tribes, such a crime is punishable by death.'
Sayan loosed an arrow and hit her in the belly. She grunted, but despite her evident agony, she did not go down.
'Stop this!' the envoy cried.
They ignored him.
'A man cannot do only as he pleases,' she said in gasps as blood soaked through her tunic. 'Otherwise there is no law. Did you commit the act?'
Eitai's answer was soundless, a sideways look through narrowed eyes, the tilt of his head as he leveled his bow.
'You cannot kill me,' she said hoarsely. 'I will return again and again, and the next time I will kill you. See your fate in this mirror, that shows the heart of those who are guilty and those who are innocent.'
She turned the mirror's face toward the men. Light caught and flashed. Sayan screamed with fear. Eitai collapsed in silence, his spirit taken.
Eiya!
The living soldier dropped to his knees and pressed a hand to the dead man's neck, but such efforts would be in vain.
She stumbled forward. The living man shrieked. His gaze skimmed the envoy's face, the blast of his terror like a cold wind out of the mountains. He bolted for the horses, and galloped away as Kirit dropped to her knees beside the dead man, grunting as the impact jarred the arrows stuck in her body. The fall had loosened the soldier's topknot. Strands of black hair spread a delta of fine channels on the dirt.
She held her mirror a hand's breadth above his parted lips.
Breathing raggedly, she watched the mirror's surface. 'Is that his spirit? Caught in my mirror? How did he die?'
He had to speak, although he feared the consequences. 'The Guardian's staff-'
'It can kill. I killed him!'
'Vengeance is not justice.'
Her face was sheened white under sweat. She grinned, showing teeth. 'The wolf pack picks off those in the herd who are diseased. It's for the best.'
'We are not wolves. We are human beings, and we serve the law, not our own impulses. We do not bring down death with a casual flick of our hands. Death is the most severe sentence. It was long ago agreed that in death sentences, the council must be unanimous, all the Guardians must investigate such a serious case and agree, not just take matters into their own hands at their whim. The hells! Let me get those arrows out of your body'
'Go away! I am not your slave!'
She grasped the arrow that protruded from her belly and, with a shrill yaaah! yanked it out. With less difficulty, because it had already punched mostly through the meat of her shoulder, she pushed the second arrow out through the sinews of her back and, reaching under her arm, pulled it free. Weeping, coughing, mewling, she rested on her hands as blood dripped onto the dusty earth. The sinks of pitch burped like foul cauldrons.
He had no idea what to do now.
'I am not your slave,' she said, as if to the land itself. She rubbed a hand over the sticky patch of blood, smearing it into the dirt. Already her body would be healing itself, knitting what was severed, although the pain, naturally, was staggering. He tried not to think about the last time, when he'd been pierced by arrows and trampled by horses. That was the hells of it: the price you paid for your unnatural life was to learn to live again and again with the agony of dying.
She raised her head. Her demon eyes leaked water, which some might call tears.
'They cannot kill me, but I can kill them.'
'That's not what the gods intended.'
She hissed, an attempt at a whistle. Sucking in more breath, she
managed a sharp trill. Unlike him, who preferred to do his stalking afoot, she had hunted with her mount nearby. Obedient to her call, Seeing trotted into view, skittish at the smell of blood. The girl heaved herself over the mare's back, groaned and, with another grating yell, dragged a leg over to sag into the saddle, clinging to the horn.
'It's not what the gods intended,' he repeated helplessly.
As Seeing spread her wings, Kirit looked back, face white, lips as bloodless as a ghost's, tunic blotched with red.
'They are not my gods.'
30
Just because Edard had to show off to impress Eridit, the scouts got in trouble as they rode east toward Horn.
'I'll scout point today,' the ordinand said at dawn, then looked at Eridit to see if she made a comment or gave an encouraging look. She yawned, stretching in a way that made a man think of-
'Shai,' said Tohon. 'You'll ride rear guard, with me.'
Eridit flashed a smile their way, measured Shai's expression, and arched her back which of course just made her breasts more prominent beneath her thin shift. Shai flushed and looked away, stumbled up to his feet as the militiamen, Ladon and Veras, laughed.
'You'd think you'd never seen a woman before,' said Veras.
'Outlander men and women live separate, didn't you know that?' said Ladon. 'Never touching. Eiya! Maybe they only do it with sheep.'
'Shut up,' said Edard. 'Finish saddling the horses. Tohon, you take rear guard today.'
'As you say,' said Tohon with a genial smile. 'You ready yet, Shai?'
They slung packs from their saddles, Eridit last of all.
Zubaidit appeared on the path, already kitted out. 'What's taking so long? Aui!' She prowled over to Eridit, just now bending over to tie up her pack while every man stared at her making a display of the curve of her rump beneath low-slung trousers. Shai turned away,
afraid he was going to embarrass himself. Tohon started sweeping the ashes out of the fire pit.
'Doesn't it bother you?' whispered Shai, but the scout just chuckled.
Bai said, 'Eridit, I am so overcome with lust for you. Do you want to lie down right here now and get it over with? Or will you get the hells moving? Why did the temple council send you? Were you screwing them all? And if so, why did you bother to come?'
Shai looked up.
Even Eridit's scowls were sexy. 'I'm good at what I do.'
'In truth, I've seen you perform the tales at the arena. You are good.'
'My thanks,' she muttered grudgingly as she hoisted her pack over the saddle.
'Good at your art. Don't be an ass, Eridit.' Bai slapped her on the rump.
Shai jumped, and so did the other men, all except Tohon, who shook his head as if wondering how he had ever had the misfortune to end up on this deer track carved through woodland country, riding east into the heart of the enemy. If they ever got there. Eridit laughed.
Shai and Tohon hung back as the others set out in single file, soon hidden in the woods although he could track their noise. Tohon ruthlessly tightened the girths on both saddles, shaking his head. 'Those lads are strong enough, yet not only the lass but even the horses play them. Hu!'
He paused, tilted his head back.
Shai looked everywhere, but saw nothing.
A shout rang out.
'Draw your sword. This is a good trail for an ambush.' He handed Shai the reins of all four horses. 'Come up behind them. I'm going around.'
He slipped into the woods, and Shai stood there like an idiot while more shouts and cries broke. Then he got
